Date: January 2012

I can't sleep. Too much is going through my mind. I toss and turn all night long and wake up in the wee hours desperate to fall back asleep again, but not able to because I am thinking too much.

It's a problem that many small business owners face time and time again. I am no different.

What does your overarching marketing view look like? Have you written it down? Have you communicated it to your team? Do you have tactical marketing activities around your marketing strategy?

My view yesterday was pretty fantastic if you ask me. I was sitting on the couch overlooking one of Australia's most breathtaking views of Palm Beach pondering Marketing Eye's 2012 overarching marketing strategy.

Others might think that if you were sitting looking at the view (as in the picture) you might not be thinking about marketing, and more about how stunningly beautiful the view is, but when you are a small business owner and your business is 'your life', it makes perfect sense to take the opportunity to not only absorb your surroundings, but also, think clearly about your small business.

We are about to hit February - already! Time is flying and there is no time like the present to make sure your small business is in order. The cricket is mid-way. The tennis is over. Australia Day has been and gone. Everyone  is back in the office. Now, there are no excuses to not have your small business marketing program in order.

If you have not already done it - have a 'think tank' or 'marketing workshop' with your team and key stakeholders. Speak to your suppliers and ask them how they would improve your business in today's everchanging market.

Put a marketing strategy in place and get buy-in from your entire team. Video yourself talking about the company vision for everyone to see. Set up an intranet that has 'everything that is marketing' on it from what your brand stands for, your company culture, 2012 marketing activities, press releases and media stories and lead generation campaigns. Be more transparent and engage all your team on a level that they have not experienced before.

Change your view and I am sure your team and clients will change theirs too! It's business critical to your success in 2012.

I know a thing or two about having a long distance relationship. I've had my share and some, if you know what I mean! Having spent a good part of my thirties choosing to engage in long-distance relationships with people from all over the world, many have come to think that it is inevitable that one day I will wake up and realise what most people have already realised - and that is that it doesn't work.

I am ever the optimist and refuse to be told that something I have engaged in is doomed before it has even began, so like most things, I give it 100 percent and hope for the best.

For many small businesses, the not-so-new marketing technique of QR Codes is just another technology platform that may well be a craze.

Unfortunately, this would be wishful thinking.

QR Codes are here to stay and in 2012 small businesses will find everything from advertisements through to resumes featuring QR Codes alongside brand names sending consumers and customers to websites, video, advertisements, catalogues, contact information, product suggestions and so on.

Only limited by your imagination or that of your creative departments, it is imperative that marketers don't fall prey to this form of marketing without carefully considering their target audience.

Facebook is meant to be for friends. Right?

It disturbs me how many people trawl through facebook and request 'friendships' with people they have never met or have met for 20 minutes in a bar (and are married or in a relationship). Is Facebook a platform for people to become sleeze bags and try and pick up women/men or is it a platform for friendship. Sure, some people don't have a life and spend every waking hour checking if someone has made a comment on their facebook pages in hope that it will make them feel better than they did the minute before.

According to Psychologytoday.com, so many people spend time on facebook because;
1. They are bored at work
2. They are unhappy with their lovelife
3.  There are a narcissist (and/or voyeur)
4.  They desire to 'get along' with people
5.  Their motive is to 'get ahead'

I think facebook has a place and it is to keep in touch with friends and relatives and to touch base with that person who was your best friend in year 7, but a friend is not someone who you don't invite to your house for dinner or pick up the phone to. A friend is someone you really know, not someone that is a distant acquaintance.

In business there certainly is a place for facebook particularly for consumer based marketing where facebook is fantastic or even for events - but that is NOT on your personal facebook account. It is on a business facebook page that clearly communicates what the objective is for the use of this platform.

More than 100 million users access facebook through their cell phones and those who do, access it double the amount of times as someone who accesses it through a computer. There is a real addiction going on to facebook and without doubt there is and always will be social repercussions.

I personally prefer someone to pick up the phone and call me rather than facebook me a message and face-to-face beats everything hands down for those who I care about.

Yesterday, I had lunch with a girlfriend and as girls do, we chatted about everything from fashion to food, travel to our love lives.

It's what girls do. There is no holds bar on any topic when you are sitting in a restaurant or in this case, an authentic Japanese hole in the wall in Atlanta with delicious food.

With so much happening in both of our lives, we had lots to talk about and 5 hours later, after saying goodbye, I still don't think we were done. 

She is a stunning woman, inside and out. A former model and television presenter, she is married to a charismatic, interesting and equally good looking husband. They are very in love and are embarking on the next stage in their lives.

Throughout the day, she constantly referred to her husband and whenever making a purchase or doing pretty much anything - her husband and his likes and dislikes were never far from her mind. It kept a smile on her face all day and after 8 years together, I have to say, that's fantastic.

Most of us have been in love at one stage in our lives and the feeling of putting someone else first is quite special. I love it when you think about that person, your children or animal as it may be, and instantly a smile is firmly planted on your face. It's instant gratification and always puts your whole body at ease immediately. I love this feeling and completely understand why so many of us look to find someone in our lives (or something) to love.

In business, if you love what you do and love your brand... the same goes. When you think about what your brand does for others and it puts a smile on your face - it's a remarkable feeling. Putting your business first and its health and wellbeing is all part of the parcel of being in LOVE with your business.

When you talk about your business, just like when you talk about a person that you love - if a smile immediately overcomes your state, then it must be love. Try it. See if it works!

As I said to a friend of mine the other day, "everyone in small business has been there at one time or another".

If you think that as a small business owner that only you are going through tough times, employees leaving, cash flow issues, stress and sleepless nights - you are fooling yourself.

While you may be going through these things, so too are millions of other small businesses around the globe.

I have to say that I really like this. Jewellers adorning my favourite sparkling mineral water. Pellegrino is a high-end quality sparkling mineral water and of course, Bvlgari is one of the most fashionable, high-end jewellery companies in the world. The perfect combination. Diamonds and sparkle.

The latest edition of Advertising Age (US) has an interesting article on 'How to be a better client'. Interesting ;)

Trying to wake up this morning wasn't easy. I was in a deep sleep dreaming about something that extended from a blog I wrote yesterday and I really wanted the dream to finish, but unfortunately, the alarm went off and I had to get up. I then preceded to walk around in a daze for the next hour or so. When that happens, its really hard to function properly and even the easiest tasks like turning off a light may seem like hard work.