Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 ushered in a cold reality to Americans. It was the beginning of a period of depression for many. A few weeks later, my Dad asked how I was doing. I painted a dismal vision mixed with anger and fear. He asked me what I was going to do about it. What could I possibly do that would make a difference? With a look of resolve, he said, “son, the best thing you can do is to get back to doing what you do best; working and living!”

That was good advice then and it is good advice now. Today’s battle is surviving and thriving in the current state of the union, a poor economy. But how do you get back to work when you have lost your job or your business is down considerably? Read the rest of this entry »

C.J. Hayden, MCC

You’ve heard it many times before: you need to sell benefits to your clients, not features. Whether you are writing copy, talking about what you do, or engaged in a sales presentation, it’s the benefits and results of the service you provide that you should emphasize, rather than its features or how it works. But it’s not always easy to get this right.

A feature is a fact, detail, or description about your services. A benefit is the positive result your client gets as a result of working with you. Read the rest of this entry »

A major factor behind the success of Coffee News is that all content is positive and lighthearted, including the ads themselves. Coffee News ads are designed to:

1. promote your top two or three products / services
2. highlight the positive benefits of your business
3. what makes you different from your competitor (or you Unique Selling Proposition) Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year, kids are back in school, but will parents be spending on back to school supplies and apparel? Check out this article at Media Sales Today

You may have seen these billboards on your drive to and from work – I know I have. Here’s the story behind these truisms on recession. Enjoy!

I found this fascinating quote today:

The dreaded photo/video tag — this one has cost people jobs, relationships and their own dignity.  With a simple change in privacy settings, you can make it so that no one (or just those you choose — think friend lists) can see those tell all photos and videos.Drew McLellan, The Marketing Minute, Jun 2009

You should read the whole article.

Heres’s something that I came across that was posted by Mari Smith on Facebook. It’s definitely worth the time to read. I’ve already begun to implement some of the steps here on the Coffee News Blog Site.

50 Steps to Establishing a Consistent Social Media Practice

Posted using ShareThis

Recently, a friend’s daughter, who is now in her early 20s, approached me a told me how much she enjoyed Coffee News and that she’s been reading it since she was 11 years old. Then it struck me, we nearly have a generation that has grown up reading Coffee News and are now consumers. Wow! That’s huge, especially for our advertisers.

Have blessed week. –Brian

“The plans of the diligent lead to profit, as surely as haste leads to poverty” — Proverbs 21:5

It’s absolutely amazing how many small business owners I’ve spoken with over the years did not have a business plan, much less a marketing plan; unfortunately many of them are no longer in business. A business plan is much more than a “packet of information for the bank.” A well researched and written business plan is a road map on how your business is going to turn a profit. Your business plan should include, as a minimum:

• Strategic Plan
• Marketing Plan
• Financial Plan
• Executive Summary

There are a plethora of resources and templates for writing a business plan, but they are only as good as the research that you put behind them. One of the best resources I have found is the local community college. Many of them offer classes, such as Entrepreneurship, which focus on developing a business plan. — Brian

Brian Parton
Owner/Publisher
Coffee News of So. Mississippi