Tired of spending countless hours surfing the Internet and looking for best marketing lessons suitable for your small business? Don’t worry! We’re compiling the most relevant marketing articles and news that will guide your small business towards success. Today, there are 7 marketing tips you may want to read:

1. Ageless Marketing offers a comprehensive guide on how an understanding of the seasons of life can make you a more effective marketer.

2. Branding Autopsy explains why the notion “to get a customer, a marketer must be willing to lose a customer” is one of the most important lessons he learned.

3. For online entrepreneurs interested of hiring SEO experts, Scott Buresh of The Post Chronicle offers a good advice - for your search engine optimization campaign to be truly successful, a search engine optimization company must understand your business, products and services enough that it can accurately promote them on the Internet.

4. Understand why Branding Blog doesn’t believe in low rent strategy.

5. Testimonials are great, if you know how to do it properly. Guerilla Consulting explains the trouble with testimonials and how you can avoid it.

6. A new marketing study by the University of Missouri-Columbia reveals it’s a customer’s loyalty toward the salesperson – rather than the products and services tied closely to the seller – that can inspire greater sales. However, this loyalty can make your business more vulnerable.

7. Running an online business? You should watch this insightful video loaded with important online statistics to help you understand the internet better.

There are many temptations hindering the success of small businesses across the globe. These are the things we should not do but for some reason, many entrepreneurs keep doing it. Here are some of the fatal temptations in running a small business.

1. Cutting corners. Some entrepreneurs offer substandard products or poor service just to minimize expenses. They are tempted to buy cheap raw materials or accept bargain deals without regard to quality.
2. Forgetting the basics. Every business has essential parts like special equipment, unique business skills, or secret formula. However, we sometimes take these things for granted because we focus on new but less significant matters.
3. Listening to everybody. Starting a business can be very confusing so we solicit advice from experts in different fields like finance, marketing and leadership. Although there is nothing wrong with that, we should learn to evaluate every advice and uncover any hidden agenda if there’s any.
4. Not assessing your business skills. There are some entrepreneurs who believe that common sense and luck are the main ingredients of success. It is important to know your limitations so you can identify what skills to work on and the people you need to hire.

Some entrepreneurs are guilty of extendingtheir established brands without a well-supported justification or totally based on gut feel. Maybe it’s the notion that it’s very easy to piggyback on the success of one brand than to start from scratch.

However, a wrong brand extension can do more harm than good in the overall performance of your business. In many situations, it can confuse or even alienate your existing customers. To make matters worse, it can drain your marketing budget. Before going for a brand extension, ask yourself these important questions:

1. What’s the added value of this line extension to my parent brand, both short-term and long-term?
2. In what way will it strengthen my parent brand?
3. How will my current customers react to this plan?
4. Am I addressing an unmet need different from what my parent brand is serving?
5. Is the parent strongly associated with a particular product category or do I have the flexibility to enter in an entirely different category?

If you have clearcut answers to these questions then you can go ahead with your brand extension. Otherwise, take time to reconsider your options and come up with a better plan.

With many banks now catering to small businesses, finding the right bank can be very tedious for many entrepreneurs. On the brighter side, too many options mean we have higher chances of getting low-interest loans and build better business relationship.

In case your intention is to get a loan to improve your cash flow or finance your new ventures, here are some things you can do:

1. Check the websites of different banks in your area and compare their loan rates. The difference would probably be smaller because each bank is constantly monitoring the moves of competitors.
2. Talk with bank representatives to get more details and check if there are hidden costs. Make sure you do tip #1 to help you negotiate better.
3. Consult with your professional network to get their feedback and experience about the different banks in your area.

If you want to improve your business relationship with your bank, you should do the following:

1. You and your employees should be friendly with bank’s staff. Some network only with bank managers but this is a grave mistake. Establish relationship with enablers like tellers, customer service, loan officers, and guards for they can help in your daily transactions.
2. Give referrals. Refer other clients to the bank manager and don’t be shy to promote your efforts. Since they also have sales targets, they will greatly appreciate any prospects you point in their direction.
3. Don’t ask negative questions. Inquiring about bankruptcy or overdraft policies might create a wrong impression to bank officers about your capacity to pay.

Many of us are familiar with promotional items. These are free stuffs like pens or shirts bearing a company logo given to consumers or business partners. Some entrepreneurs don’t believe it is effective but a recent study (pdf file) conducted by Promotional Products Association International shows the positive impact of promo products to brand and company image:

Promotional Products have a positive impact on brand image. Specifically, when comparing people who receive a promotional product from a company with others who do not, this research shows that people who receive a promotional product have a significantly more positive opinion about a business through more positive overall image, more positive perception of the business, higher likelihood of recommending the business, and higher likelihood of patronization

Before you employ this method in your business, you should know the reasons behind your giveaways. Is it to increase sales, encourage trials, build brand or company identity, or generate new leads?

This important question will lead you to the right direction and right approach towards your customers. Otherwise, it would result to a complete failure, similar to what happened to Pontiac/Oprah giveaway 2 years ago.

You’re probably wondering what promo items are best for your business. It would greatly help if there is a strong connection between your brand and promo items. Knowledge of your target market will play a large part in this tactic.

For instance, your business is connected with helping other people earn money online. You should give away free information products like e-books or videos on different tips to increase traffic or improve conversion.

If you’re a big fan of any sports like basketball, baseball, football or soccer, why don’t you build a business around it? Your passion will be a major motivating factor but can also be your very weakness. Make sure you scan the market first before investing. Here are some of the business ideas you can build around your favorite sports:

Sports camp

Every summer many parents enroll their children in different sports camps or clinics to enhance their skills and boost self-confidence. Minimum startup cost is about $10,000 to pay for accommodations, equipment, marketing campaign, salary, and a possible endorsement by a local sports celebrity in your town or city.

Designing and Printing Team Uniforms

If you pay particular attention to team uniforms instead of the actual game, why not start selling and designing uniforms to different teams in schools or companies. You can pattern the logos on your favorite teams and subcontract the actual printing on the clothes if you are afraid to invest initially. Minimum cash outlay is about $2,000.

Sports Coaching

Some play on the field while others with their minds. If you have experience as a coach of any sports, it is feasible to offer a one-on-one service both to starting athletes and aspiring coaches. You can also run monthly seminars if you prefer dealing with many clients.

Even if your business is not connected with sports, sponsoring sports activities can help increase awareness about your company and possibly reap additional revenues.

It is a common knowledge that employees who have fun at work are the most productive. It means part of our responsibilities as entrepreneurs is to make our company a happy place. Today, it is not enough to celebrate holidays and birthdays to have fun in our office. We should take a step further by doing some of these things:

1. Engage in social events. Movie nights, bowling, or even a simple coffee session are good for bonding sessions. Discourage any conversations about business and focus on personal matters.
2. Create a “happy” team. Gather your fun-loving employees together and come up with different creative activities to add more laughter in your company.
3. Review your office practices. There are some annoying activities in your office like soliciting money among employees that negatively affect other co-workers. You should correct these things as soon as possible.
4. Maintain a positive attitude. Employees usually mimic the attitude of the business owners. Lead your team towards a more optimistic life by starting within yourself.
5. Adopt flextime. Some employees have other personal matters to attend to like children or sick relatives. Giving them a flexible schedule will not only ease their stress but build loyalty to your company as well.

Is your business a fan of creativity? A recent survey shows that majority of US workers suffer from lack of creative stimulation. This is a very fatal blow for many small businesses since creativity is the core of our existence.

In a study of 674 full- and part-time workers, 88 percent said they consider themselves creative, but only 63 percent said they are putting their creative abilities to use on the job, according to an Ipsos Public Affairs survey commissioned by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

Moreover, 39 percent of respondents said they do not think of their company as a creative entity. Nevertheless, the survey found that 75 percent of workers believe their employers value their creativity.

To help you boost your creativity, I have gathered several resources for you to read:

Jpb.com offers numerous creativity tips such as 10 Steps for Boosting Creativity, 10 Creative Myths, and Creative Idea Implementation Plan.

Brain Reactions has gathered 31 tips for improving your creativity and I personally like the idea of spending time with kindergartens and trying new experiences to widen one’s perspectives.

Download this pdf file from Laughterremedy.com to learn how you can use humor to enhance your creativity.

Compass Life Designs guides you on how to unlock your creativity by exercising, brainstorming, and using affirmations.

Ettiengt at Flixya will help you boost your creativity using your 5 senses.

Would it be nice if we can promote our business and contribute to the society at the same time? Cause marketing is a not a new concept but many entrepreneurs have a misconception that this is only applicable to big companies.

They say a good deed is often rewarded. In the case of cause marketing, it can boost your company image and make your customers feel better about themselves. According to a new research,

The perception that a company is doing good raised the premium consumers are willing to pay for a brand by an average of 6.1 percent.

Among survey respondents, 70 percent said purchasing products from companies that support causes makes them feel they are being socially responsible. Fifty-three percent said the connection makes them feel like a part of something beyond the scope of their own lives.

In case you are interested to integrate this approach in your small business, here are some things you should consider:

1. It needs passion and commitment. This step can be very risky if you simply want to increase your revenues. Choose a charity that is close to your heart and take time to know more about this group before you implement this strategy.
2. Deal with the right charitable group. You should also check the credibility of your chosen institution. Unfortunately, there are numerous swindlers who use charity as their front. Also, make sure the organizers are equally willing to promote your company as well.

We’re giving to you the must-read news concerning small businesses and entrepreneurs, so you don’t have to sort through numerous online publications and focus more on learning new stuff. Today’s leading news include:

Nina Kaufman, an official blogger of WomenEntrepreneur.com, provides a lesson on how entrepreneurs can survive trademark lawsuits. She also emphasizes the importance of having a legal counsel before starting your branding and trademark process.

If you want to build your business, you should know the Dr. Stephen Covey’s 4 “L’s” of success in your career or your relationships – living, love, learn, and leave a legacy.

Involve your business in saving the environment by following these recycling tips. According to LondonTopic.ca, it will help lower operating costs through more efficient use of materials and resources, save waste disposal costs and show your customers that you are environmentally conscious.

The Seattle Times reports how business coaches can help entrepreneurs stay on task. According to David Matthew Prior, a business coach based in Saddle River, N.J., “Coaching isn’t therapy, and it’s not consulting. The basic philosophy is that the client knows the answers, and the coach is there to facilitate and provide structure, support and accountability. And there is no coaching occurring if the client is not taking action.”