POP Marketing Blog & News
Recent Blog Posts
We Don’t Need Another Logo – The Value of Branding Consistency
We all know people who can basically say whatever they want— and you know others who are called out for seemingly minor slip-ups, right? Or have you seen a company post something on social media that immediately gave you the ick, but another brand did something similar that made you laugh? Big or small, business branding consistency in Roanoke, VA, and beyond often determines whether something goes down easy or gets labeled cringe. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Branding is more than your logo and colors. It’s who you are: your voice, values, and more. So, consistent branding for a local business helps you avoid an identity crisis, so customers can easily identify you. Who Are You? Who Aren’t You? So who are you? Who are you really? I’m no therapist, so when I ask that question, I mean it from a brand identity perspective. When
What Your Website Messaging Says About Your Small Business (And How to Fix It)
Your website talks before you ever pick up the phone. A visitor lands on your homepage and decides something about you in about three seconds. That’s your website’s first impression, and it happens whether you planned it or not. For small business owners across Southwest Virginia, that website first impression carries weight. Someone in Roanoke or Salem searches for your service, clicks your site, and forms an opinion before they read a single sentence you wrote on purpose. If your website copy doesn’t match how you actually run your business, that gap costs you customers. Here’s the good news. Your website’s message isn’t set in stone. You can hear what it’s saying, wince a little, and fix it. Your Website Never Shuts Up Think about the last time you visited a business site and immediately trusted it. Chances are the copy sounded like a real person. It answered your question
Why Human Marketing Beats AI for Small Businesses
The Humans Are (Not) Dead: Human Marketing Vs AI for Small Business Perhaps it’s being exposed to the Terminator movies at too young an age, but somehow I’m not quite digesting the slop that AI technocrats are trying to force-feed me about how it will help humanity. And while I won’t pretend I’m not afraid of a robot apocalypse, for me, the more prescient fear comes from AI’s ever-forward assault on human thought and creativity. However, one bright spot in the war of the machines is that in the battle of human marketing vs AI for small business, human content writing continues to be the clear winner. Some might say that my descent from our robot overlords is because they threaten my business, but in truth, AI has sold more jobs for me than even the most clever marketing campaign I can come up with. POP’s differentiator of AI-free content
How to Choose a Marketing Agency (And Avoid Costly Mistakes)
Choosing a marketing agency is a big decision. Learn what questions to ask, red flags to avoid, and how to find the right partner.
Posting on Social Media But Getting No Leads? Here’s What’s Missing
If social media posts aren’t turning into leads, visibility isn’t the issue. Learn what’s missing and how strategy changes results.
Why is My Marketing Not Working? Work Smarter, Not Harder
If your marketing isn’t getting results, the issue may be strategy, not effort. Learn why marketing fails and how to fix it.
The grand opening of the Power-Up Lounge at The Berglund Center!
While our digital footprint spans the internet, particularly locally, the Power-up Lounge at The Burglund Center is a place where you can see POP’s art and interact with some of our favorite clients’ work!
What Does Valentine’s Day Have to Do with Why My Website Isn’t Getting Leads?
If your website isn’t generating leads, the issue may be SEO. Learn how first impressions in search affect clicks, trust, and conversions.
2026 Marketing Goals
It’s a new year, so it’s time for new goals! And with POP being a local marketing company, it only makes sense for me to make the first blog of the year about 2026 marketing goals.
Diving In to Community engagement marketing
If you’re a local business, you have one thing big business don’t – a local presence. Roanoke’s POP explains community engagement marketing.
POP’s Small Business Marketers Express Thanks
As 2026 comes barrelling closer, I find myself doing the things I always do in fall: However, as a simple man with simple needs, I am finding that my list of what I’m thankful for this year isn’t so different from last year or the year before. So creative workflow manager Jenn Read and I decided to give everyone else at POP a chance to express their gratitude! My wife Felcia, for whom I am forever thankful and without which there would be no POP had these lovely words to say, “I’m grateful to be sharing life with someone I deeply love and respect who is a leader and demonstrates a rigorous practice of ethics and kindness to an awe-inspiring level.” In addition to my continue gratitude for the mental illness that manifests in her attraction to me, I continue to be thankful to her help every time POP (or
Who Owns the Website? – The Website Ownership Boondoggle
Today is not the first time I’ve brought up the question of website ownership in a blog. I include “who owns the website” as the most surprising question you, as a business owner, need to ask before paying for website services in my July 2023 blog, 7 Essential Questions to Ask Before Buying a Website. And it matters just as much now as it did 2 years ago. So why do you need to ask who owns the website? What does that even mean? And why would you pay for something that isn’t yours?I’ll break it down in today’s blog. The Essentials of Website Ownership Chances are, as a participant in the modern business world, you have a general sense of how the internet works. Most of the terms we discuss today will be familiar to you, and this blog section will hold a few surprises.Still, it helps to spell
