The Sedona International Film Festival starts this weekend, and I'm headed down to watch a very special film.  I'm on the way to a private viewing of a brand new documentary on the life of artist, Curt Walters.  The film will play during the festival, but I'll be at the private viewing, the party afterwards, and stay with Curt for the weekend.  Who is Curt Walters?  Check out Season 1, Episode 7 of Ken's Think Tank at http://KensThinkTank.com

You may have some ideas about what YouTube is, but most people don't fully understand the power and reach of this media platform giant.  YouTube is the second-largest search engine - dwarfing all other search engines besides Google, who owns YouTube.  It's also the second-largest social media platform with a huge user base that covers all demographics.  An insane number of product reviews are watched on YouTube and most users have watched a YouTube video to help them make a purchase decision.

Every business should have a Facebook page.  Why?  Because it's where all the people are - and you always go where all the people are.  You'll be able to find your target market on Facebook - besides being a significant review site.  YouTube is your next stop because 1) All businesses need to put out video content, and 2) YouTube is the second-most popular social network at the same time as being the second-largest search engine owned by the largest search engine.  You need to use Facebook Messenger to communicate with your customers.  You also should seriously consider Instagram.

Of course, my podcast listeners already know this . . . but, this is a reminder to my video viewers.  Follow the Ken Drives Podcast available right now on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, and Spotify.  For direct links to all of these, visit:  https://kencollinsmarketing.com/ken-drives/

It's tough to understand where to advertise so that you don't completely waste your money.  With some super simple calculations, you can review any advertising opportunity to determine if you might be able to make more than you spend.  Use this link to download a free PDF that explains it all.  This is a straight download - you don't have to give any information or do anything else to get it.  https://kencollinsmarketing.com/do-the-math-pdf/

Content Marketing is needed by every business with a presence on the Internet . . . and every business needs a presence on the Internet . . . so every business needs a content marketing plan.  The best type of content marketing because of it's versatility, power, reach, coolness . . . basically everything . . . is VIDEO.

The 2019 video season for Ken Collins Marketing has begun!  Ken Drives videos come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday . . . and Ken's Think Tank episodes come out twice each month through October.  Of course, all of the videos are now converted to podcast form and released on the same schedule as the videos.  To find links to all the videos and podcasts, visit KenCollinsMarketing.com

My next tip for helping your business survive and thrive in 2019 is . . . get your technology in order.  If you run a register, you absolutely need a good POS system.  If you manage inventory, you absolutely need a good inventory management system - that's tied to your POS system.  Those are your internal systems - but you also need your external systems:  Website that works on any screen size, Google My Business listing, Facebook page, Review Management system, Local SEO, and an Online Sales Funnel.

This is THE most important thing you can do for your business.  Create a corporate culture where everyone that works for you is making decisions and producing results that drive customer satisfaction, higher profits, and happier employees.  As the business owner (or CEO), it is YOUR job to create this culture - you are the one responsible for the culture in your business right now.

Welcome to 2019!  New for this year, we're converting all Ken Drives videos (from this day forward), and all Ken's Think Tank episodes (including Seasons 1 & 2) into audio and sending them out as podcasts!

You can still find all the videos on the website, YouTube, and Facebook - but NOW, you can also find the podcast on the website, Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, and Spotify!

You can find all the links to the videos and podcasts on our website.  Just visit the site and click either the Ken Drives button or the Ken's Think Tank button.  https://KenCollinsMarketing.com