The Marketing Mentor Podcast

In this interview, Jennifer Neal from K9 Design describes how her company has increased their presence as experts in the publishing industry, and due to specific marketing efforts had a 30% increase in their business in 2010.

Do you need to be reminded about marketing? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to launch a new tool, the Marketing Mentor eCalendar, that will help you keep marketing top-of-mind as you go about running your small business.

Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame with marketing tips, including defining your profile customers and marketing to them strategically with the help of organizing tools for marketing tasks.

Would organizing tools help you become a better marketer? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how getting organized with technology tools that sync with each other can help you become a more successful marketer. Listen in...

In my recent interview with Janet Mobley from Fat Cat Strategies, she talks about:   Why 2010 came in like a lamb and went out like a lion How they talk about the services they offer, especially retainer services The “dark side” of retainers Properly outlining retainer relationships Mini-retainers Why she prefers “unofficial” networking events   Listen in…  

In this interview, Ilise talks with talented illustrator, Tim Read, about the marketing tools that are working for his business. He shares: ·          Exactly how he uses social media ·          How he’s getting business from LinkedIn ·          How to self-promote without doing a blatant sales pitch ·          What works in a social media profile Tim also talks about his mindset towards research...

How is marketing changing in the 21st century? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to discuss marketing in the new economy, the importance of relationships with customers and vendors, plus tips on developing and maintaining these relationships. Listen in...

Cleveland Design is a firm that has been in business for nearly 20 years, and in this interview, Jonathan Cleveland, Principal, shares why this has been one of their best years yet. Find out which tools they're using, and how they make sure clients know "everything" they are capable of. Listen in...  

Here's a recent interview Ilise did with Beth Brodovsky from Iris Creative. http://www.iriscreative.com/   There are two big questions that Ilise asks Beth in this interview:     How did you come to pinpoint your target market?  Beth talks about how she (and her staff) worked together to find their target market, membership organizations, after being generalists for many years.   Which tools do yo...

It sounds obvious, but when you go out looking for clients -- really looking -- you find them. Ilise saw this last week in Martha Retallick's Prospecting Hour interview , and it is once again the simple lesson from Pam Saxon of Saxon Design in Nashville TN. Pam (who finished Ilise's Beginner Marketing Group last month) called to tell Ilise her business was up 240% going into 4th quarter . Listen i...

Martha Retallick, of Western Sky Communications, told Ilise recently about her daily "Prospecting Hour."   I don't know about the rest of this planet, but here in my studio, taking whatever comes along is a recipe for failure. I can't depend on business coming to me. I have to be a go-getter and go get it . That's why the first hour of every workday is The Prospecting Hour. That's when I make call...

How do you identify and connect with your ideal prospect? Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the perfect prospect for your small business, how to identify them and why this activity is so valuable. Listen in...

Remember all that advice Mom gave you when you were growing up? What if it’s hindering your success as a creative freelancer? Listen in as I look closely at Mom's pearls of wisdom to see how applicable they are today -- some still are, I admit -- for freelancers and the creatively self-employed.  

Did your mom tell you not to brag? We bet she didn’t know that one day you’d be creatively self-employed and have to promote yourself. In her new article for the HOW Magazine Freelance Column, Ilise takes a look at Mom’s pearls of wisdom to find out what is still relevant, and what tidbits need to be replaced with new rules. Listen in.

Check out Ilise's latest interview with Jim Blasingame of Small Buiness Advocate. In this interview, she and Jim talk about why you should incorporate an online marketing strategy with your traditional marketing activity.

Does your website really resonate with your target audience? Ilise shares some checkpoints to help you ensure that your website is “marketing-smart.” If you’re not sure if your site is “hitting home” with your prospects and being as effective as possible as a marketing tool, listen in.

Are you coming to the Creative Freelancer Conference in Denver this weekend? We hope so! But if you can't, here is the preview for Ilise's opening keynote, "You Are A Business." Listen in...

Last week, Ilise had the pleasure of joining Andrew Fingerman, VP of Marketing at PhotoShelter , to talk about how photographers can effectively market themselves. (The concepts carry over to all creative pros.) Listen in...

Why waste time when you can devote your energy to what works for your business? Listen here as Ilise describes The Lazy Creative's Guide to Marketing.

Do you have what it takes? Preparation & 5 Freedoms. From HOW Conference 2009's session:  Do You Have What It Takes to Be A Successful Freelancer?

Do you have what it takes? Skills & Personality Traits. From HOW Conference 2009's session: Do You Have What It Takes to Be A Successful Freelancer?

Do you have what it takes? What's happening now in freelancing & and myths and realities about freelancing. From HOW Conference 2009's session: Do You Have What It Takes to Be A Successful Freelancer?

If you ask a creative how they get their clients, they often say, "through word of mouth." But is this the best way to get new clients? Probably not. Ilise takes a look at why Word of Mouth Ain't All That. Listen in.  

Here is an interview Ilise did with Jim Blasingame from the Small Business Advocate called: Freelancers are Small Business Owners too.

She made it! Listen in to find out if Colleen's year-long commitment to marketing worked...