Last night, I spoke on a marketing panel put on by the MainStreetChamber West Metro Chapter (if you haven’t heard of the MSC, now’s a good time to check them out). On the panel with me was a first-class group of marketers from the Twin Cities area:

Manuel Santana, Paulie Skaja, Lisa Saline, Marty Stanchfield, Rich Powell, and Jeff Ferrazzo rounded out the panel, bringing in experience from all areas of marketing from display and networking to affiliate and digital.

Several questions were posed to the panelists by the audience, such as:

• If you are a new business what are some tips on getting people engaged on Facebook (before you have a lot of followers)?
•  I just started a commercial cleaning/janitorial company and the competition is very tough. I am starting this business with no cash flow. I have been cold calling with very little results. What can I do to at least get customers to allow me to bid on there facilities?
• What criteria determine whether a small business can develop their own marketing plan or should engage a strategic marketing professional?
• If a small business decides to engage a strategic marketing professional to develop a marketing plan, how does one find and select the person or business that is a good match for that small business?
• As well as several others.

The event sold out; many people mentioned to me that they couldn’t get a ticket because they registered too late. Fret not tardy registrants, there’s a recording.

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