There are many reasons why small businesses fail to achieve their marketing goals, but none of them are good reasons.  With a little planning and focus, small business owners can quickly turn their marketing campaigns into assets instead of a drain on revenue.  Below are 7 ways to avoid mediocre marketing results:

• Create a formal marketing plan
• Don’t impulse shop for marketing
• Develop a system for marketing your business
• Measure results (should be included in your system)
• Make adjustments to fix what’s not working
• Stick with it your plan long enough to allow it to work
• Seek opportunities to collaborate with others

These seven simple steps will create a marketing power house instead of simply having you going through the motions of marketing.  If you have questions or need help with your marketing please contact me and let me refer you to someone I trust to do a good job for you.

There are a few things in life that almost everyone dreads – paying income taxes, hitting the interstate on a holiday weekend, a summer cold – and standing in line at the Motor Vehicle Administration!  No matter how short your transaction, there’s never an “un-busy” time at the MVA.  However, there is an alternative – and a great one, at that – where you can conduct almost all of your motor vehicle transactions in 10 minutes or less.  Can’t believe it?  Then check out Frenny’s Tag and Title Service! Frenny’s Tag and Title Service offers many of the same services available at the MVA, including registration, title service, tag service, tag renewal service, transfer tags, duplicate titles, and temporary registrations for motor vehicles and trailers (with the exception of personalized or handicapped tags). With locations in Pikesville (1310 Bedford Avenue, Suite 101) and Elkridge (7281 Washington Boulevard, Suite A), Frenny’s can get you in and out the door in 10 minutes – less time than you’d typically spend at the MVA.

Frentrice Glover is the owner of both locations of Frenny’s Tag and Title Service and is a true entrepreneur at heart.  Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Frenny worked in the insurance industry for 19 years and continued providing insurance services while striking out on her own with two additional businesses – the tag and title service, and a shop called Gift World that offered clothing, jewelry, accessories, and shoes.  After several years, she decided to focus all of her energies on the tag and title business and relocated to the Baltimore County location.  Her second location in Elkridge opened in 2011.

Frenny enjoys meeting new people and helping them with their vehicle needs.  She understands that time is valuable and helps people save time by providing fast, efficient, and accurate vehicle services at reasonable cost.  Frenny’s Tag and Title Service charges you the same fees that you would pay at the MVA, plus a modest service charge for the speed and convenience of the services. In addition to offering services to the general public, Frenny also works with small dealerships to help them process their registrations.

In addition to running the two locations of her business, Frenny enjoys traveling (when she can – she’s a self-proclaimed workaholic!) and swimming.  She offers the following advice for entrepreneurs or anyone looking to start their own business:  Do your research and do things the right way – don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Save your valuable time for something you enjoy!  Visit Frenny’s Tag and Title Service for your motor vehicle needs.  Locations are open as follows:  Pikesville – Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 AM and 5 PM by appointment (phone number 410-356-6877); Elkridge – Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM, and Saturday 10 AM to 3 PM.

Measuring results is important with any marketing effort, and until recently, it was not easy to do with social media.  However, Google has now created some enhancements to its free Google Analytics service, which tracks the source of traffic to your website.  The service can even track what people are saying about your company in social networks like Digg, Reddit, Disqus.  With these developments it’s only a matter of time before other social networks will create an interface to take advantage of these features.

Over the next several months, Google will be rolling out these changes giving users of its service the ability to track how much of their web traffic comes from social networks.  You will also see additional integration with Google+, Google’s answer to Facebook.  Google may be hard to beat with innovations like this.

If you are active in social media marketing, Google Analytics will make it easier for you to quantify your activities.  Be sure to take advantage of the service while it’s offered free!

Americans spend a considerable amount of time on the road – driving to and from work, running kids to and from school and activities, and just keeping up with the demands of everyday life.  With this in mind, the inside of your car should be comfortable, enjoyable, and attractive…if it’s not, then you might want to contact GS Auto Upholstery for help!

Owned and operated by Gil Spirlet, GS Auto Upholstery offers a full line of services for the interior of your car, including seats, carpets, headliners, dashboards, doors, and more.  They work with all fabric, leather, and vinyl, including Alcantara, ultra suede and ultra leather, but specialize in leather repair and replacement.  GS also provides service and care for convertible tops, including repair and replacement of glass and plastic windows, as well as frame and hydraulic system repairs and replacements. They can seek out and repair leaky sunroofs and keep the mechanics of your “window to the sky” running smoothly.  Care and repair of vinyl and simulated convertible tops are also on their list of services.

Born and raised in Bowie, Maryland, Gil obtained his Associates Degree in Business Administration from Prince George’s Community College.  He originally aspired to auto body work but took a part-time job with an auto upholsterer while still in college and never turned back.  After graduation, he moved up to a full-time position in upholstery while working out of his father’s one-car garage doing additional interior work on the side.  After a few years, Gil decided to take the leap and open his own shop, and in August 1989 he opened GS Auto Upholstery in Millersville.  The rest is history.

Gil has extensive experience with classic car restoration from the inside out.  He is currently preparing to open another business that specializes in appraisals of classic cars.  He enjoys working on his own classic vehicles and is the proud owner of four: a 1972 Buick GS455 Convertible, a 1941 Buick Roadmaster, a 1971 MGB Roadster, and a 1979 Lincoln Mark V Collectors Series.  When he’s not crawling around inside or under a vehicle, Gil enjoys spending time with his two sons, playing baseball, golfing, cooking, and camping.

In addition to superior interior work on any make and model of automobile, GS Auto Upholstery provides installation, repair, and service for boat interiors and recreational vehicles. They also work with most insurance companies if the work you require is the result of an accident or other type of covered damage to your vehicle.  Estimates are always free and no appointment is needed.  Visit www.gsautoupholstery.com to find out more, or stop by to see Gil and his staff Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM at 1027 Benfield Boulevard in Millersville.

They say a house is not a home without a pet.  Whether it’s a dog, a cat, a bird, a hamster, or any other creature with which you form a bond of affection, pets truly do add a special joy to our lives.  It’s important to keep them healthy, happy, and looking and feeling well.  Doggie Styles, Inc., of Prince Frederick, Maryland, knows how to do just that!

Kim Smith is the owner of Doggie Stylez, located at 155 Central Square Drive in Prince Frederick.  A consummate animal lover, Kim operates her business with the goal of making sure that the animals that she cares for and grooms have a positive experience.  She offers services for dogs including bathing, brushing, nail trimming, ear cleaning, and anal gland checks, and she specializes in hand-scissoring techniques, as well as the standard clipper cuts for your furry friend.  Realizing that a dog’s coat is affected by its diet, she also offers all-natural dog foods that are nutritious and great for a healthy coat and skin.

Kim started working with animals as a veterinary technician and apprenticed with a groomer for almost two years to hone her grooming skills.  She moved on to working for groomers but was concerned with the fear and apprehension that the in-out grooming process seemed to instill in the animals, and she wanted to ensure that nervous dogs, elderly dogs, and reactive dogs were treated in the most caring way possible.  After some time providing grooming on a house-call basis, Kim decided to open Doggie Stylez, where she now provides a positive and caring experience for all of her clients.  Kim takes pride in knowing that she has been able to help some of her more anxious clients overcome their fears of being touched, brushed, and groomed – fears that may have been instilled during less sensitive grooming experiences.

When you take your dog to Doggie Stylez, they are treated like one of Kim’s own pets.  If they are new to the grooming process, they are slowly introduced to all that it has to offer – sometimes it takes up to 4 visits for a dog to become acclimated, in a calm and sensitive way, to the process.  They have playtime before and after their appointments and they are not kenneled while there.  As an owner, you can drop your dog off for services or schedule an appointment where you can stay with your dog during the treatment.  The average appointment time is about 1.5 hours, depending on the size of the dog, the dog’s coat, and the dog’s individual needs.

Doggie Stylez also offers services for cats, including bathing, brushing, nail trimming, ear cleaning, and haircuts/combouts if necessary.  Cats are more sensitive to certain sounds, so a foam bath can be used to keep the cat calm and comfortable during the process.  Most cats, though, do not require regular bathing and can be kept clean and neat with regular brushing at home.

For dogs, Kim recommends a bath and grooming every two months for short-haired dogs (or sooner if the coat begins to smell).  Longer-haired dogs require regular brushing at home and often need a trim and grooming every 4 to 6 weeks.  Nails should be clipped once a month or sooner, depending on how fast the nails grow.

If you want your dog or cat to have a caring grooming experience, give Kim at call at Doggie Styles at 443-295-7831.

Having a credible Web presence continues to become more important as more and more consumers use the Internet to find the things that interest them.  For business owners who are trying to figure out a budget for creating a dominating Web presence there is good news in the form of free directory listings.

There are several places you can go online to set up or “claim” a free online directory listing for your business.  The easiest way to get started is go to www.getlisted.org and type in your company name and zip code. You will then see if any listings exist for your business.  If they do, and you haven’t claimed them, you can click a link and go through the process of taking control of and completing your listings.

The advantages of completing these free listings is that they often show up in search engine results when people search keywords that are relevant to your industry.  Many of them have analytics tools built in which allow you to see how much traffic is finding your listing and what keywords are triggering your listing to display in the search engines.  This information can be used to better optimize your listings and your website for better search engine traffic results.

If you are convinced that you are too busy to do this for yourself, consider outsourcing it to a virtual assistant.  Most virtual assistants will charge about $40-50 per listing to get you set up properly, and since that’s a one time investment it provides a great value for you and your business.

Start building a Web presence that will bring you traffic for years to come.  It’s never been more simple or more affordable!

Twitter just acquired Summify, a company that allows members to filter their news feeds from a variety of social media channels and organize the data in a way that allows them to be more selective about what they choose to see.

That creates two potential opportunities for business owners.  First, with the ability to filter news the Summify technology will serve as a social TiVo.  For businesses that simply bombard followers with ads, they’ll quickly get tuned out, but for those of us who offer quality content, we will actually strengthen our ability to influence our followers.

On the other side of the coin, your ability to filter news feed results will allow you to more easily follow conversations that give you a clue as to what interests your customers, so that you can be responsive.  You will be able to more easily know when they are talking about you or products you sell.  The Summify technology could be a very useful customer service tool.  If you can improve your ability to anticipate your customer’s interests and be responsive to those interests you will put yourself light years ahead of competitors who will not take time to do so.

Stay tuned in on social media developments.  You never know when the next advance will provide you a new marketing advantage.

It may be cold outside, but if you ride a motorcycle, it’s never too early to think about warmer weather and hitting the open road.  If you’re looking for a place to take your bike for maintenance, customization, or (heaven forbid) accident repairs, look no further than Lucky Cycles!

Located in Owings, Maryland, Lucky Cycles provides service, maintenance, and customization of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In business since 2004, owner Jim Purdy thoroughly enjoys each day of hands-on bike work. He puts his experience as a Harley mechanic to work each day performing routine repairs, but he really sinks his teeth into ground-up customizations. He specializes in building custom choppers and has completed dozens of modifications and service on Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Jim’s passion for motorcycles began when his dad and a friend built him a custom mini bike when he was 7 years old. As a youth he raced motocross and continues to ride today.  Growing up, Jim and his father spent time working on  projects, including a complete ground-up restoration of his first car, a 1972 SS Nova.  After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice and a career in law enforcement in the DC area, Jim decided to return to his first love – working with metal and machines – and established Lucky Cycles while still working full-time in law enforcement.  After building three show-winning choppers in 2004, Jim decided to focus on Lucky Cycles full-time, turning it into the business he loves.

If you’re not in the market to customize your bike but want to keep it in tip-top shape, Lucky’s can take care of that for you, too. Parts and accessories are reasonably priced.  Services like paint, powder coating, chroming, custom parts and mounts, and frame-up restoration are also on the menu. Visit their web site at www.luckycycles.com to see what they have done and can do for you!  Lucky’s also works with all insurance companies, so if you are ever in a situation where you need your bike repaired due to an accident, give Jim a call at 410-286-7557.

Lucky Cycles is located at 6981 Briscoes Turn Road in Owings, MD. Stop in and see what they can do for you!

The Internet is creating many opportunities for small locally owned businesses to reach consumers with less effort and a dramatically lower cost.  But, it does require us to stop and understand where those opportunities are, because there are many choices.  Group buying, online coupons, mobile marketing, text messaging, social community ads and article marketing are just some of the choices available today.  Every day brings new ones as technology continues to make it easier.

I have been studying social media marketing for almost 2 years now with help from my marketing coach who has created a complete integrated social media marketing system specifically for small businesses.  His system is called the Village Connector Community Marketing System and features a marketing toolkit that includes online coupons, group buying, article marketing, a consumer loyalty program, and mobile (cell phone) marketing all in one system.  The thing I like about his program is that all the pieces have been designed to work together, instead of cobbling together a la carte solutions from more than one vendor.

I feel so strongly about the role social media should play in your marketing that I have arranged for all of my clients to have unlimited access to the Village Connector Community Marketing System at no charge to you.  As long as you are a customer of Cash Flow Plus, there will never be anything for you to pay to have full access to the system.  I highly recommend that you take full advantage of this program, especially since there is no cost to you to add it to your marketing plan.

If you would like to take advantage of the Village Connector Community Marketing System, please give me a call and I will make sure my coach gets you set up immediately.  I hope this helps you to get your year off to a great start.  I know that working together we can achieve that for you!

Looking forward to a great 2012!

Do you drive a car?  Chances are pretty good that you do, and if you’re like most people, you want to keep it in good working condition so that you can get as much life out of it as possible. If you’re looking for a quality car care center that can keep your buggy in tip-top shape, look no further than Bowie Auto Service on Old Chapel Road in Bowie, Maryland.

Bob and Rose Woolley are the owners of Bowie Auto Service and have been providing quality car care for 21 years.  They perform all types of auto repairs on both foreign and domestic vehicles, including scheduled maintenance packages, system flushes (power steering, radiator, transmission, brakes), tire installation, mounting and balancing, shocks, struts, air conditioning service, axles, wheel bearings – and a host of other services from a list that’s too long to list here (but check their web site at www.bowieautoservice.com for a more complete list).  They also perform light work on diesel trucks.  Their location at 15300 Old Chapel Road is a filling station, so you can refuel before or after your service visit with regular gasoline or diesel fuel.  They also service ARI fleet vehicles.

A native Marylander, Bob has been getting his hands dirty with auto repairs since he was 15 years old, when he began working for Pat Goss at his garage in Riverdale, Maryland (you may recognize Pat as the host of the TV show Motor Week).  In fact, Bob honed his mechanical skills under Pat and worked at that same garage (after it changed hands) for 18 years before making the move to purchase his own station in Bowie in 1990. He opened up his shop and welcomed his first customers, doing auto servicing and repairs and running the business on his own for the first year.  As the business began to grow, he hired additional technicians to assist him.  Bob and Rose were married in 1994, and Rose came on board with the business full-time in 1996, taking over the administrative and marketing side of things so that Bob could concentrate fully on service.

In their spare time, Bob and Rose enjoy fishing and going to the beach, and they are active members of two local car clubs – the Asphalt Angels and the High Rollers (where Bob serves as president).  They restored a 1975 Chevy Laguna S3 that Bob purchased years ago and can be seen with it at area car shows.  They have three grown children and two grandchildren.

To keep your car running for years to come, the Woolleys recommend that you keep up with all scheduled maintenance and have services performed at the recommended intervals.  Make sure all fluids have been checked and are at the proper levels and tires are at their recommended pressures for safe winter driving.

Stop in for fuel and say hi to Bob and Rose – and if you need service, give them a call at 301-464-1112.