Posted
on March 11, 2010, 3:36 pm,
by Tom
and received No Comments ».
I was up at the butt crack of dawn this AM and decided to go for a bike ride. I got to thinking as I peddled through my neighborhood about all of the marketing mistakes I’ve made over the years. Don’t ask my why this came up, I’m still not sure, but I remember thinking to myself, that would make for a great blog: It’s my hope that you can learn from my mistakes, so I thought I’d post a few of them here:
Mistake Numero Uno: People don’t really care about ME. When it comes to promoting / marketing your company, you need to realize one key thing: It’s not about you period. We live in the ME generation. How can your company fix my problem?
Mistake 2: When it comes to web design, less is more. When I first got into the organic SEO business several years ago, we used to see just how much copy we could cram into a home page. Now, it’s a lot different. People don’t have the attention span and cannot be bothered with excess. When it comes to web design and marketing, realize that we are barraged with messages, keep yours short and sweet.
Mistake 3: Keep it consistent. I used to bounce from message to message in my early years. My company had an identity crisis, because I wasn’t sure who I wanted to be when I grew up. I love instant gratification just as much as the next American, but when it comes to business and marketing, i’ve learned that staying consistent can dramatically improve your bottom line AND marketing efforts over time. Take the time in the beginning to define WHO YOU ARE and What you stand for.
Mistake 4: People hate to be sold to. Several years ago, I used to think that to sell things you had to get in people’s faces. You had to push your message in front of them. Remember banner ads? Not so effective anymore are they? Pushing marketing and ’stuff’ in people’s faces has a tendency to now push people away from you. They don’t want to be sold to, they don’t want to be bothered. My strategy has evolved to contribute useful expert information to my prospects via my web site, blog, twitter account and Facebook account. People are looking for experts, the true key is to be in the right place at the right time with the right message, then, and ONLY then do you have a hot prospect.
Mistake 5: Holding my cards too closely.… I used to believe that my competition would be scraping my web site daily seeking information on how I’m marketing, who I’m marketing too, etc. I used to be reserved and hold information back out of FEAR. I’ve come to the realization that people including competition WILL find out what they want to know online period. I therefore make a point to publish as much useful transparent information about my company, my strategies and my marketing perspectives as I possibly can. The end result, people find my ’stuff” useful enough to hire my company.
Bonus Mistake: Planning Goes A Long Way. I’m a busy guy, I used to be so busy that I didn’t have time to strategize about my next move, the end result, I didn’t have a true Internet Marketing plan of attack. I learned a few years back that you have to have a clear directive and a clear road map to online success. I now spend much more time on my bike, in the gym or driving in my car thinking about my next moves. I also have discovered that working backwards can work wonders….. What’s the end desired result? Figure that out and work backwards to devise the steps needed to conquer that goal.
Want to learn more about what Internet marketing can do for you? Give me a call today at 407-830-4550 in Orlando or nationwide: 866-998-6886.
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Posted
on March 10, 2010, 8:43 pm,
by Tom
and received No Comments ».
There has been a lot of talk lately about social media and the potential negative impact it can have on business. The blogosphere has been speculating on how much time social media costs companies, worrying about privacy issues, secret secret company data being disseminated all over the net and IT concerns about hacks etc., through many social media online venues. In my last blog I addressed some social media pros for your business, in this blog, Im going to play negative nelly and discuss some cons for businesses and social media:
Employees Spend more time on Facebook tending to their mafia wars and sorority sisters then they do actual work.
This is becoming a huge concern, HOWEVER, I witnessed a lady sitting at a desk today for about 1.5 hours playing an intense game of solitaire on her PC while she didn’t think anyone was watching….. Social media can indeed be a time waster and burn through company money quicker than crap through a goose, BUT, as I mentioned in my earlier post, harnessing the power of your employees online activities by branding your company and being social with your actual customers could save you thousands in other areas.
IT Concerns with Hackers & Social Media Sites.
I spoke at a tradeshow last week and a gentleman stood up and asked how to combat hackers via Facebook etc., because his IT guy read an article in GeekWeekly stating that if you click links from people you don’t know in Facebook, they can gain control of your whole network and ruin your day…. Newsflash here: Clicking any link from a stranger is a risk, whether it’s on Google, Twitter, Sesame Street, etc. Granted, social media outlets have some tightening up to do, but, as long as there are hackers, there will be exploits everywhere. Best protection here: Use Common Sense. Don’t be a clicker.
My Employees Might Say Mean Stuff About Me.
Yup, that’s inevitable. There truly is ONE in every crowd, and in many instances, plenty more than one. As long as your employees have Internet access, whether it’s via their work issued PC or their Smart Phone that can launch the Space Shuttle, they will be online saying stuff. How you deal with that ’stuff’ is mission critical. How you deal with your employees and lay down the lay with a social media policy is mission critical. But, here’s the harsh cold reality: If you fire them for saying mean things about you online, they will immediately leave your office and continue to say mean things about you. If people have an axe to grind they will.
Everything is a risk. Running a web site is a risk, eating that Chinese food from that joint that’s close to the humane society is a risk, marketing your company to the masses is truly a risk, taking risks that are calculated and planned is just smart business.
Not sure if social media is right for your business? Give me a call to discuss. I also offer in business seminars and presentations on using social media effectively and with purpose. Call me at 407-830-4550 in Orlando or toll free: 866-998-6886. Be sure to visit my web site to learn more about social media: http://www.ontargetwebsolutions.com
Posted
on March 10, 2010, 8:23 am,
by Tom
and received No Comments ».
I’ve been fortunate to speak at several local tradeshows / seminars about Social Media lately, and one of the most common questions I get from businesses during my presentation is “How do I keep my company safe with Social Media?”
This is a VERY legitimate question as companies are starting to block access internally to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter due to hacking attempts and mostly, due to employee inefficiency. A gentleman made a crack during my last presentation that he FIRES each employee he catches online. So, employers, business owners are seeing social media as a colossal waste of time as opposed to an opportunity to grow their corporate brand online: here’s a few opportunities I see that could be a positive to implementing a social media campaign for your business and could quite possibly save you money and improve efficiency.
1.) Expand customer service.
What if each one of your customer service team knew how to use Twitter to monitor issues / questions regarding your brand / products or services? Addressing customer service needs promptly online as opposed to answering phone calls all day could dramatically improve overall efficiency and leave the client / prospect feeling like they were special. You are being proactive by GOING directly to the problem and addressing it rapidly.
2.) Expand Your Marketing Message.
What if each one of your marketing team members could rapidly deploy NEW product announcements to a very targeted audience, OR test market a particular product rapidly to a very targeted demographic? Twitter and / or Facebook can be good tools to rapidly get a pulse on potential buyers. Twitter and Facebook can be a great tool to build a buzz about an upcoming product launch or tradeshow, etc.
3.) Spread Your Corporate News Rapidly.
What if your public relations team could get your press releases disseminated rapidly and into the hands that matter using Twitter, online press release services, facebook, etc. Believe it or not, people get their news quicker from Twitter then they do on CNN.com.
I think business owners need to realize that if your employees aren’t on social media at work, they are on social media at home. They will talk about work, they will talk about the company: why not harness that power and grow an army out of your staff to grow your online presence and improve your presence online?
There are of course many dangers lurking with social media and corporate usage, I’ll address those in my next post.
Posted
on March 6, 2010, 8:29 am,
by Tom
and received No Comments ».
Perception is truly reality, if you send an email to someone using all CAPS and sprinkling it with 8200 exclamation points, excessive question marks and bolded words you are in essence SHOUTING at someone!!!!!?????!!!!!……………..
Before you hit send on that email to a vendor, client, prospect, take a moment to review how that message will be or could be received or perceived. If you wish to truly express yourself, a good ole’ fashioned phone call can do the trick without leaving room for interpretation and undue escalations in blood pressure.
Posted
on March 4, 2010, 3:12 pm,
by Tom
and received No Comments ».
Tired of lazy people asking you questions that are easily answered with a quick Google Search? Check out http://www.lmgtfy.com/ or Let Me Google That For You for hours of non-stop Googling entertainment!
Posted
on March 3, 2010, 5:14 pm,
by Tom
and received No Comments ».
I’m a huge fan of Blendtec and their cool viral you tube videos: watch Tom Dickson from Blendtec blend his ‘facebook’ page and then go and follow them on Facebook for more zany blending:
Posted
on March 2, 2010, 8:25 am,
by Tom
and received No Comments ».
My dad used to complain about customers when he came home from his rather stressful auto service writer position, he always used to say “I had to give away the farm today to make those damned customers happy.”
Fast forward 20 years and several new innovations: Welcome the Internet. Customers these days EXPECT stuff for free. They WILL find stuff for free, the question is, will your web site be the web site that gives them what they are seeking? Maybe it’s advice on how to grow their new grass plugs, maybe it’s insight on how to conserve battery life on your products, maybe it’s how to hire a great web designer. Whatever business you own, your web site needs to start feeding the public and ‘giving away the farm’ to those seeking your wisdom.
By giving away your wisdom and expertise, you assert yourself as THE expert, the master grass plugger, the masters of helping your clients resolve battery life issues, the experts on web design. The key, do it before your competition does.
If you’re ready to start feeding your prospects and customers, call me: 407-830-4550 to discuss your business and your web design / Internet marketing needs.
Posted
on March 1, 2010, 8:42 am,
by Tom
and received No Comments ».
I was invited again to represent On Target Web Solutions and discuss Social Media, this time I was asked to discuss Social Media and privacy.
How do I get invited to speak on National TV? Google organic rankings. The Daily buzz found me in a Google search and has asked me back several times to discuss Internet marketing and social media. How can you gain national exposure and be the expert in your field? Give me a call today: toll free: 866-998-6886 or in Orlando: 407-830-4550: Be sure to visit my web site and learn more about all of our web design and Internet Marketing services: http://www.ontargetwebsolutions.com.
Posted
on February 25, 2010, 8:41 am,
by Tom
and received No Comments ».
The latest corporate fad as many companies are coming under scrutiny is to scramble and get a feel good video produced and distributed to try and retain market share and build confidence. This alleged ‘transparency’ or confession is becoming more and more common in a cut throat economy. I’ve listed a few examples below:
First it was GMC with their wide open ooops we goofed video and needed our tax payer dollars to bail them out:
Next, Tiger Woods starts losing endorsements and the PGA starts losing serious coin prompting him to come out and make a ‘public’ on his terms confession:
Last, Toyota. Toyota has come under fire for several recalls on several cars. Toyota’s reputation for building high quality products has been tarnished, so they of course resorted to the open video to consumers: I actually saw a new one tonight with an older couple telling the world how very impressed they were with Toyota coming out and apologizing and stating that their next car will be a Toyota.
While I realize the dire need for a prompt PR response, which of these above examples actually seemed the most sincere to me? The Tiger Woods confession. GMC didn’t have a choice but to call a spade a spade, Toyota followed suit and is now using the transparent card to attempt and instill confidence back in its consumers and vehicle owners (myself included). Here’s my issue: it feels forced. I realize I’m jaded, but is being transparent just to be transparent wrong or completely fake? When it seems forced, I personally feels it damages the brand more than helps it. I often wonder as I watch the Toyota commercials now, why didn’t you just do the right thing from the very beginning? Sure, we ALL make mistakes, myself included, but the new fad of scrambling for a feel good ooops we goofed video seems so orchestrated now. What would convince me that there is a new GMC or a new Toyota? Superior products, quality driven and a true commitment to doing what’s right EVERYDAY, not just when they get caught with their pants down.
Posted
on February 24, 2010, 9:04 am,
by Tom
and received No Comments ».
I’m a huge fan of Seth Godin and his perspective on permission based marketing. Basically, permission based marketing means I have given you the right or the privilege to communicate with me. The idea is that since I’ve let you into my world, you now have the permission to talk to me, market to me, communicate with me until I say I have had enough.
I work with one particular company in town that is completely sold on Email marketing. they truly believe that the more email the send out, the more business they will get. The trouble is, they are emailing people who don’t want to receive information from them. They spend hours harvesting email addresses from complete strangers thinking that they will be able to sell them via an email message. I have nothing against email marketing, but what I do have an issue with is adding random people to your email list because you got their name off of someone else’s mailing list. That my friends is pure SPAM. Sending unsolicited email messages to strangers is a waste of time. In fact, I have far less respect for a company that sends me random garbage and am much more likely to NOT buy anything from them no matter what as a result of that intrusion.
I do think you should be gathering email addresses, but, gather email addresses from people who WANT to talk to you, who love your product, who are potentially in the market for what you sell down the road. And please, whatever you do, don’t email people everyday: The more you get in my face, the less likely I am to pay attention to you.
