Now, this is a colour I can get behind – Classic Blue. This shade of blue is great when “any shade of blue will do”, which happens more often than you might think. Did you know blue is overwhelmingly the world’s favourite colour? “We associate blue … Keep reading…

Small business owners can spend a lot of time and money on marketing initiatives. Sometimes we’re successful and sometimes not so much. I think of marketing as an experiment because – really – there are no magic bullets. There are best practices, there is good … Keep reading…

If you’re feeling – like I am – that you need to get focused for the next quarter, perhaps my list of planned activities below will be helpful. Business development: Continuing to refresh and work a business plan is a top priority, but sometimes it … Keep reading…

“Yes, it’s an old marketing trick to “accidentally” make a mistake in an email campaign so you can resend an email shortly thereafter to increase the number of times people see your message.” This was the lead message in an email I received recently which … Keep reading…

This post was written by Liam Friesen, who has recently joined Daley Progress in a part-time support role. (How lucky am I to have a journalism student helping me out?) Telling yourself that you want to start writing an article is simple. The hard part … Keep reading…

When I see the words “try this” along with the words “your email subscribers” in a headline, I get a little antsy. The email I received today included “sneaky-favorite email sequences” in the body text. Here’s the thing, if you’re delivering value to your readers … Keep reading…

This is my 600th blog post. I’m feeling the pressure to write something wise and inspirational about blogging like I did with post #500. Are you ready? Here it is… Aside from your business objectives, you actually have to like doing the work of blogging … Keep reading…

Many small business owners didn’t start their careers as small business owners. And the road each of us took to get here is quite different. But one thing is fairly common – we’re finding ways to earn a living doing work we love. Often that … Keep reading…

Did you know that a third to a half of the total time spent working on marketing implementation projects is spent communicating with clients? That communication usually takes the form of informing, consulting, decision-making and tracking action items. Depending on the scope, it may also … Keep reading…

Change is a wonderful thing – it keeps life interesting. It allows our businesses to evolve and do better. When we can plan and drive change successfully, it can be very rewarding. Then there’s the change that’s forced on us. You know, like when your … Keep reading…

Every small business owner knows what it feels like to have a “million” things to do and nowhere near enough time. We are constantly prioritizing, sometimes deliberately and sometimes less consciously. During the past month, I’ve done a heck of a lot of prioritizing. Some … Keep reading…

Email bots are coming. Now, your reaction might be “Ugh!” but mine was, “Yay!” And that’s part of the challenge. Here’s another part: they are heaven-sent for spammers. Yes, that deserves an “Ugh!” What I’m excited about are all the possibilities for improving productivity in … Keep reading…

The words that make my heart sing are only sometimes the same words that make my potential clients’ hearts sing. And I’ve learned that I can be quite wrong about what I think is the value I bring to each relationship. For instance, nagging can … Keep reading…

Can you agree that’s a subject line you don’t see every day? Yet it describes something that happens frequently in small business – the mingling of ideas, processes and tools. One of the templates in my Quick and Easy Content Creation workbook is called “The … Keep reading…

Starting an email newsletter isn’t especially difficult if you have a propensity for apps and design. You could start tonight and send tomorrow if you really want to. BUT developing and implementing an email marketing strategy that will serve your business – and your readers … Keep reading…

Having prepared and sent over a thousand different newsletters, this is what I know to be true: mistakes happen. There are so many opportunities for error that I still cringe inwardly when I click ‘publish’. This checklist gives you an easy way to remember all … Keep reading…

If you’re a small business owner without an email list, at some point your future self is going to think, “Why didn’t I start an email list sooner?” It takes years to build an engaged email audience. If you’re successful (and of course, you want … Keep reading…

We’re all familiar with unsubscribing from unwanted emails. Some make it harder than others but, since anti-spam legislation has come into effect, there’s been an improvement. Email readers are more aware of their right to unsubscribe and so marketers are getting better at giving that option. … Keep reading…

I’ve done it. You’ve done it. And they’ve done it. I’m talking about mixing up points of view when writing. And also using the right point of view for the right purposes. Grammarly has a quick little article explaining First, Second, and Third Person in case … Keep reading…

Small business owners often arrive at the desire to start an email newsletter from one of two different directions. The route has an impact on the strategy, tactics and tools you will use. A Vehicle Some have already been blogging and, for them, an email … Keep reading…

During the past two weeks, I’ve been repeatedly reminded of The Secret and its message of asking the Universe for what you want and being open to receiving what comes. Except it’s not the Universe I’ve been asking – it’s my friends (aka business colleagues). … Keep reading…

After sending out clients’ newsletters, I’m often asked by them why someone would have unsubscribed. The worry seems to be that something in that particular issue made them disconnect. This is rarely the case. I can’t tell you all the reasons people unsubscribe but I … Keep reading…

You’ve just finished an insightful new article for your blog. You’re anxious to publish it and find out what your readers think. Depending on the topic and type of article you’ve written, it might make sense to do a little research before publishing. Researching after … Keep reading…

A few months ago I found a new best friend when I started working with a client who uses Trello. While the client is indeed a friend, the free Trello app is what I’m talking about here. Trello is visual like a bulletin board and, … Keep reading…