Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing

Science Experiments

David Grenda, Founder, Grenda Computer Consulting

We all have certain places in our offices (and some of our homes) that get a bit neglected in the cleaning department. Eventually we get around to feeling guilty enough to make the effort to clean up. If we are lucky, the area in question has not yet started its own ecosystem. Having spent enough time under people’s desks moving things around, I’ve often wished myself for a little cleaning inspiration on behalf of my esteemed clients.

One area of much importance related to all this is the inside of your computer’s case. I have popped the siding off more than one computer only to find a layer of dirt and grime that has actually stopped the fans from doing their job. This contributes to overheating and eventually the failure of one or more components.

You should regularly use a can of compressed air (it’s not actually “air”, and be careful not to breath it – see the can) to blow out all the dust and dirt from the inside of the case. Pay particular attention to the power supply. That’s the box like structure with all the wires coming out to the computer parts. This component has a fan inside that moves air through it and into the case.

Taking this simple cleaning step will ensure that your warranty is not voided due to “improper maintenance” of the computer. It will also make your computer technician happier. We’ve spent enough time in science class!

If you would like further guidance in considering the options, feel free to drop me an email at david@grenda.com.

Related Topics: Branding, Business, Computers, Entrepreneurship, Sales, Technology    1 Comment    

Imagine a World Where Customers Come to You

Aperio Marketing

With all due respect to John Lennon, I’d like you to imagine a world where you don’t have to look for new customers; instead, they find you. It isn’t hard to do.

Imagine, too, that you can track the effectiveness of your ads within hours of putting them out there. And by track, I mean you know exactly how many people have seen the ads, how many took action on it, and which ads brought in the best customers.

You may say I’m a dreamer, but this is the reality of advertising today, at least in the online world. That’s right, I’m talking about Google AdWords, and similar services from Yahoo, Microsoft, and others.

At this point you might be thinking, “This is a great idea, but it won’t work for my business; we do things differently.” Perhaps. But consider this: A dog daycare, in Oakland, California, gets 90% of their business from online leads. A yacht chartering business increased their monthly revenue by 100%. A garage specializing in converting cars to run on vegetable oil finds 95% of its business online.

Their clientele are not computer geeks, they are regular, everyday people. These are not companies that sell and ship products from an online store. They provide real, everyday services to people in very specific geographical areas. They are not interested in doing international business, per se. They just need to get people in the local area informed about what they have to offer. And they are doing it online.

One of the reasons why online marketing is so effective is that you control how much you spend; you won’t spend more than you budget. No minimums, no maximums. This is not the case with many other advertising media.

Another reason more local businesses should utilize online advertising is because it is very easy to track and measure results. In some instances results can be seen in hours.

This provides for very quick feedback on what’s working, allowing you the flexibility to tweak and optimize your message in a non-threatening environment. Once you find a message that’s working, you can take it to other media, such as direct mail post cards, email campaigns, or print environments.

If you want to continue to throw your marketing dollars to the wind, hoping for the best, buy advertising based on the selling points the sales person tells you. If you want to make sure your marketing dollars are invested in productive, results-oriented media, start with online advertising. It’s not just for online businesses. It’s for any company that wants to grow and keep their marketing efforts accountable.

Related Topics: Advertising, Branding, Business, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Sales    No Comments