It’s just your headshot, so why does it matter what you’re wearing? It matters because there are things you can wear that will make the use of your headshot photo more versatile and more complimentary. Here are a few tips from a professional photographer:
1. Colours - Wear solid colour mid-t…
Business is obtained by starting and maintaining good working relationships, whether with your suppliers, your customers or even your competition.
Networking allows you the opportunity to create and grow relationships. The old-fashioned method of networking – people crammed together in a stuffy r…
When thinking about soft selling there are a few things to consider when using this approach. Soft selling allows the client to take the time to think and make an informed decision about the product or service they are purchasing. Instead of just simply selling a product, time is taken to teach th…
#1 - Hire people who are smarter than you and GET OUT OF THEIR WAY
Marketing is not a solo act. With constant changes in technology, it's key to hire people with strengths in areas where your current roster is lacking. Next, allow them to have the ability to do what you hired them to do. Micro-ma…
Value? Priceless. Cost? Nothing.
Here at Better Mousetrap, we've teamed up with the Comox Valley Business Gazette to give local businesses a chance to shout from the rooftops... er, I mean a page of the paper. So if you have a new business, merger or acquisition, hire, or award that you want peo…
Facebook's annual developer conference took place today and if you missed it, Mark Zuckerberg announced a big ol' overhaul coming very soon to profiles (you may have noticed our "quick & dirty f8 highlights" on Facebook today). And of course, all this happens around the same time Google+ opens its s…
If you follow us on Twitter or like our Facebook page, you're probably familiar with Flashback Fridays, or basically our love for outrageously hilarious or inappropriate vintage ads. So in lieu of a true flashback this week, we're taking a look at a few fakers and revivals.
I was walking down th…
Every business owner has to do it at some point. Whether hiring an independent graphic designer or a graphic design company to create a logo, a business card, or other marketing materials for your business, correctly hiring a graphic designer is an important task.
Here are 5 things to consider:
…
How would you like to get the word out about something new and exciting happening at your business? But wait! There's more! This great opportunity could be yours for the low, low price of FREE!
Yes, this is a shameless plug. But it's one that helps you out too! Here at Better Mousetrap, we've teamed…
So you've created a Facebook page for your business and you're steadily posting information and gaining new likes. But how do you know what's working and what's not?
One thing that sets online marketing apart from the rest (and just so happens to be my favourite feature) is trackability. Basically i…
In uncertain economic times, it is an all-too-often sight – small and medium sized businesses closing their doors. Your favourite dress shop may suddenly have a "closing out" sale, the owner finally forced to close the doors due to declining sales. A local food establishment, struggling for mo…
Well there is that word again... networking. You know you are supposed to do it; it's good for business they say! However, showing up unprepared is often worse than not showing up at all.
Here is a quick and dirty checklist to make sure you are ready to make the right first impression while you are…
It wasn’t so long ago that during a marketing consultation a business owner asked me, “What’s this new branding thing all about?” I thought it odd but after a few more similar comments that year (2005) I realized that branding in Nanaimo (at the time) and branding on Vancouver Island, and the concep…
Despite improvements in technology and guides to designing quality web sites, poor website design is rampant! So rampant in fact, that there are whole websites dedicated to showing some of the worst (for example www.webpagesthatsuck.com).
A “websty” is a website which, like pigsties, is poorly …
Unless you happen to be a total design and marketing geek like we all are, you probably weren't following along with the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Well, we thought we'd give you a few of the highlights and some inspiration for your own marketing right here on Vancouver Islan…
Re-branding is defined as the process a business undertakes to alter or completely change its brand image in order to reposition itself in a market or to remain current and relevant. Re-branding may include changing the business’ logo, company colours, slogan, marketing materials and website. It may…
So you have a tight marketing budget, but you need toadvertise nonetheless. With limited options, it helps to get a bit creative.
As our business spans Vancouver Island, I have an additional office... my car. Driving up and down the Inland Island Highway on a daily basis, usually from Parksville to…
The short answer to this mildly tongue-in-cheek question, Is Marketing Important to Businesses in the Comox Valley in 2011?, is yes. The longer answer requires a little more explanation.
2011 has brought with it several challenges to businesses on Vancouver Island in general and the Comox Valley i…
Really, I have nothing against business owners. I am one. GM? Been there done that too. So I know firsthand just how demanding and challenging the position can be.
Time:
Customer demands, business challenges, staffing, hiring, firi…
We receive a lot of questions from businesses in Courtenay, Parksville, and Nanaimo about SEO and what it’s all about. When it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), using so-called “black hat” techniques to get your website ranked higher can get you into a lot of hot water - and let’s face i…