More than a Few Words

The Creative Process I am often asked, why I chose to name my company “Roundpeg.” The obvious answer was because I spent all those years in corporate, feeling like a square peg in a round hole, and this is where I fit! But there is more to the story. I wanted to build a business around the ideas of creativity, collaboration, and positive energy, and for me, creativity begins with a “R.O.U.N.D” pro...

I had a great conversation with Jason Barnard (  @jasonmbarnard  ) about online branding. Importance of Brand SERPs: One of the standout points Jason emphasizes is the critical role of Brand Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). He explains how they reflect a brand's online reputation and visibility, and why businesses should prioritize optimizing their Brand SERPs for better recognition and credib...

In this conversation from my archive, chatted with Matt Nettleton about the importance of practice and the danger of over practicing. Have you ever done something for the first time, without prior knowledge and been able to achieve success? If so, you’re truly unique. Most humans find themselves meeting new challenges with a series of frustrations and failures. Imagine an infant as they decide to...

When it comes to marketing, it's easy to focus on activity. Just create a list of tasks and check them off as you complete them: Write five blog posts ✔ Send an e-newsletter ✔ Post status updates on Facebook and LinkedIn ✔ Schedule ads ✔ Create a landing page ✔ Send postcards ✔ Make phone calls ✔ As you check things off your list, you feel good about all you have accomplished. But when you focus e...

If you’re looking to harness the power of testimonials for your business, this conversation with Danielle Klemm, a positioning and funnel strategist, is packed with insights. She packed so much information into the short conversation:  Here are just a few highlights.  There is a structure to a great testimonial Testimonials should follow a story structure with a beginning, middle, and end. When as...

Seven years ago, I chatted with Luke Magsamen, who was a member of the Roundpeg team at the time, about marketing automation.  While tools have changed, the strategies we discussed are as relevant today to help you keep a business running smoothly, even while you sleep. Here are some key points from our discussion: Automated Messaging: Automated emails and messages can engage both new and existing...

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with start-ups, as they look for name for their new business or product. The process is rarely easy, but always interesting. The process should start with a look at the ultimate customer and the unique elements of the solution being presented. Even in traditional industries, looking for a unique twist will help set the business apart. So what else...

One of the things that happened during Covid was that virtual events exploded.  And today, even as we return to in person activities, there is still a place for virtual events in your marketing.  That was the topic I dove into with Michael Tucker.  Here are some key points from the interview with Michael Tucker about virtual events: Building Trust and Credibility: Michael loves virtual events beca...

In this conversation from our archive, I had a chance to talk with Brenden Kumarasamy from MasterTalk. Brenden shares practical tips to enhance communication and public speaking abilities. Here are four simple exercises you can add to your daily routine. Random Word Exercise: Pick a random word and create a 60-second presentation around it. This helps improve your ability to think on your feet and...

Social media is a lot like going to a singles bar. You’re going to meet a lot of nice people and have some interesting conversations.  But at the end of the day your goal is to bring your date home. In the world of digital marketing home is your website and your email list.  This is where you can have that great one on one conversation without all the distractions like silly videos, cat pictures a...

I enjoyed the time I spent with Deborah Bowers, a seasoned marketing expert, to discuss the essentials of digital advertising for small businesses. Here are a few key points from our conversation: Importance of Digital Advertising: Deborah emphasizes the necessity of incorporating paid advertising alongside organic marketing to reach a wider audience and drive more sales Starting with Digital Adve...

Do you feel overwhelmed by social media if you do you're not alone but I've got some good news for you because there are things you can do to manage the chaos and make the time you're spending on social media productive. Our guest, Andrea Jones explains one of the challenges with social media is that it's a mixture of our business and our personal life.  She suggests dividing platforms by purpose—...

The internet is fueled by cats. Cute cats, funny cats, grumpy cats, cat photos and cat videos. It's cats, cats, cats, all day long. I'm actually okay with that because I like cats. We even had two cats, Clyde and Truman who lived Roundpeg  and if you followed us on social media you would see them regularly featured.  Clyde even had her own Facebook page and probably has more fans than I did. And i...

Monica Pitts, founder of MayeCreate Design and host of the "Marketing with Purpose " podcast brought her energy and humor to this conversation about your website.    Like me, she considers it a critical part of your overall marketing. Authenticity and Realness: She emphasizes the importance of using real images instead of stock photos and writing website content in your own authentic voice. Being...

I know you think we’ve talked SEO to death, but the field keeps changing and there are different approaches. My guest Meg Casebolt explains many people think think SEO is incredibly complex and you need to have an expensive team come in to fix your website for it.  They also assume you must produce boatloads of content to be successful. She doesn’t think either of those things is true.  Today, the...

I'm sure you're familiar with the story of Prince Charming. He went trudging through his kingdom carrying a shoe looking for the prefect girl. He tried it on multiple people until he finally found his one true love. Well, that's a fairy tale but it has real applications for your marketing. In a way you have to be like prince charming. You have to go trudging through different types of marketing un...

Your audience is out there. The people that are just dying to work with you. The problem is they don't know you exist.  Being a guest on a podcast can help those ideal clients get to know you. My guest, Jamie Atkinson, shared some great tips on how you can be invited to be a guest on more podcasts.  Podcasting for Visibility: Podcasting provides an easy platform for organic conversations, helping...

If you missed my conversation with Jeff Felton about using email to build trust with prospects, take a few minutes to listen now.  Most people think about email marketing as a sales tool. But my guest, Jeff Felten thinks it is so much more.  Email can play a valuable role as a way to build trust and relationships with your audience. Trust is the Currency of Business: This is especially for service...

A few weeks ago, I dropped a quick marketing tip about creating less content.  That advice might seem counter intuitive when you are engaged in the battles of the content wars.  But the trick is  finding ways to expand your content.  I shared some suggestions on how repurpose your content instead of reinventing the wheel. Now, I have one more suggestion.  Let AI do the work for you. Don't get me w...

Business owners often tell me they know some of their marketing is working they just don't know which part.  So as a result, they waste a lot of money on the wrong types of marketing. So I invited Sara Nay, of Duct Tape Marketing to join me for a conversation about how business owners can stop wasting money.  She had some great tips.   Strategic Approach Over Tactical Rush: Many business owners di...

A flywheel, builds energy, as you push it slowly over time it gets faster and faster and faster.  A marketing flywheel will do that as well. With consistent action, the marketing flywheel will deliver more and more results.  In this conversation from our archive, Josh Ramsey explains the Marketing Flywheel revolves around three pillars.  Building Lasting Impressions: Tell a clear story and have a...

I love working with entrepreneurs. They’re excited and enthusiastic and their energy is contagious as they talk about their great idea. Unfortunately, I often have to tell these amazing people I can’t help them because excitement and energy is not enough to make a business successful. Usually it’s because their idea is only half-baked. There’s a good concept but they haven’t really done the homewo...

If you are like many small business owners, you're probably laying awake at night worrying about your business, working all day long and in your spare time, thinking about your business Well, according to Joey Drolshagen that's not the way to get ahead.   He suggests: Mindset Shift: From the traditional notion of hard work to a more strategic approach, Joey challenges the idea that exhaustive effo...

I love to tell stories. Not only because they’re fun, but because they’re great for business.  That’s why I was excited to sit down with master storyteller,  David Hutchins a few years ago.   If you missed the conversation back then, here's you chance to learn more about storytelling.  The Power of Stories: Stories create connection and belief, which leads to better outcomes in business. Selecting...

I love email .  It is not that I love getting email in my inbox. But I love email as a marketing tool.  There are a lot of people who say things like "email doesn't work" or "it's passe"  They argue there are all sorts of other tools. you can use that are so much more effective. Well,  I agree,  other tools do exist, but there are some things email does better than any other tool.  When I have per...