Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 3:14PM The holiday season is underway. With all the speculation about this season, it can be hard for a small business to know what to expect. So what does a small business owner really need to know about this holiday? This infographic created with Intuit has your game plan right here. Infographic by Column Five Media
Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 12:56PM With an audience of 800 million potential customers, businesses are flocking to Facebook as their go-to social media marketing platform. Column Five created this infographic with Flowtown to examine the who, how, and how much of Facebook marketing.
Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 5:12PM Video is one of the most effective marketing mediums today...but for a small business that can get expensive. Here we look at video on a budget from Column Five Media and Wistia
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 1:41PM Really cool infographic by Column Five Media and WOMMA
Column Five, Infographics, WOMMA Monday, November 1, 2010 at 1:49PM 
The Buffalo News recently released their response to the fast growing "deal of the day" websites that are raking in millions in internet advertising revenue. The Buffalo News' site, Sweet Find, is hoping to do the same for local Buffalo businesses. The site, now through November 23, is incenting consumers to "opt in" for their daily emails in exchange for being entered to win a free ipad. The deals will be sent out daily and will offer discounts from 50-90% off the normal retail price. Groupon and Living Social are two competitors, both with at least a countrywide presence, Sweet Find according to the website is a Buffalo exclusive marketing opportunity and sure to create a buzz in this fast growing marketing opportunity.
Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 11:52AM 
Can the color of your product or logo affect sales? According to research by The Color Association of the United States, yes. According to their website, "What color a product, a brand or an environment should be has become an increasingly more critical and yet difficult question to answer. What color should the new office furniture line for a China-based corporate office be? What color is a fast-acting, innovative pain medication targeted for a global launch? What color best supports the new brand identity of a 120-year-old American paint company that is growing globally? How would you know?"
Inc. Magazine who also wrote on this topic says color is more than an artistic decision, rather according to Inc. it is a sound business decision. Inc. states, "Case studies have shown that a consumer's decision to purchase products can range from anywhere between 60 and 80 percent based on the product's color. Color has the unique ability to make or break the success of a product."
What are your thoughts, can color affect business?
Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 1:24PM 
By Kyle Patterson
Groupon is a new company based in Chicago spearheading a new wave in internet marketing that is growing rapidly. A quick way for a new business to get huge exposure in a local market, Groupon's sales are expected to hit $1 billion quicker than any company in history, but for some companies, they are raising a few eyebrows at the discounts they expect small business. I recently spoke with Groupon for an offer we are making with THRiVE! coming up shortly, so yes I am doing it, but not without thinking through the risks associated with it. First off, they ask that you discount your product at least 50%. Then they send an offer to all 60,000 of their Buffalo subscribers or whatever city you are in. They operate internationally and work in pretty much every geography. They offer your product or service for for one day only at a drastic discount and you split the revenue with Groupon 50/50. So yes it is a great way to expose your company to their 60,000 subscribers and increase traffic and awareness of your product, but beware you are discounting your product at least 75% off. Those are some hefty margins for any business. Know that going in and if you can offer that as a type of loss leader and collect customer date for repeat business, it may work out for you. Either way you slice it, Groupon is another option for your marketing mix.
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 4:33PM 
Seth Godin's latest book, LinchpinSeth Godin is a best selling author, marketing expert, and thought leader on the next wave of what he calls "permission marketing." Godin begins his argument by stating that our world is so cluttered and advertising so plentiful, it is hard to get consumers attention. He talks about two different types of marketing- interuption marketers and permission marketers. Quoting he says, "Interruption
Marketers spend all of their time interrupting strangers, in an almost pitiful attempt to bolster popularity and capture attention. Permission Marketers spend as little time and money talking to strangers as they can. Instead, they move as quickly as they can to turn strangers into prospects who choose to "opt-in" to a series of communications."
This type of marketing is really nothing new. Business has always been about relationships and trust. With the advent of mass media however, marketers for many years got away from the personal, trust, and value that so many mom and pop businesses have depended on for years and for lack of a better term, got a little greedy. In an effort to expand to more and more customers businesses interupted you to get you to pay attention to their products. This in essence has done more damage than good to the advertising industry and resulted in guarded consumers. I like Godin's approach because like I mentioned it really isn't new, it's the old way of doing business- trust and permission. This type of synergy creates win win solutions, something every business and consumer should be looking for.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 9:58AM I wanted to take a week to tell you about the new offerings we are making availale to our customers at THRiVE! now. We are really excited about the new developments we have made and feel that we have something that can really add value to your business, so I couldn't resist telling you about them. Even if you do't have an immediate need today, chances are you know somebody who does and we would be very grateful.
First off, THRiVE! is more than a magazine and our customers are more than another number. We take our customer's success personally and we offer strategic marketing plans tailored to fit our unique customers budget, timing, and sales goals. We take the personal approach and we would love to sit down with you, assess your needs and build and execute a plan to make your business, well, thrive!
Here are our offerings:
Digital: With the ever evolving publishing world, THRiVE! is staying relevant by offering solutions that are in touch with today's multi-tasking, media saturated individuals. We offer advertising solutions with integrated video, audio, or animation right within your normal print ad. The landscape of digital advertising is changing and we have the know how to help you ride the wave.
Multi-media: From custom photography to video to documentary projects, THRiVE! works with the best in the business to make you the best in your business.
Print- Simmons’ Multi-Media Engagement Study find magazines continue to score significantly higher than TV or the Internet in ad receptivity. Yankelovich reports that magazines are second only to video games for consumers enjoying the content at the time they saw the ad. This may be because magazines rank #1 out of 16 media for consumers having a positive impression of advertising. Magazines also rank very highly for the relevance of information in the medium and consumers’ overall opinion of the medium.
THRiVE! offers our advertisers one of the most unique and inspiring products in the marketplace today. Serving a niche market that no media has successfully targeted in Buffalo, THRiVE! is reaching the reader that your message needs to reach.
Online: Thrivebuffalo.org reaches a unique audience that expands beyond our print readership. Through advertising in 30/60/90 or yearly intervals, your company or organization has the opportunity to get your message in front of our dedicated and sophisticated readership.
THRIVE! understands the power of the internet to reach the audience you are after. Our website has become a premier source not only of what is happening locally but of relevant articles, podcasts, interviews, and commentary that engage our community and culture with editorial that is unrivaled locally.
From flash rotating banner ads to event listings, e-mail blasts, and more, THRIVE! has the solution that will create a buzz for your product, service, or event.
Email: Our weekly email, THRiVE! Weekly is sent out to over 500 readers weekly with fresh, original content that our readers love.
You have the opportunity of showcasing your company, organization, or product next to our articles and piggy-backing alongside THRiVE!'s brand in our beautifully designed weekly email.
We strongly recommend marketing your business through our weekly email in addition to your print and online ad. Repetition and consistency is key. At THRiVE! we offer a full spectrum for your advertising and marketing needs, a way for repeated exposure and maximum results. We track the readers who view your ad, the links that are clicked through, and reporting is available to you after your campaign. We recommend at least a month commitment for maximum exposure.
PR: Get your business noticed and your sales off the ground with THRiVE! Public Relations. Our team will work with your company to create a media engagment strategy including press releases, interview scheduling, event promotion, and more.
Whether your a business, non-profit, musician, or artist our creative team will work with you on a yearly contract basis to help build your brand, image, and offering to a mass audience.
Marketing: Our marketing team will sit down with you, understand your business, goals, market, opportunities, and challenges and create a custom plan to grow your business. Utilizing social media, print, audio, video, custom photography and more, THRiVE! can and will deliver the results you are looking for and track the ROI for your organization.
Whether you are a company, non-profit, church, band, or artist our clients range in size from 1-500 employees and our proven strategies can and will work today.
Design: From business cards to brocheurs to marketing collateral, THRiVE! Design can create the perfect piece for your business or organization
Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 11:36AM I was reading a recent entry from Inc. Magazine and thought the article was so thorough that you must check it out for this week's entry. Let me know your thoughts...