Greetings from HEROweb. Our Marketing Bites are intended to offer up a small action each week that you can take to improve your business fortunes. We do our best to share a mix of ideas geared toward the thousand-plus small-business people in our audience. This week we are breaking stride and sharing a reflective moment for all of you out there who, like us, are competing against some pretty big fish.

Last Sunday, you likely watched the Seahawks beat up on the Broncos in the Super Bowl. From the opening snap the game was... well, you know how that story went.

I was quite intrigued by the commercials. Particularly the fact that two direct competitors of ours - Go Daddy and Squarespace - were advertising during the big game. They were talking directly to our core audience. I have to admit, that after the GoDaddy commercial ran, my heart momentarily sunk and I took a big gulp. How can a small shop like ours survive in the face of the these Goliaths? But after I thought about it for a moment, I realized that not only are we surviving, we are continuing to find new ways to provide value for our customers and to push our business forward in an exciting direction.

There is no question that successfully running a small business is a formidable challenge. I am continually inspired by the customers I talk with every day who are finding innovative ways to build their success. And, I also know that many of you are challenged by the fast-changing Internet business environment.

My message for today is this: If you can't compete by being big - then build your marketing message around being small. There is so much you can do to bring value to your customers, to build strong connections, and show your customers that you genuinely care. And, you don't need a  Super Bowl advertising budget to do it. But you do need to be a masterful marketer and you do need to learn how to use technology to help you build brand awareness. Be small, and be proud!

Marketing Bites are short actionable tips to help you market your business. Each Bite contains a marketing idea and an easy to complete action. The Marketing Bite is emailed weekly to subscribers.