That’s right, your marketing budget is HUGE…just as big, powerful & relevant as the big dawgs.

And here’s the catch….it’s your salary as well.  Marketing of the company is your time, energy, blood, sweat & tears of getting the story out about your product and/or service.

Here is what your Marketing line items should consist of:
Blogging, blogging, blogging & did I mention…blogging?  Don’t sell, tell your story & tell your customers stories.  Think NBC Olympic athlete profiles…how compelling were those? You watched those just as much as the actual event!
Post on other relevant blogs. Provide a story, thought or content, not just “buy my product”.
Join your local chamber & go to more than 1 event a month.  Continue the conversations online!

OnLine Networking:

• LinkedIn “answers”.  There are people out there smarter than you.  Learn from them & be the teacher as well
• FaceBook posts (don’t spam, inform)
• Twitter (again, post relevant 140 words & don’t just say “hey, do you need my product?” How would you react to that?
• Community/Forums: there are SO many out there that are relevant to you & your business.  Check out www.Lithium.com to see if they host an interprise community that fits your needs.

Real Life Networking:

• Post Chamber Chatter: Tell people about your blog, that you Twitter, that you are on LinkedIn.  Invite others to discuss further topics online – where YOU are at!
• TweetUps – join & then you will get it.
• Check the paper – at least the online version…don’t kill a tree to drive to an event. 🙂

Resources
Go to www.hubspot.com & spend at least a whole day reading, learning & watching every single thing they have produced…even the funny stuff is good!  Be sure to check out their Friday webcast of what happened that week in social media – good stuff.

Is this a big no duh? Or is this an AhHa? Make use of your time and make use of the resources around you – they are powerful my friend.