The subject line of your email could make or break your entire email marketing strategy, and there’s proof. The words and phrases that appear in the subject line are the only touchpoint you get with your email subscriber before they decide to either open, forget, or delete your email. Email marketing can be a powerful tool for a small business, and the subject line for each email you send can be the difference between success and failure. Here’s why.

Every once in a while I get a hankering for Taco Bell. My craving usually hits when I’m stressed, pressed for time, don’t have much in the fridge, or conveniently forgot the healthy salad I made the night before. Not long ago, my content marketing plan was kind of like my desire for Taco Bell – unhealthy.

Although sometimes a necessarily evil, I know that Taco Bell isn’t the best thing for me – so why do I give in? Because it’s become a habit of sorts. It’s an easy grab and go alternative to a healthier choice. My writing used to be like that too. I got into the habit of a grab and go style of writing until I took the time for the healthier alternative – making a plan.

If you have a low priced SEO (search engine optimization) service, or are considering signing onto one, you may want to reconsider. At the least, it’s important to do some research and be aware of what exactly you’re getting, and whether you will be wasting your money or even hurting your website.

There are many companies that can be found online that advertise extremely low priced or cost effective SEO services. Of course you want your SEO to be affordable, but the extremely discounted services may not be all they appear. Here are a few warning signs to look out for:

Are you trying to be the best in your industry while still trying to remain ethical in your efforts? Your marketing efforts can be strengthened by increasing your credibility. Credibility is needed to create a successful small business. Because credibility can be abstract, it can be difficult to make sure that we are on the same page. So what do we mean by working on your credibility?

Tired of feeling like your marketing dollars are sifting through your fingers? Are you frustrated by the shotgun approach? Ready to see your business grow?

Start with one tool that can focus your small business marketing to be more effective and leverage your resources.

Have you developed buyer personas for your business?  If not, then you should!

We all love to be inspired. It is in our nature as human beings. We want to have that fire in our being that give us the motivation to do better and to be better. I am going to give you an example to show how you too can inspire your employees within your business culture. But how do we create that spark in other people? Where do we find this inspiration? The answer is simple. Inspiration can be found everywhere.

STOP! You have got to keep reading this post. It will be fast and painless and it could be the one thing that super charges your business this year. 

Best practices are usually the most boring thing in the world. I mean who would really choose to sit and study best practices let alone really understand them. But they are simple and important and in the next 5 minutes I will hopefully prove it.