Marketers are like every other group, trying to use buzzwords to make themselves sound important and knowledgeable. Using words that other people don't understand must mean that you know what you're talking about, right? As Daddy used to say, "hogwash!"

Most of marketing is common sense. At its core it's about communicating what you have to offer in a way that makes other people want it and reinforces your value – whether that's in a product, a service, or your own personal expertise.

Everybody is a marketer, though, not just business marketers! A couple of real world examples of how everyday people market:

Anyone who's ever been on a date knows they should dress nicely, be charming and interesting, and be on their best behavior. That's marketing.

A child trying to convince his parent that he needs this toy or that game is marketing heavily. One thing kids learn how to create very early on is "urgency." Sometimes it's through persuasive talk, but if all else fails they can always pull out the crying card (a tactic not recommended in business).

Have you ever taken the time to stop and think about what you're really good at? And what your employees' real strengths are? But let's not stop there. How about what you like?

It may sound like an extravagance, but these considerations are musts if you want to successfully develop your target market and service or product niche. Most businesses don't take the time to think about them, though.

It's hard enough to fit in everything you have to do just to get through the day, much less try to fit in something extra (believe me, I know this first hand). If you force yourself to take the time to explore the questions, though, you can see remarkable changes in your success. Knowing your strengths and interests will help you develop a niche that's both profitable and fulfilling.

Small businesses can learn a lot from wolves.

They hunt together as a pack and the pack members are closely related by blood, affection and mutual aid - not just some random wolves that run across each other.

When businesses work together in coordinated marketing efforts, this is called co-marketing. It's a great way for companies to stretch their marketing dollars while expanding their reach. The efforts can be as formal as a co-branded campaign or product, or as informal as contributing to each other's blogs and social media to help build content.

Most businesses already have some type of tie with other businesses, whether in a B2B client/customer relationship, or through offering services or products that are complimentary.

With 2014 on the horizon, most business owners are thinking about New Year's resolutions. To help you along the way, I've come up with a list of 14 things (in no particular order) to think about in your 2014 marketing. This will kick off a series of blog posts where I explain the importance of each. See you in 2014!

1. Consider co-marketing.
2. Focus on what you do best.
3. Follow industry blogs to keep up to date.
4. Explore buyer personas.
5. Update your FAQ's.
6. Deliver a consistent message.
7. Choose social channels that fit.
8. Keep it simple.
9. Use an email marketing system.
10. Think about giving rather than getting.
11. Start a blog, or actually use the one you have.
12. Integrate your marketing efforts.
13. Make sure you're mobile friendly.
14. Examine your brand and position.

Note: This post is not meant to take a position on either side of the Affordable Care Act debate, and is strictly about the website and its many problems.

I've been developing websites for 17 years and have learned over the years that when there are major problems with a site it usually comes down to 2 types of problems:

• those caused by a designer/developer (individual or company) who was being relied upon for professional advice and service and either couldn't or didn't deliver, and
• those caused by the client by demanding that the designer/developer do something that goes against their advice.

Healthcare.gov is the perfect storm of both of these types of problems.

I'm not referring to everyday problems common in site development, things like cross-browser compatibility, but fundamental problems in architecture and usability.

The day healthcare.gov launched I visited the site to see if a family member could save money on their policy. Within 5 seconds of being on the site I learned that all of my relative's personal data had to be submitted before I could get any idea of the price range. My reaction? Leave the site.