The Absolute Truth is a newsletter published by Absolute Marketing Group to assist businesses in marketing their company effectively.

Marketing Tactics on a Shoestring Budget By MacDalton Berns, Marketing Advisor

Absolute Marketing Group has served more than 325 clients in the last 40 months. Regardless of industry, there has always been one constant – a tight budget. Effective marketing doesn’t require large budgets. All too often clients feel they can’t compete because they do not have $100,000 per year to unleash their logo on every square inch of the Fargo-Moorhead area. While big-ticket media like television, radio, direct mail, newspaper and billboards are powerful, they aren’t magic bullets. In fact, there are several methods to increasing revenue and brand strength that are simple and relatively inexpensive. These marketing tips can elevate the performance of a small company and are so effective that they should be used by all businesses regardless of size.

There are three different categories of marketing communications to explore.

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We’re Advertising What? Part 2 of 3 By Jason Jacobson, Project Manager/Writer

Sometimes the fault of marketing lands on the inventors. For proof, just look at the first installment of this three-part series. I'm still appalled that no one raised an eyebrow at that. The fact there hasn't been a backlash in the black community is puzzling and a little disturbing. Where's Jesse Jackson's tirade on a Chia Pet of the first black president with its orange bust and green Afro? He looks like an Oompa Loompa. I digress.

Other times marketers get greedy, especially when the product is a fad. Marketing by nature takes a great idea and then tries to squeeze every penny out of it. But sometimes it goes too far especially when marketing tries to grab every possible demographic until the product gets blown out of proportion and eventually implodes. Remember Beanie Babies? Those hacky sacks with legs became popular so quickly and tried to reach so many niches, they eventually collapsed. Now they're a joke and a lesson learned.

Or are they?

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Who’s Talking About Me? Tools to Monitor Your Brand and Reputation Online By Cas, Web Development Specialist

So you’ve jumped into Social Media and are Tweeting, Following and Friending like a Pro. Great. You’re also commenting intelligently on blogs and sending out RT Luv on a regular basis. Fabulous. So – who’s talking about YOU, and what are they saying?

If you’re logging directly into Facebook and Twitter, you’re seeing your friends’ tweets and status updates (and paying attention, I hope?) – so you can see what they’re talking about about you. (whoa – that is worded weirdly)

But what about blog posts that mention you? Comments on blogs that mention you? Tweets that mention your name, but don’t DM you (add that @ symbol in front of your name) or refer to you by your domain name or a misspelling of your name? How do you monitor your brand and your reputation online?

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