• Andy Fracica Counts 'em Down

    Nov. 11, 2014
    I believe that I have run out of topics to write about, so I believe this will be my last regular article. I propose a new format. The new format will be a question and answer format.

    This is my one hundredth article for the HVAC-Talk newsletter. My first article for the HVAC Talk newsletter was published on August 25, 2010 and has been a constant feature since then. Over the years, I've covered just about every imaginable topic in marketing, advertising, sales, leadership, management, and social media.

    I believe that I have run out of topics to write about, so I believe this will be my last regular article. I propose a new format. The new format will be a question and answer format, If you have a question, send me an email and I will respond to you directly but I will also use your question (without your name of course) as a basis for an article or as part of an article. Does that sound like something you might be interested in reading? Drop me an email at [email protected].

    For this article, I just want to look back at all the article that I have written and that Penton has published, but first I want to thank a few people. I’ve had two great editors that I have written for during my time here with the HVAC Talk newsletter, Kate Kelly, and Terry McIver. I want to thank all of them for their help over the years. I also want thank Mike Weil who gave me the opportunity to write for the newsletter.

    Below is a list of all of the article titles that I have written starting with the most recent article down to the oldest article.

    2014 Article Archive (18)
    Steps to Effective HVAC Advertising
    Posted October 24, 2014
    Do you have problems with your advertising just not producing the results that you want? Do you feel as if you spend too much money for too little results? Do you advertise only in the spring and in the fall? read the full article

    Marketing for HVAC Contractors
    Posted October 8, 2014
    The better that you know your business, the more effective your marketing will become. Marketing is a system. It interacts with all areas of your business and you must integrate these areas to be effective. read the full article

    Should You Market for Awareness?
    Posted September 24, 2014 
    What are you doing to make potential customers aware of your business? What is the most important thing you can do to position your company to capitalize on future business? What do you do when most of the population doesn’t need your... read the full article

    Solving Problems Effectively
    Posted September 10, 2014 
    One of the biggest challenges that business owners face is to be a problem-solver. If they are not, then they have to hire someone to solve problems for them. A service business is essentially a problem solving business; in this case... read the full article

    Building Your Solid Business Foudation
    Posted August 27, 2014
    How is your business foundation? When you got started in business, did you lay a good foundation? Did you create any kind of a plan? A business plan? A financial plan? A strategic plan? A marketing plan? Most entrepreneurs don’t, they go... read the full article

    Why Blog?
    Posted August 13, 2014
    Do you blog? Should you blog? What is the point of blogging anyway? According to Wikipedia, there are over 250 million blogs worldwide. You might think that the world has enough blogs and that it doesn’t need another one. According to a Brandon... read the full article

    Thoughts on Leadership
    Posted July 23, 2014
    Leadership is a hot topic these days. But is leadership overrated, or is it important to your business? Leadership is incredibly complex, because it involves leaders, followers and the situation in which they find themselves. Even many experts... read the full article

    Thoughts on Liberty and Business
    Posted July 8, 2014 
    We just finished celebrating the 238th anniversary of the founding of our country. I hope you all had a safe and happy Independence Day. In 1776, we were blessed to have forward thinking leaders that were steadfast in their desire for independence... read the full article

    Have You Tried a Wrap Lately?
    Posted June 25, 2014
    If the title of this week's column gets you thinking of tortillas that are used to make sandwiches, we aren’t on the same page. The wraps I’m talking about are made of vinyl, and are installed by professionals on your HVACR vehicles. Are you... read the full article

    The Fallacy of Reputation Management
    Posted June 11, 2014 
    Warren Buffet said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” Have you ever had a bad comment posted about you online? Have you worried that potential... read the full article

    Five Success Factors for an Effective HVAC Website
    Posted May 27, 2014 
    Just a few years ago, websites used to be a novelty, but now, every company seems to have one. In fact, if you don’t have a website now, people don’t believe that you're a real company. But, the real problem is, there are so many websites out... read the full article

    Video Secrets for HVAC Professionals
    Posted May 13, 2014
    My last column covered ways to increase your HVAC company's awareness and visibility. One of the top marketing trends in 2014 is, simply put, video. Do you know the value of video? Are you using video in your business? What can video do... read the full article

    Top Five HVAC Marketing Mistakes
    Posted April 8, 2014
    Every entrepreneur starts out with high hopes in terms of growing a successful company, but many fall short of the mark. Many HVAC installation and service companies are started by technicians and installers who desire to have their own... read the full article

    Small Budget Advertising for HVAC Businesses, Part 2
    Posted March 12, 2014
    Are you looking for a way to stretch your advertising budget? Do you need a way to convert suspects into customers? Do you need a surefire method to engage your audience and galvanize them to respond to your call-to-action? Often times small... read the full article

    Small Budget Advertising for HVAC Businesses, Part 1
    Posted Febuary 28, 2014
    Do you have a small advertising budget? Do you need some ideas on how to stretch that budget that give you the most for your money? Many small businesses have the problem of not having a large budget for advertising but still have the need to... read the full article

    Now, About Your HVAC Advertising Plan...
    Posted Febuary 12, 2014
    Have you developed your advertising plan for 2014? If last year’s plan wasn’t as successful as you had hoped, then do something different this year. Marketing lays the foundation for future success; therefore, if you want to be successful... read the full article

    Objectives, Strategies, & Tactics
    Posted January 22, 2014
    As New Year’s resolutions begin to fade quickly from memory like melting snow and that chocolate cake looks much better than the thought of dieting or changing eating habits ever did, we need to return our focus to business basics so we... read the full article

    Snowmageddon 2014 and Other Assumptions
    Posted January 8, 2014
    As we start the New Year, Snowmageddon 2014 has blanketed the Midwest and Northeast with at least a foot of snow, blizzard-like conditions, and negative or unusually cold temperatures cover the country; everybody assumes it’s the storm of the... read the full article

    2013 Article Archives (24)

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
    Posted December 25, 2013
    I want to wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This is my last article for the year and I am happy to say goodbye to 2013. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. Before we say goodbye to 2013, it’s a good time to review 2013... read the full article

    Adding Value to Your SWOT Analysis
    Posted December 11, 2013
    In the past, we have talked about a SWOT analysis and we talked about how to conduct one, but the question that keeps coming up is, “what should we do with it after we have completed it.” The process of creating the SWOT can be exhausting and... read the full article

    Website Content: Quality vs. Quantity
    Posted November 27, 2013 
    It’s an old argument – quality versus quantity. Is it better to have more articles, more marketing pieces, more pages to your website or is it better to have fewer pieces that have more meat in them? Experts argue the quality versus quantity... read the full article

    Do You Need a Group or a Team? - Part 2
    Posted November 13, 2013 
    Do you need a group or do you need a team. Is there a difference between the two? Why should it matter to you? What’s better for your business, the team approach or the group approach? Before we can answer those questions, we need to... read the full article

    Is it Time to Tune-up Your Website?
    Posted October 23, 2013
    Think of your website are like your information highway truck. If you don’t wash your truck regularly, it begins to look pretty bad. With your website, pictures become dated, links break, content loses it relevancy, and standards change. read the full article

    Your Unique Value Proposition
    Posted October 9, 2013
    Wikipedia defines a value proposition as a promise of value and a belief from the customer of value that he or she will experience. A unique value proposition can apply to an entire organization, parts thereof, customer accounts, or products... read the full article

    Do You Have a Group or a Team?
    Posted September 25, 2013
    Mark Bulmahn, president of Masters Heating and Cooling, Mike Kaufman, president of Kaufman Well Drilling, and I had the opportunity to speak at Comfortech last Thursday. We covered the following topic: The value of a good loop contractor... read the full article

    Using SWOT to Find Your Niche
    Posted September 11, 2013
    In every market, you have top competitors that claim a particular area of interest as their own. In those markets, they are practically invincible. How do you compete with them? What do you have to do to dethrone them? Is there another way... read the full article

    Starting Your Brand from Scratch
    Posted August 28, 2013 
    We hear the term brand or branding bandied about quite a lot, but what does it really mean? Wikipedia defines a brand as “an intangible asset—is often the most valuable asset of a corporation.” A brand is also, what your business stands for... read the full article

    Marketing Plan Creation
    Posted August 14, 2013 
    To write an effective marketing plan you must incorporate the strategic goals of your company and tie them to the marketing plan. This is the only way that marketing can help you reach those goals. Begin by creating marketing goals that... read the full article

    The Four Functions of Management
    Posted July 24, 2013 Most people in the HVAC industry who start a contracting business come from the field. Most are highly skilled technicians with experience in servicing or installing HVAC equipment, but how much business training do they have? How much business... read the full article

    Resetting the Appointment
    Posted July 10, 2013 
    What would you do if your prospect blew you off two times in a row or even just one time? Is there a protocol or some recommended course of action? Is there some sure-fire way of getting the prospect to repent and meet with you? What would... read the full article

    God, Guns, and Free Enterprise
    Posted June 26, 2013
    Today, it seems as if we are moving further and further from the Constitution and the rule of law. Is our Constitutional Republic in jeopardy? Our once free press is more like a propaganda machine similar to what’s prevalent in communist... read the full article

    Creating a Better Marketing Program
    Posted June 12, 2013
    What do you know about, your customers that’s useful in reaching out to them? As I have stated before, the more you know about your customers, the easier it is to push their hot buttons. Ultimately, you have to develop marketing programs that appeal... read the full article

    Making an Irresistible Offer
    Posted May 22, 2013
    How do you make an irresistible offer? What do you need to include? How do you add value you to your product and service? It all starts with knowing your customer. If you know what motivates them, it’s easier for you to reach out and push their hot... read the full article

    If You Build It, They Will Come
    Posted May 8, 2013 
    In the 1989 Kevin Costner movie, Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner’s character Ray Kinsella hears a whispered voice that says, “If you build it, they will come.” The “it” is a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield. He builds it, and... read the full article

    Five Business Card Essentials
    Posted April 24, 2013
    When was the last time you looked at your business card? Is your business card in color or does it have black and white line drawing illustrations that are more appropriate for fifty years ago? I have business cards from the early ‘90s that don’t... read the full article

    Five Business Website Essentials
    Posted April 10, 2013 
    Does your website describe you as a generalist or an expert? When you have a medical problem, do you go to your family doctor or to the specialist? Why do you have a website? Does your website bring in more business? Is your website your primary... read the full article

    Retaining Existing Customers and Increasing Sales
    Posted March 27, 2013 
    Regardless of what business you’re in, it’s easier to sell to existing customers than it is to get new ones. Do you know your customers? Do you know why they use your services? What attracted them to your company? What keeps them coming back... read the full article

    Is SEO a Dead End for Contractors?
    Posted March 13, 2013 
    How do you promote your website? Do you spend tons of money on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Is it still working for you, and is it worth the expense? If you don’t use SEO to promote your website, how else can you get the recognition... read the full article

    Using Email for Communication and Selling
    Posted February 27, 2013
    How many email messages do you send during the course of your day? How many email messages do you get during the day? Do you ever find yourself getting angry when you read them without knowing why? Do you ever give much thought to what... read the full article

    Standing Out From The Crowd
    Posted February 13, 2013 
    If you want to get the recognition that you need to succeed in growing your business, you are going to have to figure out how to stand out from the crowd. Seth Godin tells us, “Remark-ability lies in the edges. The biggest, fastest... read the full article

    Creating Your Digital Footprint
    Posted January 23, 2013 
    Recently I asked a business owner if he had a digital footprint. His answer was yes, I have a website. A website is not really a digital footprint, a website is just one part of a digital footprint, and it’s an important part of the... read the full article

    A Choice of Yesses
    Posted January 9, 2013
    Do you offer your customers a choice of yeses, or do you make them chose between yes and no? I recently had the opportunity to spend some time in the Great Northwest in Edmonds, WA, and I visited my friend Mark Matteson. He has so much... read the full article

    2012 Article Archives (24)

    Networking and Marketing
    Posted December 26, 2012
    I hope you had a very Merry Christmas or a Happy Hanukkah. My family had a great Christmas because we were all together. I’m not sure how many more of those we’ll have as our son has just finished college this month and is about ready to... read the full article

    Creating Explosive Business Growth
    Posted December 12, 2012
    Christmas is just around the corner, Hanukkah has just begun, and year-end is coming at us fast and furious as we continue planning for 2013. In these final days of 2012, it’s a good idea to review the year and make a list of hits and... read the full article

    Five Keys for a Better 2013
    Posted November 28, 2012 
    I want to start by saying that I hope everyone had a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has always been a time when we get together as families, celebrate each other’s company, and reflect on what we are most thankful. The last couple... read the full article

    Promoting Your Brand
    Posted November 14, 2012
    What exactly is a brand? What’s the best way to brand your business? When should you start promoting your brand? Are there any pitfalls of which to be aware? Can you promote your brand without breaking your budget? Jeff Bezos, the founder and... read the full article

    Using Google Authorship to Promote Your Business
    Posted October 24, 2012 
    In past articles, we’ve discussed Google + Local Pages as a way to help get your page ranking higher in the organic search results, but now let’s discuss Google’s Authorship program and how that can help your marketing efforts. Those... read the full article

    Marketing to Different Buyer Personalities
    Posted October 10, 2012
    As buyers become more high-tech, we as marketers have to become more sophisticated in our approach when we reach out to them. As our economy continues to stall, we need to become as effective as possible when it comes to attracting new... read the full article

    Energize Your Marketing with QR Codes
    Posted September 24, 2012
    Are you starting to notice more of those square boxes that look a little like a small crossword puzzle? Do you wonder what they are or what they do? Would you like to unlock the secret like a modern day Indiana Jones? Do you think they might... read the full article

    What is Mobile Marketing
    Posted September 12, 2012 
    If you are paying attention to marketing trends, you may have heard the term mobile marketing. Just what is mobile marketing and is it something that you as an HVAC contractor can use to promote your company and generate more business? Is it... read the full article

    Ten Characteristics of a Leader
    Posted August 22, 2012
    This article marks the beginning of my third year of writing for the HVAC-Talk newsletter and is my 49th article. The past two years have been fun and they have gone by very quickly. I hope you enjoy reading these articles as much as... read the full article

    Six Keys to Building a High Performing Team
    Posted August 8, 2012
    Watching the Olympics this past week caused me to think a lot about teams. During the Olympics, great individual athletes come together to win a medal for their country, their team, and themselves. How can you get that kind of performance... read the full article

    Five Rules for Creating a Great Ad
    Posted July 25, 2012
    Do you ever find yourself in need of an ad that you must have right away? How many of you just use your business card as an ad? Have you ever looked at your business card? Is there anything on it that tells people what you want them to... read the full article

    Creating Your Personal Brand
    Posted July 11, 2012
    When people think about you, what comes to mind first? Is it a good thought or is it an unflattering thought? What do they know about you? What’s your personal brand? What do you stand for? You can think of your personal brand as a positioning... read the full article

    Fortifying Your Digital Footprint
    Posted June 27, 2012 
    Do you ever think about the future of marketing? As a marketer, I think it’s fun to look to the future and ask, “what if? How can marketing get better? What can we do to reach more customers? What’s the best way to get more mileage out of marketing... read the full article

    Blogging for Dollars
    Posted June 13, 2012 
    The term ‘blog’ is kind of a funny little word. According to Wikipedia, Jorn Barger coined the term “weblog” on December 17, 1997, and Peter Merholz then coined the popular form ‘blog’ in May 1999. The story said he split the word ‘weblog’ into ‘we blog,’... read the full article

    Secrets to an Effective Direct Mail Campaign
    Posted May 23, 2012 
    Do you use direct mail marketing in your marketing approach? Do you send out mailer after mailer without getting great results? Would you like to have a better way to engage your customer? Just how do we cut through the clutter and make our marketing and... read the full article

    Little Known 'Google Places' Secrets
    Posted May 9, 2012
    How many of you spend time and effort promoting your business online through your website, or in newspaper ads, on TV, and Radio? Are you on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn? Are you doing everything in your power to get the word out about your... read the full article

    Five Secrets to Successful Goal Setting
    Posted April 25, 2012
    In my last article, we talked about developing a strategic plan, and what it can do for your business. In this article, we want to switch gears and talk about setting both personal and business goals. Have you ever given goal setting much thought? We’ve... read the full article

    The How and Why of Strategic Planning
    Posted April 11, 2012 
    How many businesses actually have a strategic plan? Do you have a one? Do you need a strategic plan? Of what use would a strategic plan be for your business? Can a well thought out strategic plan add new life and direction for your business? Is there a... read the full article

    Measuring Marketing ROI
    Posted March 28, 2012
    What’s return on investment (ROI) and why do you need to measure it? Do you have to measure ROI or are there other things that you should measure that are more important? Do people put too much emphasis on ROI? Should you run a marketing program, if... read the full article

    Do You Need a Business Plan?
    Posted March 13, 2012 
    How important is a business plan? Does your company have one? When was the last time that you dusted it off and looked at it? Did you use it to raise capital from an investment firm or a bank? If you have one, are you still... read the full article

    The Importance of Celebrating Milestones
    Posted February 22, 2012
    When was the last time you celebrated a milestone? Do you realize the importance of celebrating them? What is so important about achievements? What should you celebrate? Is a new logo an opportunity to celebrate? Is a new contract an opportunity to throw... read the full article

    Comparing Marketing and Sales
    Posted February 8, 2012
    Do you notice how sales and marketing often get used interchangeably? Are these really the same function; or are they two separate and distinction functions? Why is there all this confusion between these two disciplines? We often say sales and marketing... read the full article

    The Value of Online Customer Testimonials
    Posted January 24, 2012
    When was the last time you bought something without first checking out, either the product or the company? We call this doing our due diligence, research, or any other of a dozen names. What are your customers saying about your business? Have you... read the full article

    Reputation Management
    Posted January 10, 2012
    Have you heard the term reputation management? Do you know what it is? When was the last time you checked online to see what people are saying about you and your company? What happens if you check online and you don’t like what people wrote about... read the full article

    2011 Article Archives (24)

    Marketing Planning Do’s and Don’ts
    Posted December 28, 2011
    Have you thought about next year? You might have read that the HVAC manufacturers think 2012 is going to be an “up” year – that’s good news. That means manufacturers are counting on you to have a good year. How are you going to pull that off? Have you ...read the full article

    The Art of the Take Away
    Posted December 14, 2011
    I’ve been thinking a lot about reverse psychology and how it can apply to marketing. We all know what reverse psychology is, we have all used it on our kids when they were little to get them to do something that we wanted them to do, when they didn’t want to ...read the full article

    Building a Good Company Brochure
    Posted November 23, 2011
    Have you thought about creating a nice company brochure? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a piece that you could hand out at a home show, or use as a mailer? Do you use envelope stuffers when you send out your monthly invoices? Recently we discussed who your ...read the full article

    Writing Your Mission Statement
    Posted November 9, 2011
    In my last article I discussed how to develop your unique value proposition (UVP). That prompted a question from a reader asking what the difference was between a UVP and a mission statement. That’s a good starting point for this article. What is a mission ...read the full article

    What is Your Unique Value Proposition?
    Posted October 26, 2011
    Marketers always talk about unique value propositions. What exactly is a unique value proposition? Is it important? Do you need one? Do you have one and don’t know it? If you don’t know what your unique value proposition is, you run the risk of having ...read the full article

    Managing Change in a Marketing World
    Posted October 12, 2011
    The world around us is constantly changing and those changes affect us in ways we may not realize. When somebody invents a new gizmo and people begin to adopt it, the world changes. Last week we noted the passing of Steve Jobs with sadness. Steve ...read the full article

    Knowing Your Customer
    Posted September 28, 2011
    Before you can sell anything, you need to know your customer. First, are they out there? For the HVAC industry, it’s a safe bet that we can find customers for our product or service. Who are they? What are their needs and wants? What are their ...read the full article

    The Purple Cow
    Posted September 14, 2011
    What’s different about your business? What makes you standout? What makes people remember your company? Is it an unusual name? Is it an unusual truck paint scheme? Is it the way your employees dress? ...read the full article

    Creating a Buzz - Part 3
    Posted August 24, 2011
    Creating a buzz, I hope you are thinking about trying these techniques in your own business. It’s so hard to find uncluttered advertising mediums these days. However, if you follow along and take this information to heart, I believe that you ...read the full article

    Creating a Buzz - Part 2
    Posted August 10, 2011
    One of the best ways to save money in marketing is by creating a buzz. Buzz marketing gets people talking about you. The more people talk about you, the more they learn about you. However, you have to have control over what people say about ...read the full article

    Creating a Buzz - Part 1
    Posted July 27, 2011
    Does your marketing attract attention? Do people talk about your company? Do you enjoy being the topic of conversation around the water cooler and at the park? Did you know that word of mouth advertising is the most powerful form of ...read the full article

    Can Advertising In Season Benefit You?
    Posted July 13, 2011
    Summer is in full swing and companies are often working round the clock to keep up with the stress of the season. As the mercury passes 95F and the humidity soars, customers begin to worry their air conditioning systems won’t make it through ...read the full article

    Marketing vs. Advertising
    Posted June 22, 2011
    What’s the difference between marketing and advertising? These days people seem to use them interchangeably, but are they the same or are they different disciplines? Let’s discuss the differences. ...read the full article

    Eco-Marketing
    Posted June 8, 2011
    We hear a lot of talk these days about green or eco-marketing. What is eco-marketing? Can you use it to benefit your business? Does your company have to be “green” to use it? Does each of your service techs have to drive a Prius or some other ...read the full article

    Using Direct Mail Marketing
    Posted May 25, 2011
    You might think that direct mail marketing is an old approach to marketing. Back in the day, you would buy a list of names and street addresses based on ZIP Code and you would mail out thousands of cards to those recipients. Back in those days ...read the full article

    Perception
    Posted May 11, 2011
    I’m fond of saying that marketing is all about perception. Perception is what you attempt to create in the minds of your customers. What’s your customer’s perception of your company? Is their perception positive or negative? How can you ...read the full article

    Putting it all Together
    Posted April 27, 2011
    How to you put all of this marketing stuff together and make it work for you? Many companies go with the, “I’ll try it” approach. Meaning somebody comes to the owner of the company with a marketing program that sounds like it has merit ...read the full article

    Building Your Brand
    Posted April 13, 2011 
    What is a brand? What does a brand do for you? Why do you need a brand; or do you need a brand? How can a brand help drive business your way? Is all of this talk of brand overblown? Think of your company, what is its brand, how do customers ...read the full article

    Writing your Strategic Marketing Plan
    Posted March 23, 2011
    Last time we talked about why you need a strategic marketing plan. Now we we’ll to cover the basics of writing your marketing plan. The thing to remember is that you don’t have to write it in one sitting, in fact it would be better if you took at least ...read the full article

    Don't Waste Your Time with a Marketing Plan
    Posted March 9, 2011
    You don’t need no stinkin’ marketing plan! You don’t need a financial plan and you don’t need a business plan either. What good are plans? General Eisenhower once said, “In battle, plans are nothing; planning is everything.” Therefore, it’s the act ...read the full article

    Effective Use of Advertising Dollars
    Posted February 23, 2011
    Ever wonder how to get the biggest bang for your buck? Where’s the best place to spend your hard-earned dollars? With all of the claims out there, to whom should you listen? What really works? What will work for me? How can I measure the success ...read the full article

    The Do's of Lead Generation
    Posted February 9, 2011
    Leads are the lifeblood of any sales organization and you just cannot get enough of them. Are you receiving good quality leads? Do you know the source of these leads? Do your sales people receive their leads in a timely manner or are they ...read the full article

    Email Marketing
    Posted January 26, 2011
    What do you think of when you hear the term email marketing? Do you think of those “spammy” emails that litter your inbox trying to sell you everything from supplements to iPads? Or do you think of the Nigerian barrister that needs your help to get $300 ...read the full article

    Email Newsletters
    Posted January 12, 2011
    Happy New Year! I hope you all had a happy holiday season and now that the festivities are behind us it’s time to turn our attention back to business. With the New Year here, have you thought about how you intend to remain top of mind with your customers? ...read the full article

    2010 Article Archives (9)

    Customer Retention
    Posted December 17, 2010
    There have been many articles written on customer retention, but this one is going to take a little different direction than what you might expect. Customers, you can’t live with them and you can’t kill them. Did I just say that? You may want to cause ...read the full article

    Promotion on a Budget
    Posted December 8, 2010
    Usually promotion is a term used by marketers and it is part of the four “P’s” of marketing, product, price, place, and promotion. Most promotions involve products but promotion can also involve promoting a business or promoting ...read the full article

    Advertising Season
    Posted November 24, 2010 
    Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas! It’s advertising season! It sure seems like every year holiday advertising, oh heck let’s not be politically correct, Christmas advertising starts earlier and earlier. This year it started right after Halloween, ...read the full article

    Social Media – Can it Work for My Business?
    Posted November 10, 2010
    We have been hearing a lot of talk about social media. Some say you don’t need it, some say you can’t live without it, and yet others say it’s just a fad. What the heck is social media anyway? Do you need social media? Can it work for ...read the full article

    Positioning is King
    Posted October 27, 2010
    How you position your business determines where it lives in the hearts and minds of your customers. Is positioning king? You be the judge. I am fond of saying marketing is all about perception. Positioning is the process of creating ...read the full article

    Breaking Through the Clutter
    Posted October 13, 2010
    Do you want to learn how to get your message heard by your audience so you don't waste your advertising money? In this article, we will discuss ideas on how to break through the clutter to make sure your audience hears ...read the full article

    Making the Most out of Manufacturer's Dollars
    Posted Sep 21, 2010
    Do you want to supercharge your marketing efforts? Do you know how to do more with less? Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to multiply the money you have and then use it to stretch your advertising budget? How would like to ...read the full article

    How to Increase Consumer Awareness and Cut through the Clutter Using PR
    Posted September 8, 2010
    The key to seeing your release in print is to make it news worthy. Does it have impact; is it a major announcement that affects the community or the company? Is it an unusual occurrence, a major milestone like 25 years in business, or ...read the full article

    Public Relations: How to Use it Effectively
    Posted August 25, 2010
    You may have heard the term public relations, or PR; you may even know that many of the "stars" have publicists that control their PR. It has been said that any PR is good PR, but what exactly is PR and how can you use it to your advantage? ...read the full article

    Andy Fracica is the author of Navigating the Marketing Maze, he is, a speaker, a marketing coach, and president and CEO of Fracica Enterprises, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in marketing, and social media strategy. He has over 30 years of sales, marketing, and product management experience in the heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) industry. He concentrates on helping companies deliver their message in an ever increasingly crowded market by helping HVAC dealers more effectively market their businesses without breaking their budgets. Contact him at 260-338-4554, [email protected] or visit the Fracica Enterprises, Inc., website.

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