More Than A Few Words

Often abused and overused, email has gotten a bad reputation.  But if done well it, used to send relevant messages to an interested audience email will  still deliver extraordinary and cost effective returns.  This week Allison and I talk about ways to make your email marketing more effective.

For many small businesses, summer means one thing: interns. Should you be hiring an intern? Do they need to be paid? And what should they be getting out of it, anyway? Lorraine and Allison use their years of supervising--and being!--interns to shed light on how interns can  be a big help to your business, and how they can slow you down.

It's June! The days are longer, the temperatures are rising and people are starting to think about vacations. It's unfortunate many of the small business owners I work with make the mistake of skipping vacations because they are afraid to take the time away from their business. But you need to take time to recharge your batteries, see and do new things and look at the business from a distance.  To help you do just that Lorraine and Allison talk about strategies to plan for your vacation so it is fun, relaxing and worry free. Listen now or subscribe to our feed through iTunes and listen to in on the go.

Creating a unique voice in writing is one of the most difficult but important parts of a successful marketing campaign. You need to understand who you are, who your customer is and what you’re trying to accomplish. We talk about what makes for a great voice and what to do–and what not to do–when you raise your voice.

Allison and Lorraine talk about recent changes to Google + and Tumblr.

Now that tax season is over, it’s a good time to look at ways to reduce your tax bill next year. Join us as we chat with Gregory Simons about how you, the small business owner, can get ahead. About Gregory Simons: Greg has been an accounting professional since 1988, having worked for two Big Four accounting firms as an auditor and manager for special projects for six years. He also worked for a Fortune 500 company as an Internal Auditor for over a year. In 1995, Greg founded Simons Bitzer & Associates and has focused his time on providing services to small- and medium-sized businesses in Central Indiana. He has served as Chief Financial Officer for several organizations, and has specialized in working with tax agencies to resolve difficult tax matters. Greg’s current focus is on managing client relationships, working with businesses in strategic areas, helping clients resolve common business issues, and working with the firm’s Tax Specialists to maximize tax savings to businesses and individuals. Greg was

CJ McClanahan believes that fundamentally, every business has the core objective to “deliver goods or services in a fashion that provides an en ever increasing value to the shareholders.” Additionally, in a highly competitive, constantly changing marketplace, all businesses must adhere to one additional ideal in order to thrive and effectively adhere to their core objective that is to “provide an exceptional experience for their employee that inspires and enables them to grow and achieve their goals.” About CJ: CJ began his consulting career as a licensed business coach with Action Coach and was soon recognized as one of the top coaches in the United States. He was named the “Rookie of the Year” and “Coach of the Year” in his territory and was recognized nationally with the “Action Man of the Year” award. CJ started reachmore, in September of 2003, 5 days before his son Ian was born all because he was inspired by a book. Send him an email at books@goreachmore.com and he will tell you which book inspired him a

With changing rules from Google and new technology, keeping your marketing one step ahead of  your competitors is an on going challenge. That’s what drove conference organizers John and Linda Coonen to organize the first CMS  Expo in 2008. Their formula: invite the best in the CMS community to showcase what they can do to empower others. Today the event brings together web professionals in businesses, non-profits, education and government units

Great videos begin with great stories. This week, we will talk with Lisa Whitman, co-owner of Digital Stories Productions, about how to use stories as the foundation of a great video. Lisa describes herself as a host, interviewer, listener, story teller, producer and professional chit-chatter. I am really looking forward to a great conversation about capturing the stories of your business. About Lisa Lisa Whitman - Owner and President, Digital Stories Productions Lisa is passionate about helping individuals, organizations, businesses and companies tell their story and share their message. As the owner of a full-service video production company, she oversees the written and visual content and communications for their clients, which include Community Health Network, Franciscan Alliance Health Network, Hyatt Recruiting, Direct Employers, and several Fortune 500 and 1000 companies. In 1994, she served as a video journalist in Russia and traveled its eleven time zones interviewing those in the Ministry of Educat

Today you’re focused on building your business, but someday you may want to sell it or turn it over to your employees. All too often business owners wait until it is way too late to start mapping out an exit strategy. Our conversation with  T. Ray Phillips, owner of  The Family Business Legacy Company, LLC., will be about building your exit plan. T. Ray is the ideal person to talk about this topic. He was the first person in Indiana and among only 500 nationwide to successfully complete the Certified Family Business Specialist designation offered through the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Additionally, he holds the Accredited Estate Planner designation from the NAEPC & the Chartered Financial Consultant designation from the American College. He also earned his Graduate Certificate in Business Succession Planning from the American College.

In the rush to create content for blogs, emails and social media, many small business owners fall in to the trap of simply re-purposing content they find elsewhere. While some of this information is good to share, you need to have your own perspective as well. If you want to stand out, you have to include content only you can share. From stories about your clients and projects to events around the office, content is a great way to give prospective customers an inside view of your company. Sharing your thoughts and opinions  help customers understand why they should buy from you and not one of your competitors. This was the topic of Allison’s presentation at the recent Build Indy Conference. You can see her slides from the event below as you listen to this week’s episode of More Than a Few Words. Allison and Lorraine will talk about how to create content only you can write but we would love to hear your suggestions on the topic as well.

Talking with entrepreneurs in Indy, I often hear complaints about the lack of local funding in the city. Today’s guest Brandon Smith is trying to change that. He is part of a new venture Localstake, which connects investors with companies looking to raise capital. The twist? This Internet-based platform focuses on micro-investments on a local scale. About Brandon Smith Before starting LocalStake, Brandon was an investment analyst at J.P. Morgan in private banking. While there, he was responsible for investment analysis and risk monitoring for high net worth families, foundations and business owners.

Business owner Joel Russell believes a business should do more than just produce products and services.  A business should be actively engaged in making their community a better place to live. From programs which engage employees in fundraising for charities to contributing a portion of company profits to causes he supports, Joel has built a company that does more. This week, we will talk about how you strike a balance and create a company that is a good community citizen. About Joel Russell Joel Russell founded eImagine Technology Group in 1998 after a successful career in both the technology and financial services sectors. He is an energetic entrepreneur who brings to the company a passion for excellence and a solid foundation in technology and business best practices. He embodies the eImagine philosophy that empowering employees to improve their personal and professional lives, their working environments and their communities makes the difference between a good company and a great company.

A vibrant artistic community will adds interest, jobs and revenue to a city. Indy is lucky to have an organization like IndyFringe at the center of our community. From modest beginnings just under a decade ago, the Indianapolis Fringe Festival has grown into an annual cultural attraction that keeps drawing record audiences. With eight different venues, 64 performing groups and 384 performances in 11 days, the festival brings performers from around the world to Indy. IndyFringe has grown to include DivaFest, The Winter Magic Festival , OnyxFest, Jabberwocky (in collaboration with Storytelling Arts of Indiana)  and a series of other performances throughout the year. At the helm is Pauline Moffat, Executive Director of Indy Fringe. Named as one of the IBJ’s Women of Influence, Moffat is an unending source of ideas and energy, transforming the festival into a vehicle which provides an accessible, affordable outlet that draws diverse elements of the community together and inspires creative experiences through the

A great brand is more than a great logo. Having a truly iconic brand means understanding who you are and what you offer to customers. From the pictures you chose to the words you write, every part of your business should reflect your value proposition.  This week we will be talking with brand strategist Nila Nealy about ways to make your brand memorable. About Nila Nealy Nila is a Certified Brand Strategist and owner of TwentyTwo. She helps businesses become great brands by uncovering powerful brand positions, ensuring internal brand adoption, and delivering creativity that establishes market differentiation.  

If you  don’t make sales, you won’t have much of a business. While we all know that’s true, it’s easy to get distracted and focus on busy work instead of the business of sales. Sales doesn’t have to be hard or overwhelming if you work at it consistently. This week, our guest is Matt Nettleton who will share some of his best tips for making your sales efforts more productive. About Matt Nettleton Matt is my sales coach.  He teaches sales and sales management at TrustPointe, a Sandler Training company  in Indianapolis.

Long before podcasting was cool or easy to do, our guest Alan Houser began experimenting with the medium.  Now, after more than seven years, he has racked up a library of interesting interviews and helpful tips for people just starting down this path. We will start the conversation by talking about podcasting as a marketing tool. But  Alan is a man of diverse interests.  He describes himself  as a designer, filmmaker and podcaster who lives in a barn. We’re never quite sure where the conversation with Alan will end up, but it’ll sure be fun.

The results are in from our 2013 Social Media Survey. We'll be releasing the white paper soon, but for now Allison and I will be talking about some of the things we learned in this year's study of social media use by small business owners. Some things we expected, but other things were definitely surprises.

Throughout his twenty year career, meteorologist Paul Poteet has done one thing, consistently  - talk to people about the weather. He has been the voice of the weather on a number of local radio and television stations and in recent years he has shared his weather updates via social media. About Paul This is Paul Poteet’s 31st year of working as a media personality in the Indianapolis market.  He’s been a part of central Indiana mornings on tv and radio since 1993.

It's a new year, and time for a new start to your business and your life. This year, you're going to eat healthier and exercise more, right? Our guest Pamela Reilly hopes you will.    Pamela is a naturopathic consultant in private practice providing holistic wellness services. After identifying the cause of an illness, Pamela helps clients restore wellness using a natural, integrative approach. I first met Pamela through Twitter, where she shares an interesting mix of health tips in her stream. Today we will be talking with her about how she has used social media to grow her practice.