As business continues to grow in Atlanta and technology improves, the marketing tools used to communicate with consumers is expanding at a rapid pace. This is a blessing and a curse. The added resources and tools make it easier to communicate in a manner that is most appropriate for the type of service, but a marketing resource can become confused with so many options.

We go about running our businesses 24 by 7. We handle all of the customer issues, we make sure the numbers are right, we coordinate all of our resources. If there's one thing we forget to do though is let the world know how uniquely we do things. I think the reason for this is because we get so involved in the business.

The bottom line is this-because we don't communicate how we're different, consumers assume that you're like everyone else.

So what's the magic formula for making your money multiply in print advertising? For small and medium sized businesses, print advertising feels much like going to Las Vegas and putting money down on the table. And often times, the owner gets burned.

Well, the problem centers on the way you're going about it. The first step is a realization of what's going on around you.

One of the first things I do with clients is determine their relationship with the post office. Why? Because in order to be an effective marketing organization, they will need to get pretty cozy with them. I admonish you to shake off the image of our mail system as being anything other than a highly reliable and valuable strategic business partner.

You can choose to read about all the marketing tactics you'd like, but the first step in a healthy business is the planning part of marketing. It's so easy to get caught up in the "marketing event of the week". But this isn't how effective marketing is carried out.

I used to work for an advertising company (imagine that!) who reacted to the latest marketing technique.

By the time you finish reading this sentence, about ten people will connect to the internet for the first time. That's right, as every week passes, more and more people are turning to the internet to interact and to look for products and services. The wonderful thing is that your web presence stays up 24 by 7 and can be a round the clock information resource for you.