The Small Business Big Marketing Show | Insanely Effective Marketing Ideas

Sam Keck has just started the Commonfolk Coffee Company - a very cool cafe where he roasts and serves his own coffee, served expresso or drip filter style. The decor is industrial sheik, the staff are as well - the menu is limited but yum, and there's no shortage of cool customers coming in and out on a regular basis. Now that all sounds pretty normal - and I guess you're thinking, which cool inner-city suburb is it located? It's not! Commonfolk Coffee Company sits plumb in the middle of the Mornington industrial estate - alongside panel beaters, car yards and welding shops! And therein lies its massive point-of-difference. Listen in to hear how Sam's created a very cool new cafe brand. PLUS a guest from a recent episode has just had a big win thanks to being on the show. Gotta love that! The post #124 Commonfolk Coffee Company – A cool cafe in a not so cool part of town. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yep, it's that time of the month when all business becomes funny business. A chance for Tim Reid (Australia's #1 small business podcaster) and Andrew Griffiths (Australia's #1 small business author) to get together and throw around some issues that are on the collective mind of the small business community. In this month's episode we discuss: - Doing business in cafes. - Whether it's OK for us small business owners to goof off. - Whether you can give away too much knowledge. - How to overcome business setbacks. PLUS I tackle a listener question from Gino, who reckons I talk about people too much, at the expense of marketing ;0) The post #123 Funny Business 5 – Goofing off, doing business in cafes & how to overcome setbacks. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever since Jonathan Krywicki proposed to his wife in an amazing way seven years ago, he's been badgered by other would-be suiters to help them get it right when preparing to pop the big question. So much so, in fact, that he's gone ahead and started a business doing just that - an exclusive marriage proposal service aptly called Pitch and Woo. Now, here's the thing. Not only is Pitch and Woo a very cool business idea (unique in fact - in Australia at least), Jonathan is absolutely passionate about it and it comes through in this fireside chat. So passionate in fact, he's been burning the midnight oil trying to get it to market whilst working full time for the man, and supporting a beautiful wife and four month old son. So, slip in to something more comfortable, grab a glass of bubbly with your better half and slide in to this (not so romantic) but incredibly passionate chat with Mr Proposal himself. The post #122 The Big Question Episode (A Valentine’s Day special edition). appeared first on Small Business

Four years ago (at age 22) George Ryan was working full time (55 hours a week) for a lumber yard, making $10/hour to provide for his wife and daughter, and had no sort of higher education. He decided he hated his job, and intentionally set out to start an internet company. Four years later, still with no sort of formal education, he now has a thriving business in Hatchwise and make six figures. On top of all that, Hatchwise has been featured in articles twice in Inc. Magazine over the past two years. Nice! Listen in as George shares how he did it, and lessons learned along the way. The post #121 From timber yard lackey to six figure business owner. Happy days! appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Do we really need another social media channel?!" That was the premise I went in to this interview with. "Yes we do!", is my view following this chat ... on the proviso that it's easy to manage and provides a commercial return. The guy who convinced me is Jason Miles - the co-author of the best-seller Pinterest Power, VP of advancement at Seattle's Northwest University and co-founder (with is wife) of Liberty Jane Clothing - a six-figure online business successfully selling designs for doll's clothes. As the head marketer for Liberty Jane Clothing, Jason is successfully using Pinterest to drive traffic and rank highly on Google. Listen in as he explains exactly how he does it. The post #120 How to use Pinterest to market your business. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cam Barber invented The Vivid Method to help people like you and I overcome the fear of public speaking. And thank God! I mean who doesn't (you know what) themselves when they have the opportunity to get up on a stage or present to an audience of more than one?! But here's the thing - public speaking is a marketing strategy many more small business owners should embrace. It provides leverage, it positions you as an opinion leader and it forces you to get your message right. All mighty good outcomes when you're wanting to build both your personal and business brand. So take a listen as Cam explains how to lose the public speaking anxiety. The post #119 How to overcome your fear of public speaking. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Everson owns and runs Schonegg, an award winning guesthouse in rural Australia. Recently he sent me an email requesting an interview, and it was this part of the email that caught my attention: "My wife and I own Country Guesthouse Schonegg. We love the business and after 10 years, 7 tourism awards and over 65% repeat/referral business, we like to think we’ve learnt a thing or two about marketing." Richard also told me he's been a chef at a Michelin hat awarded restaurant in London and worked on the QE2 - so I'm also thinking he knows a thing or two about customer service. PLUS I wallow in self-pity as I share how Seth knocked me back and I pose a question that all motivated small business owners should be asking themselves if they want to improve their offering. Enjoy! The post #118 Precision marketing & customer service tips from an award-winning guesthouse owner. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam Cavanagh is the National Executive Producer for Austereo - Australia's largest radio network. This basically means he's responsible for the creative output, and ultimately the ratings success of some of Australia's most popular on-air talent including Hamish and Andy, Jules and Fifi and Kyle and Jackie O. "But what's this got to do with improving the marketing of your small business?" I hear you ask. Plenty! Sam has spent a lot of time recently mulling over and implementing the concept of turning listeners in to raving fans - it's a complete mindset change as Sammy explains; one that once you get your head around has a major positive impact on your business. Listen up ... The post #117 How to create raving fans in your business. AKA build customer loyalty. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mia Freedman is the editor and publisher of Australia’s fastest growing women’s website Mamamia.com.au. Having built her career around creating communities of women in magazines (as Editor of Cosmo and then Editor in Chief of Cosmo, Cleo & Dolly), Mia began Mamamia in her lounge room in 2007 and today it employs 30 people and has Mamamia has 500,000 readers and more than 14 million page views per month. Listen in to this fireside chat I had with Mia recently where she explains exactly how she did it. It's marketing gold. Enjoy! The post #116 Fourteen million monthly page views – Mamamia’s Mia Freedman explains exactly how she does it. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I recorded this episode on New Year's Eve 2012, and was in quite the reflective mood. It's been a massive year of marketing ideas at the SBBM HQ, with so many amazing guests coming through the door and sharing some marketing gold. Whilst I'm not usually a big one for looking back, setting resolutions and generally getting in to a reflective mood, the general consensus on show's Facebook and LinkedIn group suggested that's what you wanted to hear. So what I've done is highlighted some highlights! Guests that left a marketing mark, insights that we could all use to help grow our business some random ramblings that caught my eye throughout the year. I also take you behind the scenes on my journey to losing 30KG over the past 12-months and talk about what I've got planned to help improve your marketing for the year head. Enjoy ;0) The post #115 The marketing year in review. What a massive year of marketing ideas it’s been! appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

Tom Dickson is the star of the most famous series of viral marketing videos ever. He is also the founder and CEO of the company Blendtec, which makes the blenders that his crazy videos are intended to sell. In this wonderful fireside chat, Tom takes us deep inside the Will It Blend tent, explaining where the idea came from, how it's had a dramatic impact on sales (it increased sales 1,000% from the first video!), how they make the videos and so much more. This is a wonderful story of a big idea and marketing courage that continues to result in a big pay off. Enjoy! The post #114 Will It Blend? That is the question! appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greg Nathan is a leading franchise consultant in Australia. Prior to starting the Franchise Relationships Institute he ran three successful Brumby's Bakery franchises. he now consults to both franchisors and franchisees around the world on how to ensure the partnership is both profitable and sustainable for the long term. In this interview we cover plenty of ground including: - Who should and shouldn't buy a franchise. - How do you decide what type of franchise to buy. - What you get when buying a franchise versus simply starting a small business from scratch. - The dos and don'ts of successful franchising. - Which franchises are the most popular at present. - Plus much more. I also have a rant about the importance of creating a memorable customer experience. The post #113 Franchising – Is it for you? appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the great things I love about putting out this weekly podcast is the number of questions that come in from my listeners. It's a fantastic way for me to get a sense of what's on your marketing mind, and of course, for me to answer them every now and then in the actual show itself. And that's what I'm doing in this episode. So grab a cuppa and settle in (pen and notepad at the ready) as I tackle marketing challenges that cover personal branding versus business branding, including social media on business cards, how to get in front of senior management, seeking online and free publicity plus loads more. Listen up! The post #112 It’s question time! Personal branding. Marketing to corporates. Business cards PLUS loads more. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you get when Australia's #1 small business author and Australia's #1 small business marketing podcaster get together? Funny business, that's what! It's a time for Timbo and AG to share what's on our minds in the hope it drives your business forward and gives you a chuckle along the way. In this episode we share our top public speaking tips, discuss how we plan for business, creative ways to thank clients, the 3 things we couldn't do without and what we're too scared to try! Listen up ... The post #111 Funny Business 4 – Business planning, thanking clients, public speaking and some of our favourite things! appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine walking in to a room full of budding entrepreneurs with a vague idea for a new business, then 54-hours later having that idea validated, a team behind it ready to take it to market and it being the winning idea of many that were presented. Well that's exactly what Joshua Carl just did - and in doing so won the coveted Startup Weekend Sydney grand prize with a very cool idea called Flixy, which enables cinemas to offer last-minute movie tickets via smart phones. Flixy's birth is an inspiring story of raw entrepreneurism and the exciting thing is it's a work-in-progress which I hope to report back to you on in the weeks and months to come. So, listen up! The post #110 How to start a business in 54-hours. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valerie Khoo is a journalist, speaker and small business commentator. She's also the founder of the Sydney Writers' Centre which is a world-class training facility for budding writers. Valerie is also the author of the best-selling business book - Power Stories - and that's what we talk about on today's episode. Valerie's belief is that when you tell the right stories, you can transform a brand into an icon, turn your customers into tireless advocates (we love that!), and give your business - or yourself - an unbeatable advantage. And I gotta say, I totally agree with her - afterall, who doesn't love, remember and share a good story? Power Stories really is an essential guide to learning how to identify and create stories that will build your small business. Listen up ... The post #109 The 8 Stories You Must Tell To Build An Epic Business. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having your own show is a brilliant marketing strategy for any business. And what better person to learn some tricks of the trade from than national TV and radio star, Jules Lund. I first met Jules Lund ten years ago when he was a young fella volunteering at The Reach Foundation. Since then Jules has gone on to become a super star of the Australian media scene. His meteoric rise to fame has included him founding and hosting a fantastic show on FOXFM called Dash, many years as a globe trotting reporter on the TV travel show Getaway and he now co-hosts the nationally popular Fi Fi and Jules Show on the Austereo network (having successfully taken over from Hamish and Andy two years ago- no mean feat!). His show, BTW, is also one of the most downloaded podcasts in Australia. The big question is, what light can Jules Lund shed on small business marketing? Fair question indeed. The answer is plenty. Listen up ... The post #108 Interview with Jules Lund PLUS a little nudity! appeared first on Small Business Big M

Gordon Ryan owns and runs Riviver, a fancy cocktail bar in an old funeral home, that was part of a former Hurse garage in downtown Gosford - a regional city just out of Sydney, Australia. No, he's no goth ;0) Oh, and he's also a globe-trotting IT trainer for a not-so-small business called Microsoft! Gordon's passion for cocktails and for creating what he refers to as a third place for people to spend time in a welcoming environment has lead him to a business he absolutely loves, and that turned a profit after just five-months of trading. Not an insignificant achievement given the substantial sunken costs involved in starting such a business. Listen in as he explains ho he did it. The post #107 How to turn your passion in to a profitable reality with cocktail entrepreneur Gordon Ryan. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for another solid chinwag with Andrew Griffiths in a segment that we lovingly call 'Funny Business' - an opportunity for Andrew and I to go head-to-head on various small business tips and issues that are on our collective minds ... and have a laugh along the way. We talk servile brands, being a salesperson, testimonials, petty problems and isolation. May what we discuss help grow your business and inspire you to bigger and better things ;0) The post #106 Funny Business 3 – Servile brands, selling, petty problems, testimonials & isolation. appeared first on Small Business Big Marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Creating great content is a no-brainer marketing strategy. And the King of content is video. And fortunately, marketing your small business using video has never been easier or cheaper. My guest today is Jules Watkins, former BBC, MTV and Pimp My Ride TV director and producer -  who's created a fantastic training system called iPhoneVideoHero that shows you how to create professional marketing videos using just your iPhone. Now as you know, I am more inclined to interview a successful small business owner than I am a provider of marketing services to small businesses. However, Jules impressed me on a number of levels: His email requesting to appear on the show was short and compelling. The training product he has created is unique and much needed by small business owners wanting to create marketing videos. And the way he has actually packaged it all up online is sensational - a great example of how many of us could go about creating a new, passive income stream in our respective businesses. iPhone Video