QuickBooks 2010 Expends Beyond Accounting

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

The latest version of QuickBooks is a big step outside the box for the leading small business accounting software.

Building on Intuit’s Connected Services Strategy announced last year, QuickBooks connects to several new online services that enable small businesses to extend the power of their information already in QuickBooks

QuickBooks Pro and Premier 2010 feature the all-new Intuit App Center, providing users access to scalable, Software-as-a-Service business applications directly from within QuickBooks. Currently more than 25 applications are available, including, Customer Manager, a service that helps track and manage marketing campaigns and sales leads to maximize profits.

By building a CRM like functionality into the accounting tool, Intuit is branching out into much more holistic business growth turf.

QuickBooks 2010 also comes in a Mac version.

What the Heck is Integrated Marketing Anyway?

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

When I first started my business, several decades ago, I was determined to tell people that, mine was an integrated marketing firm. To which, I generally received polite nods and the occasional more truthful – “What the heck is integrated marketing anyway?”

Well, c’mon I would mutter, “everyone knows it’s a management strategy and meta-discipline focused on the organization-wide optimization of unique value for stakeholders[1].” Right, see the problem with the term was that I really didn’t know what it was and my prospects and clients certainly didn’t see it as a benefit, but hey, it sounded more important.

Seems that with the onslaught of buzz over social media, the integrated marketing model has reared it’s head again. So, I’d like to share with you my take on this thing called integrated marketing. Marketing folks are now using it to describe their ability to integrate tradition offline marketing with the new sexy social media plays.

Don’t get me wrong, integrated marketing is a good thing, as long as you understand its use.

First my definition: Integrated marketing is the combination of marketing tactics to help deliver one marketing strategy and more quickly build know, like and trust.

In this sense then an integrated marketing approach is not a strategy, it’s the tactical delivery of a marketing strategy. I think that distinction is critical, because without the right strategy no amount talk about integrating multiple platforms and mediums makes much sense. In fact, in may instances integration is simply interpreted as doing more kinds of stuff. The problem with more stuff is that stuff without a central strategy can actually cause one stuff to combat and conflict with some other stuff.

I absolutely believe the real integration opportunity, and way from most small business owners to blow their competition out of the water, is the intentional blending of online and offline tools and tactics around a single marketing strategy.

Let’s say you are an architect that learns what your clients really appreciate is your firm’s knack for getting deals through city hall, cutting through the red tape. While it make be tempting to focus on your pretty buildings, the real strategy opportunity may be in shouting from the top of city hall how you solve the red tape issues that stop buildings from being built and contractors from getting paid.

A marketing strategy around your red tape cutting, with an integrated tactical approach, might include:

• A red tape icon of some sort as a branding element
• A blog focused on municipal regulations and zoning requirements
• A localized feasibility action plan workshop
• A podcast series of interviews with key regulators and officials
• Contractor and developer “navigating City Hall” lunch and learns
• Networking opportunities with local officials
• Newsletter following regulatory changes and decisions
• A building feasibility service priced at $499
• Encouraging an employee or two to sit on local planning committees
• Advertising promoting your red tape seminars in print, Facebook, and direct mail

While none of the items mentioned above directly talk about selling architectural services, every single one of them works in tandem to do just that. An approach like the imagined one above would cement this firm as the go to firm for tough projects, land this firm on page one for any search terms surrounding design regulations, and take discussions about fees way down the list on many projects. The education of the prospect to the point they feel they would have little reason to look elsewhere for what they want is the true measure of an integration to drive home a marketing strategy.

1. Jenkinson, A. and Mathews, B. (2007) Integrated Marketing and its implications for personalized customer marketing strategies. J Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice. Vol 8 No. 3. pp. 93-209. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK

Image credit: CLTY

Is Social Media Changing Selling?

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

Marketing podcast with Mike McLaughlin (Click to listen, right click and Save As to download – subscribe now via iTunes

Social media has certainly changed marketing, but few people are addressing just how dramatically it’s changed sales. In this interview we hit that subject pretty head on.

My guest for this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast is Mike McLaughlin. He’s the author of Winning the Professional Services Sale, which offers professional service providers, business development managers, and firm leaders new strategies to identify, qualify, and close any services sale. McLaughlin is also the coauthor of Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants, the first book to apply the principles of Guerrilla Marketing to the business of consulting and professional services.

In this podcast:

• About the book: Winning the Professional Services Sale
• Changes in the Sales Market
• Success in Sales
• Defining the Shared Answer
• The Process of Closing a Sale
• The Perfect Sales Proposal
• Getting the Next Sale and Referrals

3 Tools to Make Twitter Lists Even More Useful

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

I’m a big fan of the newish Twitter List function. I wrote about it last week – 5 Reasons to Use the New Twitter Lists Feature

Now that I’ve you pumped up about using lists, I want to talk about a few tools that I think can make the feature even more useful.

Twitter List Widget - (example above) this is a homegrown Twitter feature that’s pretty well hidden. Scroll to the bottom of your Twitter homepage and look for the link called Goodies. Then click Widgets, MyWebiste, ListWidget. Widgets allow you to easily publish content, such as your Twitter Stream, to your web site or blog. Wisely, Twitter also added one for the List. Now, with relative ease you can publish updates of a list in your blog sidebar.

Listorious – This service lists all the lists. Using Listorious you can find the 140 most popular lists, find people who show up on a lot of lists, or just search for lists you might find interesting to follow. You can follow a list without following all the people on the list, but this may be a really great way to find individuals you would like to follow. (My Small Biz Stars list is in the top 100 – go follow please and see if we can go for the top 25)

Listiti – (not sure about how to say this in mixed company, but) – this service bills itself as Google Alerts meets Twitter. The idea here is that you can tell the service what list you are tracking, but this further tell it you only want to know when someone on the list mentions your specific search term. When they do, you get an email alert. This is pretty nice way to follow lists with lots of people on them but filter the stream down to stuff you’re really interesting in.

Winner of the Social Media Library

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

In case you missed my post on Friday I offered one signed copy of One these seven books: Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, New Community Rules by Tamar Weinberg, Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel, Web Analytics 2.0 by Avinash Kaushik, Duct Tape Marketing by well, me, Whuffle Factor by Tara Hunt and CrushIt by Gary Vaynerchuk to the person that most creatively answers the following: I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I [fill in the blank] – Here’s the original post if you missed it

Between the blog comments, emails and tweets over 100 people responded, so picking one best answer was a bit on the ridiculous side.

It was awesome to see so much positive response to the use of social media. Go back to the post and read the comments, they read like a list of testimonials for the power of social media in small business.

To me, the most significant theme that came across was the realization of the power of combining offline and online to create even more impact. I am just finishing the rewrites for next book and this is a central theme of the book.

“I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I combine my online activity with my offline activity”
“…when I couple it with good ol’ fashion “meet and greet”.”
“I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I use all possible forms of marketing, provide great content, and link everything together.”

There were a couple other popular threads as well:

Engagement
“I get the biggest return for my business using social media is when I am completely present with followers”
“I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I engage with the community.”
“I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I engage in honest conversations everyday.”

Give first
“I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I take dry ideas and turn them into stories people enjoy, comment on, and pass along to others.”
“I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I: Give Generously”
“I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I pay it forward.”
“I get the biggest return for my business using social media by keeping my focus on sharing useful and interesting info rather than a hard sell.”

Listen
“I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I listen, then listen, then listen some more before doing anything else.”
“I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I engage in a conversation. Can’t talk “to” the clients. Gotta talk “with.”
“I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I stop thinking I know everything and start to listen to my costumers!”

Oh, and who won? The winner is:
“I have been working on building my personal brand and by doing so I have utilized social networks. I am a recent graduate (2008) and have been volunteering at many social media conferences in hopes to land a position in the field.

Jamie Favreau

I have to admit that as a dad of kids doing the same right now, I had a soft spot for Jamie’s plea. There were so many great responses, thanks all for playing.

Weedend Favs November Fourteen

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

I’ve added a weekend post routine that I hope you enjoy. Each weekend I write a post that features 3-4 things I read during the week that I found interesting. Generally speaking it won’t involve much analysis and may range widely in topic. (Flickr image included here is also fav image of the week)

Enjoy!

Good stuff I ran across this week:

Word Spy – need some new words? I for one am a little bummed about the Pluto planet downgrade because I am a Plutophile – very fun site

16 WordPress Sites to Help You Build a Better Blog – awesome WordPress help

Twitter Times – personalized newspaper constructed from your Twitter account

Win a Social Media Marketing Library

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

In a fit of collaboration goodness I would like to gift one set of seven awesome books to the person that most creatively answers the following: I get the biggest return for my business using social media when I [fill in the blank]

I’m the only judge and I’m going to pick the answer I like the best. But, here’s what you’ll get if you win.

One personalized (meaning signed to you) copy of these seven books: Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, New Community Rules by Tamar Weinberg, Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel, Web Analytics 2.0 by Avinash Kaushik, Duct Tape Marketing by well, me, Whuffle Factor by Tara Hunt and CrushIt by Gary Vaynerchuk.

And, you’ve got several chances to win. These bloggers are also giving this set away, so rush on over and see what they’ve got planned to enter to win: (keep checking if they haven’t posted yet.)

• Beth Kanter
• Avinash Kaushik
• Brian Solis
• Steve Cunningham

Getting Bloggers to Write About You

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

I get daily pitches from PR folks and business owners asking me to write about their news, launch, product, or survey. On one hand, I still think it’s awfully cool that people think enough of blogs and this blogger to pitch me. (Can’t imaging what some really big blogs endure.)

On the other hand, I sure see my share of really bad pitches. I mean the kind that would certainly qualify as spam. These pitches come from some of the biggest names in the PR industry (who should know better) as well as fledgling business start-ups (whom I’m more likely to forgive )

Blog, tweet and fan page coverage is great, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to get it. I offer my 5 Tips for Getting More Exposure from Bloggers, Tweeters and Fans (a systematic approach) in this week’s article for AMEX OpenForum