Inbound Internet Marketing

Target Marketing: Good News for Small Businesses!

2012-01-12T13:44:37-05:00

The days of buying the whole pie are over.

Small and medium size retailers were stuck with paying a lot money for advertising that they didn’t needed. The theory with Newspapers, Radio, Television and many other mainstream adverting is that you had to buy the whole pie in order to get the slice you wanted.

So if you wanted Women who were 24 – 35 who were interested in Sailing and lived no more than 10 miles from your store, you had to buy advertising that was shown to an audience that was comprised of 95% of people you did NOT want to have a conversation and PAY for the pleasure of talking to them.

That doesn’t make sense.

Finally we are seeing tools that help small and medium size businesses reach people they really want to have a conversation with. One of these tools if Facebook Ads.

I like the Facebook Ad platform. It allows you to use the fairly painless interface to set up ads that target the demo you are looking for. So if I want Women who are 24-35 and are interested in sailing and live no more than 10 miles from your store, you can set up and ad that will be shown only to that demographic. And it is pay per click (none of that impression nonsense which is 95% fraud….don’t get me started…).

They other bonus is that you are reaching people that are using Social Media so the chance that the will spread your message to others is high.

A starter Radio program in a major market is $15,000 (any less you might as well put your money in a shredder…the $15k is not guaranteed to bring in ANY new business). With Facebook Ads you can start your program and adjust the message or landing page as the results come in.

With Facebook Ads you are talking to the demographic you want, in a limited geographical area who are social engaged and you only pay for interested parties. Not bad…not bad at all.

Grading how the 2012 Republican Candidates for President are using Twitter

2011-08-01T09:01:00-04:00

Last Presidential Election President Obama used Twitter in an effective way. It didn’t hurt to have one of the co-founders of Facebook helping him. Obama had many followers and followed many people (which is key). He used Twitter to promote exclusive content and participated in the conversation.

Since the field of Republican Candidates for 2012 is heating up we are going to take a look at who is using Twitter wisely and who doesn’t have a clue.

Grade F Jon Huntsman (Followers: 6,462 Following: 88 Tweets: 23) Huntsman present Twitter program is not only bad but embarrassing. Whoever is advising Huntsman on Social Media needs to go….now. It is the triple header of awful. Pathetic followers followed by few Tweets and poor Following. Not only is Huntsman not using Twitter in an effective manner these numbers make his campaign look ridiculous.

Grade D- Ron Paul (Following: 15,191 Following: 96 Tweets: 121) We did not except Ron Paul to be really into Social Media. Since he was born before electricity was invented to would be a large leap to expect him to using Twitter effectively. Ron Paul has a solid base. He has supporters that are passionate about his views. Twitter could be a cheap and effective tool for him to energize his base. His team is missing a great opportunity. They should at the very least look at what Michelle Bachman is doing with Twitter. Like Paul her base is committed to their cause and know their way around social media.

Grade D Mitt Romney (Followers: 59,986 Following: 217 Tweets: 486) It is great to have a lot of people following you but what are you doing with that resource? Following only 217 shows you are NOT having a conversation. And the 486 Tweets show you are not providing nearly enough content. Romney could and should be doing a lot better. His Twitter usage is making him look dumb and we all know Mitt Romney is not stupid. The other problem is small message verses big message. Romney seems to have a problem with small message (see Michelle Bachman’s review) and he is starting to look like the antimatter Hillary Clinton (and we all know what happen to Hillary in 2008).

Grade D+ Rich Santorum (Followers: 12,158 Following: 66 Tweets: 854) Obviously there are problems here. But I do like how the Santorum team is starting to use Twitter. 854 tweets is a good sign that they are sending out good content. The problem is that they are not following enough people. If they want an explosion of followers they should increase their following to a few thousand key social mavens (people who actively add content to the conversation that reflect their views) and start ReTweeting content (the best compliment you can give a Tweeter is a RT). Once people know you are in the conversation they will come flocking.

Grade C- Tim Pawlenty (Followers: 44,467 Following: 1,470 Tweets: 649) The Pawlenty team show some hope that they are starting to get it. The “Follower to Following” ratio is still off but heading in the right direction. 649 Tweets is not a bad start. Pawlenty Social Media team has to more cross promotion through multiply social media platform (Ping.fm is a great tool). Put something on Facebook…Tweet it. Goes to a rally…Tweet it. Good article in the news…Tweet it. ReTweet people that you are following that make great content. You are in the game but you need to try harder.

Grade C Herman Cain (Followers: 50,945, Following: 1,761 Tweets: 1,329) The Hermanator has done a good job in getting followers but a fair job in following back. Cain also has a nice grass root movement going on and Twitter is a perfect tool for him to use to expand his base. The 1,329 Tweets means that he is using Twitter to get his message out but if he empowered some of his followers that are true social media mavens by ReTweeting his grade would increase to a “B” in no time.

Grade C+ Sarah Palin (Followers: 603,919 Following: 116 Tweets: 985) Points for having over 600,000 followers but only following 116? That is just plain wrong. It just shows that the Palin Camp is not interested in having a conversation. If you don’t engage people your content will not be going viral. Palin just has to make a statement and most of the news outlets in the country are going to air it. But Twitter gives Palin the opportunity to speak directly to social mavens that would spread her message across the web. Her base uses Social Media very well and it would benefit her to increase your presence. The Palin Camp’s present Twitter strategy is a missed opportunity.

Grade B- Newt Gingrich (Followers 1,325,980 Following: 454 Tweets: 2,645) Newt, like his campaign, beats to a different drummer. Over a million followers he should be slamming Twitter. But following only 454 people is woefully inadequate. 2,654 Tweets is a good start but it is not really a conversation. More listening to his followers and less talking would be a good start. But we know Newt will be Newt.

Grade B+ Michele Bachman (Followers 62,532 Following: 17,536 Tweets: 775) It is not a surprise that Bachman gets the highest Twitter grade. Her campaign is starting to look like Obama’s in 2008 (in some alternate Universe) as Romney is looking more like Hillary Clinton (again some mirrored reality). Romney seems to running on big money and big message. Bachman is taking the more micro route. She is using Social Media and small groups of connectors that will relay her message to her base. This is very smart because it cost A LOT less than traditional “big message” and history has shown that early big three primaries (Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina) like the small message. Bachman knows her base. The Tea Party uses Twitter and other social media outlets very well. There are some great Tea Party Twitters out there. Bachman is definitely in the conversation.

The great thing about Social Media and Inbound Internet Marketing is that it not too late to change your strategy and it doesn’t cost a lot to do so. Plus the benefits are great. It will be interesting to see how the Republican Candidates for President move forward.

Car Dealerships: Five Reason While You Should Stop Advertising in Newspapers

2011-07-19T09:02:00-04:00

One of the only things holding up some Newspapers up is revenues from car dealerships. The Auto Industry spends more money on advertising than any other sector. For some reason Auto Dealerships are stuck on print. They are addicted. Once they realize how little print is doing for them and how Inbound Internet Marketing can give them they finally may end their dependence.

Here are five reasons why car dealerships should use Inbound Internet Marketing:

First reason why Auto Dealers should not be using print advertising: It is way too expensive. You are pouring thousands and thousands of dollars in to print ads. Yes it will drive people in the showroom but at what cost? How much does it cost you to get a body in the door? The latest stats show you have to pay $375 in print advertising to get a lead. With Inbound Internet Marketing you can spend $154 to get a lead (and I would agrue much better lead). If you give 41% of your print budget to someone working in Inbound Internet Marketing they can give you ROI and leads MUCH less then what you are paying to advertise in newspapers that no one is reading (and don’t get me started on newspaper websites and their $12 CPM).

Second, you are wasting your money on a demographic that is (to say the least) limited. The average age of a reader of the Boston Globe is 43 (43!). And that number is getting older by the day. You are missing man and women in the 25-40 age brackets. Let me say that again. YOU ARE TOTALLY MISSING THE 25-40 AGE GROUP (for Men and Women)! Inbound Internet Marketing pinpointed your advertising to any age group. You want Women 25-35 to see an ad. No problem. You want Men 30-40? No problem. You want Men 25-35 who love to watch football. No problem. And all this is MUCH cheaper then print and will come with solid ROI.

Third, you look dumb. There is a brave new world in advertising. And you want to look like you are at least keeping up with the new trends in advertising. Inbound Internet Marketing is being used by many businesses. They are getting terrific ROI and appealing to a high end audience that are social contectors. These social connectors will forward your message to other social connectors and that's how things go viral. There is a whole new generation used to using online tools in order to chose what car they want and where there are going to purchase it. Print advertising not only doesn’t reach this core demographic but the message is wrong.

Fourth, print causes you to relay a dumb message. Yes price is very important to the consumer. Print ads are screaming about your latest deals. But so is every other car dealership. You need to rise above the clutter. Inbound Internet Marketing lets you tailor your message and change it on the fly. You can do “test” messages for a very small fee until you find the right ad that will engage targeted customers. Instead of shouting your message from a very crowded mountain top you can use a forward thinking message that will engage a demographic you are not reaching with print ads.

Fifth, Inbound Internet Marketing will bring in a new sector of customers that are affluent, educated and are social connectors. All car dealers should know who much they need to spend in advertising to get a customer to walk in the door. Plus how many customers they need to attract in order to make a sale. With Inbound Internet Marketing you can drive customers to a web page that has an offer ($500 off a new car). The customer prints it out and brings it in. Proven ROI! Give us half of the print budget and we can bring in customers that are affluent with proven ROI. Plus the customers that Inbound Internet Marketing attracts will be social connectors and will spread your message to others.

The one caveat that Car Dealers need to understand that once Inbound Internet Marketing brings in the customer it is up to you to provide ridiculous customer service and become a trusted resource in your field. The end result will be well worth the trouble.

Small Businesses: Six steps to starting your email newsletter

2011-06-29T09:02:00-04:00

There have been some different opinions about Email Marketing. Some feel that it does not fit into an Inbound Internet Marketing strategy. I have to disagree. Email Marketing is a great tool for small and medium size business. Here are some steps on how you can get started.

First, build a list. You need to ask your customers if they want to participate during check out and have a few small signs in the store. Offer a discount on the next purchase if they sign up. Something like “10% you next purchase over $100”. Make sure the offer is attainable. You want customers to come back and spend more money. Put a thirty day expiration date on it so there is a “call to action”. It is cheap marketing to offer a discount to people in exchange for their email address. Since they are going to get a coupon you can be sure it will be one of their primary accounts. And of course you have an easy “opt out” if people don’t want to receive your newsletter.

Second, pick an email marketing program. Constant Contact, iContact and others are very good (I like iContact). They have free trails or even free applications so you can try it out with no upfront cost. Plus they have customer service you can talk to or contact online. They also have templates you can use. Remember simple is best. As Seth Godin says. “Be brief, be brilliant, be gone.”

Third is send a email “newsletter” every two weeks (no more no less). You can get away with contacting your customers via email about once every two weeks. Any additional emails during the month may be considered spam. Try to keep a regular schedule of sending email. People will get used to receiving them and will be more likely to opening them.

Fourth is break out your newsletter to a formula of: New Offer (some type of discount or special), Section of your bestselling goods or services (20% of your inventory make up 80% of your sales), Something New (new good or service or a bundle package of items) and lastly a “fun contest”. Trivia or guessing contest that is related to your business. If you are a coffee bar maybe, “Name the three top producing coffee countries?” Answer: Brazil, Vietnam and Columbia.

Fifth is ask for feedback. Leave a section on how you can better serve your customers better? How can the newsletter better? How can anything be better? It will let you know what your customers are thinking and your customers will be more invested in your business. You can even have a contest that the best idea wins a prize.

Sixth is have fun. Put in pictures. Staff factoids. And other silly stuff. If you are having fun doing it people will have fun reading.

Of course you can contact us any time a www.inboundinternetmarketing or email us at info@inboundinternetmarketing with any questions. We are here to help and would love hearing from you. We have been working with small and medium size business for over 20 years and we would love to help you.

Are you providing ridiculous customer service?

2011-05-03T07:09:00-04:00

No matter what business you are in you are in the customer service business. Accepted it now. Small and medium size businesses ask me “How much customer service did I need to offer?” The answer is a “ridiculous amount”.

You must be offering so much customer service that your customers are contemplating getting a restraining order on you because you are calling and bothering them so much to insure their absolute bliss with your product and/or service.

Also you need to be listening. Sometime great customer service is just listening. When one of my customer’s call me I try to just listen first. Why are they upset? Do they feel valued by me?

If they are not feeling valued by me I try my best to let them know I value their business (no matter how big or small they are) and I am willing to go the extra mile to help them feel valued.

My wife and I went to the Bed, Bath and Beyond in the Landmark Center in Boston on Saturday and I experienced a very high level of customer love.

First we walked in the store and there was a greeter. Nice. Then we started looking for a few items and any time we had trouble there was a staff person close by and they were very helpful. Off to the next item. Couldn’t find it and then “poof” another staff person walked us over to it.

Had to go to customer service and there were three people behind the counter to help.

We pick up our four things, ourselves and our “20% coupon” and went to the check out. Two people were in front of us. Poof! A person appears with a radio to say wait in this lane and someone will be right there. Poof! A very nice check out person appeared and had us check out ASAP. I had to validate my parking. Poof! The check out person took my ticket and walked it over to the customer service center and stamped my ticket and handed it back to me. At this point I am giddy.

We must have interacted with at least six (6) employees. All were great and very helpful. I left the store thinking. “I would like to go back there. They value me.”

Bed, Bath and Beyond (Fenway, Boston, MA) did a great job. I left there feeling very valued. We all have walked in stores with no one around or many staffers around and no one helping. Everyone was chipping in here.

40% of people don’t return to a retail location because they are treated with indifference. Not badly. Just with indifference.

Every interaction you have with your customer is important. You need to be listening at all times and you need to make sure they feel valued or that will be the last time you see them.

What you need to know before you place a Groupon Ad

2011-04-22T07:01:00-04:00

Groupon is making serious waves in internet marketing. Customers for a wide vary number of demographics are buying Groupon coupons. A wide selection of small and medium size retailers, members of the service industry and restaurants are signing up for the program. The program is so popular that retailers are on a long waiting list in such areas of Boston to use the program.

So how should small and medium size business get ready for a Groupon campaign? Here are some steps you need to do to make sure you are ready for a Groupon and you maximize your program.

1) You are about to get a large number of new and old customers. Are you ready? Have you stocked up on inventory? Has your ad on Groupon targeted certain aspects of your business so the low profit items are not included? Do customers have to spend a minimum before the ad kicks in? Do you have enough staff? Do they know about the ad? Remember you are going to see some new people and you must provide higher than expected customer service. All small and medium size business are in the service industry (like it or not) and are content publishers (for another blog).

2) Tracking. How are you going to track what coupons are cashed in from new customers and what coupons come from old customers? What are the Groupon Customers buying? Are they just using the offer or are they buying additional items? You need to have your staff ask questions. Try to get as much information out of the customers without bothering them (easier said then done). Track everything. You are paying a lot of money to have this coupon so you need to find out what is working and where are your customers coming from.

3) Retention. How are you going to make these first time shoppers regular customers? You have spent a lot of money running this campaign you need to make some of these new customers regular customers. Have them sign up for your email list, Facebook page or Twitter account. Publicize that they will receive special offers that will only be published on these platforms. Give them a “Groupon Groupon”. If they use a Groupon coupon they will receive a special coupon for $5 off their next $100 purchase (or some type of offer that will not cause a lot of profit loss). You staff should be on extra alert after the coupon runs. Service is everything for small and medium size business. If you are not nice to them they will go somewhere else.

I have mixed feeling about Groupon ads. For the consumer they are great. I have bought some myself. For small and medium size business they are can be a mixed bag. Before you schedule your Groupon Ad make sure your review your business to make sure that you are getting the most bang for your buck for your advertising dollar.

Four Social Media Tools That Every Restaurant Needs To Be Using

2011-04-14T07:03:00-04:00

Restaurants, bars, bar/restaurants not only are doing well with Inbound Internet Marketing but need to have a social media persona in order to compete in today’s marketplace.

By nature restaurants need a tribe to appear every night in order to stay in business. People come because they enjoy the food or they are there to hang out. Restaurant owners and marketing people must take advantage of this opportunity (because if you don’t others will). So how to start?

First you must be aware and active on four social media tools:

Yelp – Yelp is an internet based website that reviews business. Most of the reviews are based on the service industry and focused on restaurants. If you have a fairly active restaurant then you probably have a listing created on the site. You need to take ownership of this listing. This is fairly easy to do. If you do have any questions email me and I will walk you through it (for free!).

You need to be paying attention to what people are saying about you. You may have some good reviews and maybe some not so good reviews. Listen to what the reviews are saying. Leave a note for the good reviews and address the negative (in a positive constructive way) is very important.

As in life the negative reviews will teach you more lessons then the positive and customers may not be always right but they are never wrong.

foursquare – Mostly a smart phone app (but you can access it online) allows people to “checkin” a restaurant or bar. People can win “badges” or become “Mayor” of a location by checking in. Members can see “reviews” and comments others have made. I think foursquare will take over Yelp in the future. So you must take ownership of your location….NOW! Also I really like foursquare’s ability to let people check in to a location and receive an offer from the owner. Check in and get a free app with dinner. Reward your Mayor (the person who has checked in the most). Why? Because not only do they like your place but they are social media savy and will spread you good will to others.

OpenTable – A site used to take online reservations but also has reviews. You need to be aware of what people are saying about you. At the very least you need to join this site and track the buzz about your place.

Google Alerts – Go to Google Alerts and get alerts concerning your restaurants name. If someone makes a online comment you may get a alert on it. This is not a fool proof method but it helps.

There…four social media sites you need to know if you are a restaurant, bar or bar/restaurant. Want more tips how you should be using social media? Email me and I will be happy to help. john@inboundinternetmarketing.com

Small Business: You may want to bet it all on black.

2011-03-28T07:02:00-04:00

I read a recent article where it stated that over 50% of business close before their fifth anniversary. I think that is way off. It is more like 80%.

To start a business with a retail location in an urban area of the United States you need at least $250,000 in cash. No bank is going to give you business loan. You can take a home equity line on your house. But of course that is risky stuff.

A lot of new small business owners quit their day job so there is no income coming in and they are going to have to pay for health insurance out of pocket (if they haven’t been already).

Most small business will tell you that they have not started paying themselves for at least a year or two out (that is if they make it).

I seen fairly conservative people quit good jobs, mortgage their house, run up their credit cards to open a retail location driven business. Their risk aversion goes from mild mannered middle class to Donald Trump. But they don’t have a billion to fall back on.

If you walk into a Vegas Casino you can place a bet on red or black on the roulette wheel. You have about a 50/50 shot. For many small business owners they had a better chance betting on black then opening a store. Plus you don’t have to go through the emotional pain, long hours and torture of watching your life savings burn away.

If you are considering opening a small business you better get some things right out of the gate. As I mentioned in many posts you better know what you are selling and who are your customers. You will not be able to afford advertising or public relations. But you are in luck. Social media can fill most of those cracks.

You can become a “trusted resource” in your industry. Build a tribe of followers. You can maximize your contact with customers. You can look like a big player while you keep your costs down. There is little need to start out with a retail location. You can build your business while you keep your day job and not pay rent. Build your business first and if need be you can find space.

But do your homework. There is a lot you can do without diving into the deep end of the pool and putting your entire financial future on a less then 50/50 chance.

People like myself (and there are others around) will be more then happy to sit down (no cost for free evaluation) and talk to you about your plans (I have been working with small business for 25 years). If you have launched a new business we can help you use social media more efficiently. Reach out we are happy to help.

So before you cash out your 401K, take that second mortgage on the house, quit your day job there is a whole list of things you can do right now.

Or if you want to take the plunge you can always walk into a Casino and put is all on black. At least that way you will you know right away if you made it.

The NY Times latest suicide attempt

2011-03-22T06:07:00-04:00

It is sad to see the old “grey lady” make such an obvious attempted to take her life. I can’t help but look back at the good old days when the New York Times was the paper of record. You needed to have a subscription.

Then everything changed. The internet boom of the late 90’s came and then the information revolution that started about five years ago (Happy Birthday Twitter) made 98% of the Times content duplicated by online sources.

Traditional media outlets like the Times lagged in presenting viable online solutions and became less and less relevant to the conversation. Traditional media seemed to put their heads in the sand as the information revolution was taking place mistakenly thinking that demand for their content would not be affected. For a media company this was an irrational decision and the Times was not alone in trying to pretend that the print subscription model would prevail.

Now a whole generation is going by that will never have a newspaper (print) subscription. 98% of the Times content can by retrieved by such sites as CNN, Huffington Post, Boston.com and many others. The vast majority of NY Times online content becomes trivial.

Now the Times wants to charge $14.99 per month for a online subscription. This is madness. They could possible get away with .99 cents per month but $14.99 is unprecedented, ridiculous and foolish.

Additional stress for the NY Times Company is that it is dragging the dead corpse of the Boston Globe which has been bleeding for a few years. An ironic thing is that the Globe has a “free” website (boston.com) that could compete with the pay walled Times site.

On announcement of the news of the new paywall the Times stock hit a three month low and I still would short it.

I keep asking myself why did such media companies such as the NY Times respond to the information revolution as it is 1985? The answer is that they have an outdated and arrogant view that they are still the “paper of record”.

At the wake of the old grey lady people will wax poectilly on how she was eclipsed by the “new media”. In the end she died of arrogance and pathology need to bury her head in the nostalgia of days gone by.

Is radio advertising a smart move for small and medium size business?

2011-03-09T07:04:00-05:00

A radio advertising campaign is very expensive. But beside the price are small and medium size business getting a good bang for you buck in regards to mainstream radio advertising.

The vast majority of people under 25 don’t listen to radio on a regular basis. When they do they are in a car.

The under 25 demographic is getting their music through iTunes and online service such as Pandora. I don’t think satellite radio is making a dent in this demo.

What does this mean to the future of mainstream radio? Well the news is not good. First the average age of listeners is (which is now around 43 and is going to sky rocket). The number one demo in radio is Women (25-35). Over time main stream radio will not be able to reach this market.

Modern day radio stations are built from market demos up. Each station’s music is geared to reach a particular demographic. “Soft Rock” is geared to women 25-35. “Classic Rock” is male and female 35 plus. “Country” is women 25-35 and men 35-50.

The morning drive time is the most import slot because it sets the tone for the day. Some stations (such as Soft Rock and Classic Rock stations) are hoping that you will listen to the station at work and thus the rest of the day.

The radio industry is jumping all over the “talk” format (sports or politics) as the demo is mostly male (about 80% which is bad) but very high household income (which is OK).

The major problem is the 25 and under set now has iTunes and Pandora to satisfy their music needs. The bond between the listener and the station (that was common all the way up to the 90’s) is no longer there.

What does this all mean to small and medium size businesses? Well radio is no longer an advertising option. The price of radio is still very expensive. The cost of one 60 second spot runs between $300 to $1,200 (in a top ten market such as Boston). A starter program runs about $15,000.

Radio, like most advertising, works by repetition. So you need a lot of spots to enter the top of mind awareness of the listener. A starter package of $15,000 does not have enought spots rise above the clutter. But even if you do run a campaign to rise above the clutter you will not be hitting the most important demo.

A $15,000 budget buys you a lot of inbound internet marketing.

One of the most common mistakes small and medium size business make in regards to advertising is that they chose a media outlet that they like but is not their demographic. Small and medium size business owners must remember that they (most of the time) not their demographic.

Newpapers are bleeding to death and there is no hope in site. Radio is not far behind and small and medium size businesses need to be asking a lot of questions before they move forward with a Radio buy. The most important questions are: Who is my demographic? Is the cost to reach my demographic far to high with radio advertising? Will any amount of advertising on radio reach my demographic?