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With your marketing budget shrinking daily, how can you effectively meet your marketing goals?

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"Firecracker has helped us secure interviews with editors and reporters in magazines that our prospects read, including Consulting Magazine, IT Business Edge and Web Hosting Industry Review. They consistently provide us with lightning fast customer service in our PR and marketing efforts."

Mauricio Duran, president of Sieena

"VCG started out using FireCracker for some public relations consulting. We were so impressed with the quality of their work and their reporting & communication capabilities that we've engaged them for all of our online marketing, search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO) and public relations. FireCracker has helped us educate an entirely new market niche within software development. They've turned every marketing dollar we spend into eight dollars of revenue and we know that because, with their approach, it's measurable. If VCG needs any marketing message, FireCracker is involved. VCG would not have the marketing presence and success it does today without FireCracker as our PR firm. They are more than a vendor, they are a partner who we count on every day to help us fulfill on our corporate goals and dreams."

Jake Ryan, president of Venice Consulting Group

Our "virtual agency" provides creative and results-oriented marketing and PR at prices up to 40% lower than traditional agencies. Talk to us today and start on the road to getting premium value for your marketing dollars.

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Firecracker Blog

"Google Increases Share = SEO More Important"

A recent article on MarketingVOX shows Google increased their share of Internet searches to 72% in the month of January of 2009.This means search engine optimization is more important than ever.

"Why is Marketing the First to be Fired?"

It has been my experience that Marketing or Public Relations employees tend to get laid off first, with those in Accounting or Finance last. What does this mean? See why I believe this is so.

"Lead Generation in Any Economy"

The following is an exerpt from an article I wrote that was published by Manage Smarter, the home of Sales and Marketing Magazine. Click here to read the article in its entirety.

"The Only Marketing Message You Should be Using Right Now"

In order to acquire new customers, your marketing message right now needs to be about one thing and one thing only... Click here to find out what.

"How the Big 3 Show when Marketing is Useless"

My humble opinion is that the Big 3 need to make some tough decisions about marketing, namely whether or not much of their efforts are completely useless.Read why the Big 3 marketing earns an F.

"#1 Reason to Use Google Chrome"

Besides the fact that it is just cool to beta test something from Google (bugs and all), there is actually a more practical reason for some to use Chrome on a regular basis.Learn why using Chrome might make sense for you.

"Spy On Your Competitors...Legally!"

What if I told you there was a way to spy on your competitors' web strategy, and it was completely legal? Now what if I told you it was free as well?Learn the tricks of discovering your competitors' search engine marketing strategy...

"How Washing Your Car is Like Web Site Maintenance"

The best way to address web site maintenance is the same philosophy as keeping your car neat. Do it a little bit at a time, all the time.Read more about a danger in branding and positioning...

"Apple vs PC Ads: When Chic Becomes Snobby"

If there is one rule of thumb about the American public, it is that they cannot stand the appearance of snobbery. Companies break this rule at their own peril.Read more about a danger in branding and positioning...

"Don't Describe, Dazzle"

If you took an unscientific survey of 10 random Google AdWords ads, it is highly likely you will find 8 or so of them making this mistake. They are selling the steak and not the sizzle.Learn how to dazzle in Google AdWords ad copywriting...

"Walk In Their Shoes (or risk losing them forever)"

As marketers and business owners, we are so busy every day handling the details of work that we sometimes overlook the little things which could be sapping our business dry.Learn how to avoid a common error in marketing...

"When Best Practices Aren't For The Best"

IT and marketing web sites are littered with whitepapers on best practices. But are their recommendations always really "best"?Click here to read the rest...

"Two New Changes on Google AdWords You Should Know About"

Since Google holds the vast majority of market share for search engines, any changes Google makes impacts any company serious about AdWords or optimizing for natural search results.Click here to read the rest...

"Make Canceling Easy...Or Else!"

While it is correct that you should do everything you can to retain a customer, there's a fine line you need to walk.Click here to read the rest...

"How Refilling a Printer Ink Cartridge is Like Trying to Do Marketing Yourself"

One of my biggest pet peeves is the razor/razor cartridge business model that drives the ink printer industry.Click here to read the rest...

"The Secret to Success with Google AdWords"

Google AdWords is literally the greatest thing invented for marketers since sliced bread. The amount of control and reporting given by Google is astounding, with the ability to control your campaign in real-time and instantly reach a potential market of millions.Click here to read the rest...

"How to Create Killer Company or Brand Names"

Just as important as naming a child who will be pretty much stuck with the name you bestow upon them for the rest of their lives, what you come up with for your new company or product may very well determine the success of your venture.Click here to read the rest...

"The Law of Time-Decay for Leads"

There is an unscientific law that applies to leads you gather, regardless of where they come from. The law is this: as time goes on, the interest level of the lead continues to go down. Click here to read the rest...

"The Most Important PR Tip You'll Ever Read"

"Through my years of dealing with editors and reporters, I've come to the conclusion that if you do not follow this tip, most of your PR efforts will be futile..Click here to read the rest...

"Be Wary of SEO and PR Guarantees"

"If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is." That's an axiom that holds true in almost all walks of life, and it should apply to those who see ads that guarantee Page 1 placement on search engines.Click here to read the rest...

"Why SEO Matters More and More..."

Online search has become so efficient that most Internet users are now impatient with anything less than great results.Click here to read the rest...

"To Spend or Not to Spend During a Recession"

Having worked in the tech industry for over a decade and lived through the infamous bubble bursting in 2000-2001, I've seen firsthand how companies reach for the ax to lay off marketing personnel first and foremost when times get tough. In fact, it's almost become an unspoken best practice: cut marketing first, finance last. I'd like to offer three reasons why I believe it's wrong to cut marketing during a recession. Click here to read the rest...

"When Marketing is a Waste of Money"

This is likely one of the few times that you'll hear this coming from the mouth of a PR/marketing agency such as Firecracker, but there are instances when marketing spend is a true waste of money. Click here to read the rest...

"The Dreaded Form, and why it can be disastrous to your marketing efforts..."

While it's considered best practice to use a form to generate leads from marketing efforts, be they landing pages from search engine marketing or simply from your contact page, be very careful in how you treat the leads coming in or it could end up doing more harm than good. Click here to read the rest.