More Than A Few Words

Customers can smell advertising a mile away.  That's why inbound marketing, which drives potential clients to your website looking for information can be so powerful.   Instead of hitting them with a hard sell, you woo prospective customers with gentle tips that position you as a subject matter expert.   More than a Few Words is a weekly conversation about marketing.  What do you think of the program? We would love to know.  Answer a few quick questions now.  https://goo.gl/forms/5kXL3EW9ByadXFPR2

47 million Americans have smart speakers in their homes.  So whether they say Hey Alexa, or Hey Google, or even hello Apple these consumers are turning to these devices every day to turn on and off other electronics in their home, make notes, set a reminder and even buy items on Amazon. Lindsey Anderson (oneclicklindsey) thinks those speakers present an opportunity for marketers. How? As consumers turn on their speakers every day, they can sign up for daily briefs.  These 1 - 2 minutes of news updates, marketing tips, or coaching skills are delivered directly every day. Listen now to discover how you can use this powerful tool to grow your business. If you are intrigued and want to learn more go to smartspeakerwebinar.com to watch a 45 minute tutorial on how you can set up your daily briefing.  And check out Lindsey's new software product at SmartSpeakerHub.com

There is more to email marketing than just sending out a simple newsletter. With segmentation and click funnel tools, they can be an integral part of your email marketing. This week, Sam and Page sat down with Lorraine to talk about the tools they love, and a few they don't!  MTFW is a production of Roundpeg, an Indianapolis based digital agency. 

After the sale, the real work begins.  Unfortunately, many organizations do not have a specific process for a smooth handoff between the sales and execution teams.  Amy Woodall explains that without a well-defined onboarding process there are more chances to disappoint a customer as expectations are not clearly communicated.    

Thinking about selling your business? It doesn't happen overnight.  As Ryan Parshall of Peterson Acquisitions explains there is a lot of work to do before you are ready to sell.  The good news, you can start working on that today, even if you don't think you are ready to sell.  And when you are done listening to this podcast, grab a copy of Ryan's ebook.  Top 7 Best Ways To Prepare To Sell Your Business  

What if you could put your product or service in front of a prospective customer just as they are thinking about buying?  With Google Adwords you can. Leveraging the power of search you can build your sales funnel with pre-warmed leads.  Then using retargeting you can make sure those prospective clients see your ads again and again.  Sound complicated? It really isn't.  This week, Jennifer Denney of Elevated Marketing explains how it works. 

Hosting a conference isn’t as difficult as you think and Jennifer Crawford believes the pay off can be huge . Planning an event for 200 or frewer attendees gives you a chance to meet face to face with people you may only know through online events. The interactions allow you to build deeper connections with your community of customers, prospects, referral partners, and yes, even competitors. Don’t try to be all things to all people. Keep the focus narrow and you are more likely to attract the right people to the event. More Than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg.

You don't need to be a WordPress wizard to craft a quality site. Content is key to getting your message across, and you shouldn't just focus on your design at the expense of your content. On this episode of More Than a Few Words, Roundpeg's Lorraine Ball and Web Support Specialist Simon Efroymson talk about the many ways to improve your site's readability and searchability without having to rely on experience manipulating code. More Than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg.

Trade shows are overwhelming. There are so many people to talk to, products to look at, and business cards to hand out. It seems easy to get lost in the flurry. You need to stand out. What are some things you can do to get noticed at trade shows? Roundpeg's Lorraine Ball and TKO Graphix's Randy Clark talk about their trade show experiences and ways to get noticed while behind the table. More Than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg.

A new workplace brings with it a whole set of challenges. It can be intimidating being in a foreign space with a completely new set of coworkers. There's a bit of a learning curve that comes with a new position. How can you overcome the stress of starting fresh? This week on More Than a Few Words, Roundpeg's Lorraine Ball and Britt Baue talk about being the new kid on the job. More Than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg.

Adapting to change can be difficult, not just in the work-place. What do you do when you're suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar position? You can either resist the change or flow with it. On this episode of More Than a Few Words, Roundpeg's Lorraine Ball and Melanie Gaston talk a bit about the difficulties that come with a change in responsibility and some of the lessons learned from growing pains. More Than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg.

In the span of a month, the International House of Pancakes affectionately known as IHOP changed their name to IHOB and then back again. Was this savvy marketing or a silly prank gone hopelessly wrong?  Page Jones thinks it was one of those marketing mistakes, that everyone at IHOP hopes the world will forget about, soon.   

Indiana is taking bold steps to introduce Hoosiers to the World, and the World to Indiana. Through the ISBDC (Indiana Small Business Development Center) there are free services available for business owners looking to grow their business and expand beyond our borders.   From training and counseling services, to support developing an export strategy, the ISBDC is helping thousands of business owners each year become more successful in Indiana.  To learn more about their programs, Lorraine sat down with Aaron Vigil-Martinez the Director of Small Business & Entrepreneurship at Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Troy Phelps the State Director of the Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC)  Looking to use their services? Go to https://isbdc.org/ to learn more.   

For generations, accountants relied on handwritten ledgers, carefully written recording every transaction generated by a business.  Then came programs like Quickbooks which have automated the process.   Now the next iteration of these programs is available.  Quickbooks Online.  But is the software the right choice for you?  Larry Marrietta of Marietta Financial Services and host Lorraine Ball talk about the pros and cons of online accounting software.  This special episode of MTFW features one of the hosts of the Digital Toolbox Conference.  

If you have been paying attention to changes on Facebook lately, you will notice blue and grey check marks appearing next to company listings.  These symbols identify that the page has been verified by Facebook.   In this era of scammers and hackers, verification gives visitors confidence when they visit your page.  This week, Sam and Lorraine talk about why you need to verify, how to get your verification and what to do next.   

When June rolls around, suddenly everything gets a bit more colorful. Rainbow flags adorn porches and automobiles. It's very tempting to hop on the pride-wagon, but should you?  If you're just promoting pride to grab a few rainbow dollars, maybe you should rethink what to do the rest of the year before you plan your Rainbow strategy for the month of June.  Today Roundpeg's Lorraine Ball and Lead Graphic Designer Cherilyn Juris talk about when it is appropriate to fly the rainbow flag for a business. More Than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg.

This week, Lorraine talks with Waylon Wright and Diana Caldwell of life science company Pearl Pathways about their web design process.  If you have a company which sells expertise, not products, this episode is a must listen. MTFW is a production of Roundpeg, a web design company. Curious about the final product?  Go to https://www.pearlpathways.com/

Memes are almost synonymous with the internet. Memes are a constantly changing inside joke, shared by millions and distributed via the web. They can be inclusive or exclusive. They serve as commentary on shared experiences. For these reasons, memes are appealing to businesses on social media. But the question of whether or not they should use them is a much-debated one. Join Roundpeg's Lorraine Ball and Social Media Specialist Page Jones as they discuss memes and their use for business. More Than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg.

While some people come to your website to browse, the vast majority come for a purpose. They are looking for a specific piece of information or resource.  Custom, landing pages help visitors find exactly what they are looking for.  In today's conversation, Lorraine shares some simple rules to follow as you build your landing page.  Eliminate distractions like sidebars and navigation Keep the content focused on one topic Make the topic of the page very clear. Don't be afraid to be direct in your request and use all caps for the buttons.  It is ok to shout a little. MTFW is a production of Roundpeg. 

Everyone has a network. it is comprised of family members, friends, and former coworkers. Some people have large networks, and others have smaller, supportive groups, but every one of your employees has a network.  As a business owner, Hazel Walker thinks it is up to you to teach your employees how to use their networks, to subtly promote your business. They don't have to walk into their grandmother's 100th birthday party with a stack of business cards, but there are ways to listen to conversations and share stories without being pushy.  Hazel Walker is a Global Networker, teaching business owners around the globe how to grow referral based businesses. Learn more about here at www.hazelwalker.com