More Than A Few Words

Last week we made hand turkeys.  Sure it is a silly thing for adults to do, but as Sam explained,  there are several good reasons why every business should.    Lorraine Ball and Sam Von Tobel are part of the turkey making team at Roundpeg, an Indianapolis marketing firm. 

At Roundpeg, we love all our customers, but we definitely enjoy working with our food clients a bit more.  Why? Well, of course, there are the products, but also the creativity and the opportunity to promote product customers really enjoy interacting with. So if you manufacture or distribute a food product, or run a restaurant  or shop sit back and enjoy today's podcast.  More than a few words is a production of Roundpeg, a food marketing firm.   

Today, Erik Deckers is recognized across the country as a humorist, author, and marketer. But just a decade ago, that wasn't the case.  So how did Erik make that transition, and build his personal brand?  That is the subject Branding Yourself, (3rd Edition) by Erik Deckers and Kyle Lacy.   I had a chance to sit down recently with my good friend Erik to talk about the book, what's new and the relevant lessons for anyone looking to build a personal brand.  From social media profiles to face to face networking tips, Erik firmly believes you need to brand yourself as someone who is willing to share what they know, learn from others and add value to every interaction.  More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball  

Advertising is easy.  For a relatively small investment, even a novice marketer can reach a wide audience.  but when you are ready to go beyond the basics, then Lindsey Anderson has some solid tips for you.  From building an audience by "Carpet Bombing" or retargeting your ads from landing pages used in your Google Adword campaigns, she explains how you can reach the right people at the right time.  Want to learn more about Lindsey?  Check out her podcast at trafficandleadspodcast.com or her website oneclicklindsey.com   More than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg, a digital agency in Indianapolis  

Albert Kaufman considers himself a lifelong networker. In this conversation, he shares his opinions and tips for making the most of your networking activities.  Learn more about him at www.albertideation.com   More than a few Words is a production of Roundpeg, a marketing and web design firm in Indianapolis. 

Your website has to do more than just look good, it needs to be filled with keyword rich, recent and relevant content. In the second of a four-part series, Lorraine looks at some of the most common content mistakes and how to avoid them.   These podcasts are excerpts from a webinar on the same topic.  To view the webinar, click here.    More than a few words is a production of Roundpeg, a web design firm. 

Wordpress is promising us that Version 5 of the popular software is going to be packed with some pretty significant changes.  The biggest is Gutenberg, their new text editor.  The developers are promising that the Gutenberg editor will revolutionize how we edit content, but is it really the best thing since sliced bread? While some users are excited, others include plug in developers are concerned the changes are being rushed.    MORE THAN A FEW WORDS is a production of Roundpeg, and Indianapolis-based Wordpress development shop. 

When was the last time you looked at your website - really looked at it the way a prospective customer might.  If it has been more than a few months, it has probably been too long. In today's episode, we begin a conversation about auditing your website and outline the design elements you should keep in mind.  Be sure to check out the complete audit your website webinar and companion workbook. 

As a marketing professional, my attention is usually focused on generating leads.   While leads are important, at the end of the day, your business runs on sales, not leads.   Unfortunately, too often business owners focus all their attention on the top of the sales funnel making sure they are generating lots of leads. Then they are unprepared when the lead converts to a sale. They and their sales team don't have a repeatable process which converts leads to sales. Sales coach, Matt Nettleton of Sandler Training, shares simple tips on how to convert those prospects into customers.    More than a few words is a production of Roundpeg

Your customers on looking for information when they are at their desks, from mobile devices when they are on the go and even in real life.  Do you have tools to reach them wherever they are?    Corey Trojanowski, of Delivra shared his thoughts on how and why we need to look beyond just a simple email or direct mail strategy.    More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball, founder of Roundpeg a digital agency 

Trying to get prospective customers to engage with you on Facebook or your website?  Josh Haynam of TryInteract.com suggests you ask people questions which help them learn something about themselves.    Polls and quizzes allow people to talk about their favorite subject, themselves.  At the same time, they let you, the business owner learn more about them so you can personalize your marketing.    More than a few words is a production of Roundpeg, a digital marketing firm, which just might have a few questions for you. 

This week our guest is Dylan Careker, the marketing manager at Flexpac.  Dylan is pretty passionate about his belief that there is a place for every business on social media.   If you would like to follow Dylan, look for him on Twitter. @carekerd More than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg, a social media marketing firm. 

Psychographic segmentation divides your market based on consumer personality traits, interests, problems, values, philosophy, and motivations.  With data from social media, it is easier than ever to use psychographic tools to segment your market.  As marketers, we love the ability to zero in on a specific audience. However, this same information can be used for a wide range of applications, many of which were never anticipated.    

When Applebee’s announced they would close 135 locations in 2017 I wondered what had happened to the once-popular chain. As I looked at their recent history it became very clear, that their desire to appeal to millennials had led them down a path, far away from their core customers.  They didn't connect with the new market and they turned off their loyal fans.   In this podcast, Sam and Lorraine explore where they got off course and how they and other companies need to focus on their target customers if they want to succeed.  If you want to learn more about defining your target customer, be sure to grab a copy of our target marketing workbook. More than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg, a marketing strategy firm.   

One of the most important things to do at the beginning of a web design project is to get key decision makers in a room and brainstorm to create a wish list.   That was the topic of our conversation with Barbara Carneiro of Word Revolution.   If you want to kick off your own brainstorm session, you might want to grab a copy of some of the web design worksheets available from Roundpeg, a Wordpress Web Design Firm. 

Where is the line when it comes to free speech? What can you say and where can you say it?  The advent of social media has made this question even more challenging to answer.  As social media companies work to prevent terrorists and other "hate groups" from using their platforms to spread their message, the question of how to control, and what to control come up again and again.  In today's podcast, Lydia Thurston (the new kid at the 'Peg)  and Lorraine talk about some of the changes Instagram has instituted and how small business owners should be thinking about their content in this new era.    More than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg, an Indianapolis social media company. 

Websites and marketing tools are smarter than ever.  Today you can track prospective customers from your email to your website and back again.   When you know where these prospective customers are going, Carlos Scarpero says you can begin to share content in a regular pattern on relevant topics to strengthen the connection.  More than a Few Words is a Production of Roundpeg, a marketing firm specializing in marketing automation campaigns.  

When it comes to marketing, you only have so much credibility when you are talking about yourself. Sometimes you have to step back and let other people, your customers or referral partners do the talking for you.  That user generated content, is often more authentic and more compelling than anything you could say about yourself. In this episode, Lorraine talks with Erin Sparks of Edge of the Web Radio about different types of UGC.  More than a Few Words is a production of Roundpeg, a content marketing firm in Indianapolis

SEO is a complicated topic.  But Nicole McCullum of Captivate Designs breaks it down to a few simple ideas every business owner can start using right away.  If you are lucky enough to be in NYC you can attend one of her upcoming two-day workshops.  More than a few words is a production of Roundpeg, a web design agency in Indianapolis

Welcome to More Than a Few Words – a marketing conversation for business owners. Each week, Lorraine Ball chats with industry leaders from around the world about marketing, social media, design, and technology.  The brief episodes are filled with practical tips and trends you can apply to your business today. More Than a Few Words is a part of the Digital Toolbox from Roundpeg.