Keeping an eye on healthcare insurance changes
April 28, 2021
By Guy Furay The last few months have been fairly monumental when it comes to changes in the healthcare industry. As an independent health insurance agency based in the Upstate…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, insurance, on-the-move
Marketing Minute Video: Communicating Your Expertise
April 26, 2021
Marketing Minute with Catherine Dingler, NP Strategy Whether you’re an entrepreneur working hard to build your brand or a business owner with tough competition, mastering your work won’t help…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, non-profit, on-the-move
Become a creative contrarian
April 21, 2021
By Jerry Bellune What do Judy Wald, JD Powers and Fred Segal have in common? These 3 highly successful entrepreneurs were contrarians. Contrarians are creative thinkers who turn accepted…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Create loving messages for your customers
April 14, 2021
By Jerry Bellune Our friend Bill Edmonds checked into a hotel and found a message in his room. “Sure, life can be messy. That’s why I’m here. Don’t worry…
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Marketing Minute: Crisis Communication
April 12, 2021
Marketing Minute with Jean Cecil Frick, NP Strategy Communication isn’t always as simple as it sounds, especially if the information you’re sharing is sensitive, or even controversial. Knowing your audience…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move
Ads that ring your cash register
April 8, 2021
By Jerry Bellune Bob Bly and I are direct response apostles. It’s the best way to advertise. Bob says if we embrace direct response ads in print and online, the…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Outplacement and Career Transition Benefits Promote the Bottom Line
April 7, 2021
By Gene Mills Gallivan, MS Whether you call it reorganization, right-sizing, termination, downsizing, layoff, reorganization or restructuring, turnover is daunting for both the organization and the individuals involved. In today’s…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, employment, on-the-move
Reading, Writing… and Financial Literacy
April 5, 2021
By South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis Where did you learn about personal finance? Did a patient parent explain the difference between spending for what you need versus what you want?…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: advice, education, on-the-move
Why ads should appeal to our emotions
March 31, 2021
By Jerry Bellune Consumers rarely buy on the facts. Even the most analytically minded. They buy with emotion and justify it with logic. Think about your last purchase, why…
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How to Think About Insuring that Second Home
March 30, 2021
By Molly A. Thomas, FPQP™ Many people dream of a second home—a place to go for some rest and relaxation, a place to call your own, a place for family…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: advice, banking-and-finance, financial-advisors, insurance, on-the-move, residential-real-estate
Marketing Minute: Responding to Controversy in the Media
March 30, 2021
When damaging information about your organization is publicized, your credibility matters. NP Strategy’s Vice President Jean Cecil Frick shares tips on responding to controversy in the media.
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move
How to deal with difficult decisions
March 24, 2021
By Jerry Bellune All of us must make many decisions each day in business and in life. Most of them are relatively easy and we make them. Even if they…
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Who can you help today?
March 17, 2021
By Jerry Bellune A local banker and his wife were among the most successful couples in our town. Each morning, they prayed for guidance about who they might help…
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Be Distinct or Become Extinct
March 15, 2021
By Ken Gasque Tom Peters said “distinct…or extinct” in his book The Brand You. He was talking about personal branding, but the same tactics apply to businesses. If your product/service…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Become your customers’ best friend
March 11, 2021
By Jerry Bellune Tiffany Wright operates a small business bookkeeping service in our county. She believes in building a close, personal relationship with each client to better understand and…
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Retain your loyal customers for life
March 4, 2021
By Jerry Bellune When loyal customers’ friends ask who they use for what you offer, they not only mention your name but tell them about something special you did for…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Effectively Increasing Your Engagement on Social Media
March 2, 2021
By Joshua Simelton Strategic Communications Specialist, NP Strategy For companies with an online presence, there are several ways of executing a successful social media strategy. In this article, we’re going…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
What is your most important branding tool?
March 1, 2021
By Ken Gasque Your logo, if you do it right. However, your logo is not a brand, but there is no brand without a logo. The Starbucks logo is…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, business-services, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move
Avoid becoming a public disgrace
February 24, 2021
By Jerry Bellune Every business owner, manager, entrepreneur or politician should learn a critical lesson from NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s cover-up of his fatal nursing home blunder. By sending…
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Whom Should I Select to Serve as Trustee?
February 22, 2021
By Jonathan J. Robertson, CFP® When people are updating their estate documents, they frequently leave assets in trust for someone else. The key concept behind the idea of a trust…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, banking-and-finance, law, on-the-move
Your abominable No-Man
February 17, 2021
By Jerry Bellune When it comes big bucks CEOs, you could not pick a pair more different than Angelo Mozilo and Warren Buffett. Angelo founded Countrywide Financial, a giant…
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A lifetime of lessons in stakeholder management
February 15, 2021
By Amanda Loveday NP Strategy I recently celebrated five years at NP Strategy. Since I began as the first full-time employee, we’ve built an incredible group of 25 individuals…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
How to attract your Ideal Customers
February 4, 2021
By Jerry Bellune Knowing your Ideal Customer is critical to attracting and retaining them. Our friend Bill Edmonds advises you to narrow your research to better understanding of your…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move
The Value of Going the Extra Mile
February 2, 2021
By Michelle Legaspi NP Strategy For businesses, success can look like many things: bottom-line revenue; year-over-year growth, etc. Though, not all success is as easily defined as a metric…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move
Gain new customers without costs
January 27, 2021
By Jerry Bellune Russell Brunson started his 1st business while in college. Now he owns 3 online businesses and probably will start several more. That’s what entrepreneurs do. Russell…
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What we can learn from Walt Disney
January 20, 2021
By Jerry Bellune When you think of being visionary, compare your vision with Walt Disney’s vision for Disneyland 65 years ago: “Physically, Disneyland is to be a small world…
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Using SEO to Improve your Website Strategy
January 19, 2021
By Jill Baker NP Strategy Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing both the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through search engines. SEO impacts…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Leave no money on the table
January 13, 2021
By Jerry Bellune Whatever happened to Joyce who used to do business with us? No, she didn’t die. She just quit doing business with us. Why? Did we do…
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3 success strategies for 2021
January 6, 2021
By Jerry Bellune Business owners and managers who survived and thrived in 2020, says our friend Ruth King, used these 3 simple strategies: 1. They paid close attention to…
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New Year New Plan: How to Use Social Media Insights for updated 2021 Content
January 5, 2021
By Jasmine Spencer NP Strategy It’s easy to get complacent when planning your social media content calendar, especially when many events have shifted or been cancelled due to COVID-19.…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Take care of your dollars in 2021
January 4, 2021
By Jerry Bellune A business broker friend congratulated us on our financial management during the 2020 pandemic. He said we did not lose near as much money as many…
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Early Christmas gift – make it their idea
December 23, 2020
By Jerry Bellune When our friend Mac Toole was serving as a SC lawmaker, he had a wise strategy. He would set out to convince one of the top…
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Looking Back to Plan Ahead: Preparing for Success in 2021
December 22, 2020
By Jesica Johnson Mackey NP Strategy Like most people, I’m looking forward to closing the book on 2020. While this year has been full of challenges, disappoints, and fear,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
An early Christmas gift parable
December 16, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Here’s another early Christmas gift to help you end a dark year on a bright note. The great physicist Albert Einstein spent most of his life…
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Planning for Public Affairs Success
December 8, 2020
By Seth Palmer NP Strategy A well-organized public affairs plan is a powerful tool that all organizations need to drive focus to important issues that affect their key audiences.…
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A Health Insurance Program for Medical Professionals – SCMA’s Members’ Insurance Trust
December 8, 2020
By William Render Executive Director for the SCMA Members’ Insurance Trust For nearly 40 years, the South Carolina Medical Association Members’ Insurance Trust (SCMA MIT) has been committed to…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, health-care, insurance, on-the-move
Can, and should, employers require that employees be vaccinated for Covid-19?
December 7, 2020
By David Dubberly As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalizes its review of two COVID-19 vaccines and prepares to authorize them for use, employers are asking if they…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, covid-19, employment, law, on-the-move
How to get high email open rates
December 3, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Have you heard marketers or bloggers brag about the high number of addresses on their email lists? A blogger said he had more than 5 million.…
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Become a Master of Gratitude
November 29, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Can you attract more business without it costing you a dime? Absurd, you say. No, it’s simple, says our friend Ruth King. Show gratitude. Say thank…
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Ignore your balance sheet at your own risk
November 12, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Do you check your profit and loss statements and balance sheets monthly? They tell you how profitable your business is, says our friend Ruth King. Your…
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Employers can expect OSHA to issue emergency rule for COVID-19 early in Biden administration
November 10, 2020
By David Dubberly COVID-19 cases in the United States have been increasing rapidly in recent weeks, and the surge is expected to continue into the winter. On Nov. 10, 2020,…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: advice, covid-19, on-the-move
‘Tis the Season (for relevant content)
November 10, 2020
By Emily Eckert NP Strategy For my communications and marketing friends: anyone else struggling to get excited by content lately? This year has felt like a never-ending slog of…
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Reporting the truth
November 9, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Good morning. Dr. Tracey Jones invited me to appear on her podcast. I don’t think she realized what a blabber mouth she was getting. But we…
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How to attract more Ideal Clients
November 4, 2020
By Jerry Bellune An inexpensive way to attract Ideal Clients is with a referral system. It’s expensive in terms of time. When you get busy it’s harder to find…
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Concentrate on your Ideal Customers
October 28, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Every business has Ideal Customers. Knowledge of those customers is the starting point for all marketing strategies, says business consultant Bill Edmonds. To better understand your…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz, laurenscountybuzz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications
Compassionate Communication
October 27, 2020
By Kara Gormley Meador NP Strategy While my home base is no longer a cubical inside a television newsroom where eight monitors blast shows from all of the major…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move
Why do your customers buy from you?
October 23, 2020
By Jerry Bellune Our friend Ruth King says you need to know why your customers do business with you for 4 make-or-break reasons: 1. It defines your business…
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Are you prepared for open enrollment in a digital world?
October 15, 2020
By Andrew Monk, Manager Benefits Education The Cason Group With a global pandemic continuing to affect the workplace, many businesses will be conducting open enrollment for 2021 with a remote…
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Attract more prospects, more income
October 14, 2020
by Jerry Bellune Lead magnets can change how you do business and produce more income. It will attract more prospects to your sales funnel faster then you ever dreamed.…
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Do you react or respond?
October 13, 2020
By Heather Matthews NP Strategy Do you react or respond? That question felt like a stab to my heart and almost made me fall off the treadmill one evening. …
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move
