I have a small TV in my kitchen and each night as I make dinner, I tune into the local and national news. The picture they paint about the economy and the jobs market has been bleak, but it seems more and more, the reports are indicating a shift in the right direction. My ears perk and attention shifts from chopping onions and peppers to attentively watching the TV when I hear about the need for highly skilled IT professionals or programs dedicated to retraining so-called “blue collar” workers to take on manufacturing positions that require technical know-how. It’s heartwarming and fills me with optimism for what’s to come.

1. 3 Marketing Areas to Focus on If You Want to Grow Your Business
I have a small TV in my kitchen and each night as I make dinner, I tune into the local
and national news. The picture they paint about the economy and the jobs market has
been bleak, but it seems more and more, the reports are indicating a shift in the right
direction. My ears perk and attention shifts from chopping onions and peppers to
attentively watching the TV when I hear about the need for highly skilled IT
professionals or programs dedicated to retraining so-called ―blue collar‖ workers to
take on manufacturing positions that require technical know-how. It’s heartwarming
and fills me with optimism for what’s to come.
I recently participated in the TechServe Alliance webinar, a presentation given by
Senior Economist Andrew Duguay from ITR Economics™,
focused on the economy. It too highlighted that there is
still some life left in 2013…that businesses should be
aggressive in their planning, even investing now in
preparation for the next three to five or more years.
Interest rates are low and although ITR Economics
anticipates a mild recession in 2013, all signs point to a
prosperous 2015-2017.
Naturally I couldn’t help but think about ClearEdge and the
recent investments we’ve made in our talent recently
bringing in four accomplished marketers with a combined 75+ years experience serving
small and mid-sized technology services, staffing and software companies. Beyond
that, I let my mind wander to our clients and what investments they could or should
make now to help meet their business growth goals. What activities could we support
that would further drive their brand, thought leadership, influence and sales?
Obviously each client’s objectives are very different, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all
solution, but here are three areas I think are worth exploring:
1 – A sales lead-driven campaign: I do not envy business developers. They
have a tough job that requires immensely thick skin. I’m a notorious people
pleaser (read → middle child syndrome) and the routine rejection BDs face
would be too much for me to bear. A client I was recently talking to remarked
that his sales team of four was really, really good. They had a high success rate
of closing deals and could work a lead like nobody’s business. The challenge
was getting leads in the door. In my mind I thought, isn’t that what marketing
is for? Sure, most companies need and want their sales people to have clearly
defined targets and follow the chosen sales methodology for working them, but
marketing can certainly help to supplement the pipeline!
Consider the service, solution or software you’d like to promote and then work
with your marketing team or agency to create a program that will support sales
leads. It can include emails, pay-per-click ads or social media tactics to name a
few. A cleverly designed campaign with clear calls to action and an enticing

2. giveaway (article, webinar, free trial, etc.) can help produce the qualified
leads your sales team needs and get you to your desired growth goals.
2 – A responsive-designed, SEO-optimized website: CareerBuilder recently
shared some interesting data from their own website – one third of their
visitors are coming through a mobile device and 40% abandon the application
process when being told they are going to a non-mobile friendly site. This
certainly supports much of what we are seeing and hearing: More and more
people are using their mobile devices to do their online searches (computer use
decreased from 2011 to 2012). Check out your Google Analytics – there is a tab
that lets you easily see how many people are coming to your site from mobile
devices. If you’ve seen a spike, it may be time to consider a responsive design
(here’s my colleague, Michelle Krier’s blog, A Winning Website in 2013: Mobile,
Social & Ranked, explaining responsive design). If you are in the neighborhood
for a new website anyway, and in particular if you’re a staffing company
actively recruiting job candidates, it’s strongly worth evaluating.
New website or not, I would advise all clients to pay particular attention to
their website’s meta data — that is — the title tags, keywords and descriptions,
as well as on-page keyword density to ensure its optimized. The result of this
optimization? Better results in Google search rankings – something I think every
can agree can have a major impact on your sales. Want to know more about a
search engine-optimized site? Check out Michelle’s blog, 3 Steps to a Solid SEO
Program. If this is an area you’ve already invested in, make sure you are
making the most of it by continually adding content and actively posting to
your social media profiles, links that drive people back to your website.
3 – Sales collateral: In my mind, sales collateral is just one of those must-
haves. I think a lot of business owners feel like it’s a waste to print and stock
brochures or sales slicks because they most likely end up getting tossed into
the recycle bin or dated before they get used. Yet many sales people I talk to
feel a lack of credibility without it. Having something to put in front of a
prospect gives them a reason to get in front of that prospect. It also helps
validate and support key messages, while simultaneously promoting the
company’s brand. Impactful sales collateral doesn’t have to be a 4-page, 4-
color glossy brochure. Sure, those are nice, but think about the sales cycle and
what collateral would help support your sales people. First, it can be an
electronic PDF; printing isn’t always required. Second, think beyond the
traditional sales slick and capabilities PPT presentation. Although certainly
essential tools in the tool belt, the sales slick can be an unconventional
infographic, and the PPT can be done using alternatives like Prezi or Keynote.
Don’t forget about case studies, which with a willing client, can be done in
both written form and as a video.
So, there you have it…when I turned off the TV, started into my fajitas (yes, they had
hefty helpings of refried beans, guac and sour cream), and let my mind consider the
potential businesses have from upward economic trends, sales leads, a responsive

3. and/or SEO-optimized website and sales collateral is where I went. I hope you and
your businesses are also seeing positive momentum. Care to share what investments
you are making? Or any good dinner recipes?