Blog

I love to be sarcastic. I’ve developed this weird ability to use sarcasm to make people laugh. But how can you be sarcastic on social media (or through the written word in general)? It’s difficult for sure. I make a lot of sarcastic comments on...

Read The Rest →

What was your new year’s resolution? Most people try losing weight, being healthier, or something similar. Me? I’m trying to work less while producing more. I’ve been fortunate enough to learn something important very early in life: working your butt off isn’t always the best...

Read The Rest →

Warning: This post is a bit of an angry rant against all the crappy web designers and optimizers who make my life harder. Unfortunately, web design as an industry (along with search engine optimization, also known as SEO) has given itself a tarnished reputation. I...

Read The Rest →

You don’t need another guide on how to structure a blog post. There’s plenty of excellent articles about that out on the web. But as an entrepreneur, it might be difficult for you to find the time to constantly create new content. It doesn’t have...

Read The Rest →

At its peak, Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Enterprises was valued at over $1 billion. It’s an iconic brand that’s stood the test of time. Playboy owns adult entertainment. It’s unlikely that any brand will touch upon it’s legacy. But I’ve got a secret for you: Playboy isn’t...

Read The Rest →

I don’t mean to pick on you. But I just can’t stand by and watch you make these mistakes in your internet marketing. I’m sure you understand. You do, after all want to work less and make more money, right? The problem is that there’s...

Read The Rest →

If you have any online presence, you should be using user personas. Even if you don’t have a website. But let’s start with the basics. User personas are based on buyer personas. If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you already know...

Read The Rest →

Humans have been around for tens of thousands of years. Heck we’ve even been advertising for thousands of years. Chances are that someone’s already thought of your “innovative” idea. Sorry to burst your bubble. Being original is way overrated. You ponder for weeks to come...

Read The Rest →

No, really. It’s a valid question. Website navigation is simple yet so important. It’s often not given the attention it deserves in the web design process. According to Usability.gov studies have revealed some pretty incredible stats: People can’t find the information they seek on a...

Read The Rest →

Here's a lesson about missed opportunities from an unexpected source. Enjoy!

Read The Rest →

Right now you’re thinking I’m full of crap. It’s true though! The key word here is can. You see, many small businesses just blindly throw up a page on their website listing all their testimonials. That, or they ask all their friends to review them...

Read The Rest →

What do the most powerful brands have in common? They have an army of loyal brand ambassadors willing to spread their message across the world. I read an interesting book a few weeks ago by Mark Hughes (pick up Buzzmarketing from Amazon.com – affiliate link)....

Read The Rest →

I meet so many small business owners who have a “brochure” website up and don’t really know why. It’s hard to justify spending anything over a few bucks a months when you don’t understand what the product can do for you. It’s not their fault...

Read The Rest →

Have you ever thought about our transportation infrastructure? It’s really something quite amazing. Millions upon millions of miles of paved roads connect us to each other. Yet it seems like there’s a lot of waste in roads. They wander and curve all over the place....

Read The Rest →

It’s no secret: managing employees can give you a a major headache. But in my experience there’s one secret that can solve all of your problems. I’ve seen it around me and in my own life (both as an employer and employee). The answer you’re...

Read The Rest →

It’s easy (especially when you’re starting out) to work with any and all potential clients. You don’t think to screen your clients when you need the money to stay afloat. But in my experience, it’s not always beneficial to “dog it out” and work with...

Read The Rest →

Let’s be honest: we all make mistakes. There’s nothing wrong with it, either (as long as we learn from them). Making mistakes is a part of being human. And most clients understand that. But once in a while, you’ll come across a customer that will...

Read The Rest →

Google announced that they changed their algorithm again (a little more than eight months after the major “Panda” update) in a blog post last Thursday (November 3rd, 2011). The History Behind Google’s Panda The Panda update was designed to shift the focus of Google’s algorithms...

Read The Rest →

If your organization has clients, you’re eventually going to have to fire one. It’s inevitable. As much as we’d like to believe it, none of us is perfect. We can’t get along with every single consumer, and there are consumers that are just never happy....

Read The Rest →

You may have heard about the Red Sox’ latest nightmare in the clubhouse and leadership. Those troubles reared their ugly face in September when the team suffered a historic collapse after starting the season one of the favorites to become world champions. There’s been a...

Read The Rest →

UPDATE: I heard this great quote from Seth Godin in an interview on Entrepreneur.com, and I just had to include it here: If I fail more than you do, I win…Be sure the cost of failing is less than the cost of opportunity. It’s always...

Read The Rest →

Are you one of so many folks that strives to be an influencer in their local community? Do you devote hours of time to networking groups (and sometimes some hefty fees too), but see little monetary return? At MCG, we’ve built our entire client base...

Read The Rest →

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a salesperson and a marketer? Don’t they have the same goal? Well yes. By the way, just so you don’t get confused, every business has salespeople. They just sometimes happen to be in disguise. For example,...

Read The Rest →

Have you ever gone to a restaurant, looked at the menu, and said, “Wow, this is just absolutely beautiful!” I didn’t think so. But there’s also the other extreme where the menu doesn’t do anything for you at all. We recently delved into the dark...

Read The Rest →

Music is easily one of the toughest businesses to be in. Yet so many musicians dog it out year after year with the hopes of someday “making it big”. There’s a lot that we entrepreneurs can learn from musicians (and vice versa). So what does...

Read The Rest →

What is a target market? Entrepreneur.com defines a target market as “a specific group of consumers at which a company aims its products and services”. They’re the folks most likely to buy from you. At MCG, we’re proponents of the whole “relationship with your customer”,...

Read The Rest →