Sowing the seeds of future opportunity.

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like peas, ideas sprouting up all overSome friends have asked — why a blog after 25 years? I guess I just can’t contain myself anymore. There are so many ideas I want to share—like the peas I planted last week, they are sprouting up all over and demonstrating great promise.

My marketing communications company, Sircely Marketing & Design, has operated as a traditional advertising agency and design studio for most of its 25 years. We were based in the Delaware Valley, as were most of our clients. We strategized with clients face to face. Advertising campaign presentations were made in person. Clients found us at chambers of commerce, through referrals or by admiring our pro bono work for area nonprofits.

But much has changed.

The natural evolution of the business and our outreach model through social media has expanded our client base across the nation. Now that we have relocated from the East Coast to Washington State, most client strategy sessions are now held over the phone, on Skype or via other internet platforms. Presentations are delivered via PDF. We’re no longer an offline, hyper-local communications company. All of these changes, along with repeated requests from far-flung clients, are driving my inspiration to establish an online base of useful marketing content, both to help others get a grip on their marketing, and to lead by example.

I advise clients to blog for greater visibility, credibility and for all the content it builds on their website. Few take the plunge, but the brave ones are building a valuable online presence.

There is no question that a business blog:

  • establishes your authority as the credible expert on your particular subject;
  • serves as a efficient tool to get your message out;
  • helps your business to be found online, which is where people are looking for solutions and answers to their problems;
  • cultivates relationships that have the potential to further your business in many ways.

Actually, business blogging is not a lot different than the traditional marketing tactic of making a series of contacts with a potential customer to lay the foundation for an eventual sale. Content marketing, or the sharing of information and ideas, is an effective way to establish authority on a topic while adding searchable depth to your website.

I regard this blog, Enterprising Marketing, as another opportunity to sow seeds of unforeseen opportunity. My peas soon will wind their way up a trellis, and I’m eager to share ideas that have quietly matured over two decades — the potential is thrilling, the future is wide open and the opportunities are infinite.

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Be enterprising.

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Twenty-five years is a momentous milestone. January 2012 marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of Sircely Marketing & Design. My company evolved over the years with an efficient and creative team, adapting to meet new technology, new demands and market needs. Essentially, every project boiled down to me—a quiet and unassuming professional who loves to write and design (at the same moment if possible), painting a canvas to communicate each client’s powerful marketing message.

Over the years, I’ve witnessed remarkable changes while many things remained the same. Old rules form the foundation for most new marketing tactics. Tried and true methods still exist beneath the hype of social media and online marketing.

Enterprising Marketing is for those who want to grow their businesses—it applies to business owners and managers, nonprofit administrators, solopreneurs and start-ups. For those who are enterprising marketers, the common thread is possession of an independent, energetic spirit along with the drive to work hard and make things happen.

But energy and action needs direction. With a few exceptions, most of the advice I read is difficult to follow or burdensome to implement, and almost always loaded with cheap marketing jargon. My goal is to clarify and demystify the marketing process. I want to explain the terms in plain English and help you tell your story, empowering you to make the most of every opportunity to grow your business.

Out here in the Pacific Northwest, everything grows, even with challenging circumstances. On the tall seaside bluffs and rock faces, life is literally on the edge. There’s a groundswell of energy and hope as life clings to a precipice, sprouts in dicey and unlikely places, and illustrates rugged determination, persistence and perseverance.

All of these qualities apply to Enterprising Marketing, and they converge to help make your campaign/outreach particularly remarkable. Get noticed in unusual places. Stick to your marketing plan, because results follow persistence and perseverance. Sometimes, it’s imperative to go where no one has been before.

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