POP Marketing Blog and News

Answering your small business marketing questions
Marketing, Social Media

Business Marketing Questions: Volume 2

One of the most popular formats for a business blog is Q&A, though I didn’t often take advantage of it myself until my blog, Answering Your Burning Small Business Marketing Questions: Volume One. In writing that blog, I realized I couldn’t get to nearly as many questions as I thought, so I

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Elements of a high-quality website
SEO, Website

Elements of a High-Quality Website

What makes a good website? A good marketer? No, that’s who makes a good website. And while the simplest way to get a high-quality website is to hire your friendly neighborhood marketer, today’s blog is about the elements that go into building a good site.  Know Your Purpose As always,

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Max Ivy shares insights on inclusive marketing
Accessibility and Inclusive Marketing, Guest Blog

Inclusive Marketing: A Guest Blog from Maxwell Ivy

This month, we’re doing something a little different. I asked Maxwell Ivey, the Blind Blogger to write a guest blog about the importance of inclusive marketing and utilizing accessibility features in your web design and other marketing practices. He delivered! Maxwell has been educating

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Leverage Social Media for Your Roanoke Business
2QC, Social Media

Leverage Social Media for Your Business

June is a special time for writers. As it gets hotter and I spend more time indoors in the AC, I begin to reflect on what June celebrates—Effective Communication Month and Social Media Day. The latter is June 30, so today, I’m giving a few tips on how to leverage social media for

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Local Professional Marketing & Community Involvement
local marketing, Marketing

Local Professional Marketing & Community Involvement

As a company that handles the marketing of other small businesses, most of my marketing blogs focus on tips and tricks for doing your own marketing or explaining the importance of what I do for small businesses. But even if you hire a local professional marketing company like mine, you still have

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Roanoke Marketing Agency POP answer your small business marketing questions.
Marketing

Answering Your Burning Small Business Marketing Questions: Volume One

Happy Spring, everyone! I’m super pleased Spring has come to Roanoke, though maybe not as happy as my dogs who are getting to go on a few more walks than usual. And as we spring into new life, obviously our minds turn to small business marketing questions.  I joke of course, but Spring often

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Marketing

What Do I Mean By Your Ideal Customer?

Regular readers of this blog, watchers of our social media, and anyone who’s ever had a conversation with me in which my business came up know that I put a lot of focus on finding your ideal customer. But what do I mean by that? Don’t you just want anyone who’ll have you?  For

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Power-up Online Promotions is the perfect match for your local SW Virginia marketing
local marketing

Virginia Marketing Agency + VA Business = Perfect Match!

If you have a SW VA business, a Virginia marketing agency just makes sense! Here's why you should buy local

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Time to Make your 2024 Small Business Marketing Resolution
SEO, Social Media, Website

Need a Good 2024 Business Marketing Resolution?

Mmm, fresh new year! We love the opportunity for a fresh start. Sometimes, it’s precisely the motivation we need to make a change. So, with that in mind, here are some of my suggestions for 2024. I’m sure you’ll find a small business marketing resolution for you! Business

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Social Media = Word of Mouth Marketing
Social Media, Word Of Mouth Marketing

Social Media Is Word of Mouth Marketing

What is the best possible advertising? Most business owners agree the answer is word of mouth. And that makes sense when you think about it. The people closest to us are the ones we trust, and that’s where word-of-mouth marketing generally comes from.  But each of your customers only knows

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Thanksgiving and Planning Marketing
Marketing

Thanksgiving and Planning Marketing – The Common Ground

Long-time readers or people who know me know that November is my favorite month. There are many reasons for this, but they can all fit into the theme of the month’s most famous holiday – Thanksgiving. And in addition to Thanksgiving offering us an opportunity to take stock of what

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Cartoon woman wondering how social media marketing helps small businesses
Social Media

How Social Media Marketing Helps Small Business

Facebook, Instagram, TickTock, and the app formerly known as Twitter (TAFKAT). There’s a lot of social media out there and a lot of noise on all of it. How do you know which social media marketing helps small business? Well, like so many other things, it depends.  But don’t throw

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Planning Your Holiday Marketing
Holiday Marketing

Time for Planning Your Holiday Marketing

Believe it or not, it’s time to start planning your holiday marketing. I know. I know. But this isn’t just another example of Christmas Creep. Unlike decorating or putting your Holiday Mix on repeat, holiday marketing is not something you can do over the weekend or with the flip of a switch. It

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Using AI in Marketing isn't a question of yes or no, but how.
AI, Blogging, Branding, Content Generation, Marketing mistake

Should You Be Using AI in Marketing?

I’ve been blogging about marketing for a few years now, and it’s about time I address the 2000-lb robot elephant in the room Using AI in marketing for your small business. The two schools of thought we hear about regarding AI are that A) it will take all of our jobs and make us

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7 questions to ask before buying a website
Website

7 Essential Questions to Ask Before Buying a Website

What are the essential questions to ask before buying a website? My recent home life has required dealing with multiple home contractors. Many of you are already feeling sympathy for me because of your own experience. While there are ethical and talented contractors, the low barrier to entry also

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shaking hands near matchmaker sign symblising marketing to ideal customers
2QC, Branding, Building a Business

Marketing to Ideal Clients

How do you go about marketing to ideal clients? I recently had a conversation with a close friend. She’s been a business owner for decades, but her business has shifted its focus over time. One throughline has been helping people through one-on-one appointments. Recently, she found that people

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Content Generation, Guest Blog

Jenn Read on Content Writing

How to Slay the Five Dragons of Content Writing The following blog about content writing is written by guest blogger, SEO master, content queen, and colleague Jenn Read of Solyndria Creative. The audience for it is marketers like me and the people we hire who write content for a living, but many of

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Hero Icon adding word "website" t note so it reads " find your website's purpose.
Website

Understanding A Website’s Purpose

Do you know your website’s purpose? I spend a lot of my time on the Internet. Though I do some print-based or other writing, most of my work is social media and website marketing. When I’m not writing for the web, I’m researching on it.  I research my clients’ fields. I

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2QC, Building a Business, Marketing

Why Use Professional Marketing?

Why Use Professional Marketing for Your Business?  There was a time when you could sell your business or product by going out and speaking directly to the people or companies that needed it. True, not everyone wanted to speak to a salesperson, but it was a valid way to make a living. 

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POP hero under rainbow with clovers in background
Blogging, Branding, Social Media

Telling Your Story: Tips from a Saint

Telling your story is kind of my thing. In my previous life, I was a sketch comedian. I performed improv comedy and wrote and performed sketch comedy. It was fun and creative but not very lucrative.  But this isn’t my story. It’s Saint Patrick’s. Well, kind of. And that’s

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POP mascot flying over Roanoke
Content Generation, Holiday Marketing, Social Media

Social Media Marketing Brings the Woo

Happy Valentine’s Day, Roanoke! Social Media Marketing is bringing the woo.  Relationships are all about good communication and give and take. That’s as true for your personal relationships as your business ones. A good relationship with your client benefits both of you.  But

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New Year's Marketing
Marketing

New Year’s Marketing for your business

Lines are powerful, particularly in time. The idea of a fresh start is so appealing that every December 31, people commit to how the next year will be different from the one before despite the delineation between the two being entirely artificial. So how can you use New Year’s marketing? 

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Content Generation
2QC, Content Generation, Social Media

Content Generation: Starting is Hard

The late great Tom Petty said, “the waiting is the hardest part.” Living legend Stephen King says it’s the moment before you start. But maybe they’re both right because if you look at the spirit beyond the wordsmiths’ prose, it can sometimes mean the same thing, at

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POP is grateful
Gratitude, Holiday Marketing

What I’m Grateful for This Year

In November, POP dedicates a blog to being grateful. Here's what we appreciate for our business and community.

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Pit Bulls Have a Marketing Problem
Branding, Marketing mistake

Pit Bulls, Your Marketing Problem, Truth, & the Problem with Personal Experience

Put Bulls have a marketing problem. If you're not telling your company's story, you do too.

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Holiday Marketing
Holiday Marketing, Marketing, Marketing mistake, Marketing Offer

Holiday Marketing – Avoiding the Dangers

Holiday marketing can feel like a lot of pressure. But with a plan it doesn't need to be.

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Building a Business, Google

Google Business Profile: #1 Marketing Tool

Google Business Profile isn't very social. So why is it social media & why does it

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Website

The 3 Essential Website Needs

Your website is your intro to clients. You only get what chance. Here are the 3 items your website needs most.

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Watch for These Marketing Red Flags
Relationship Building

Marketing Red Flags & Dirty Sales Tricks

Don't let someone pressure you into a product or service you don't need. Watch out for these marketing red flags.

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Value branding image
Branding

Brand Value and Brand Values

Brand values inform your brand and your brand's value. Being clear on your brand helps you attract customers who will value you.

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Screen with hand on it getting ready to use search engine
SEO

What is SEO & How to Make SEO Easy

If you can hire a marketer you should. But if you're not there yet, here is what you need to know to make SEO easy for your site.

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Relationship Building, Repeat Customers, Social Media

Relationship Marketing – Creating Repeat Customers

Lets talk about making relationships last - with your clients. Social marketing is all about relationship building and that creates repeat

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Marketing

Does Accurate Marketing Matter? Yes!

Why is accurate marketing that is up to date important for your business? Have you ever gone out of your way to go somewhere only to find it wasn't what you expected?

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Marketing, Marketing Offer, POPstart, Social Media

The POPstart Affordable Marketing Offer

New businesses need marketing. But how do you market before you have customers? The Popstart Affordable Marketing offer can help.

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Holiday Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

Holiday Marketing: Thanksgiving & Beyond

November is my favorite month of the year. I have both personal and general reasons. The weather is perfect. It includes my favorite meal of the year. And it’s the month I got married. November also ushers in the winter holidays and happens to have my favorite one. What does that have to with

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Marketing

3 Tales of a Small Business Marketing Mistake

A Small Business Marketing Mistake Can Be Scary… Seeing as how we’re in spooky season, this month POP is doing something a little different with our blog. What follows are three cautionary tales of a scary small business marketing mistake.  Marketing is tough work, particularly when

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Struggling to blog (blogging helps your business)
Blogging, Marketing

4 Ways Blogging Helps Your Business

Blogging well takes time. Professional blogs take money. Is it worth it? You may have found yourself asking if blogging helps your

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