When I originally started this column early this year, my idea was to spotlight women-owned startups. As a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners Philadelphia chapter I know there are plenty of women who are not only doing well, but are happy and even eager to mentor others. I thought this would be a great place to showcase their successes and inspire other entrepreneurs, women and men alike.

Yet, when I sent out emails looking for women to publicize their work, even marketing and public relations mavens, I received little response. I was surprised, to say the least, and after a few weeks of chasing, I gave up.

My column has languished since, even though I had also offered to write on media relations. I thought it would be better for me to spotlight others’ businesses because I wasn’t comfortable with labeling myself an “expert.”

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(This guest post was written by Ryan Bukoski, start-up enthusiast)

Everyone knows the age old question, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” A similar question could be asked regarding startups: “If a startup has an outstanding product, but no one has been made aware of its existence, is it really that great a product?” No matter how amazing your product offering may be, if you’re not taking the necessary steps to market it, then it will never see the light of day, and you’ll be nothing more than any other run-of-the-mill schlub with an idea. So network you must!

In today’s social media focused, locally-centric driven environment, it is simply unacceptable to not be networking with other like-minded individuals, both in your field and in your surrounding neighborhoods. People are talking, and it’s up to you to include yourself in the conversation. It gives you the ability to get your name and your company to be heard, and it allows you to incorporate your two cents, which you can use to steer the conversation towards piquing the interest of others to ascertain what you can bring to the table.

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In case you recently developed amnesia, it’s holiday time again. Do you have time-sensitive press pitches you need to send out? Take your time and think it through before hitting “send.”

If there’s any way to avoid sending a press announcement the week before, during or after a holiday, avoid it. Things are hectic everywhere, and in the media just as many people want to spend their holidays at home as in any other business. Writers are squirreling away “evergreen” stories to run while a skeleton staff is on duty, covering for vacationing colleagues and keeping up with the “must-do” assignments.

However, some companies have news that has to go out, perhaps it is something that was unforeseeable or an event happening within the week and there’s just no rescheduling.

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(This guest post was written by Ryan Underwood Wall, SEO expert and entrepreneur):

Search engines are an international marketer’s new best friend. It’s a lower cost, effective, and efficient global marketing channel.  However, even though the world has flattened and costs have dramatically decreased to deliver marketing messages abroad, it’s still not cheap to roll out or easy to perfect.  Tactics such as foreign language keyword research, translations and trans-creations are usually expensive if you want the job done right.  Not to mention all of the other costs that are accrued through building a separate Web property.  So before you decide to cross the pond, be sure to test market demand by leveraging your current Web site and pushing several international SEO strategies live.

For example, let’s just say your Website domain is http://www.desklamps.com/ and you’re trying to enter the French market.

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I’ve written previously about Personal and Professional Branding. In my universe, the two are closely related. My hobbies are as much about business as my professional career is. Further, I find that my network gets the most value out of my status updates when they relate to interesting business topics rather than random and useless (in my opinion) rants. I enjoy marketing my business’ brand as an extension of my own and vice versa. For those that can relate to this counterintuitive insanity, I offer my preferred time-saving solution…

Read the rest of this post on Max Sobol : Brainwork.

Sometimes improved perception of your product can be more productive, successful, and cost effective, than actually improving the product itself.