Business owners seeking to make a lasting impression on their customers often think outside of the box, when it comes to promotional items. Learn how one company is using personalized Pez dispensers as a branding tool.

Sometimes we need inspiration to help us see the forest through the trees. Check out these 22 marketing-related quotes as an antidote to waning enthusiasm.

Fear of failure is THE number-one reason marketing staff shy from away risks. That reticence can add up to a great deal of missed opportunities in business. Consider these three simple and easy ways to shake off your fear and kick your marketing into high gear.

1. Embrace your mistakes. Learn to see failure as a necessary part of developing better marketing strategies. Stop beating yourself up, when a campaign turns out to be a flop. It happens to all of us and maybe it was your turn to take a ride on the merry-go-round. Successful people don’t see failure as the be-all and end-all. Instead, they view it as an opportunity for obtaining valuable insight into weaknesses, so those weak areas or approaches can be surmounted.
2. Stop trying so hard. A quick fix may be directly in front of our eyes, and sometimes that means it can be too obvious. Or, we may over-analyze a marketing strategy, working it to death and getting bound up in minute details. Take a walk, suck in a a half-dozen deep breaths and allow your imagination free reign. Often a moment of insight will break the stalemate between your mind and the problem.
3. Ask for help. Most people fear appearing less than competent when they ask for assistance. Yet we need to keep in mind that asking for help makes others feel appreciated. In short, make someone else feel good about helping you. That can be a means to realizing your marketing goals.

How have you overcome your fears in business? Share those marketing breakthroughs!

What are the best ways to finance a vacation property? What are the rules on renting it out when you’re not there? Here are answers to the most common questions about owning and renting out a second home!