If someone visits your website for the first time, looks around for three seconds and leaves, will they know exactly what you do? They should. We call this the 3-second test. You’re losing business if your website fails this critical, and somewhat obvious, test.

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Even though my beloved Steelers didn’t make it this year, you can bet I’ll be watching the big game this Sunday with 111 million other fans (not all in my living room). $3 million gets you about 30 seconds of commercial time. Wonder how that applies to you and your business? May the Force be with you.

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Apple, Inc. just announced its best quarter ever. For Q1 2012, they booked $13.06 billion profit on $46.33 billion in revenue. That’s over 50% more than its previous record in Q3 2011! As I type this, their stock is at an all-time high. They are bigger than Exxon and have over $97.6 billion in the bank. Not bad for a company that was almost bankrupt 15 years ago. How did they do it? I think the answer is really simple – and one that each of us can use to improve our own businesses RIGHT NOW.

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If there’s one way to supercharge your marketing, it would be with ongoing content. Nothing beats sharing information and reaching out to your clients and customers on a regular schedule. How? Email. Don’t believe me? Read on and I’ll share some of our Forge3 website stats showing how effective email can be for generating traffic to your doorstep.

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We made it. Another year is here. Welcome to 2012! As with any new year, the gyms are packed with resolution-resolved newbies and businesses are scrambling to figure out how to make this year better than the last. And, if you’re like me, it can be a bit overwhelming to look ahead at all of the to-do’s and goals in front of us. Right? Here are a few of my thoughts to make 2012 the best year yet. Are you ready?

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What is marketing? It’s not having a blog. It’s not having a fancy logo or slick website. It has nothing to do with your business cards or Facebook business page. In many ways, good marketing is easier than all of that.

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Have you seen strange-looking, square bar codes popping up all around you these days? Based on recent studies, the answer is probably YES. But, what are they and how can they help your business?

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I’ve been doing a lot of public speaking these days. Most of it has been on social media. Businesses are captivated by it. But, the first question is usually, “Does social media really work for businesses?” The answer may surprise you.

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If you’re a Steelers fan like I am, then the best part about Super Bowl XLV was the commercials. Personally, I wasn’t blown away by any of them. Were you? Here are all of the tech-focused ads from the big game. Which is your favorite?

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