Business) It’s been great fun, but I must say that I am quite tired. During the past few months, things have gone great, and things have gone horrible, all at once. It’s been an amazing journey of learning, growing, mistakes, triumphs, and so on. Businesses are blooming amidst the current economical crisis and I am quite thrilled about that.  I’ve seen some of my colleagues flourish in these markets, and some have been taken out in the most brutal way possible. It makes me most thankful that I have a good grasp of what I need to get done to make my own businesses work in this type of market.

      Yesterday, I met with a few colleagues and we were talking about some of the people we’ve seen taken out in this market so far. There is our real estate friend, and basically anyone associated with the mortgage industry… and on the flip-side, our real estate investor friends are making a total killing right now. Seriously guys, if there was ever a time to get into real estate investing, it’s right now. Rent them out, flip them… do whatever! I’ve heard a few notable figures (Trump, Kiyosaki, and someone else that I can’t immediately recall) say that the market may peak in November.. but at this rate, it’s unlikely. I’m getting some great deals coming in right this very second… and I live in an expensive area of Southern California! (where foreclosures just happen to be at all-time highs… still).

        We also went over our list of friends and colleagues in the financial industry… All taken out. Especially the ones of entrepreneurial sorts. We are looking at some headstrong investors who crashed as well. The stock market seemed to shock everyone a week or so ago when it dropped a whopping 400 points, due to quick-rising Crude Oil prices. On the other side of the spectrum, we have a few colleagues who were quick to jump into new industries to take advantage of the new opportunities caused in these tough times.

     One such gentleman has formed a business that, in just 6 short months, has earned a profit of almost a million dollars. He’s targeting a need in our market at this very moment, and he’s making a LOT of money doing it. He required little start-up capital, and used almost none of his money getting it off of the ground. His marketing efforts are cheap, and his business is now growing on mostly word-of-mouth and small ads he’s placed in various spots online and offline. So what’s the deal? How is it that this guy can shift so quickly and make so much money? He’s flexible. He saw opportunity when everyone else saw their world crumbling down around them. He was quick on the draw and now he’s making a lot of money because of it. I’d love to say what he’s doing, but he probably wouldn’t be so happy with me if I did. *=)

      The message here: Find your opportunity and take it! Don’t let the circumstances around you dictate your business life! Don’t be a tire kicker. Get back up, dust yourself off, and get out there and make some money!

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high, employment is starting to drop, and consumer confidence seems to be gliding down as fast as our gas prices are floating upwards. What’s small or mid-sized business owner to do in such a market? Something that we probably should have been doing while the economy was going well… but probably weren’t. We should be looking at ways to increase the quality of leads that are currently drifting into our line of sight. We have taken for granted the willingness of those CEO’s to spend in a better economy, and now we must try that much harder to make sure our bottom line isn’t affect by the imposed fiscal crises in America and beyond. 

       We have all seen it. There is a huge decline in spending across the board. Businesses are cutting back their marketing, employers aren’t hiring, and many employees are taking pay-cuts to simply keep their jobs. It’s hard to think that as a business owner, we’d have to take a pay-cut as well, but the reality of it is that many of us are already taking massive pay-cuts, simply because we aren’t covering all of our bases. With that, I give you the best ways to delivery the hottest leads in your marketing efforts.

1. Focus on big influencers, as opposed to big spenders. Your current marketing efforts may be directed at the CEO, or CFO, or the mom of the household, but in reality, there may be another driving force behind some of these big decisions that are being made behind closed doors. Network and gain an insight into who this person is. I promise you, with a good “in” as this one, you’re bound to at least make an impression!
2. Brand it Better. Here at Better for Business, I’m constantly ranting and raving about why business owners should employ a solid brand. Now, more than ever, we need to find our niche’ and really brand it accordingly. If we’re sending mixed signals, chances are we’ll lose out on some much-needed revenue!
3. Community Branding. Build a community around your brand. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, take a look at popular brands such as Apple, with their catchy itunes/ipod commercials and their loyal “fanboy” following. Another great example would be what many professional bloggers have done… by really utilizing their niche’ to attract attention within their community. What will unite YOUR target demographic? Get them talking! Get them united! Create buzz!
4. Lure them in with Content. If you’re anything like me, you’re always downloading white papers, reports and information on the latest and greatest from some popular companies. These companies offer free content for a few reasons. One, is simply to get your information (if they ask for it). By doing this, they are expanding their mailing list, which is a tried-and-true strategy that many Internet marketers still utilize today. Another reason is simple to establish credibility. If you offer your consumers free information on similar products they might end up purchasing, they’ll appreciate it, and place your company as an authority on whatever it is you content was about. The more content, the better!
5. Get Social . Did your kids ever say that they were “Twittering” their best friend? If this phrase is new to you, you’re not alone. Twitter, being apart of a larger brand of social media coming forth into today’s market place, is growing increasingly popular among those looking to get more personal with their leads. Social Media is a great way to build trust among your leads, even the colder leads that you felt had no potential. It’s also a great way to keep yourself or your business fresh in their minds. Offer them relevant information, and remember not to sound too spammy. You must be in it to build friendships that benefit the both of you (just as networking works in the real world). Being social also gives your consumers quick access to ask you questions or gain more info on your product. Yes, it’s more effort, and more work, but this is really a big one.
6. Marketing Should Align with Your Long-Term Business Goals. Ask yourself, is this where we were planning on going from day-one? Is this actually working the way we want it to? Even better, “Are we the experts in our field?”. Now is the perfect time to sit down and reevaluate your goals and marketing strategies. Perhaps what once worked in a better market may no longer work in this one. It’s time to get creative and think outside of the box. Remember, if you want to have staying power, you must be flexible and willing to take risks.
7. Customize your promotional efforts. Campaign-Centric to Customer Centric. So your Winter campaign didn’t do so well? Maybe you were too broad with it. Perhaps your audience needs a bit more personalization when it comes to your marketing efforts. Maybe you have a broad market of people ages 20-60, within all nationalities, income statuses, and cultures? Allow yourself to construct a survey (without offending anyone), and ask simple questions like their interests, ages, locations, and more. These will help you determine that maybe you’ll need a three-part Winter campaign consisting of ads targeted at Men, Teens, and Housewives? Or perhaps different cultures…? You really never know until you do the research. A past client of mine implemented a similar strategy and increase their summer catalog sales by over 31% that year.
8. Honor the Buying Cycle. Remember that as a consumer, you have a certain way you may do things. Just as with your own buying habits affect your buy-time, others may have theirs as well, and when they feel too pushed into something, they back out quickly. The typical person will go through three steps in a buying cycle. First, they’re involved in the educational process. Learning about the product, comparing, and so on. Remember, this is the part that really should show them how it can benefit THEM. Second, the prospect will seek a specific approach to their solution. Will they buy? Will they wait on it? Perhaps they’ll ask around and see if they can find friends who’ve used it before. Finally, the prospect will chose their vendor if they don’t already have one in mind, and they’ll chose their product. This is the part we’d all like our customers to skip to, but the reality is that in this economy, those two first steps are significantly prolonged because of lack of money, the potential loss of a job, and so on. To speed up those first two steps, simply look over your marketing plan, and ask yourself, why wouldn’t I buy this today?
9. Expand Your Efforts. This is a given in any down market, but you’d be surprised at the amount of colleagues I hear complaining about low sales with no new marketing efforts on their end. Some great ideas to implement would be podcasts, blogs, social media campaigns, event marketing, community focused efforts and more. Again, don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. People will be pleasantly surprised, and admire your innovation… especially if you are marketing your business as an innovative business!
10. Relate To your Customer.  In this economy, everyone is complaining about something. When we show our customers sympathy, they tend to be thankful. I remember seeing a TV ad showing how GMC (the American Car maker) is offering one year’s worth of free gasoline to anyone who purchases a new vehicle from them. This is a great example of compassion (and desperate sales). We know that gas is high, and we know that GMS sells trucks and SUVS. By offering free gas, GMC is saying, “Hey, we feel your pain, and we can relate to you… We care”.

If you have some of your own favorite lead generation tips, feel free to share!

If you found this article helpful, please stumble it, digg it, sphinn it, and so on. Thanks!

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are thinking of becoming one. If you fall into the first category, you’ll know all about what I am about to elaborate on. However, I am hoping I can provide some good insight for even the seasoned entrepreneur. If you fall into the second category, this post will clear up some myths on becoming an entrepreneur and starting a business. Perhaps you’ve had that “golden idea” for years now, but have never acted upon it. Maybe you’re afraid of the financial risks, or even just of the free-fall feeling that often comes with quitting your job. Whatever it may be, I am here to tell you that starting a business doesn’t have to happen with thousands of dollars…not even hundreds. You can start a business… TODAY, with little or no money. No scams, no fluff… just a real business that actually succeeds.

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great products, that were extremely useful to it’s demographic, but no one cared… because no one knew. Marketing didn’t come easily for this little, itty, bitty company, because they had a tight budget. Then, out of nowhere, a brave super hero came to the itty, bitty company’s rescue! His name was Mr. Buzz! Mr. Buzz showed this tiny company how to create buzz around their products, marketing, and services. He schooled them in the lessons of… (insert epic-sounding music here)… The Untold Secrets of Buzz Marketing!!

        Buzz Marketing is an art form that few businesses have learned to truly harness. Some people think it’s all about the people, and that they don’t have control over what they talk about. The truth is, you can put words right into the consumer’s mouth. There is a method that gets people talking, and the chain continues. Is it not a coincidence that 90% of teens in the USA now own cell phones, internet connections, and even portable email/messaging devices? As marketers, we have the biggest buzz marketing advantage of all of the generations before us. We have television, media, internet, and our lives all tend to intersect at these points, as well as our spending habits!

Influencing the Influencers

      As marketers, we’ve heard this before. Getting to the people who buy things first, and set the trends are always the best methods of getting a product or service out there. These people are the ones who swear by certain products, and are loyal to certain brands. There’s a certain way to get to these types of people and that is simply by research. Without the proper knowledge of what types of mediums these people frequent, there is no way to effectively reach them without wasting tons of money in the process. Learning their daily habits is imperative. Find out as much as you can about the influencers in your industry and cater to them as much as possible. Remember, these are the types of people that when they start trends or buy a product…people follow! This is subtle buzz… but it eventually snowballs into something much bigger.

Do Something Sensational and Remarkable

         This is the most classic way to harness the power of buzz marketing, but I’ve seen so many companies go about this in a completely wrong manner. It’s amazing that some of the most seasoned marketing MBA’s can’t quite grasp the entire concept of creating buzz using this strategy. History repeats itself, and I always look to history for inspiration for buzz marketing tactics. Remember not to copy methods you’ve seen done, but to out-do what you’ve seen done. Imagine yourself in your consumer’s shoes. What would get their attention?

      If you sell shoes, perhaps an imaginative contest of high-jumpers using your product… trying to jump over cars, people, laptops, or doing flips of hurdles of burning fire!  Go viral, and push it to you tube, or even turn it into an ongoing series of commercials. People love seeing other people do crazy things. It’s just our nature. There really are no limits when it comes to doing remarkable things.  People will remember your brand if it is placed properly in these instances, while still being amusing.. and of course…remarkable.

Give your Consumers Control!

     I remember when I was younger, and M&M’s decided to run a national campaign to introduce a new color of M&M into their multi-colored bag of candies. You’d think this would be something a bit mundane, but the participation of the consumer base was overwhelming! People actually CARED what color would be introduced into their M&M’s that year! People casted their votes, and the attention that this candy received was crazy. I remember being at school, and kids were talking about what color they were hoping would win. Pure genius!

     Giving your consumers control of their product experience gives them a better sense of ownership of your brand. They feel a more personal connection, knowing that they have a say in something important. Look at the success of American Idol… people LOVE having the final word. I don’t think American Idol would have been nearly as successful as it is today, without the ideal that the American people actually get to vote for the winner. Past talent shows usually bit the dust after a few years… but American Idol demonstrated staying power, simply because of the control it rendered the average person.

Know Your Consumers Better than Your own Friends!

       If you have no idea what strikes a chord with your core-demographic, it’s likely you’ll be spending a lot of money to create “buzz” before any real buzz is actually created. Learning the most about your audience is imperative to creating the perfect buzz around your product or service. I did an experience that helped one of my businesses dramatically increase it’s sales over a two week period… during one of the slowest months of last year. How’d I do it?

• I sought out my audience. I found my demographic, and researched them as much as possible through email, online forums, chats, and even phone conversations.
• I personally went out into the world, and interviewed these people! Malls, Stores…  you name it, I was there! It was surprising how many people were willing to participate in my questionnaire. What was even more surprising was the answers I received. I had NO idea they’d answer the way they did!
• I spoke at an event that my audience was at, and I got even more priceless info!
• I took all of this information and organized. Charts, pie graphs, and brainstorming sessions.
• I used this information to create the perfect buzz marketing campaign, based around the information I had received from the study of my core demographic. It did very well, and I was extremely happy with the results.

Some other great buzz stratgies: (that you may be familiar with)

• Pushing the Boundaries - Be exciting and daring!
• Creating Controversy
• Superb Customer Service
• Start a rumor (not my favorite, but it works)
• Be Innovative! Stand out in your industry!
• Create a contest
• Give away free stuff
• Be Hilarious
• Be Cute (yes, fuzzy bunnies, babies, and all!)
• Be Crass (it works from some…look at Rich Jerk!)
• Grassroots, charity, and community efforts.
• Mess-up.. really bad. People love this. (just kidding…but it does work!)

What buzz marketing has stood out in your mind to be some of the best around?! Post your ideas, experiences, and favorites below!

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    If you are familiar with Internet marketing, you know how tedious and competitive it can be, even to the seasoned marketer. With seriously diluted markets and high-demand keywords and niche’s flooding

across the web everyday, in addition to a big price tag to take the “easy” route and purchase Pay-per-click advertising, there is a growing trend among Internet business professionals who are getting their hands dirty using newer avenues of Internet advertising. One of these avenues is TNX.net. The easy to remember, three-letter-named website boasts a lot more than a simple “you pay, and we advertise” concept. With more and more ad networks popping up, you’d assume that’s what TNX.netwas at first glance. However, they take it a few steps further than most, and are paving the way for those without astronomical ad budgets to get their hands on some fresh traffic or better search engine rankings at a fraction of the cost. It also helps publishers utilize every single page of their site, to determine their future ad-revenue.

How TNX.net Works

From their Site: “While being aware of all pluses and minuses of the methods listed above, we decided to create an advertising system that will include all of the pluses that would let publishers generate bigger profits by using the potential of every single page of their site, and advertisers - get better results in search engines.

TNX.net allows publishers to sell links from each page on their website, and for advertisers it allows to buy millions of links from other sites in few clicks. TNX is a convenient tool that allows publishers and advertisers to save time, effort and money: in just a few minutes you can have thousands of links from hundreds of high quality relevant sites linking to yours.

All links are direct, they are located on main pages and inside pages that are also very important. Ads are displayed mostly on well-noticeable spots so they can attract visitors.
The system can be used to promote main page of the advertiser’s site as well as inside pages.

Site publishers can not only use TNX.net to earn money, they can also use it to promote own websites by taking advantage of our system as an advertiser (balance in the system is unified).”

At First Glance:

      A quick look at the site, and most would think it was a template, or perhaps some other type of cookie-cutter website. A closer look would render some typos and other grammatical errors that leads us to believe English is not the webmaster’s first language. Luckily, TNX.net is still in beta, so they will be able to correct a lot of these things before they market on a larger scale. I’d recommend they add some more color to the site, in addition to some good spell-checking. However, I wouldn’t let the simple design put you off on the whole concept. It seems like a very good idea, and it looks as if it has a lot of promise.

The User Navigation

        One aspect of the website that I feel is wonderful is the user navigation. The work area is clean, user-friendly and is quite feature-filled. Right when you log in it tells you how displaying TNX ads on your website will results in gaining TNX points, which can then be converted into real money to promote your own website. TNX also offers a great deal of information such as their Advertiser FAQ, Publisher FAQ, and even information on their newly launched Affiliate Program.

      TNX also offers a few useful tools. One, being a tool that helps their advertisers rank higher for more competitive keywords on Google: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=526547 . Although there is debate about how and if they tool can get past Google’s all-seeing eye, it is a great concept if it truly does work.  In addition to their tool, TNX offers some tips on how to look link responsibly: http://forums.digitalpoint.com:80/showthread.php?t=488057.

The Special Offer

       TNX is currently offering a great deal on links. They are offering 5000 “Quality” links for Free” . Given that most people are quite skeptical about most new ad networks (and for good reason), this is a great way to give TNX a try, without losing loads of money in the process. I am guessing that someone  is using TNX, because as of today, their stats say they are at 55,000+ users, with a daily growth of +0.25%. I don’t think I have ever logged into TNX without seeing a positive growth under the stats area.

             I have utilized TNX for a short time, and am finding it to be a very useful and cost efficient way to market on the Internet. I do hope they consider the previously mentioned fixes in their next version of the website. So far, in beta, I do believe TNX could be a very useful tool for those looking to market a website or a blog.  Click here to Visit TNX.Net.

      What do you think? 

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