Do you want to know if or how geography brings you customers?  Do you need to create delivery routes?  Would you like to put a custom map on your Web site showing your store locations?  There are several free Web-based applications that’ll do the trick.  It took me all of two minutes to map a list of addresses from Excel using Batchgeo.  Mapalist looked promising.  To use The Map Monster, your data needs to be in a Google Docs spreadsheet.  This site has instructions for a more detailed process which enables you to put a map on a Web site with customized icons and additional detail about each map point, e.g. hours of operation, or locational information (“Just north of 12 Mile Road”).   4/28/10

In the fall of 2009, Royal Oak voters were asked to approve a two-year moratorium on new liquor licenses in the city. The campaign against the moratorium used social media vigorously.  Many of the opponents were established Facebook users. We posted a steady stream of status updates on the subject, sharing links when local media editorials opposed the moratorium.

We ran a Facebook ad that said, “Keep Royal Oak Vibrant.  Who’s trying to keep new businesses out of Royal Oak? Find out why you should vote NO Nov. 3 on the liquor license moratorium.”  The campaign paid for clicks only, and ultimately spent less than $15 for 32 clicks.  But the ad was viewed more than 38,000 times – and that was really all we needed.

The moratorium failed, with 61 percent of the voters opposing it.  Three city commission candidates who opposed the moratorium were elected, while the fourth – the lone moratorium supporter – was defeated.  I believe that, in this off-year election, the liquor license issue drove younger voters to the polls

Before the election, a telephone poll by the city commissioner behind the ballot initiative concluded that voters overwhelmingly supported the moratorium.  So why was the telephone poll wrong?

According to this study, nearly half of adults aged 25-29 years and more than a third of those aged 18-24 lived in households with only wireless telephones.  I think the poll missed those young voters, and they were more likely to opposed the moratorium. 4/28/10

Here are instructions to make a crossbow with four pencils and a couple of rubber bands.  (Don’t put your eye out.)  You can also find out how to build an Altoids Catapult, an Altoids Trebuchet and a Sharpie rocket. 4/28/10

I sometimes partner and share resources with Pitts Aldrich Associates, a long time Michigan consulting practice.  Principals Christina Pitts and Lynne Aldrich now offer an innovative personal development and leadership training program that uses horses as partners in the process.  They’ll offer a two-day women’s training program,  “Journey to Authenticity,” June 25-26 near Ypsilanti.   Click here for more information. 4/28/10

I’ll present a webinar on sponsorships for the Michigan Association of Chamber Professionals on May 5 at 2 p.m.  Chamber execs contact Bob Thomas at MCCP to learn how you can participate.

On May 27, I’ll present “Improve your E-newsletter” at the Michigan Economic Developers association day-long educational conference, “Inside the Economic Development Toolbox.” 4/15/10

There’s much in today’s evolving online news world to like, deplore, praise or ignore.  But you just gotta love a news site that publishes a poem a day.  4/12/10

Harvey Ovshinsky’s March 27 “How to produce a career in film and video” presentation at Eastern Michigan University was packed with great career tips, lots of motivation and plain old common sense.  If you want to break into a new field, or understand a prospective client or write a better news release, follow Harvey’s advice:  “Embrace your stupidity.”  Call somebody who knows something – a friend of a friend or even a complete stranger – and ask if they’ll give you 10 minutes of wisdom in their specialty.  People love to talk about themselves and their work.  Ten minutes will turn into 20 and you’ll have a fresh perspective and maybe even a referral to the next best person to interview. 3/31/10

Throughout my career I’ve put together many a sponsorship package.  At the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce, I bundled all the organization’s events into annual sponsorship packages, minimizing the number of times we had to hold out our hand while helping our members match their interests to our opportunities.  Through it all, my goal was always to deliver the most bang for the buck as we could.  This article on American Express’s Open Forum gives the buyer’s perspective on sponsorships, echoing many of my principles. 3/31/10

I am amazed daily at the free tools you can find on the Internet.  Here’s a website that enables you to make simple, animated films.  Thanks to Eddie Tadlock at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids for this tip.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  You cannot underestimate the value of the knowledge and skill that you get from a trained graphic designer.  When you’re branding your business, they bring their brains to the table, engaging you in a dialog that draws out the history, hidden agendas and visions and crafts a look and feel that are unique and true.  That said, you CAN buy a new logo through an online process for as little as $250 at websites like Logotournament.com.  You’ll get a vector file from them.  Bear in mind that it’s just the start.  You still have to create the stationery, business cards, collateral materials, packaging, signage and promotional products that it’ll go on.   Thanks to Stephanie Zafarana of Easy Green Shop for the tip.