About Corte Swearingen

We smashed subatomic particles inside an 800 meter ring called the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron. Three Nobel prizes were awarded to physicists working with this same device.

Unfortunately, I was not one of them.

In 1991, I started my technical marketing career answering questions on electronics and data acquisition components for a scientific instrument company in Chicago. I was quickly relocated to the marketing department where I eventually became the business development manager.

During this time, I sketched out the very first drafts of the Integral Marketing System™. Over the years, I was able to tune and test this system to find out what worked and what didn't. This was back in 1995, when the Internet was just starting to be considered a major new marketing channel.

Having All Your Eggs In One Basket

Unfortunately, I was not one of them.

I learned two important lessons from this. One, always diversify your marketing channels and two - never rely on a single monetization strategy.

With two small kids at home, I had a decision to make. Anyone with a good dose of sense would have immediately started sending out resumes and looking for work. I decided to do something different.

I spent the next two years developing this website and publishing five ebooks on the principles of strategic marketing, including a refreshed and newly researched Integral Marketing System™.

The SmallBiz Marketing Tips Website

It doesn't matter if you're the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, or if you have a team of 100 marketing people, the principles are the same.

1. Find out the wants and needs of your segmented customers.
2. Fulfill those wants and needs through a comprehensive multi-channel content-based marketing program.
3. Use database marketing, analytics and testing to measure and fine-tune your performance.

Sound simple? It really isn't that difficult once you have the tools in place. Poke around this site and go wherever your interest takes you. Have a question? Send it my way and I promise to personally respond.

If you're ready for a step-by-step guide to starting your own content-based marketing program, check out the Integral Marketing System™ eBook.

My First Marketing Teacher

Dad is long retired now, but he worked as a shoe salesman his entire life and I had a lot of opportunities to listen to him talk to customers on the phone.

He probably didn't realize it at the time, but he was a seasoned expert in marketing. He had a natural ability to create strong relationships with people.

What made him so successful? Simple - he focused on the wants and needs of his customers and then overdelivered solutions.

This built the trust and confidence necessary to turn ordinary customers into lifetime customers. If that is all you ever learn as a marketer, you'll do extremely well!

Here's to your business success!

Corte Swearingen, Founder
SmallBiz Marketing Tips


Corte Swearingen, at various times in his career, has worked as a particle physicist, jazz pianist, composer, marketing manager, magician, metal bender, business development manager, piano tuner, and e-commerce director. He is the creator of the Integral Marketing System™. He holds a degree in physics and mathematics from the University of Illinois and is currently the Director of Multi-Channel Marketing for Block and Company, a leading provider of money handling solutions.