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22
Dec 2010
Posted by Jasmine
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Weekly Roundup: Checklists for Stellar Marketing

The only thing I love more than a helpful marketing article is one that gives me a manageable list of action items—a road map to success ff you will. These two articles do just that. The first one talks about your global internet marketing strategy (not just throwing a website up and calling it a day). My favorite tidbit is when he says that you need a blog for online success and then suggests you not only put your blog on WordPress but build your whole site using it. As a WordPress user, fan and proponent, I couldn’t agree more.

27 Ways to View the Web Beyond Your Site

The second article touches on the importance of local search and how several big names in the Online arena are making bids for smaller companies doing local well. The best part? The list of Action Steps for local marketing at the end of the article. There is only a handful of items and they are all things you can easily do in less than an hour.

Why Google Wanted Groupon and What It Means to Your Local Business

Posted in: Blog, Internet marketing, Marketing, Marketing tips

09
Dec 2010
Posted by Jasmine
0 comments

Let Them Come to You

Last week I volunteered to be a Salvation Army bell ringer at our local Bass Pro Shop. Though I have walked by the bell ringers and collection pots a million times before, this was my first time on the other side. It seemed like a pretty easy way to give back to my community so why not?

I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly, chatty and generous people were. (Apparently not everyone is like me and skulks by because they never carry cash. Thought after this experience, I am going to change my bah-humbug ways.)

Since the bell ringing really does not require much thought and I did have some lulls in foot traffic, I did get to thinking about how bell ringing relates to marketing. The best marketing behaves just like the bell ringers—they make enough noise to get your attention but don’t get up in your face. The bell ringer does not harass or pursue the foot traffic instead they smile, look approachable and wait for you to come to them. This approach absolutely works. We collected an average of $25 per hour for the entire day. That isn’t too bad if you ask me.

I have been using this approach to marketing since I began my business and have experienced an abundance of growth year after year. It is a simple fact that no one wants to feel like they are being sold to—that is why direct mail and traditional advertising are struggling right now. They focus on the push not the pull. Just remember, don’t be pushy! Let the prospects come to you and so will success.

Posted in: Blog, Marketing, Marketing tips

01
Dec 2010
Posted by Jasmine
0 comments

Weekly Roundup: Blogging and Keyword Research

5 Incredibly Useful Research Tools Your Competitors Don’t Know About

Solid research is key to success in the SEO game. Unfortunately, it is not the easiest thing for a business owner to do on their own. The process can be a little complicated and absolutely time consuming and the best tools are not cheap. However, this article lists 5 solid tools for marketing research that are free. I especially recommend the YouTube Keyword Tool and WordTracker Question Search for anyone who is blogging (video or text) and wants to keep their post relevant and optimized to pull in traffic.

Should a Blog be Your Social Media Hub?

If you have just considered adding a blog or already have one but not sure about its use, then read this article. I love the idea of your blog being an online hub especially if the blog is integrated within your website. It is the perfect place to collect resources to share and post your own news and thoughts. If it is built within your website (not a separate site) then it also serves as tool to draw visitors further into the site and encourages repeat visits. It becomes not just an education tool but also a lead capture system.

5 Ways to Make Your Blog Posts Outstanding

Now that you are fired up about blogging, you may need a little help creating awesome content. This article offers five easy to follow and common sense tips for creating outstanding blog content. It is a must read for anyone who is blogging or thinking about starting one.

Blog Your Way to Corporate Success

Though it is a book review for “Corporate Blogging for Dummies,” this post has a nice voice, a few useful tips and a funny intro about spam comments that all business bloggers can relate too. The article is worth a read as is the book for anyone starting out or feeling frustrated.

Posted in: Blog, Internet marketing, Marketing, Marketing tips, Resources

17
Nov 2010
Posted by Jasmine
0 comments

Weekly Roundup: Tips for Creating a Strong Relationship

5 Ways to Let Prospects Sample Your Brilliance

This is a welcome article if you are struggling with the “close” in your marketing and sales. Many times when I am talking with clients, we discover that what is broken in their marketing in not the product or service but how it is being pitched. Especially in the case of high dollar services, prospects need to sample your expertise and try out your methods before committing their checkbook.

By rushing straight from the nice-to-meet-you stage in a relationship to buy my $1000 service, you scare them off. When spending that kind of money prospects want to feel confident that they are getting something that works, that they want and is worth the large price tag. Providing several smaller, free or low-cost offerings along the way helps lower the sticker shock and barrier for entry.

This post list a couple of solid strategies that can be worked into any businesses marketing plan and will give prospects the opportunity to try before buying. We use several of the techniques at 910 West and have had great success so we know first hand that it does work.

Turn Customers Into Stark Raving Advocates With a Customer Development System

I have been working on my own customer development system (though not is such fancy terms) for a few months now. It dovetails with a conversation that I with my business coach last summer. He told me that 70% of my marketing efforts (time and money) should be focused on my current clients. That is far above what I was doing (and most of the businesses that I work with too) so presented me with an opportunity to expand my marketing. So far, I have implemented a couple of programs and have a few more in the planning with great success. If you are struggling with this or just want to know more, this article will give you the steps you need to get your own program started.

Posted in: Blog, Marketing, Marketing tips

10
Nov 2010
Posted by Jasmine
0 comments

Weekly Roundup: Rethinking Traditional Marketing

How to Integrate Social Media With Traditional Media

Now that social media is becoming mainstream, the time has come to turn the conversation to how it works with your traditional marketing (not as an alternative to it). This article suggests using your traditional media to your social media where you continue and build the conversation. It is a pretty solid idea and got me thinking about how you can make the different media work together and compliment one another. The post also provides questions to ask when creating your campaigns.

Small Batch, Hand Crafted Outbound Marketing Works

This is a great article because we have all become a little myopically focused on social media, internet marketing and the power of the pull. However, a little push marketing can be a good thing when done correctly. Think small scale, personal and high-value. This approach is a wonderful compliment to the wider audience, more generic approach that works online.

We use a nice-to-meet-you mailer series to introduce 910 West that is wildly successful. It is a very unobtrusive way for us to showcase our skills and recipients get a bunch of goodies: our photo calendar, marketing tips and advice, a ruler/letter opener/magnet, etc. It is a great example of the principles John Jantz lays out in this post.

Posted in: Blog, Marketing, Marketing tips

03
Nov 2010
Posted by Jasmine
0 comments

Weekly Roundup: Google Places Changes Local Search and Getting the Most from Facebook

Google Place Search Changes the Local Game Again

I have been watching Google places and local search for most of this year mainly because I see its power to beat weak organic search results. Google moved the placement of the local seven box below the first three organic search results earlier this year which clearly indicates that they see the opportunity here too. This new iteration of Google Places takes it a step further and integrates the local search results with organic. This means a business can get a top spot in a Google search with very little effort—the optimization of their places account and few small changes to their website. Read my series “Optimize Your Business for Local Search” to learn exactly how to do this.

Ra Ra Wrong. How Facebook’s Cheerleaders Are Blowing Smoke

If your marketing strategy rises and sets on your Facebook Business Page and getting more “likes,” then this article should be a wake up call. Jay Baer raises an excellent point—Facebook pages are not a very effective marketing channel. Don’t get me wrong, we create custom Facebook pages all the time for clients and I’m not saying to completely abandon them or that they are a waste of money. The point here is that they are just a part of an overall, comprehensive marketing plan/campaign. Facebook business pages should never be the entire plan or campaign.

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Posted in: Blog, Internet marketing, Marketing, Marketing tips, Trends

16
Jul 2010
Posted by Jasmine
2 comments

Change the Name of a Tab in Your Facebook Business Page

We had a great turn out at our Facebook Business Page workshop this week. During the workshop a question came up that we could not answer right away. Here it is now:

Q: How do I change the name (title) of my custom landing page (Boxes) tab?

A: You can edit the name of the tab in the application settings.

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Posted in: Blog, Marketing tips

12
Jul 2010
Posted by Jasmine
2 comments

Create a Killer Facebook Business Page Presentation

Preview the slides for our Create a Killer Facebook Page workshop. It is a great visual to compliment our blog series Create a Killer Facebook Page.

Create a Killer Facebook Fan Page on Prezi

Posted in: Blog, Marketing tips, Resources

11
Jun 2010
Posted by Jasmine
1 comment

Create a Killer Facebook Page for Your Business

At this point, we have all at least heard of Facebook. You may not be using it yet—you are in the very small minority if you aren’t. At its core, Facebook is the perfect platform to keep in touch with long-lost classmates, extended family, and maybe even an ex-flame or two. Beyond the basics, Facebook has added (and continues to add) features that make it a powerful marketing tool.  Besides personal profiles, you can promote your business two other ways: groups and fan pages.

Facebook groups allow for two-way interaction between you and the members (as well as amongst the members). The groups are basically the same as those you set up on other services such as LinkedIn, Yahoo, or Google. Facebook is currently the most popular social media platform, so depending on your audience, it may be the best choice. However, groups of any type require a level of participation on your part that many businesses are not prepared to handle. “Build it and they will come” does not apply here. Before creating a group, make sure that you have both a clear idea of the subject matter and the time to keep it running.

Fan pages are less interactive and as a result require less maintenance, though you still need to monitor and contribute to the conversation. Fan pages are more of an extension of your website and don’t require the constant upkeep of a group. That does not mean that it is a watered down option. You could build a complete web presence within Facebook using the features included in the fan pages. I don’t recommend doing that, you wouldn’t build your house on rented land, but it does give an opportunity to easily increase exposure and awareness of your product or service.

Like any marketing activity, just doing something is not good enough. Before launching your Facebook fan page, you need to have a clear strategy and killer content for the page that supports your goal. To help you navigate the process, I’ve written a series of posts that help you to plan a killer page and provide the tools that you need to build it. (Fans not included.)

Read More

Posted in: Blog, Marketing tips

18
May 2010
Posted by Jasmine
3 comments

11 Essential WordPress Plugins To Get Your Blog In Motion

If you have or are thinking about a WordPress blog or website, check out this article from Social Media Examiner 11 Essential WordPress Plugins To Get Your Blog In Motion. I had heard of and use several of the plug ins mentioned but also learned about a few new ones. I’m adding Broken Link Checker and WordPress Mobile to the our list of must-have plug ins for client projects. I also recommend the FD Feedburner plug in for managing your RSS subscriptions if you use Feedburner (and if your not you should be) and the Digg Digg plug in instead of TweetMeme. It gives you Facebook Share and Google Buzz buttons as well as Retweet.

Do you have a favorite WordPress plug in not mentioned here? What is it and why do you love/recommend it?

P.S. Great Real Estate an awesome plug in for realtors who want to post their listings using WordPress. I’ve been configuring it for a client and it’s easy to use, has a ton of options, and extensive documentation. Not bad for a free product!

Check out WordPress Quickstart Guide for our list of recommended plug ins and tips for installing and configuring them.

Posted in: Blog, Marketing tips