Deborah's Marketing Tips & News

Jul 28, Old Spice Marketing Genius

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:29:29 GMT

Old Spice was a brand for our grandfathers. Been around forever, nothing much new. Not so sexy anymore. Well, all that has changed now. Old Spice has revitalized their brand and now instead of the grandpa affiliation, it's sexy, fun (and funny) and modern. Old Spice started with new commercials that created buzz. Not so much for the product, but for the ads themselves. (If you haven't seen them, go to You Tube now & watch!) Then, they followed up with a brilliant social media campaign that got all sorts of people involved in their marketing and talking about their product. There was some question as to whether all this buzz was really going to show up in sales. It seems it has. (Click the link below for Mashable's article on the campaign results -- 107 increase!) That's the key criteria for any marketing promotion--does it result in sales? Does it bring in customers and move more product? How can you revitalize your brand, make it sexy again? I'm sure we'll see some lame copycat promos, but the lesson here is to keep thinking about how you can connect with customers, maybe make them laugh and associate your brand with the characteristics that resonate with today's market.

Jul 26, Smart Marketing Works!

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:50:46 GMT

Smart Marketing Works helps small and home-based businesses with effective, low-cost marketing solutions

Jul 19, Vision Boards for Business Goals

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:48:03 GMT

How to use vision boards to power up your business goals.

Jul 13, Handling Customer Complaints

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:06:30 GMT

Easy steps for successfully handling customer complaints so you are both happy with the result.

Jul 12, Your Holiday Marketing Plan

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:50:52 GMT

How to make more $$$ this Holiday season with smart holiday marketing

Jul 12, Four Ways to Increase your Sales Today

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:02:20 GMT

Increase your sales today with these four tips to boost your business now

Jul 12, Business Action Plans

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:36:17 GMT

Creating Action Plans for your Business

Jul 8, Great Marketing Books for your Library

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:35:56 GMT

Recommended marketing books for small and home-based business owners

Jul 8, Internet Connection Options

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:38:21 GMT

What are your options for internet connections? Whats the difference between DSL, cable, satellite?

Jul 8, Staying Motivated

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:00:17 GMT

A great visualization technique for staying motivated to reach your goals

Jul 8, Personal Chefs Marketing Tips

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:45:00 GMT

Six ideas to market your personal chef business

May 27, SWOT Analysis

Thu, 27 May 2010 19:36:16 GMT

Another great business planning tool is the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) analysis. This article explains what it is and how you can use it to help your business grow.

May 27, Business Plan Basics

Thu, 27 May 2010 19:36:16 GMT

What are the basic elements of a standard business plan? This article outlines what should go in a formal written busienss plan.

Apr 26, Nurturing the Tribe presentation

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:54:57 GMT

I spoke recently at TribeCamp in Memphis. My topic was "Nurturing the Tribe" and it's about how authentic involvement in online and offline communities can help you build lasting business relationships. Click on the link to view the slide presentation.

Apr 19, Motivation

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:55:21 GMT

Simple, effective tips for motivation.

Apr 19, Ten Ways to Market your Business for Free

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:49:38 GMT

Ten ways to market your business for free!

Apr 19, Free Auction eBook

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:47:56 GMT

Free Auction eBook

Apr 19, Manage your Energy to Maximize your Time

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:46:14 GMT

Personal energy managment tips to increase your productivity

Apr 19, Consulting Services for your Business

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:43:11 GMT

Consulting services provided by Smart Marketing Works!

Apr 19, Choosing a Small Business, Part 3

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:38:57 GMT

Part 3 of Choosing a Small Business - how to build the business of your dreams -- and how to avoid starting the business of your nightmares

Apr 19, Marketing with Your Business Cards

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:54:40 GMT

TIps for getting the most marketing mileage from your business cards.

Apr 19, Blogging - How can it help you Grow your Business?

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:44:39 GMT

Blogging definition and tips to use a blog for business marketing.

Apr 19, Small Business Marketing Articles and Information

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:43:21 GMT

Articles, Tips, Hints for Marketing your Small Business

Apr 19, About Smart Marketing Works!

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:35:41 GMT

About Smart Marketing Works!

Apr 19, Book Review of 101 Small Business Ideas for Under $5,000

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:43:08 GMT

Book Review of "101 Small Business Ideas for Under $5,000"

Apr 16, Deborah Crawford is speaking at TribeCamp April 24

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:32:47 GMT

I'm speaking on "Nurturing the Tribe" at TribeCamp in Memphis on April 24. I'd love to see you there! There will be several great speakers on various Web 2.0 topics. You can even win an iPad! Use discount code "Deborah" at registration to save 30.

Apr 12, Prioritizing your To-Do List

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:46:44 GMT

Everyone has days like this. We stay super-busy all day long and at the end of the day, it seems we didn't get much done. Get control of your productivity with these tips on assigning priorities to the items on your to-do list.

Mar 31, Say "Thank You"

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:51:24 GMT

Saying thank you to your customers is very important. Customers love to be appreciated. We all want to think we are important to the businesses we give our money to. Let them know that you care and say thank you with meaning. A sincere "Thank you. I really appreciate your business" goes a long, long way and should be included in your marketing plan. Great customer service IS marketing.

Mar 30, Work at Home Business Ideas

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:41:13 GMT

Looking for great, low-cost, work-at-home business ideas? Check out this new ebook by Deborah Crawford. These are real businesses, not get-rich-quick schemes! Over 30 business profiles, plus tips on start-up and finding the business that best suits your skills & interests.

Mar 29, How to Write Ads that Get Results

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:22:43 GMT

Guideline to writing effective ad copy

Mar 27, Create a Facebook Fan Page for your Business

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:44:37 GMT

Facebook Fan Pages are a great, free way to promote your business. This article will walk you through the process, providing step by step directions on how to create a Facebook Fan Page for your business.

Mar 27, Yellow Pages Advertising

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:05:25 GMT

Advertising in the Yellow Pages can be hugely expensive for start-ups and small businesses. Start with the most basic and affordable ad you can get. Yep, the cheapest, which is usually just a basic listing. This is effective for many businesses and can be for yours, too. Your sales rep will try to steer you to buying more--that's her job. Your job is to make a profit running your business. Some businesses don't even need Yellow Pages listings. Are your competitors advertising there? If so, get a basic listing, then test it to see if it actually brings you business. Many people don't even use the Yellow Pages anymore; they rely on recommendations from friends or web searches or coupons or some other advertising to make their selections. This is one area where you really need to start low and do your homework first.

Nov 30, Start Your Own Business

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:22:01 GMT

Are you ready to start your own business? Explore these articles for help choosing the opportunity that's right for you.

Sep 23, Training

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:35:26 GMT

Training for sales, customer service and marketing professionals. From entry level to executive level.

Jul 22, Beware of Disaster Relief Scams

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:04:28 GMT

How to avoid crooks and thieves who run disaster relief scams.

Mar 27, Best Work-At-Home Solution

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 03:07:50 GMT

Feb 18, Resolutions for the New Year!

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:19:42 GMT

setting new goals for your business

Dec 28, Resources for Small and Home-based Businesses

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 20:10:36 GMT

Resources for Small and Home-based Businesses

Nov 29, Make More Money During the Holiday Season

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 21:48:25 GMT

How to make more money during the "shopping" season

Nov 29, Choosing the Right Small Business

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 21:38:36 GMT

Guidelines to discover what small business or home-based business is right for you.

Oct 31, Seven Marketing Strategies we can learn from "Dog--the Bounty Hunter"

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 22:03:38 GMT

7 marketing strategies of Dog: the Bounty Hunter, plus "dog-the-bounty-hunter" links

Oct 31, The Martha Rules Book Review

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 21:52:50 GMT

Book Review of The Martha Rules

Oct 27, Jessica Simpson Knows Business

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 20:10:05 GMT

Jessica Simpson -- ditzy blonde or savvy business woman?

Oct 19, Free Content for your Website or Newsletters

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 21:14:29 GMT

Where to get free content for websites and newsletters

Oct 15, Choosing a Small Business, Part 2

Sat, 15 Oct 2005 15:28:31 GMT

Choosing a small business that matches your passions

Oct 1, Building Your Website

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 16:10:31 GMT

Information on website creation

Sep 11, Contact Information

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 04:43:37 GMT

Contact information for Smart-Marketing-Works!

Sep 9, Three Simple Ways to Motivate yourself Today

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 03:48:16 GMT

three successful and easy ways to motivate yourself daily

Sep 8, Smart Marketing Works Newsletter

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 14:47:32 GMT

Weekly newsletter updates from Smart Marketing Works!

Sep 8, Verification

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 04:22:07 GMT