Big Interactive - THINK BIG

5 Reasons Why Visitors Are Not Returning to Your Website

2012-03-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

Every website is different, but more often than not, those websites that are not seeing repeat web traffic share a number of similarities. Here are 5 of the top reasons why people aren’t coming back to your website:

1. Your website is static

Do you ever take time to update or add to your website? Static website are filled with pages that never change, information that stays the same, and no updates for readers. Creating a static website is one of the biggest mistakes we see across the web. Readers want to come back to a website that adds new content on a regular basis.

2. Your website is hard to navigate

With websites that are not receiving return visitors we usually see one of two things when it comes to website navigation:

Your website has multiple links, which take readers to the same page. Does your site have a top navigation bar, side navigation bar, and links within your content which all take your readers to the same set of web pages? It’s good to drive readers through your website, but having too many links all taking readers to the same web page confuses the reader.
Your website has broken links. Have you checked your links recently? Are any of those links broken? Take time to go through your website to see if any of your links need to be repaired.
Does your website look like this?

3. You’re not encouraging engagement

Do you ask your readers to email you or leave comments on your blog/website? Readers want to engage with the owners of the websites that they frequent. They want to know that they have a voice. Be sure to give them that opportunity. For example, most successful blogs end their posts asking readers what they think about what they have written.

4. Lack of social media involvement

Are you using social media to build relationships with your website visitors AND to encourage new visitors? Far too often managers of websites are not using social media to help build relationships with their readers.

5. You’re not providing any real value to your readers

Is your website so focused on making sales that you don’t provide any educational information to readers? Readers want to learn, that’s why they are visiting your website. If your website is all images or too sales heavy and lacks educational content, readers aren’t going to find much value in coming back to your website.

This article was sourced from: http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/five-reasons-why-people-are-not-coming-back/

Responsive Web Design Benefits SEO

2012-03-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

Fortunately, search engine optimization offers another great reason to consider responsive web design: links. The alternative to developing a single responsive site that meets all device needs is to develop multiple sites to meet individual device needs. One site for desktop browsers, one for smartphone browsers, one for tablets, and each has to be maintained separately after the expense of designing and developing them separately. From a search engine perspective, each needs links and/or user agent-specific redirects to get customers to the right version of the site. One site means one set of links to build, and no annoying redirects to add to server load, site speed and maintenance hassles.

Think of it this way, Groupon has developed Touch.groupon.com for smartphones, Ipad.groupon.com for the iPad, and www.groupon.com for desktop computers. The search engines don't have much interest in figuring out which sites should receive searches on which devices, though they easily could with their ability to crawl sites as different browser types. The point is that the onus is on the site to redirect the customers to the site that meet their device's needs. For more on this, see "How to Benefit from Googlebot Mobile's New Smarts," a recent article on that topic.

Do Links Matter for Mobile Sites?

So back to links. If a site has to physically redirect mobile users from its desktop site to its mobile site, and if smartphone and tablet sites rarely if ever rank in the search results, what do links matter for mobile sites? Excellent question. It's not about getting more links to the mobile version so it can rank. It's the fact that some mobile users may create links to or share pages from the mobile site, which essentially steals link equity from the desktop site.

Say a mobile version of a product page has links to it from two blogs, two Tweets, two Facebook Likes and two Google +1s. But the desktop version of that same page has links to it from 20 blogs, 20 Tweets, 20 Facebook Likes and 20 Google +1s. The mobile version of that page is almost certainly not going to rank, and it's stealing those links and shares from the stronger desktop version of the site. If the site had been built using responsive design, the single product page would have 22 of each type of link and share instead of 20 and two to separate pages. In summary, the benefit is consolidation is link equity to a single page, enabling that single page to send stronger signals and rank better than the two separate pages could have alone.

This article was sourced from: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3395-SEO-Benefits-of-Responsive-Web-Design

What Is Responsive Web Design?

2012-03-08T10:17:00.001-08:00

Site owners have many competing needs when developing mobile sites. Different devices, different capabilities, different screen sizes and resolutions, all have an impact on designing and developing mobile sites today.

According to Mongoose Metrics, a tracking and analysis firm, only 9 percent of sites are ready for mobile in 2012. The primary consideration with mobile tends to be enabling better usability and — for ecommece sites — conversion. Another study by Compuware, a software and services provider, shows that 57 percent of users will not recommend a company with a bad mobile site and 40 percent of users will visit a competitor's site rather than using a poorly optimized mobile site. The case for usability and conversion as primary concerns in the drive to take ecommerce sites mobile is easy to make. Fortunately, responsive web design — the leading solution to the mobile usability challenge — is also beneficial to search engine optimization.

Responsive web design is a concept that blends CSS, CSS3 and JavaScript to create fluid site designs that can expand, contract, rearrange or remove content based upon the user's screen size. Instead of developing different sites for devices with different screen sizes and capabilities, one site with one set of pages reacts flexibly to display optimally on everything from a 27-inch desktop monitor to a three and a half-inch iPhone display. The usability benefits are obvious: Customers can interact with a site regardless of the device they're using instead of having to choose between viewing the whole page illegibly or one small part of it that's disorienting. Where usability improves, decrease bounce rates and increased conversions are usually not far behind.

True, there are cases where the function and content of the mobile site needs to be different than the desktop site. Responsive design can handle those instances also via CSS by removing or reducing the visibility of content that's less relevant to mobile users. In some cases only a mobile app will really meet the needs of mobile users. But this article is about neither mobile apps nor the technical details of implementing responsive web design. For an excellent technical overview and references to other resources, see Smashing Magazine's "Responsive Web Design: What It Is and How to Use It."

This article was sourced from: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3395-SEO-Benefits-of-Responsive-Web-Design

"How can I get more website visitors?"

2012-01-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

4 Creative Ways to Attract More Visitors to You Website

Your Website
This is one of the most common questions I hear from clients, frustrated at the lack of business their website brings them. Often, there isn't much wrong with the site iteslf -- it's professionally designed, and the portfolio is full of gorgeous work. But it just sits there, in an obscure corner of the Internet, being quietly ignored.

Taking a website from zero to a few hundred or even a few thousand visitors a month is not easy, but it's eminently doable -- as long as you recognize a harsh truth about the Internet:

The online world is an attention economy. Attention is finite, and therefore scarce. So if you want people to pay attention to you, you need to earn it.

You can't expect your work to speak for itself. Most of the time, it won't. You need to accept that marketing is part of your job, just as much as making.

But the game changes when you start applying your creativity to your marketing -- it becomes more fun as well as more effective. Here are four ways to use your creativity to attract the right kind of visitors to your website.

1. Create an amazing blog.
Note the word 'amazing'. I'm not talking about a blog you only update when you've got a new client or exhibition, or something new to sell. I'm not talking about a personal diary where you to post your musings on art, life, and the universe. I mean the kind of blog that grabs people's attention by delivering outstandingly valuable, useful, or entertaining material -- consistently.

Instead of writing, 'here's my latest work', write about:

· "Here's how I made it" - with pictures and/or video. Like this or this or this.

· "Here's what inspired it" - if you like it, chances are your audience will like it too. Like this or this.

· "Here's how you can make one like it." Like this or this.

· "Here's a gadget that makes my work better (and could help you too)." Like this.

Instead of burying your opinions in long paragraphs of diary-style 'musings', put them out there loud and clear:

· Devote an entire blog post to nailing ONE idea.

· Start with a compelling headline.

· Ask yourself 'So what? Why should anyone care?' -- and make that the start of the post.

· Give concrete examples.

· Invite comments by ending with a question.

· For example: I'm a designer. Use me better.

And don't forget to ask for the subscription! Repeat visitors are the best visitors, so one of your goals is to build an audience of loyal subscribers. Ask people to subscribe and offer an email option to make it easy.

2. Give (some of) your best work away for free.
Just so we're clear: I'm not one of those internet hippies who tells you "information wants to be free", so you should give away all your best work and forget about being paid. (Have you noticed those guys tend to have a comfortable salary or professorship?)

But as Tim O'Reilly has pointed out, for most creatives obscurity is a greater threat than piracy. If no one's ever heard of you, they won't even bother to rip you off, let alone pay for your work.

So take advantage of the spreadability of digital content by giving away something valuable and encouraging people to share it with their contacts:

· the first chapter of your novel (or even an entire novella)

· a free report or e-book, full of insanely useful information

· one of the best tracks from your album

· a design template

· high-resolution images

· a series of tutorials

· videos that anyone can embed in their site

Use a Creative Commons license to make it clear what people are allowed to do with the work. And make sure it's something genuinely valuable. If you feel slightly uncomfortable about giving away something so good, you're on the right track. Otherwise, why would anyone get excited enough to tell their friends?

But don't give away the farm. Make sure you have plenty in reserve -- products, services, artworks -- for the folks who want to take things further and buy from you.

3. Borrow someone else's audience.
Why build an audience from scratch when you can borrow one that someone else has spent months or years assembling? No, it's not unethical -- in fact, the 'someone' in question will love you for it.

Writing high-quality guest posts for popular blogs in your niche is one of the most effective ways to get yourself on the radar of the people you want to reach. Your 'payment' is a link back to your site -- make a great offer and you could land hundreds of new subscribers with every guest post you write.

And make sure it's your best work. This is your chance to make a big impression -- don't blow it by sending out second-rate articles and keeping the best stuff for your own site.

4. Get your content into circulation.
Have you noticed that of the three tips so far, only one of them is centered around your site? (No. 2 may start on your site, but the real magic happens when people start sharing it with their friends.) If you really want more visitors, you have to go out and find them.

Social networking sites are not just for networking -- they are ideal places to get your content (blog posts, videos, free reports, etc) in front of other people. Use Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ to share links to your content.

And be generous -- share more of other people's content than your own. That way, you not only help others (good digital karma!) you also position yourself as a go-to authority, a source of cool stuff who people want to follow.

***

None of these methods is a quick fix. They require time, effort, and persistence. But the good news is the benefits are cumulative - as your blog attracts links and subscribers, as your free content gets into circulation, and as you get known as a rising star in your niche, you'll find yourself attracting more and more new visitors for every hour you spend on marketing.

And no, website visitors don't necessarily equal customers -- otherwise there'd be a lot more Internet millionaires!

Marketing to seniors on the web

2011-01-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

When combing my hair this morning, I noticed the steady advance of grey and thinning. "Hmm, won't be long and I'll be a part of the grey power movement", I thought. My wife also says I'm getting old at 46 (or am I 47? I forget). I won't deny I feel it ;).

But what is actually "old" these days? One thing's for certain, the term "senior citizen" no longer means infirm. You’ll see lots of people over 60 that are fitter now than they were in his thirties or forties. My friends parents have just bought a new RV and are trekking around the countryside; enjoying the fruits of their many years of labour. Retirement from work definitely does not equate to retirement from life!

"Senior" does not necessarily mean retirement from work either. I know of many people in their late 60's who are still working; either through choice or necessity. Improved health allows them to continue to be very active in the workforce.

Gone also are the days when the web was a place strictly for the young. Seniors have now embraced the Internet and many are comfortable with online shopping.

Senior shoppers, a rapidly growing market

We often mention other countries as "new markets"; but there's one right under our noses - seniors; and it's a market that shouldn't be underestimated.

According to the US Census Bureau, between 2005 and 2030, the senior market will grow by to over 95 million people - that's over 4 times the growth of the 18-59 age group for the same period. In Canada, %’s will be the same, just the overall size is smaller (about 10% of the US market).

Added to that, seniors control over 70% of all disposable income and currently spend over $7 billion (roughly $750 Million in Canada) online each year. Taking into account future general growth rates in terms of population age groups, accompanied by an ever increasing uptake of the web by this demographic slice, this will indeed be a lucrative market. It's just really kicking into gear now. The Pew Internet & American Life Project stated in a report that the number of seniors who go online increased by 47 percent between 2004 and 2008

What do seniors buy on the web?

Sure, seniors do buy all the products that we'd associate with "old age" - pills and potions and other health related products; but many of the seniors of today and into the future will view themselves as being young.

In a nutshell, seniors want the same sorts services and products that everyone else does. Everything from mp3 players, to ringtones, to RVs, to toys for the grandkids, to expensive holidays. Senior dating services are also becoming a massive growth industry. In fact, Yahoo search marketing currently (Sept. 09) to be the most popular "senior" related term.

Of course, there are some items that you probably won't have so much success with - such as the latest hip and trendy youth oriented fashions, or some of that new fangled music I hear blaring out of my teenage daughters rooms :).

What is the difference in marketing to seniors?

Age, generally speaking, makes you wise. Seniors also tend to have more available time to make purchase decisions. They are life savvy and for the most part, research well. They will ask questions before making a purchase - sometimes many, many, many questions :).

Provide a "seniors" section with discounts

As with marketing to any particular portion of the population, it's important that your pages reflect the tone. If you cover multiple age demographics, it can help to have a landing page dedicated to promoting your goods and services to seniors. Make the link to this section prominent throughout your site, but don't use patronizing text. Something as simple as "Special offers for seniors" should be sufficient as seniors do watch for this kind of verbage.

In years gone by, maturity and old age was respected, even revered. That has unfortunately changed in recent times, but the concept is still expected by our senior citizens.

You may already have general discounts advertised - but the goal is to make this slice of the market feel that you have singled them out for special treatment.

Establish your credibility

This is important for general online success, but particularly so if you want to capture business from senior citizens. Ensure that your privacy policy is clear, that terms and conditions are in plain English, that your site is secure - and promote these aspects. Display your guarantees, industry affiliations and security seals prominently through your marketing copy.

Images on your pages

Seniors may not want to see 20-something models in your marketing materials, but it doesn't mean you need to go for images of people in wheelchairs either. Aim for the middle of the road - if you're going to use images of humans in your promotional copy; go for the mid-30 to 40-something type images as this relays maturity, without suggesting infirmity. It's been well documented that most seniors see themselves as being 15 -20 years younger than their biological age.

Using hype in marketing copy

Be very careful with this - remember that age brings wisdom and too much hype in marketing copy can be a red flag to a more discerning buyer.

Be enthusiastic about your products, but focus on providing clear and complete information; quantify your claims - pose questions, give answers. For example:

"Are you tired of being packed in with screaming teenagers on your package tours?

At X Travel, we match the company you wish to keep on your tour with your requirements!"

Search engines and seniors

If you are going to have a special seniors section, ensure that the terms "senior" and "seniors" along with keywords relating to your product are sprinkled throughout. This age group most definitely searches using "senior" as part of the criteria when looking for a good deal.

Using offline media to bring seniors online

It's important to note that seniors are still very much comfortable with offline print; so be sure to have your web address clearly visible on anything you print or in any offline promotions you undertake.

The benefits of catering to seniors

While seniors may not have the "scan, click and buy" mentality of younger people, once you have gained their trust, they can be very loyal clients. So while you may need to invest more time initially in converting, this can definitely pay off in the long run.

Marketing - It's as Easy as 1-2-3!

2010-12-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

Written by Daniel King @ Business Interactive Group

In the time it took for you to open this document, the business world changed.

New products were introduced
New alliances were formed
Global markets expanded
Competition got tougher

Your Marketing Plan needs to be specific and tailored for your organization.

1 – Design it for your Industry
2 – Scale it to your Business
3 – Time to Execute
To keep pace, you need marketing solutions that deliver your compelling message to the marketplace.
You don’t run a generic business. So why use generic solutions?
Now it’s time to begin working on your future. A future that sees your organization exceed your customers expectations, superior market understanding and consistently stay ahead of your competition. Once the plan is set, it’s time to execute. As your plan takes shape, ensure your business stays aligned with your values, vision and goals. Please remember that alignment and execution is critical for financial, market & cultural success.
Now Go!

Marketing Is the Tool You Must Use To Bridge the Confidence Gap. Marketing needs to be concise, well articulated, and powerfully stated. It is low or no pressure. You need to strategize, develop and implement an Interactive Marketing Plan that helps businesses overcome the Confidence Gap. It accomplishes this by addressing two points: the Inside Reality and the Outside Perception.

The inside reality is everything your business does that makes you valuable to your customers. It is what gives you a competitive edge in the marketplace. It is all of your skills, your passion, your systems, the way you conduct your business. The outside perception is how customers and prospects perceive your business. It is the ideas and impressions consumers gain from your direct and indirect communication with them.

The Outside Perception of Your Business Should Match the Inside Reality

To be successful in business and to continue that success, you’re inside reality and outside perception should match. If you spend all your resources developing the inside reality and neglect the outside perception, you will be frustrated wondering why you are having minimal results with your superior product or service. On the flip side, if you focus solely on the outside perception and neglect the inside reality, prospects will soon find there is little value in the product or service and you will get little, if any, return business.

How we can help:
At BIG, our philosophy is simple; the fusion of strategy, design and marketing is the future of business communications. Strategy is the mind of our firm, design is the soul and marketing is its heart. We are BIG thinkers, enthusiastic listeners, highly organized information handlers, and more than anything else, are a dynamic group of people who care passionately about your work.

Clients look to us for market analysis and strategic planning, cooperative marketing campaigns, branding and collateral materials, financial reporting, corporate communications, print advertising, point-of-sale (POS) materials, interactive media, event promotions, product packaging and branded merchandise. Whether in business-to-business or in consumer communications, our careful research, sound strategy, and on-target executions create a powerful voice for your company.
"First, have something good to say. Second, say it well and third, say it often."

What's in your marketing plan for 2011?

2010-12-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

What goals do you have for your company? How are you planning on putting your great ideas into action? What’s your marketing strategy? Fail to create a plan of execution and you’ll find yourself running after everything, with no destination in mind.

The bigger your company gets, and the faster it’s growing, the harder it is to get everybody on the same page. The challenge, of course, is that there isn’t a single page around which to align. Instead, there are likely several pages, actual and imaginary, along with memos and emails, each purporting to describe your company’s vision, mission, and strategy.
Further, many of these messages may be riddled with unclear and even contradictory statements about who your company is, what is does, and how. This step will introduce you to the One-Page Strategic Marketing Plan, a simple yet powerful tool that helps you edit your vision, brand and strategy down to a single, action-oriented page.
This step increases sales by:
• Identifying your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats – the SWOT analysis let’s you take stock of where you are today

• Determine your company’s values & vision – once communicated to your organization, everyone knows what you stand for and helps set your direction

• Identify your long term & short term goals & priorities

• Establish your critical numbers or targets to ensure you staff focused on progress & results

Equally important is sticking to that plan and following through on what you set forth. If you don’t execute on the plan, you can say goodbye to any results you hoped to achieve.

What do I do now?

Develop or update your 2011 Marketing Plan ASAP and create some simple tools to help execute that plan. If you’re missing some key advisors or an understanding of the tools you need to build the plan, please contact us at BIG.

Think Big, Execute Big….Putting great ideas into Action!

Direct Mail Isn't Dead; 'Bad' Direct Mail Should Be: 6 Ways to Improve Your Direct Mail Campaigns

2010-10-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

You have probably been reading a lot about how direct mail is dead and it is completely useless for business now that the internet has taken over. However, many of those articles do not hold any substance, merit, or solutions they are simply opinions.I will say that only ‘bad’, untracked, and rushed direct mail is dead...as it should be.

At BIG we hear a lot of questions about direct mail: What should I put on my direct mail? When should I do it? And, how can I get more out of my money? We answer a lot of them with another question: are you generating any leads through direct mail or even are you just dumping money into it? The general response is ‘well, I don’t know.’

Direct mail may be dead for some industries but for most B2C & B2B industries it simply needs a revival. Here are 6 ways to breathe new life into your direct mail campaigns for your company:

Call Tracking and Analytics

Taking the steps to create more efficient direct mail campaigns means understanding how they are currently performing. By understanding how your campaigns are working you can make adjustments for the next campaign to improve its efficiency.

Solution: Have a separate line for each campaign. Buy an 800 number or a local promotional phone number to get a basic idea of who is calling and how they heard about you. This will allow you to track and perform analysis on the different campaign conversions.

Segmenting and Testing to See What Really Works

As you may have already experienced not every direct mail campaign works. Once you understand how your campaigns are working you should start by segmenting those that work and trash those that didn’t.

Solution: Try different campaigns in small portions before sending out the large batch. Segment the things that work and put the things that didn’t on the back burner. Don’t get rid of them though as they may one day work with a few adjustments.

Strategic Geographic Campaign Focus

You should really treat this tip as a science. Not every city or town, or person or business will need your services; if you are directing your campaigns to the wrong audience, you’re just wasting your money.

Solution: Map out your target marketing area. Keep these things in mind:

• Income

• Home/Business Size

• Past clients in area

• Education

• Cultural Deomgraphic

Once you have these statistics you can target your offerings around your clients demographics. Again, this is a science and raw data like this will go a long way.

Timing & Seasonality

Timing of your direct mail campaigns is extremely important. There are so many variables you have to take into consideration:

• Seasonality (winter, summer, spring, fall)

• Disposable income based on taxes and spending over the course of a year

• School and summer vacation

You must be aware of how to react to any time period or season. Spend time deciding what to say and how to adapt your message.

Solution: Craft your promotions and offerings around the season and timing of certain events. Also, keep in mind that if you’re entering your busy season now you can’t forget to plan your marketing campaigns at least 2-3 months out to make sure you line yourself up with enough leads to get you through the slow season.

Custom URL’s for Each Campaign

The internet is a powerful marketing tool and when used efficiently with direct mail you can reach an audience that may never have known you existed before.

Solution: Have your web developer or create custom URL’s based on the specific campaign. For example on your landing page have a URL specific to the season: www.arwright.ca/spring2011. This will allow you to further track and analyze your direct mail campaigns as well.

Craft a Compelling Message

Just like with internet marketing your message has to be compelling and catch their attention within a few seconds. The beauty the direct mail though is the prospect has something tangible to reference back to.

Incorporate Social Media

Social media reaches hundreds of millions of people and can also be used as a reference for your business.

Solution: Incorporate your social media URL’s to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and most importantly on your direct mail. For a more subtle approach include a “Follow Us” with the logos of where they can find you on social media.

Using Social Media with ‘Traditional’ Marketing to Generate Leads for Your Small Business

2010-08-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

Posted by Darion Miller on Thu, Aug 12, 2010 @ 07:06 AM
Old School & New School, Vintage & Modern. From a design element these can go well together if used correctly. From a marketing effort, it will allow you to connect with people who didn’t know you were on social media and further your transition from traditional outbound marketing to inbound ‘non interruptive’ based marketing. Meshing old school marketing with new school marketing puts an interesting spin on how you can generate leads and reduce your cost of customer acquisition. Here are a few ideas to think about when combining Old School and New School Marketing:

Social Media Addresses on Flyers, Door Hangers, and Brochures

You see social media icons everywhere now a days; paper materials, brochures, business cards, and emails. Take advantage of your online presence and put your social media links on your marketing materials. By doing this you will create a fan base that you can nurture and keep involved in your products and services. It will also keep you involved in the community and have more opportunities to get more exposure.

List Your Social Media Addresses in your Commercials

If you are making commercials, whether they’re radio or television, it’s always hard to gauge the effectiveness of the commercial. No analytics tool is going to tell you that someone came to your site because of a Television or Radio commercial, so how can you measure its effectiveness? One way to gauge the effectiveness of these types of marketing efforts is to give your targeted market a place to go online to follow you. List your Facebook or Twitter Handle on the commercial to drive people to your site. Once they are following you, keep them there by telling them more about your products and services.

Give-A-Ways or Promotions in Social Media

An effective and fun way to keep people engaged in your social network is to have Give-A-Ways and Promotions. Once you have a following you’ll want to market to these potential clients in non-sales ways. Offer give a-ways unrelated to your business. Remember keep it fun and engaging. Here are a few ideas:

■Gift Cards

■% off your services for answering a questions correctly

■Milestone promotions for reaching a certain amount of followers

■Buy this get this for free promotions

The take-a-way here is to use mix the older forms of marketing you are currently using and combine them with free marketing like social media to keep your target audience engaged. Remember to have fun with it and keep in touch with your audience

13 Ways to Find Your Blog Inspiration

2010-08-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

How do you generate ideas for your blog? It’s a question I hear often from friends, fellow bloggers and clients alike.
Let’s face it. Everyone runs into writer’s block from time to time–some more than others. But, if you have systems and processes in place to mine post ideas on a regular basis, you should have a full “draft” folder at all times.

Here are 13 ways to come up with blog post ideas on a weekly basis:

* Hop on your favorite Twitter chat for 15 minutes. You’re bound to uncover a nugget or idea you can explore further in a post. My favorites include #pr20chat, #journchat and #blogchat.

* Scour the daily news. Review your daily news sites and look for nuggets, news items and angles you can play off in a post. I’m constantly looking for a digital PR angle in current events (witness last week’s Brett Favre post).

* Bookmark, bookmark, bookmark. I find that 10 minutes with my Delicious account at the end of the week is a great way to look for post ideas. I bookmark so many great posts in my regular reading over the course of a week–my Delicious account is just full of nuggets by week’s end.

* Live blog conferences and events. Chances are you’re going to take notes at that industry conference anyway. Why not make it into a blog post in real time. Easy content opportunity!

* Pay attention to your daily interactions. It’s amazing the ideas that come to you when you always have your blog filter on. For example, the other day I was having lunch with my family at Jimmy Johns. The posters in that store always kill me–and they had one that read “We’d love to see you naked” in huge letters. Of course, the small print read: “But state code requires shoes and shirt.” Gave me a spark for an upcoming post about the impact of a good headline.

* Look for ideas in your email chains. Ever go back at the end of a long day and browse through your email? I do–and it’s a great way to mine post ideas. Conversations with clients (you don’t have to name the client, remember–talk about the concept you’re discussing instead). Discussions with colleagues about professional development. Or, a back-and-forth with a friend about a news item. You might be surprised what you find.

* Don’t forget the comments. Danny Brown recently talked about mining for gold in the comments section of your blog. I couldn’t agree more. After all, the comments are frequently more compelling than the actual post. Browse the comments in your own posts–and a few of your favorite blogs–for post ideas regularly.

* Take a favorite post and giver your perspective. Friends Scott Hepburn and Gini Dietrich just did this last week as they built off Jason Falls’ initial post about consultants offering incentive-based pricing. Great idea–wish we saw more of this “continuous conversation” post strategy.

A few additional ideas from friends and colleagues across the Web:

* See a random word, question or headline and twist it into a blog post. For example random words like “recipe,” “clash,” or “pyramid” could all be something to wrap a blog topic around some day. I push myself to find inspiration far outside the usual “echo chamber” – even through art and music — because I want to blog where no one has blogged before. (fantastic suggestions from Mark Schaefer)
* Check your Google Analytics. The phrases people search to arrive at your blog can be fascinating sources of ideas. Make sure to stop by Google Analytics regularly for a good look. (Great idea from Becky McCray)

* Reflect back on your week. Think back on the problems and challenges you faced during the workweek–and consider the solutions you came up with. Was it a particularly creative solution? If so, it would probably make a compelling post. Great idea by Christina Khoury.

*Insights from current projects. Think about your current client work. Is there a particularly interesting ethical challenge you’re facing? Or, maybe you took a different approach to a common problem. Whatever the case, there’s probably a post or two each week just in your everyday client work. (Nice add by Alison Lewis)

I’d like to close this post with a thoughtful comment from Edward Boches, chief creative officer at Mullen. I asked Edward what inspired him when it comes to posts. Here was his response:

“I find inspiration everywhere: industry news, new technologies, consumer behavior, the social dialog among the community of thought leaders I follow. I try not to make my blog a simple stream of what I’m seeing, hearing, reading, watching. Rather I want it to add real value to readers, peers, employees and clients. So my preference is to look for interesting things to dissect and take lessons from. For example, what can we learn from the NY Times use of social media? How can marketers obsession with Facebook teach us to be better at overall strategy? What does consumer participation in news events and story spreading tell us about how to mobilize our followers? What does it mean for the future of crowd-sourced video if the iPhone 4 lets you edit and post movies directly to YouTube. In short, I look for things that I can turn into lessons or meaning. That way I don’t simply regurgitate, but add value and clarify my own thinking in the process.”

Well said, Edward.

What inspires you when you’re trying to brainstorm post ideas? I’d love to hear more about your process.

5 Ways to Engage in Social Media in less than 65 minutes

2010-07-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

Posted by Darion Miller on Thu, Jul 22, 2010 @ 08:34 AM

There are many ways to engage in social media for your company. However, you have to make sure that you do not get sucked in to wasting time and not being efficient. Here are 5 ways to engage in social media for your company efficiently in less than 65 minutes:

Announce Major Milestones and Achievements

Announcing major milestones and achievements for your business not only makes your company look like its being progressive and has goals but it can worry your competition. Announce major new clients, new milestone in client quantity (500th Customer), or an award from your chamber of commerce.

Where to announce milestones and achievements:

• Your company blog

• An email blast to your client base

• Your social media reach

• Use a service like PRWEB. PRweb will send out a press release and you will get pick up by local news and possibly nationwide news.

Time: 20 Minutes

Announce New Product Offerings

Your industry is constantly evolving and new products and technologies are being released every year. Clients like to see that you are progressive and are very interested in new technology or product offerings believe it or not.

How to announce New Product offerings in social media:

Twitter: We just launched a new type of green cleaning chemicals. Check it out here (Link to your site) #GreenProducts #innovation

Facebook: Everyone we are getting greener every day. We are now using the greenest cleaning product brought to you by (Company/new product). Check out the details here: (Link)

Linkedin: In a discussion group in your industry ask: Has anyone use (list product)? We just switched to ( Product) how do you like it?

Time: 5 minutes

Engage in Linkedin Discussions in your Industry and Outside Your Industry

There is a linkedin group for just about every industry for the service industry. Join not only industry specific groups in your industry but also get involved in other industries. The reason is you never know how you can network with another industry group. For example an HVAC company in a group may be asking if there is a construction cleaning company they would recommend. If you are there to respond you will be able to network and get your name out there.

Time: 20 minutes

Keyword Search in Twitter, Linkedin & Facebook

Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have so much information about your prospects its like fishing in the ocean. Each of these social media sites have a search feature that will allow you to type specific keywords to find people in your area talking about problems they may be having. For example:

In twitter someone may tweet: Ugh my house is so dirty I need to get it cleaned #ineedtogetacleaner . For a cleaner this is a lead. Tweet back to this person and tell them what you have to offer.

You can also go as far as doing an advance search in Facebook and Twitter to add people with similar profile keywords that is related to your industry.

Time: 10 Minutes

ADD People!

Do not be afraid to add people to your network. The whole point of people involved in social media is to be social. If you are not going to engage with your audience or network social media would be a huge waste of time for you. Remember the point of social media is to gain an audience so people know who you are and use your services.

Time: 10 Minutes

Consumers Long for Authentic Products and Companies

2010-06-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

The premise is simple: Today’s consumers are "longing" for authenticity because they find so many fakes and phonies in their lives. If people believe a company, product or service is authentic, they will buy and support it. If they think the company, its products and/or services are inauthentic, the firm is labeled a fake and is headed for failure.

That is a scary scenario because it’s tough to be authentic these days. And, as any smart politician will confirm, it’s easy to get caught being inauthentic. Videos, tape recordings, reporters, bloggers, eyewitnesses, emails, websites, archives and whistle blowers expose fakes every day. It happens in government, business, media, education and even non-profits.

Authenticity Has to Be Demonstrated

Strategic management of knowledge, fast change and the increasingly intense competition from global businesses are the major business challenges today.

• The Geek Squad staging computer repairs as theater.

• Chipotle Mexican Grill backing up its "Food With Integrity" slogan by serving only meat from animals that have never received antibiotics.

• REI, promoting its outdoor gear by building a popular climbing wall and walking trail near its Seattle store.

They might have added Dove Soap’s "Self-Esteem Program" for girls and women.

"Stop saying what your offerings are through advertising and start creating places—permanent or temporary, physical or virtual—when people can experience what those offerings, as well as your enterprise, actually are."

Authentic Strategy Carries Risk

Once a company claims authenticity, it risks ruin if it doesn’t live up to that claim. For organizations that do not wish to take that risk, Gilmore and Pine provide another option: "Fake-Real."

Using that strategy, a company acknowledges that it is not entirely authentic, preferably in a humorous manner. As an example, they cite the commercial in which Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey brag extensively about Verizon phones, then turn to the camera and ask: "Can we have our money now?"

The authenticity is not in what is said about the product, but in the company’s acknowledgment that it is trying to sell something. That approach has a good chance of being well received in a society where so many people are in the selling business. The hope is that the company authenticity will carry over to its product.

6 Benefits of Paid Search for your Small Business

2010-05-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Pay per click advertising is a great form of paid advertising that gives your small business exposure on the web around the clock. Pay per click levels the playing field by giving your business the ability to compete with larger organizations and providing you with an opportunity to purchase keywords that you may not rank for organically. It is important that you maintain a healthy balance when it comes to PPC.

Unlike traditional marketing like postcard mailers where you have to wait weeks before you start to see results, PPC provides you with instant gratification. If you start a campaign today you will potentially see results today. The challenge with PPC is 75% of educated people click on the organic search listings, so it is important that you are working on optimizing your website and its content so that you place organically in the search engine results. With a fully optimized website you are capturing organic (free) traffic and it is the gift that keeps on giving. PPC has its place in your marketing plan and is a great source of leads since 25% of searchers click on pay per click advertisements.

Here are the benefits of PPC for your service business:

1. Capture a captive audience: PPC is a good way to capture a targeted visitor. You have the ability to control the keywords that trigger your advertisement appearing in the search engine results page. You also have the ability to construct a list of negative keywords that provide you the ability to prevent your ad from showing up.

2. Local Exposure: PPC engines like Google Adwords give you the ability to geotarget potential customers in your defined coverage area, so if you are a Boston heating contractor and want to generate leads from folks in Boston you will. You will not receive clicks from folks searching for heating contractors in Wisconsin.

3. National Visibility: If you are looking to attract a national audience and have the budget to do so you will be able to generate leads from folks thousands of miles away from your business.

4. Small initial investment – PPC engines like Google Adwords provide you with an opportunity to get started with a budget that works for your business. You can set daily limits or establish a budget that is spread over the course of the month. You will have control over the knobs and levers you push and pull to increase or decrease the flow of interested prospects.

5. Testing – PPC is a great way to gauge the interest and flow of traffic for a specific set of keywords or for a new product or service. If you find that a certain keyword is pulling in a satisfactory flow of traffic you can prioritize which content you would like to develop so you can start to rank for the keywords organically.

6. Measurable Results – PPC engines like Google Adwords provide you with the tracking tools that give you visibility into which campaigns resulted in a click to your ad. They also provide you with tracking tokens that you can embed on a form submission page that supply you with the measurement of clicks to leads.

2010-05-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

7 Life Changing Lessons Learned From Walt Disney

Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was a film producer, animator,entrepreneur, entertainer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, international icon, and philanthropist.

Walt is well-known for his influence in the entertainment industry during the twentieth century. Walt co-founded Walt Disney Productions with his brother Roy O. Disney and became one of the most famous motion picture producers of all time.

The company that he co-founded is now known as “The Walt Disney Company” and has annual revenues of approximately $35 Billion (US).

Walt and members of his staff created a number of the world's most famous fictional characters. This includes Mickey Mouse, whose original voice was Walt himself.

Walt has won 26 Academy Awards and he has earned 59 nominations; he has more awards and nominations than any other individual. Additionally, Walt has won seven Emmy Awards, and he is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, China, Japan, and France.

Clearly there is a ton to learn from Walt Disney. Let's take a look at 7 Life-Changing Lessons from Walt Disney:

Keep Things in Perspective

“A man should never neglect his family for business.”

Your family is your first business, and they should never be neglected in pursuit of "a dream." Your family must be part of your dream, and should remain within your focus. Never become so consumed in business affairs that you neglect the individuals whom you need most.
Competition is Good

“I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it.”

Competition makes you stronger, it makes you better, it keeps you on your toes. Never shrink away from competition; never fail to see the value of competition. Your competitors can provide you with more value than your friends. Learn from the competition, and you will grow.

It’s critical that you embrace competition as well as adversity, Walt Disney said, “All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”
Do What You Love

“Disneyland is a work of love. We didn't go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money.”

You must follow your passion, if you’re doing it just for the money, it probably won’t last. Passion is what gives you the strength to overcome the obstacles associated with every dream. Passion is what keeps you going when everyone else is tired…money can't do that for you, only passion; passion is power.
Do the Impossible

“It's kind of fun to do the impossible.”

Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Life is too short to spend it doing the possible. Learn to pursue the impossible, pursue what others say can’t be done, pursue what has never been done before, pursue your dreams, and turn them into a reality.

You must believe in the beauty of your dreams. Walt said, “When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” If you’re going to believe, you might as well believe all the way.
Action Always Trumps Inaction

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

I always say that “well done” is better than “well said,” so quit talking and start doing! Quit planning and start practicing; a plan is good, a good plan is even better, but if that plan doesn’t get put into action it’s as useless as a four fingered glove. Learn to get into action, start today, whatever you’ve been postponing …just do it. If you wait for the perfect time, you’ll never accomplish anything.

It Takes a Village

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

Isaiah wrote, “Without a vision, the people perish.” But I think it’s worth noting that without people, the vision will perish. Never forget that you need people; never forget that your life is about serving others. When you serve others, you serve yourself.

Get Better Daily

“Whenever I go on a ride, I'm always thinking of what's wrong with the thing and how it can be improved.”

Everyday you should become a little better than you were the day before. If you can become one percent better daily, you can recreate your life every 100 days. Learn to get better daily; look for ways to improve, to be kinder, more intelligent, and more helpful.

In Closing
Let us remember that Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along.

What Buyers Want from Your Website

2010-02-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

We all know our website is a key part of our marketing and lead generation strategy. But when prospects visit your site, what are they looking for? What do they want to see, and what do they consider most important? To find out, RainToday surveyed more than 200 buyers of B2B services -- in companies of all sizes -- to rate the importance of various elements of a service provider's website.

The top 4 elements should come as no surprise:

■ Service descriptions (87%)

■ Description of industries served (78%)

■ Success stories / case studies (73%)

■ Professional website design and presentation (69%)

These elements are the core of most firms' websites. If something is amiss here, it will raise major questions with buyers from the get-go. Getting these elements in place is just the price of entering the game.
However, if you want to win clients, don't overlook the remaining six elements. Even podcasts and audio content, at the bottom of the list, were rated by 40% of decision makers as being "extremely" or "very important" when deciding to make initial contact with a service provider.
Whatever marketing you are doing, the first stop for most buyers is a visit to your website. It can either draw them in further with online resources and content, podcasts, videos, and news, or it can say the same thing as your competitors' sites, providing a laundry list of services and a nice look, but neither helping nor hurting your chances to start or enhance a relationship.

Web Elements Working Together - An Example

Say you are going to run a webinar. You may send an invitation by email (a top way to generate attendance at webinars), directing buyers to register for the event on your website. During the registration process, you can ask them to sign up for your newsletter, allowing you to add them to ongoing marketing communications. And, on the confirmation page, you can direct them to blog posts, case studies, or podcasts on related topics to the event, further engaging them with your brand and thought-leading content.

Pull People to You

You can go a step further and share information about the webinar and the related content items via social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. Doing this allows you to reach your followers and fans, some of whom may not be on your email list, as well as enhancing your Web presence. As more people use the Web to find services, you want to make sure you have compelling content that is findable in search engines and draws people to you.

Buyers may not indicate elements such as blog posts, podcasts, and video as being the most important features of a website, but leveraging content can really help your product or service stand out in a crowded marketspace.

What type of content do you have available on your website?

Authentic Marketing vs. Self Promotion

2010-01-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

Many people are turned off by marketing because they see it as self-serving advertising aimed at taking money from people. I’ve seen loads of this type of shameless, self-promotion out there, and it’s a turn off. Of course, you wouldn’t want to be known as that type of self-promoter.

The conundrum is that, as an entrepreneur, you have to get your message out there in a big way and, as a coach, you want to live on purpose. You want to grab attention without being pushy, and make sincere promises to deliver that don’t violate your integrity. Without applying pressure, you want to inspire clients to take the action you know they need to take. And without using a gimmick, you want to appeal to a sense of urgency. You want to attract the attention of the people who need you and let them know that you’re the answer to their prayers. And you need to communicate full-out so that those people can find you! Otherwise, you’re a well-kept secret!

So how do you put it out there in a way that feels aligned with your values–where you feel genuine and filled with integrity?

Authentic Marketing
The answer is to market authentically, to learn how to communicate in a clear, sincere, and compelling way. Marketing shouldn’t be slinging sales talk at someone or getting on a soapbox. Authentic marketing is having a real conversation that speaks to someone’s needs. Its genesis is in uncovering your passion, finding its voice and allowing it to be heard. It’s a dialogue that flows from the inside out.

To uncover your passion, you need to reconnect to your vision—why you started your business in the first place. When you do that, you’ll clear the mental cobwebs and connect back to what has always been there but got mucked over by those voices that play in your head. Tapes like “I’m not a sales type. I don’t have the personality for it.” “I don’t want to be intrusive.” “I don’t like to talk about myself.” “I’m embarrassed that people might think I need money.”

People are attracted when you speak from your passion. When you are in touch with your gift, your energy shifts and a meaningful, natural conversation can open. You speak in ways that illumine opportunities; that make space for transformation. You share your belief in the person’s ability to change and invite that person to try on a new way of thinking and being. When your agenda is pure, others are attracted to your clear and obvious commitment to help them create change.

When you re-connect to your love of facilitating positive change for others, your marketing will be transformed because you have been transformed from salesperson into instrument of change.

You then become fearless about speaking about the solutions you bring forward. You find this space within you where marketing is no longer a drag. It’s exhilarating; in fact, it’s feels a lot like falling in love with your gift, again, and enrolling others in that feeling. Remember the first day of coach training? How in love you felt with this way of being in the world? What could be more powerful and satisfying?

To market authentically to those we want to serve means that we communicate and show up in ways that respect their sensibilities, speak to their intelligence, and honor their ability to discern for themselves what they will buy.

What does your messaging convey?

Does your heart and purpose shine through your words and way of being?

What will it take for you to shift your marketing messages from promotion to authentic contribution?

What is Direct Marketing?

2010-01-18T11:06:00.000-08:00

The traditional definition of Direct Marketing is: a marketing discipline that seeks to elicit an action (such as an order or a request for further information) from a selected group of customers in response to a communication. The communication may be in any of a variety of media and response should be measurable.

The world of the direct marketer has changed with the proliferation of online and digital media, changes in consumer preferences and access to information, and the move towards insights-based marketing. The differentiator that DM once owned – the ability to measure results – is now a requirement for most, if not all, disciplines and media.

Taking all of this into account, BIG drafted a new definition: Direct Marketing is the use of media to directly engage targeted audiences to drive profitable business results.

However, while preparing this blog to invite input from clients & the industry, I realized that the definition needs to go one step further and expand on DM’s measurability factor.

I propose an even more refined definition:

Direct Marketing is the use of media to directly engage targeted audiences to drive profitable business results that can be tracked, recorded, analyzed and stored for future retrieval and use.

So, what do you think?

2010 Brings Brands 10 Golden Digital Opportunities

2010-01-08T17:20:00.000-08:00

2010 Brings Brands 10 Golden Digital Opportunities

Looking ahead to 2010, marketers will be facing Olympic hurdles that will require steadfast agility just to stay in the game, much less to hit the finish line ahead of the competition. Here are 10 ideas, wrapped in Olympic glory that should deliver the gold.

1. Social Media: A Marathon, Not a Sprint

Hoping to become fast friends with their targets, a lot of brands rushed into Facebook and Twitter in the last 24 months without investing sufficient time or resources. In 2010, savvy marketers will increase their commitment to social media by first listening and then offering up a steady stream of engaging content that their fans actually want. This will be particularly true for B2B brands, only 38% of whom included social media in their 2008 marketing plans (vs. 71% for B2C brands). With one comScore study indicating that branded social media activities can have a multiplier effect on search results, there is even a quantifiable rationale for brands to up the social media ante in 2010.

2. Mash-Ups: Taking Inspiration from Biathlons

A few innovative marketers took a shot at mash-ups in 2009. E.P. Carrillo, a new cigar manufacturer, created a mesmerizing Twitter and Google Maps mash-up for its "coming soon" site that tracks cigar tweets from around the world. In 2010, these kinds of mash-ups will become smoking hot as marketers look to extend the value of their social media activities. Recognizing that tech-savvy consumers glide seamlessly between personal and business, online and offline, mobile and desktop, farsighted marketers will bring together formerly disparate elements into a cohesive and self-perpetuating social media experience.

3. App Happy: On Your Mark, Get Set, Go Crazy

Given the success a handful of marketers enjoyed with their "apps" in 2009, expect a blaze of new entries in 2010. iPhone apps that provide demonstrable utility like Kraft's iFood Assistant recipe finder and Benjamin Moore's color matcher will continue to gain traction. Expect more app's that integrate with other social media like the Gap StyleMixer that allows you to mix and match clothes and share them with friends on Facebook. And don't forget the non-iPhone universe. The steakhouse Maloney and Porcelli cooked up a humorous and somewhat deviant web-based app at Expense A Steak that extrudes faux expense reports with stunning verisimilitude.

4. Measure Up: Track Every Second

With more dollars earmarked for social media, marketers will undoubtedly use new tools to monitor the conversations that are happening with or without them. Radian6 and Scout Labs emerged in 2009 as two of the leading social media monitoring tools. And while these tools are great, each requires a sizeable commitment by the marketer in time of staff, a commitment that can and does pay off. Just ask JetBlue who manages to enhance customer loyalty daily by responding to any and every customer Tweet within minutes, following 117,000 on Twitter, and in the process generating over 1.3 million followers.

5. POV Power: Don't Just Talk the Talk

While lots of brands raced into social media in 2009, few established true connections with their targets. The reality is that consumers engage with brands that they like on a visceral level and that provide a distinct perspective on the world. Aflac's Duck quacks up a gaggle of quirky content, including charitable requests that appeal to over 161,000 fans on Facebook and 3,000+ followers on Twitter. Meanwhile, Geico's Gecko has been left in the social media dust due to its surprisingly dry and unresponsive online voice. Ironically, a brand by definition is a point-of-view that once clearly defined should guide all communications, social or otherwise.

6. Expose Yourself: Win the Crowd With Honesty
The emergence of several "tell all" consumer-created sites signals the arrival of a new era of honesty and transparency - especially for brands targeting those under 35. Sites like fmylife.com, textsfromlastnight.com and MyParentsJoinedFacebook.com reflect a generation willing to bare and share all without the least trepidation. Even the emergence of "Untag Mondays" speaks to the socially acceptable norm of posting embarrassing content that one might not want a parent or employer to see. Marketers that share this sense of honesty, that admit mistakes and address shortcomings in real-time will find a youthful army of comrades willing to do their bidding. As Comcast discovered, this kind of honesty can even transform a PR nightmare into an industry-leading customer service.

7. Hold the Presses: Major Comebacks are Possible

Though a 50% decline in ad pages certifies 2009 as the worst year in its history, don't write off print as a viable media channel just yet. Over 80% of US consumers still subscribe to at least one magazine and 83% believe newspapers are still relevant. Experimenting with video in print pubs like Entertainment Weekly is but one of the ways certain magazine segments will hold onto their targets and satisfy their advertisers. Fashion magazines and enthusiast pubs continue to offer a visual showcase that is far superior to what most e-pubs can serve up. Models, both human and auto, simply look prettier in print. And while P&G shut down its 72-year-old TV soap opera Guiding Light in 2009, they are cranking up the presses with the custom published glossy, Rouge, which expects to reach a whopping 11 million North American households in 2010.

8. Go to the Video: Separate from the Pack

The emergence of viral video rankings in 2009 reflected the mainstreaming of this approach to audience engagement. While everyone and their branded brother aspired to cut through with a viral hit, surprisingly few found an audience. In 2010, marketers will undoubtedly crank out more of the same while a savvy few will worry less about mass reach and focus more on grass roots appeal, providing content that their core target really wants. B2B marketers in particular will find that using informative videos that transform the complicated into the comprehensible, like Commoncraft's Plain English videos, will generate quality leads from grateful prospects.

9. Mobile Media: Catching Up at Last

Despite all the hype by this author and others, less than a third of marketers had a budget for mobile in 2009. In 2010, smart phone penetration should rise to at least 25% (from 17% in Q2 '09) making it a lot easier to deliver a rich mobile experience worthy of consumer attention. The blending of mobile and social apps like Facebook, Loop'd and Twitter has also created a new openness towards this medium. Given the desirable demographics (18-34, HH income $75k+) of smartphone owners, at minimum, marketers should give strong consideration to creating a mobile friendly website, thus allowing prospects to engage whenever and wherever they happen to be.

10. Be Positive: Attitude is Everything

While honesty is a worthy friend to marketers, don't forget that almost no one wants to date a Debbie Downer. A recent poll by Adweek/Harris found "relative little enthusiasm and lots of indifference for ads that refer to the downturn." Even if the economy is slow to recover in 2010, find the silver lining for your customers and prospects with both words and actions. Like the athletes whose positive outlooks and superior skills propel them to victory, so, too, can marketers find success with an upbeat message and an unimpeachable value proposition.

Go for the Gold in 2010!

5 Ways to Grow Your Local Business With Social Media

2010-01-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

5 Ways to Grow Your Local Business With Social Media

By Daniel King @ BIG (Business Interactive Group) – Jan 5th 2010

Let’s face it; most small businesses do the bulk of their business locally. So, the thought of gaining access to Facebook’s 300 trillion users (may be more by now) isn’t that relevant or useful.

However, if those local businesses could use the some of the new powerful online tools and platforms to gain access to the 200-300 social media users in their town, now that might just make some sense.

There are many ways to filter, sort, aggregate and otherwise take advantage of social media tools that can specifically benefit even the smallest neighborhood oriented business.

Below are five things any local business can do to get more business using social media tools

1) Start a Local Group Online

Most social network platforms offer some form of group creation. Any member has the ability to start a group around a niche or pretty much any topic – including a local topic. Sites such as Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn and Slideshare all allow members to create and manage groups.

For example here’s a local independent merchant group in Austin, TX using a Flickr Group to promote it’s “Keep Austin Weird” slogan.

This Boston Networking Group on LinkedIn was founded by Jeff Popin, owner of BostonEventGuide.com. With over 3,000 members, there’s a pretty good bet this group serves as a conduit for Popin’s main business locally.

2) Find and Network with Local Bloggers

Using tools such as Placeblogger, outside.in, Bloglines you can locate bloggers in your community that might have an interest in writing about your business or industry or actively linking to your blog.

Networking with relevant bloggers locally, commenting on their blog posts, and maybe even contributing a post is a great way to create additional local exposure. Don’t forget to seek out and add blogs from traditional media publications locally as well. Most radio, TV and news journalists have been asked to write a blog as part of their job, these can be great local social media contacts if you take the time to build relationships though their blogs.

3) Hold Meetups and Tweetups

Using a social media tool like MeetUp, you create and promote local events and tap the user base of MeetUp to create additional awareness about your seminars, product demonstrations, open houses, and grand openings.

Here a home remodeler in Encinitas, CA is offering a workshop on green remodeling through MeetUP.

TweetUps, a gathering of people in a community using Twitter, have become very popular ways to meet others locally that believe in the power of social media. That alone can be enough common ground to network on. Search locally for the term TweetUp and don’t be surprised to find one schedule in your community.

The online social media network Biznik allows members to join its online platform, but belong to a local community and promote in-person local events on the site.

4) Find local leads

Finding local prospects or potential strategic partners on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter is pretty simple through the use of the powerful search interfaces built into all. Simply searching by City is a great way to find other people using social media in your community. A service such as Twellowhood or LocalTweeps may aid in your search to find other businesses in your community using Twitter.

Many smart marketers are also employing some of the advanced features of Twitter Search to find people locally and filter their tweets to turn up leads. An auto body shop might set-up searches for people talking about being in an accident and reach out to them with advice for what to do to get the best quote. A computer network service provider can use advanced search to find people locally complaining about their network being down.

Naked Pizza in New Orleans uses Twitter to publish exclusive offers to followers and attributes a significant rise in business using to this tactic.

Cupcakes on Wheels, a Los Angeles mobile cupcake business, tweets its location throughout the day so followers can find its signature brown vans.

Facebook’s Ad Targeting is also another great way to reach only local prospects on the Facebook platform. One of the targeting criteria is geography, so you can create ads that promote your web site or Facebook Fan page that are only shown to people in the geographic region you choose

5) Enhance Local Search Results

No matter how you put social media to use to create engagement locally, simply creating profiles on dozens of social media sites and linking those sites with local keyword content back to your main web site will help your site do better when people search locally. Creating very brand and local optimized profiles on sites like YouTube, Flickr and Slideshare will help with overall links to your site. Creating and enhancing local profiles on Google Maps, Yahoo and Bing Local will help you show up higher in the local results.

Finally, don’t forget to get active with the social review sites like Yelp! and Insider Pages. Ask, and even teach, your local customers hot to write reviews about your business. Currently Google Maps and Bing Local add these reviews to their local profile database too.

Using the technology and ability to access large groups of social media users locally has become a proven small business marketing tactic and is a great way to further enhance the face-to-face relationship building you already do.

Daniel King is a marketing and digital technology coach, web & interactive expert and owner of BIG – Business Interactive Group @ 2010.