Marketing Tips to Put You Ahead of the Pack

• Marketing is a form of a self-expression. I think of it as an art, but you don't have to be Picasso to make money off of it.

An example I can give is that I do prefer Apples to PCs, but part of the reason they are the only computers used in my office and were the ones originally purchased is that someone brilliantly made the once-clunky Apple logo into something sleek and artistic.

As a small business owner, it is nothing short of imperative that you are involved in the marketing process, because at that the end of the day, you have to feel comfortable about how you are represented on the web.

Like it or not, that's the perception that clients will bring with them upon calling you.

It may sound odd to some, but our programmer put a picture on the corporate website of me with a big smile and for some reason, it bugged the heck out of me. Since a large number of people visit the site everyday, I immediately had it taken down.

The point is that at the end of the day, with regards to marketing your company, it's not what the thirty other people say or what their opinion is, it's what you are comfortable with and what you feel reflects you and your company.

• Don't outsource a drop.

Aside from clothing and fashion, I've never been too impressed with the marketing work they do abroad. You're going to hurt your business if you don't buy American when it comes to marketing. The reason is that different countries have different styles. What looks good in India may not look good here.

- There is no ROI when it comes to status quo marketing
About 5 years ago when I started my site, I knew enough not to look at other staffing firms' sites for ideas, because I didn't want to emulate my competition. In every industry, about 95% of the websites look the same.

It took about two days of very random searches, but my firm's website was originally based off of a mom and pop restaurant right outside of Washington D.C.

Over the years, the marketing style has evolved since then, but it is still different than other sites in the industry. Getting your marketing redone based off of the competition's style is like winning a brand new sports car, contingent on the requirement that you never exceed the speed limit. It's boring and is a waste.

Do something new. Stand out. When you think about it, what other choice do you have?

• Learn to love marketing. It's a necessary evil.

You want all of your marketing done for you by either an employee or 3rd party, well "boo-hoo." If you want an absolute visionary when it comes to marketing your company, you're shelling out $250,000 at a minimum.

Nobody is going to do everything for you. Come to grips with the fact that you can hire Quicken to do almost everything, but you can't expect a marketing employee to snap his or her fingers and change your company without your continuous input.