What can small business learn from the PR missteps made by companies such as Toyota, BP and Goldman Sachs? But it’s not just companies that have had to deal with brand defense. People like Mel Gibson, Tiger Woods and Lebron James have also been under fire for negative PR. Associations, too, like mining and the egg industry have all joined the ranks as entities fighting to save face. The importan...

A while back we offered insight into the right kind of colors to use in your small business marketing. Do they really matter and, if so, what kind of guidance can help you choose the right mix for your small business. Today we pose a topic that will reverberate throughout the marketing and business community since it has to deal with the ongoing BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and its affect...

I know plenty of entrepreneurs (and even PR professionals) that can write great press releases but all of a sudden come up with a serious case of writer’s block when it’s time to write the press release quote. Writing a great press release quote doesn’t have to be painful, though. In fact, I think it’s one of the most important elements of the press release. It’s also a big reason why we...

The following is a guest column that offers advice on taxes for small business, courtesy of UnderstandingMarketing.com and QuickBooks expert Scott Gregory. For the most part this blog focuses on marketing and public relations topics that pertain to small businesses and entrepreneurs, but since it’s tax time we also want to offer a little advice to make tax season a little less stressful. TAX...

Want a great way to spice up any small business press release for virtually any company in any industry? Send the media a press release that compares the impact of something on men compared with how the same thing affects women. The media love to feed into the “battle of the sexes” because it’s filled with interesting angles and, when done correctly, can be littered with light humor. Start o...

World-renown coffee chain, Starbucks, is launching a new loyalty program for 2010. Starbucks has struggled to maintain loyalty programs in the recent past, due to customer groups and their continued efforts to try and bend the rules to their favor. Under the new loyalty program plan it appears that many Starbucks customers will be losing a 10 percent discount but will be gaining a variety of benef...