About Karen Lawrence

Karen Lawrence is a writer, publicist and social media consultant to small businesses, creative entrepreneurs and nonprofits. Karen’s company, KLCreative Media, delivers customized marketing strategies, establishes manageable delivery systems and produces dynamic content that connects businesses to customers, community and the media. A seasoned professional with years of experience in both the public and private sector, Karen is also a former Army officer, published author and active volunteer in community development projects. More on her services and writing is available at www.klcreativemedia.com, and she can be reached at karen@klcreativemedia.com or 540.466.0059.

What’s the definition of content marketing for small business? Asset Awareness

By | February 17th, 2016|Categories: What is Content?|

I recently had the pleasure of doing a series of free digital marketing assessment sessions with small business owners that are members of the Fields of Gold Farm Trail, a group of agritourism businesses in the Shenandoah Valley, and the definition of content for small businesses came up quite often.  While there is general consensus that [...]

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Are FREE Offers Small Business Marketing Assets or Liabilities?

By | February 4th, 2016|Categories: Marketing Assets|Tags: , |

I recently revisited a blog post I wrote in 2009 about the explosion of FREE as a small business marketing strategy. In the article, I explored if FREE had distinguished itself as a small business marketing asset or liability over time. When I originally researched the topic, there was a running conversation among the creative [...]

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Social Media Marketing Simplified: SMART Marketing for Small Business

By | January 5th, 2016|Categories: Social Media Marketing|Tags: , |

Finally a SMART social media marketing system that works for small business. At times, leveling the social media marketing playing field can seem impossible for small businesses. With the proliferation of social media sites, paid advertising on social media channels and automated digital marketing systems geared for larger businesses, small business owners often feel overwhelmed [...]

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Case Studies: Putting the Benefits of Social Media for Small Business in Perspective

By | January 5th, 2016|Categories: Social Media Marketing|Tags: , , |

How does a small business without a big marketing budget or dedicated marketing staff create a winning social media strategy? By being aware of existing assets and then planning and maximizing resources to formulate a customized system of development and delivery. The assumption I try to quell among small business owners is that success in [...]

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Social Media Marketing SOS: What’s the Message in Your Bottle?

By | December 30th, 2015|Categories: Social Media Marketing|

Admit it, as distracted and “over-sold” to as we are in our own lives, finding just the right ways to engage with our customers, particularly in building a social media marketing strategy, can feel a lot like launching a message in bottle. I know in my own business, I sometimes sit back and observe clients, [...]

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The Mad Scientist Approach to Small Business Marketing

By | July 30th, 2015|Categories: Marketing Assets, Marketing Strategy, small business marketing|Tags: , , |

Year three of the Self-Employment Experiment (which has been dubbed the “Gauntlet Year”) is finally completed, and my consulting business aimed at helping entrepreneurs serve up their best small businesses marketing assets has surpassed the 50 client mark. The big realization after hitting the 50 client milestone is that what I do is a little [...]

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Small Business Marketing–Surviving the Gauntlet Year

By | March 30th, 2015|Categories: Marketing Assets|Tags: , , |

I’m now counting the time of the Self-Employment Experiment in months and years instead of weeks, and am praying I will survive what will forever be referred to as “The Gauntlet Year.” At two years, eight months, I have hit the inevitable period where most new businesses have blown through the initial excitement and optimism, [...]

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