04.27.07
I subscribe to dozens of blogs. But when I get busy I spend less time reading these blogs than I would like. However, there are three blogs I make an effort to read no matter how busy I am. These blogs provide such a wealth of practical information and ideas that I sometimes feel like I am getting free business consulting. The owners of label companies today face a myriad of business challenges - these blogs can help you think creatively to deal with some of these challenges.
The Duct Tape Marketing blog by John Jantsch was one of the first blogs I started reading when I discovered business blogs a couple of years ago. Voted best small business marketing blog for three straight years by Marketingsherpa, the Duct Tape Marketing blog provides a daily dose of practical tips about small business marketing.
The world of marketing is changing fast. There are more tools for marketers now than ever before, but how do you know which tools are right for your company? The Duct Tape Marketing blog will often review the latest marketing tools and describe how they can fit with your marketing efforts. Recent posts have dealt with a range of topics: ways to increase repeat sales, using a marketing calendar as a strategic planning tool, the future of online advertising, and the review of a new tool called Clipmarks.
I have always been interested in marketing and I have spent 20 years studying this complex topic, but I have learned more about marketing from this blog than any other source. Jantsch covers such a wide range of topics and he is prolific - he usually writes eight to 10 short posts a week. If you want some practical ideas to jumpstart your marketing efforts, then the Duct Tape Marketing blog is a must read.
Seth Godin is one of the great business thinkers of our time. His ideas are often contrarian - he is not afraid to speak out against what is considered to be accepted business practices. He is also a prolific writer. He has authored several books including the bestseller, Permission Marketing, and he writes new posts on his blog on average at least once every day.
To call Seth Godin's blog a marketing blog would be like calling Frank Sinatra a singer. His blog covers marketing, but he also tackles a wide variety of topics such as customer service, making effective presentations, web site design, employee retention, and branding just to name a few. What I like best about his blog is that he is not afraid to tackle complex problems and present his ideas for simple solutions. For example, in a recent post he says what he would do if he was in charge of Ford Motor: He would be the first American manufacturer to build all hybrid vehicles - and then lobby hard for tighter emission standards.
With a name like The Next Net, you can probably guess that this blog focuses on technology. Authored by Erick Schonfeld, editor of Business 2.0 magazine, its tagline is "the latest ideas in business, technology and creative capitalism." What I like most about this blog is that it keeps me up to date with what is happening with technology - but not in a general way, it focuses on technology that can be used to help run your business.
Recent posts have dealt with Google office software, the (free) alternative to Microsoft Office. There was also the review of the new travel site, Yapta, and a look at how new online stock photography sites such as iStockphoto are shaking up an established industry. Schonfeld is prolific usually writing two or more posts a day, and some of his posts are quite detailed. With the Next Net blog I find I can get a good snapshot of the important changes in technology that will help me in my business.
1. Duct Tape Marketing Blog (http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/weblog.php)
The Duct Tape Marketing blog by John Jantsch was one of the first blogs I started reading when I discovered business blogs a couple of years ago. Voted best small business marketing blog for three straight years by Marketingsherpa, the Duct Tape Marketing blog provides a daily dose of practical tips about small business marketing.
The world of marketing is changing fast. There are more tools for marketers now than ever before, but how do you know which tools are right for your company? The Duct Tape Marketing blog will often review the latest marketing tools and describe how they can fit with your marketing efforts. Recent posts have dealt with a range of topics: ways to increase repeat sales, using a marketing calendar as a strategic planning tool, the future of online advertising, and the review of a new tool called Clipmarks.
I have always been interested in marketing and I have spent 20 years studying this complex topic, but I have learned more about marketing from this blog than any other source. Jantsch covers such a wide range of topics and he is prolific - he usually writes eight to 10 short posts a week. If you want some practical ideas to jumpstart your marketing efforts, then the Duct Tape Marketing blog is a must read.
2. Seth Godin's Blog (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/)
Seth Godin is one of the great business thinkers of our time. His ideas are often contrarian - he is not afraid to speak out against what is considered to be accepted business practices. He is also a prolific writer. He has authored several books including the bestseller, Permission Marketing, and he writes new posts on his blog on average at least once every day.
To call Seth Godin's blog a marketing blog would be like calling Frank Sinatra a singer. His blog covers marketing, but he also tackles a wide variety of topics such as customer service, making effective presentations, web site design, employee retention, and branding just to name a few. What I like best about his blog is that he is not afraid to tackle complex problems and present his ideas for simple solutions. For example, in a recent post he says what he would do if he was in charge of Ford Motor: He would be the first American manufacturer to build all hybrid vehicles - and then lobby hard for tighter emission standards.
3. The Next Net (http://blogs.business2.com/business2blog/)
With a name like The Next Net, you can probably guess that this blog focuses on technology. Authored by Erick Schonfeld, editor of Business 2.0 magazine, its tagline is "the latest ideas in business, technology and creative capitalism." What I like most about this blog is that it keeps me up to date with what is happening with technology - but not in a general way, it focuses on technology that can be used to help run your business.
Recent posts have dealt with Google office software, the (free) alternative to Microsoft Office. There was also the review of the new travel site, Yapta, and a look at how new online stock photography sites such as iStockphoto are shaking up an established industry. Schonfeld is prolific usually writing two or more posts a day, and some of his posts are quite detailed. With the Next Net blog I find I can get a good snapshot of the important changes in technology that will help me in my business.