The 7 New Rules of Blogging By Content Marketing Advisor, Nick Nichols Once upon a time, there were generally accepted blogging practices that most of the "gurus" recommended and sometimes even practiced! But in the digital world, change is the only constant. I’m known for saying, "The only rules are the ones you make," and [...]

The Worst LinkedIn Advice I’ve Ever Seen! By Nick Nichols In a Biz Journals Upstart article (that has since been archived behind password protection), the author claims that “LinkedIn just made it super-simple to win new business.” The article contends that LinkedIn’s new “ProFinder” feature makes LinkedIn “serious about moving beyond its core use as [...]

Are You Making This Embarrassing E-Mail Mistake? by Nick Nichols, B2B Pre-Qualified Sales Lead Generation Expert I got a cold call from a guy selling web servers. He apparently got my name from the "WhoIs" directory of Internet domain names. As an Internet marketing consultant with several websites, I’m always interested in knowing what the [...]

SEO Secrets Revealed by Nick Nichols, Search Engine Marketing Expert What is SEO? SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization, the process of making a web page rank better in the search engines for relevant keywords – known as money keywords – that likely buyers are using to get information that leads to a [...]

Surprise $65 Installation Charge Costs DirecTV $1752! by Nick Nichols, B2B Pre-Qualified Sales Lead Generation Expert I changed my Internet service to AT&T U-verse and they offered to set me up with DirecTV at the same time. I asked if there would be an installation charge and DirecTV said no. To my surprise, when the [...]

Don’t Be Like Lowe’s! by Nick Nichols, Strategic Marketing Expert Yesterday I went to my local Lowe’s store to buy some specialty hardware for a home repair project. As it turned out, I needed some large wood drill bits and a 7/16" socket wrench to complete the project. Usually at this particular Lowe’s store there [...]

Another Reason Why Conventional TV Advertising is a Waste of Money for Most Businesses by Nick Nichols, Strategic Marketing Expert Recently I got new cable TV service from Dish Network and among the cool features is the capability to start watching a program in one room, pause it, then resume watching in another room via [...]

Did GM make the right decision? by Nick Nichols, Strategic Marketing Expert Recently I was just discussing the effectiveness of Facebook marketing with a client. Specifically, did GM make the right decision in pullling its Facebook ads? My opinion is that most B2C businesses and certain B2Bs should have a Facebook presence in the way [...]

Should You Expand Your Product or Service Line? by Nick Nichols, Marketing Strategist I was interviewed by a self-storage trade magazine writer who wanted ideas on how to add ancillary revenue generating items, a.k.a. line expansions. Here is my five-step formula: Look at your market – What are the holes and gaps? What do people [...]

Are Free Reports Dead as a Marketing Tool? by Nick Nichols, Value-Based Content Marketing Expert No! Using free information (I call this an info-premium) that provides tips, advice and guidance about solving problems your target market has is alive and well! Info-premium marketing is a decades-old, proven method to attract, engage and convert prospects into [...]

Beware of these Branding Blunders that will Bury Your Business by Nick Nichols, Branding and Reputation Marketing Expert What comes to mind when your clients think of you? How is your image perceived by potential buyers of your products and services? In today’s world you are what the media says you are, whether that’s a [...]

Forget SEO when Writing New Releases by Nick Nichols, Publicity Expert The problem with most news releases is that no one reads them because they are: Not targeted – are in a "one-size-fits-all" format that’s not specifically aimed at the audience of a particular medium. Not newsworthy – don’t address a current and meaningful issue. [...]