Engaging a marketing agency for the first time can be like being the new kid on the first day at school. It doesn’t have to be that way. Big Black Pencil has recently developed custom solutions for several new businesses in Chicago. We’ve selected an ala carte package of services to start your business off on [...]

Big Black Pencil can help you help your customers scan Tags from their mobile phones for instant access to your information, websites, videos, reviews, and more. It is totally hot in Japan but it will be hot in Chicago before you know it. Give your Chicago business a decided advantage over other small to meduim [...]

I went to the Disney Institute for a seminar and they had some exercises for group decision-making. Being part of a Chicago Marketing Agency we like to keep on top of strategies that make our partners more successful. It was all about inspiring creativity. It was all about capitalizing on the diversity and depth [...]

The Internet is largest threat to copyright since it began. The Internet, by design, shares information, much of it protected by copyright. Everything from news stories, software, novels, screenplays, graphics, and pictures can be copyrighted.
When you decide to create your own website or design a website for others, learn about the laws that you must [...]

Marketing and advertising has never been easier for small businesses in Chicago, or in other parts of the world for that matter.
When the economy is tough, you can lean on your marketing agency to help your small business, or you can try to make some marketing decisions on your own and become your own marketing [...]

Talk to your marketing agency about how you can make your Chicago business website become more visible. There are two ways that you can improve your website visibility.
1. Have your marketing agency create a blog (web log) for your company to let people know about your products or services. Once your blog is online, you [...]

Ask your marketing agency these 5 questions before you give them your small business marketing business.

If we come on board, where do we fit in your client roster in order of billing?
How do you measure your clients success?
Do you have integrated marketing experience? for whom? and what were the results?
Can I speak get a referral [...]

Chicago is a competitive market for small and medium size businesses. Selecting the right sized marketing agency that understands your business can give you an advantage over your competitors. Here are 10 marketing tips guaranteed to make this year’s marketing plan a success.

Create a marketing budget that you can afford. If you’re only allowing a [...]

Many small businesses in Chicago are blogging to get business. Chicago-based marketing agencies like Big Black Pencil are helping their clients grow with user-generated content.
It supercharges your website with viral marketing shared through the use of networking through
a variety of blended medias.
Your Chicago small business blog can contribute by sharing content through [...]

Speed up sales when your small business sales are slow. Make your Chicago-based small business more profitable by communicating with your past customers. Turn to the customers that trust you most. Here are 3 easy ways.

Create special offers or incentives for bulk or repeat purchases for past customers only in a letter or post card.
Pick [...]