By Steve McKee
The moment Roger Penske announced his planned acquisition of the Saturn brand from GM, Saturn dealerships around the country initiated a spontaneous and organic co-branding campaign, erecting banners and billboards to celebrate the alliance.
Saturn of Wichita's advertising proudly proclaimed: "Finally, a car guy owns a car company." Scott Davies, owner of the dealership, explained the resulting traffic increase by saying: "People want to buy from someone they like. A lot of customers won't buy a car from GM, but they will buy a car from Roger Penske." That's why Davies—and many other dealers like him—were so
eager to associate Saturn with Penske.
It was an odd and unintentional (at least from GM's perspective) co-branding effort, but it paid off. Saturn's marketing director, Kim McGill, said the Penske announcement led to a 35% sales jump in June over the prior year. (more)
Showing posts with label Marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marketing. Show all posts
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Entrepreneur: Cultivate Your Online Reputation
By Jennifer Wang
If you haven't been paying attention to your online reviews, it's probably time to start. This morning, RatePoint, a firm that provides businesses with online reputation management tools, revealed the results of a survey illustrating the importance of customer feedback.
Nearly 25 percent of respondents said online reviews benefited their businesses, and only four percent indicated a negative impact. And not only are reviews six times more likely to help a business, but the numbers also imply a correlation between good testimonials and business growth: 71 percent of small-business owners who said they didn't know the impact of an online review reported a decline in business; but 55 percent who stated reviews had a positive effect perceived either no change or positive growth.
So in plain-speak, what's the significance of a business's online reputation? I asked RatePoint CEO Neal Creighton to explain.
Why are customer reviews so important?
It's the No. 1 customer retention and acquisition tool you can use on the internet today. The statistic is that more than 70 percent of consumers look for reviews, and the number should probably be higher than that. (more)
If you haven't been paying attention to your online reviews, it's probably time to start. This morning, RatePoint, a firm that provides businesses with online reputation management tools, revealed the results of a survey illustrating the importance of customer feedback.
Nearly 25 percent of respondents said online reviews benefited their businesses, and only four percent indicated a negative impact. And not only are reviews six times more likely to help a business, but the numbers also imply a correlation between good testimonials and business growth: 71 percent of small-business owners who said they didn't know the impact of an online review reported a decline in business; but 55 percent who stated reviews had a positive effect perceived either no change or positive growth.
So in plain-speak, what's the significance of a business's online reputation? I asked RatePoint CEO Neal Creighton to explain.
Why are customer reviews so important?
It's the No. 1 customer retention and acquisition tool you can use on the internet today. The statistic is that more than 70 percent of consumers look for reviews, and the number should probably be higher than that. (more)
Small Biz Bee: 5 Reasons Why Your Email Marketing Is Not Working
As Smallbizbee.com has grown over the past 10 months, so has the number of emails in my inbox.
A good number of those emails are forms of marketing, and almost all of them miss the mark with me.
Email marketing can be an extremely powerful and effective way to reach your customers - if done correctly.
Reasons Your Email Marketing Isn't Working
Now, while I'm not claiming to be an email marketing expert, I can tell you why those who have marketed to me have nothing to show for their efforts. Here are the top five mistakes I see them making
1. No Relationship Built
Email marketing works best when the person recieving the email feels like they know you, trust you, and you have a relationship built with them to some degree
We read email from people we know, and skim or delete email from people we don't. Simple as that.
Business is built around relationships, with relationships come trust, and with trust comes sales. For some reason email marketers, and business using email to communicate with their target market forget this.
2. No "Pull"
There has to be a reason to keep reading, a pull for the reader to continue.
Unless you are sending me an email at the exact moment I am looking to buy what you're selling, just saying "Hey you - buy my stuff", isn't going to work. There's no pull.
The worst offenders will not only be lacking a pull, but will go on for 1000 words without one, essentially repeating over and over again why I should buy their stuff.
Give me a reason to keep reading, tell me a story, give me value, show me how you'll solve my problems, keep me interested in what you have to say. (more)
A good number of those emails are forms of marketing, and almost all of them miss the mark with me.
Email marketing can be an extremely powerful and effective way to reach your customers - if done correctly.
Reasons Your Email Marketing Isn't Working
Now, while I'm not claiming to be an email marketing expert, I can tell you why those who have marketed to me have nothing to show for their efforts. Here are the top five mistakes I see them making
1. No Relationship Built
Email marketing works best when the person recieving the email feels like they know you, trust you, and you have a relationship built with them to some degree
We read email from people we know, and skim or delete email from people we don't. Simple as that.
Business is built around relationships, with relationships come trust, and with trust comes sales. For some reason email marketers, and business using email to communicate with their target market forget this.
2. No "Pull"
There has to be a reason to keep reading, a pull for the reader to continue.
Unless you are sending me an email at the exact moment I am looking to buy what you're selling, just saying "Hey you - buy my stuff", isn't going to work. There's no pull.
The worst offenders will not only be lacking a pull, but will go on for 1000 words without one, essentially repeating over and over again why I should buy their stuff.
Give me a reason to keep reading, tell me a story, give me value, show me how you'll solve my problems, keep me interested in what you have to say. (more)
MArketing Profs Daily Fix: Guest Post: A Brand's Largest Social Media Obstacle
By Samir Balwani
Would you believe me if I told you that most of the time the reason a social media campaign fails is because of a single obstacle? What if I told you the brand itself was the reason?
Interestingly enough, a brand's point of view, and culture can be sabotaging their online marketing.
Why It Happens?I've made a pretty bold statement, saying that brands shoot themselves in the foot, but why?
The first is the stereotypical follower brand. These brands enter the social space because their competitors are. Without a real reason for connecting with consumers, the brand has no drive to foster their relationships. Most of these campaigns are lackluster and fall apart after a few months.
Many brands know they should be in the social space but their culture prohibits them from taking risks. An aura of fear permeates every decision, and the tried and true wins out over innovation.
These brands introduce a host of problems. Most importantly they don't invest in innovation. Since it's difficult to directly assign or forecast ROI in social media, money is never spent on it. (more)
Would you believe me if I told you that most of the time the reason a social media campaign fails is because of a single obstacle? What if I told you the brand itself was the reason?
Interestingly enough, a brand's point of view, and culture can be sabotaging their online marketing.
Why It Happens?I've made a pretty bold statement, saying that brands shoot themselves in the foot, but why?
The first is the stereotypical follower brand. These brands enter the social space because their competitors are. Without a real reason for connecting with consumers, the brand has no drive to foster their relationships. Most of these campaigns are lackluster and fall apart after a few months.
Many brands know they should be in the social space but their culture prohibits them from taking risks. An aura of fear permeates every decision, and the tried and true wins out over innovation.
These brands introduce a host of problems. Most importantly they don't invest in innovation. Since it's difficult to directly assign or forecast ROI in social media, money is never spent on it. (more)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Small Business Trends: Why SMB owners should care about SEO
By Lisa Barone
Your customers are looking for you. Can they find you?
When potential customers have a problem and need somewhere to go, they search for it. They head to their favorite search engine, type what they want and are presented with a list of results Google promises can help them. If you don’t appear in those results, you don’t exist. You miss out on the sale, the branding opportunity and the ability to convert that targeted searcher into a lifelong customer. And that’s the value that search engine optimization (SEO) brings to small businesses. It puts you in your customers’ line of sight and establishes you as an expert.
A lot of small businesses don’t fully understand SEO. They think it’s dirty, that SEOs are snake oil salesmen, that it’s out of their budget, or that it’s something they don’t need to worry about because they’re not a major brand. The truth is, the Internet has changed the face of business and leveled the playing field for everyone. By investing in SEO, you allow your company to show up for those targeted local searches, while also putting yourself in the position to compete with the big dogs.
Here’s what a lot of small businesses don’t realize about SEO.
It’s affordable: Whether you’re doing it yourself or paying someone to help you, SEO doesn’t have to break your budget. Most of your attention will go towards ensuring that your site is set up correctly, that you’re listed in all the appropriate local indexes (which is free and something you can do on your own), and helping to target your site for very specific, locally-based terms. For most businesses, you’re going to find that this process probably isn’t anywhere near as expensive or difficult as you’d imagine. It’s also one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies out there as you’ll continue to benefit from good optimization for years to come. Quite simply, a site that is properly constructed will rank better than a site that is not. And you don’t have to drain your budget in order to pay attention to fundamental SEO. (more)
Your customers are looking for you. Can they find you?
When potential customers have a problem and need somewhere to go, they search for it. They head to their favorite search engine, type what they want and are presented with a list of results Google promises can help them. If you don’t appear in those results, you don’t exist. You miss out on the sale, the branding opportunity and the ability to convert that targeted searcher into a lifelong customer. And that’s the value that search engine optimization (SEO) brings to small businesses. It puts you in your customers’ line of sight and establishes you as an expert.
A lot of small businesses don’t fully understand SEO. They think it’s dirty, that SEOs are snake oil salesmen, that it’s out of their budget, or that it’s something they don’t need to worry about because they’re not a major brand. The truth is, the Internet has changed the face of business and leveled the playing field for everyone. By investing in SEO, you allow your company to show up for those targeted local searches, while also putting yourself in the position to compete with the big dogs.
Here’s what a lot of small businesses don’t realize about SEO.
It’s affordable: Whether you’re doing it yourself or paying someone to help you, SEO doesn’t have to break your budget. Most of your attention will go towards ensuring that your site is set up correctly, that you’re listed in all the appropriate local indexes (which is free and something you can do on your own), and helping to target your site for very specific, locally-based terms. For most businesses, you’re going to find that this process probably isn’t anywhere near as expensive or difficult as you’d imagine. It’s also one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies out there as you’ll continue to benefit from good optimization for years to come. Quite simply, a site that is properly constructed will rank better than a site that is not. And you don’t have to drain your budget in order to pay attention to fundamental SEO. (more)
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Duct Tapr Marketing: What Really Generates Referrals
So much of the literature on the subject of referrals focuses on the proper ways to network, ask for referrals, and create incentive programs for referral sources. While some of these more tactical things do indeed produce referrals for the organizations and salespeople that employ them, they are often little more than window dressing when it comes to the big picture.
Building a foundation that automatically generates referral momentum is not done through external actions – like some many things in life, you do it from the inside out. Plain and simple the most widely referred business are purely more referable.
I’ve studied a lot of businesses that easily generate referrals and they share some common internal tendencies as part of their brand and culture.
Make people look good
Looking at all business relationships with an eye on making prospects, customers, vendors, mentors, and staff look and feel good is a tremendously attractive internal quality. I read this quote recently and I think it works well here - “To a large degree, our success and happiness in life depends on how much people like themselves when they’re with us.” Joe Caruso (more)
Building a foundation that automatically generates referral momentum is not done through external actions – like some many things in life, you do it from the inside out. Plain and simple the most widely referred business are purely more referable.
I’ve studied a lot of businesses that easily generate referrals and they share some common internal tendencies as part of their brand and culture.
Make people look good
Looking at all business relationships with an eye on making prospects, customers, vendors, mentors, and staff look and feel good is a tremendously attractive internal quality. I read this quote recently and I think it works well here - “To a large degree, our success and happiness in life depends on how much people like themselves when they’re with us.” Joe Caruso (more)
Entrepreneur: Market research vs. gut instinct
By Chris Morris
Jeff Hawkins, founder of Palm Computing and the inventor of the Palm Pilot, knows a thing or two about innovation. In this segment, from Stanford University’s Entrepreneur Thought Leader Lectures, Hawkins discusses how to balance market research with your intuition.
Focus groups can only take you so far. Listening to customer wishes and demands helps more. But sometimes, you simply need to ignore what the data is telling you and follow your gut. (more)
Jeff Hawkins, founder of Palm Computing and the inventor of the Palm Pilot, knows a thing or two about innovation. In this segment, from Stanford University’s Entrepreneur Thought Leader Lectures, Hawkins discusses how to balance market research with your intuition.
Focus groups can only take you so far. Listening to customer wishes and demands helps more. But sometimes, you simply need to ignore what the data is telling you and follow your gut. (more)
Thursday, July 2, 2009
YoungEntrepreneur: How To Create A Marketing Campaign That Everyone Will Be Talking About
By Matthew Toren
People are being bombarded with marketing messages, from the time they get up in the morning and switch on the radio or TV, to the time that they venture out into the real world, to the time that they eat their TV dinner before crashing for the night. As an entrepreneur, you had better make sure that you have a message that people want to hear, with the ability to crash through all the other “noise”.
You might have a great product or service, one that you fully believe in, with all your heart. Your challenge is to create a marketing campaign around that product or service which causes everyone to sit up and take notice. You need to try and create social acceptance and viral buzz.
One of the first things that you have to bear in mind is that creativity does not have to be expensive. Some canny marketers make sure that they send out their direct mail message in an envelope containing an unusually-shaped gizmo. It doesn’t really matter what the object is, but the very shape of the package will cause the recipient to pay attention and open it. (more)
People are being bombarded with marketing messages, from the time they get up in the morning and switch on the radio or TV, to the time that they venture out into the real world, to the time that they eat their TV dinner before crashing for the night. As an entrepreneur, you had better make sure that you have a message that people want to hear, with the ability to crash through all the other “noise”.
You might have a great product or service, one that you fully believe in, with all your heart. Your challenge is to create a marketing campaign around that product or service which causes everyone to sit up and take notice. You need to try and create social acceptance and viral buzz.
One of the first things that you have to bear in mind is that creativity does not have to be expensive. Some canny marketers make sure that they send out their direct mail message in an envelope containing an unusually-shaped gizmo. It doesn’t really matter what the object is, but the very shape of the package will cause the recipient to pay attention and open it. (more)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Trump Blog: Wrestling, Ratings and Guerrilla Marketing
Guerilla marketing is a term that was coined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his book of 1984, Guerilla Marketing. This is a form of advertising and promotions that depends on the unconventional. Imagination is key, and a big budget isn’t always necessary. Entrepreneurs use this technique, and it’s considered to be non-traditional--just what entrepreneurs are known for being.
A very good example of this would be the June 22nd WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) event that drew 6.8 million viewers. That’s a 25% increase in viewers from an earlier broadcast in June. Some of you may have heard of Vince McMahon, who owns WWE and is a brilliant entrepreneur. Vince and I go at each other once in awhile because we both like a good fight, and he’s a worthy opponent. (more)
A very good example of this would be the June 22nd WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) event that drew 6.8 million viewers. That’s a 25% increase in viewers from an earlier broadcast in June. Some of you may have heard of Vince McMahon, who owns WWE and is a brilliant entrepreneur. Vince and I go at each other once in awhile because we both like a good fight, and he’s a worthy opponent. (more)
Small Business Trends: How to Become the Center of Everyone’s Attention
By Shirley Frazier
It’s easy to watch someone else get all the glory. All you have to do is stand and listen. But if you’re an entrepreneur who craves media attention, you may ask yourself, “Why isn’t that me in front of the camera?”
Molding your business into an industry and media darling takes time and planning. If you truly want free publicity, it’s up to you to start and maintain the process of becoming an industry leader. Here are three painless steps to begin.
1. Write a comment or rebuttal whenever you see an article regarding your industry or a situation that impacts on your business.
Articles are published in trade journals, local newspapers, state-based magazines, and on Web
sites. Save each submitted comment in a Word or Notepad document, along with the publication’s name and date, to track what you’ve written and to also help you craft future responses.
I practice this consistently, which puts my name and business in front of reporters and other media groups who need expert comments in upcoming stories. The exposure has the potential to increase notoriety and revenue by a minimum of 30 percent each year.
2. Contact television and cable news producers with timely information that makes you their only choice for an interview. (more)
It’s easy to watch someone else get all the glory. All you have to do is stand and listen. But if you’re an entrepreneur who craves media attention, you may ask yourself, “Why isn’t that me in front of the camera?”
Molding your business into an industry and media darling takes time and planning. If you truly want free publicity, it’s up to you to start and maintain the process of becoming an industry leader. Here are three painless steps to begin.
1. Write a comment or rebuttal whenever you see an article regarding your industry or a situation that impacts on your business.
Articles are published in trade journals, local newspapers, state-based magazines, and on Web
sites. Save each submitted comment in a Word or Notepad document, along with the publication’s name and date, to track what you’ve written and to also help you craft future responses.
I practice this consistently, which puts my name and business in front of reporters and other media groups who need expert comments in upcoming stories. The exposure has the potential to increase notoriety and revenue by a minimum of 30 percent each year.
2. Contact television and cable news producers with timely information that makes you their only choice for an interview. (more)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Small Biz Bee: Stop! Don’t Spend One Advertising Dollar Until You Read This
Don’t spend one single dollar on advertising until you know your target customer, inside and out, top to bottom. Period, end of discussion. Why draw a hard line on this?
Precision Trumps Plentiful Marketing
Too often businesses use the shotgun approach to marketing, and in this economy that’s wasted money. Sure if you blast off a bunch of advertising you’re bound to hit something, but how much ammo did you waste in the process?
Right now we probably don’t have the marketing budgets to try stuff out, see what works, and throw money around hoping to hit a buyer.
Wouldn’t it be better to know your target customer so well you can then advertise specifically to them – the people most likely to buy your stuff? I think so. You’ll get more sales with less money, and an overall higher ROI for your efforts if you are precise in your marketing efforts, not just plentiful. (more)
Precision Trumps Plentiful Marketing
Too often businesses use the shotgun approach to marketing, and in this economy that’s wasted money. Sure if you blast off a bunch of advertising you’re bound to hit something, but how much ammo did you waste in the process?
Right now we probably don’t have the marketing budgets to try stuff out, see what works, and throw money around hoping to hit a buyer.
Wouldn’t it be better to know your target customer so well you can then advertise specifically to them – the people most likely to buy your stuff? I think so. You’ll get more sales with less money, and an overall higher ROI for your efforts if you are precise in your marketing efforts, not just plentiful. (more)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Small Business Trends: Email Marketing Success Is About Relevance
By Lisa Barone
Though it may sit in the shadows of today’s shiner marketing techniques, email marketing continues to be an effective, low-cost way for SMB owners to reach out to, inform and retain current customers. In fact, according to new numbers from Forrester Research, email marketing will reach $2 billion by 2014. And that’s a very good thing.
Email marketing is effective for one simple reason: Customers like receiving targeted messages from companies they care about. They like when they’re emailed about things they’ve already shown in an interest in. And that’s where the email thrives.
Email marketing is all about customer retention. It’s about building stronger relationships with customers who already know you and decided that, yes, they want to keep hearing from you. They want to stay up to date on what you’re doing, they want to hear about new products, they want to hear about hot deals, etc. The messages that land in their inbox help keep your company name in their top of mind and force them to constantly be thinking about you. WebProNews took a look at the Forrester Research and quoted an Epilson brand study that said that 84 percent of recipients like receiving emails from companies with whom they’ve subscribed to their newsletter. Eighty four percent. That’s impressive. It’s hard to get 84 percent of people to agree on anything. (more)
Though it may sit in the shadows of today’s shiner marketing techniques, email marketing continues to be an effective, low-cost way for SMB owners to reach out to, inform and retain current customers. In fact, according to new numbers from Forrester Research, email marketing will reach $2 billion by 2014. And that’s a very good thing.
Email marketing is effective for one simple reason: Customers like receiving targeted messages from companies they care about. They like when they’re emailed about things they’ve already shown in an interest in. And that’s where the email thrives.
Email marketing is all about customer retention. It’s about building stronger relationships with customers who already know you and decided that, yes, they want to keep hearing from you. They want to stay up to date on what you’re doing, they want to hear about new products, they want to hear about hot deals, etc. The messages that land in their inbox help keep your company name in their top of mind and force them to constantly be thinking about you. WebProNews took a look at the Forrester Research and quoted an Epilson brand study that said that 84 percent of recipients like receiving emails from companies with whom they’ve subscribed to their newsletter. Eighty four percent. That’s impressive. It’s hard to get 84 percent of people to agree on anything. (more)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Small Business Trends: More Than Half of SMB Owners Quit Paid Ads Within 6 Months
By Lisa Barone
Well, this is sad. A new study from Borrell Associates found that nearly 60 percent of small business owners quit their local paid search campaigns within 6 months of starting, saying they are unhappy with the results and can no longer justify the costs.
Ouch. What’s going on?
I think there are a couple of reasons for the sour stats.
First, SMB owners are unsure of how to run a paid search campaign so they purchase their ads from overaggressive resellers. These resellers sell them on “guaranteed click” programs, making big promises about what they can offer, and then fail. The SMB owners, no longer able to justify the investment and high click costs, are forced to back away and abandon their paid advertising campaigns almost immediately after they start.
Covering the story, the Wall Street Journal explains: (more)
Well, this is sad. A new study from Borrell Associates found that nearly 60 percent of small business owners quit their local paid search campaigns within 6 months of starting, saying they are unhappy with the results and can no longer justify the costs.
Ouch. What’s going on?
I think there are a couple of reasons for the sour stats.
First, SMB owners are unsure of how to run a paid search campaign so they purchase their ads from overaggressive resellers. These resellers sell them on “guaranteed click” programs, making big promises about what they can offer, and then fail. The SMB owners, no longer able to justify the investment and high click costs, are forced to back away and abandon their paid advertising campaigns almost immediately after they start.
Covering the story, the Wall Street Journal explains: (more)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Venture Beat: Facebook, MySpace still better than Twitter for connecting people to your site?
By Eric Eldon
Major television events are continuing to see good results when they integrate social media, especially using services that let people take their social networking identities with them around the web. The latest example is media conglomerate Turner Networks, which recently told AdAge about its experiment in letting users log in and chat to each other using Facebook, MySpace and Twitter while watching the NBA Eastern Conference Finals and last weekend’s NASCAR race, the Pocono 500, on Turner’s home site.
Turner’s results showed Facebook came out on top in both instances, but MySpace users messaged each other more. Twitter trailed the others in both traffic and information-sharing. As these sites grow — or don’t grow — their integration services are becoming powerful new ways for TV companies to reach new users. The broadcaster used widget-maker Gigya’s Socialize authentication service to let people log in through the site of their choice while watching the two events. (more)
Major television events are continuing to see good results when they integrate social media, especially using services that let people take their social networking identities with them around the web. The latest example is media conglomerate Turner Networks, which recently told AdAge about its experiment in letting users log in and chat to each other using Facebook, MySpace and Twitter while watching the NBA Eastern Conference Finals and last weekend’s NASCAR race, the Pocono 500, on Turner’s home site.
Turner’s results showed Facebook came out on top in both instances, but MySpace users messaged each other more. Twitter trailed the others in both traffic and information-sharing. As these sites grow — or don’t grow — their integration services are becoming powerful new ways for TV companies to reach new users. The broadcaster used widget-maker Gigya’s Socialize authentication service to let people log in through the site of their choice while watching the two events. (more)
Inc. How to Put Your Website on Cell-Phone Screens
By Mark Spoonauer
These days, it's not enough to build a good website; to reach customers online, you have to reach them on their mobile phones. Here are two free tools for adapting your site for the small screen.
Ubik
This online service, which is in beta, lets you build a mobile site in just a few steps. Select one of 32 templates (which include ones for specific businesses, such as restaurants and car dealerships). Then edit the content through any Web browser and click Publish. If you don't want to use the standard-issue Web address (sitename.ubik.net), you can create a custom domain name or use an existing one. Ubik will even place ads for you, if you are willing to split the revenue 50-50.
Dotmobi
DotMobi answers the call for simplicity with its Instant Mobilizer service, which automatically reformats your site for mobile phones. You will need a special .mobi domain name (get one from Go Daddy for $8 a year), but dotMobi takes care of the rest for free. At the top of each page, your mobile site will list both your phone number (for one-click dialing) and address (with a link to Google's directions page). DotMobi's website is at mtld.mobi.
These days, it's not enough to build a good website; to reach customers online, you have to reach them on their mobile phones. Here are two free tools for adapting your site for the small screen.
Ubik
This online service, which is in beta, lets you build a mobile site in just a few steps. Select one of 32 templates (which include ones for specific businesses, such as restaurants and car dealerships). Then edit the content through any Web browser and click Publish. If you don't want to use the standard-issue Web address (sitename.ubik.net), you can create a custom domain name or use an existing one. Ubik will even place ads for you, if you are willing to split the revenue 50-50.
Dotmobi
DotMobi answers the call for simplicity with its Instant Mobilizer service, which automatically reformats your site for mobile phones. You will need a special .mobi domain name (get one from Go Daddy for $8 a year), but dotMobi takes care of the rest for free. At the top of each page, your mobile site will list both your phone number (for one-click dialing) and address (with a link to Google's directions page). DotMobi's website is at mtld.mobi.
Marketing Duct Tape: 7 Signs Your Marketing May Need to Evolve
A lot of marketers get both confused and fed up with all the talk about things like new media, social media, inbound marketing, user generated content, and the age of conversation. I mean, how is a person suppose to apply all these somewhat vague and hard to pin down terms and trends. Well, there’s no denying that the world and certainly the world of marketing has changed. If you’re trying to wrap your head around what that might mean for you, here are seven very concrete ways to start viewing the evolution of your marketing strategies and practices.
1) Your marketing strategy is a sales strategy - far too many small business folks view marketing as selling. I’ve got nothing against sales, you must have them, but what you must have, before a sales presentation is ever made, is a crystal clear, very easy to understand difference. You must claim and communicate at every turn the way that your products, services, and processes are uniquely here to make some narrowly defined target market’s life better. Oh, and it can’t be boring, there must be something remarkable enough about your business or strategy that people go out of their way to tell others about it. Do that and selling not only gets easier, it gets somewhat superfluous. (more)
1) Your marketing strategy is a sales strategy - far too many small business folks view marketing as selling. I’ve got nothing against sales, you must have them, but what you must have, before a sales presentation is ever made, is a crystal clear, very easy to understand difference. You must claim and communicate at every turn the way that your products, services, and processes are uniquely here to make some narrowly defined target market’s life better. Oh, and it can’t be boring, there must be something remarkable enough about your business or strategy that people go out of their way to tell others about it. Do that and selling not only gets easier, it gets somewhat superfluous. (more)
Monday, June 1, 2009
Young Entrepreneur: The Essential Marketing Action Plan
By Matthew Toren
If there’s one lesson all entrepreneurs have learned over their years in business, it’s the importance of a marketing plan. What your business is, who your target audience is and how you attract your target market are essential elements to a successful business plan. A marketing plan also enables you to focus your action steps on these key areas.
In defining a marketing plan, there are probably as many different answers to what the perfect marketing plan is as there are entrepreneurs. Some follow the textbook definition, while others customize a plan based on their business, budget and goals. The key is to create a plan that works for you and will keep your marketing action steps on track.
To achieve a perfect marketing plan, there are a few essential components to include. Here are five easy steps to follow to create your successful marketing strategy. (more)
If there’s one lesson all entrepreneurs have learned over their years in business, it’s the importance of a marketing plan. What your business is, who your target audience is and how you attract your target market are essential elements to a successful business plan. A marketing plan also enables you to focus your action steps on these key areas.
In defining a marketing plan, there are probably as many different answers to what the perfect marketing plan is as there are entrepreneurs. Some follow the textbook definition, while others customize a plan based on their business, budget and goals. The key is to create a plan that works for you and will keep your marketing action steps on track.
To achieve a perfect marketing plan, there are a few essential components to include. Here are five easy steps to follow to create your successful marketing strategy. (more)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Small Business Trends: If I Were Launching a New Small Biz Web Site Today
By Matt McGee
It’s true what Lisa Barone wrote: Now is the best time to start a small business. And if you do, chances are good that you’ll build a web site and use the Internet to help grow your business. Heck, the web site and Internet might actually be your business.
Either way, the hard work is only beginning when your web site is done. That’s when the marketing and promotion kicks in. How would you do that? How would you spread the word about your new small business and web site? (more)
It’s true what Lisa Barone wrote: Now is the best time to start a small business. And if you do, chances are good that you’ll build a web site and use the Internet to help grow your business. Heck, the web site and Internet might actually be your business.
Either way, the hard work is only beginning when your web site is done. That’s when the marketing and promotion kicks in. How would you do that? How would you spread the word about your new small business and web site? (more)
Monday, May 25, 2009
Seth Godin: On becoming a household name
By Seth Godin
The guidance office at the high school has a big poster for Wellesley College hanging by the door. It's just a picture of a building, no features, no benefits, no text at all.
Kids apply to schools (a quarter of a million dollar investment) for crazy reasons. A big one: "Well, I've heard of it."
Gonzaga University features basketball players on their home page. No doubt a few people attend to play basketball, but my guess is that the school believes that the fame of their school will somehow get someone who doesn't play to attend.
It's completely irrational and it's also what your customers do every day. (more)
The guidance office at the high school has a big poster for Wellesley College hanging by the door. It's just a picture of a building, no features, no benefits, no text at all.
Kids apply to schools (a quarter of a million dollar investment) for crazy reasons. A big one: "Well, I've heard of it."
Gonzaga University features basketball players on their home page. No doubt a few people attend to play basketball, but my guess is that the school believes that the fame of their school will somehow get someone who doesn't play to attend.
It's completely irrational and it's also what your customers do every day. (more)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Inc.: The Great Leaders Series: Asa Candler, Founder of the Coca-Cola Company
By: Amy Gunderson
The power of advertising is ubiquitous today, but Asa Candler was among the earliest entrepreneurs to aggressively use it. Candler wasn't an inventor; he didn't come up with a great company name or distinctive logo. Rather his greatest achievement was as a marketer. When he purchased control of Coca-Cola, it was a fledging five-cent soda fountain drink that only sold about nine glasses a day in its first year on the market.
Under Candler's watch, Coca-Cola's advertising budget grew from $100,000 in 1901 to $1 million in 1911. The Coca-Cola name was plastered on everything from calendars, clocks, fans, and even urns. Pharmacists selling the drink had apothecary scales emblazoned with the name. A team of traveling Coca-Cola syrup salesmen was sent out to ensure that pharmacists were mixing the beverage correctly with carbonated water, and that their stores were properly adorned with Coca-Cola logos and signs. Candler even contracted actress and singer Hilda Clark to be the face of Coca-Cola, initiating one of the first-ever celebrity endorsements. (more)
The power of advertising is ubiquitous today, but Asa Candler was among the earliest entrepreneurs to aggressively use it. Candler wasn't an inventor; he didn't come up with a great company name or distinctive logo. Rather his greatest achievement was as a marketer. When he purchased control of Coca-Cola, it was a fledging five-cent soda fountain drink that only sold about nine glasses a day in its first year on the market.
Under Candler's watch, Coca-Cola's advertising budget grew from $100,000 in 1901 to $1 million in 1911. The Coca-Cola name was plastered on everything from calendars, clocks, fans, and even urns. Pharmacists selling the drink had apothecary scales emblazoned with the name. A team of traveling Coca-Cola syrup salesmen was sent out to ensure that pharmacists were mixing the beverage correctly with carbonated water, and that their stores were properly adorned with Coca-Cola logos and signs. Candler even contracted actress and singer Hilda Clark to be the face of Coca-Cola, initiating one of the first-ever celebrity endorsements. (more)
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