How To Compete and Win Against Today's #1 Brands

This week we hear from
Danny Iny, someone I highly respect in the area of Internet marketing and small
business communication.  He has been an
entrepreneur for most of his life, quitting school when he was fifteen to start
his first successful business, and has been doing it ever since.  Danny has worked with companies of all sizes,
from the very huge (Nokia, Google) to small businesses and entrepreneurs who
are just getting started.

These days, he is a
prolific blogger and educator in the Firepole Marketing training program, and
works one-on-one with client businesses to improve their marketing and help
them make more money.  He’s also a fellow
author;  Danny’s book about effective
communication in writing is a must have, and he’s co-authoring two other
titles that are about to be
released with co-authors that you may have heard of, like Guy Kawasaki,
Brian Clark, Mitch Joel, and many others! 
Danny, thanks for sharing your thoughts with all of us on The Marketing
Blog.

1.   Hi
Danny.  You’ve been working with small
businesses for many years.  What are some
of the unique challenges small business owners are facing today?

I think the core challenges that small businesses face today are the
same challenges that they’ve faced in the past; too much to do, too little time
in which to do it, and not enough expertise to drive it all, because they can’t
be experts in everything, and have too much on their plates. I see this
particularly in the areas of marketing, and it is even worse because marketing
is one of those fields where anyone who’s read a book or taken a course thinks
they really get it, even though in many cases they really don’t.

2.   How has social media impacted the small
business owner?

Social media has impacted the small business owner by opening a new
channel through which they can connect with their audience. It’s not just
another channel, either, because it is qualitatively different from what was
previously available, both in terms of the cost structures (it’s a lot cheaper,
and is often free), and in terms of the bi-directionality (prospects and
customers can talk to you and about you as easily as you can talk to them –
more easily, in fact).

3.   What type of online marketing are you
recommending to the businesses you consult for?

That really depends on the client, and you’ve actually hit on one of
the biggest mistakes that I see most small businesses making, which is assuming
that there is one “best” way to do online marketing, whether that be SEO, or
PPC, or Twitter, or Facebook, or whatever. The truth is that the only way
tactics will work for you (unless you just happen to get lucky) is by
understanding who your customer is, where they hang out, and what drives their
behavior. In other words, even if you can get very cheap clicks on a certain
medium, it doesn’t mean anything if those clicks aren’t the people you’re
trying to reach, or they’re not in the right head-space to receive your
message.

4.   How can business owners grow their referral
networks online and offline?

There are two parts to this; the first is having something that people
want to talk about – that includes just having a great offering, of course, but
also making it “buzz-worthy”. There are things that people like to tell their
friends, and things that they don’t. You need to be great at what you do, but
you also need to find some remarkable way to shine through the clutter (like
BlendTec’s Will It Blend
YouTube videos). Then the next step is to make it easy for people to tell their
friends about you – for example, with easily embedded buttons that let people
share with a single click.

5.   How can small businesses use the web to
compete against larger, more prominent brands in their niche?

Well, first of all, don’t try to beat big companies at their own game;
if David tries to beat Goliath by fighting like Goliath, then David gets his
butt kicked. Instead, focus on what value you can bring to the table that your
big competitors can’t – for example, since you’re smaller and more agile, you can
probably offer more personalized service to your customers, or service a market
segment that desperately needs your offering, but is too small for the big
competitor to justify investing the resources. Don’t focus on the competitor,
but rather on what can make your relationship with your customer as special as
possible.

6.   Is there any other advice you can give
regarding effective online marketing and communications for the small business
owners reading this post? 

      What makes online marketing effective is the
same thing that makes offline marketing effective – understand your audience as
well as you possibly can, because that’s the information that you need in order
to differentiate yourself and really stand out in their minds. The “online”
part of online marketing is mostly tactical, and not that complicated or
important. Focus on knowing your customer, and serving them as well as you
possibly can – the rest can almost take care of itself.

 

      Special thanks to Danny Iny for his contributions to The Marketing Blog.  I encourage all of my readers to follow Danny and visit Firepole Marketing for GREAT marketing insights and information.  Once you start reading his blog you'll be hooked!

For more free marketing advice, visit the marketing experts at http://www.MarketingScoop.com.

Marketing Must Be Remarkable

This week I was searching online for some inspiration and was lucky enough to find it.  As is usually the case, I found more than enough to get me thinking about today's post:  Social Media, SEO, Search Marketing, YouTube... I mean, where should I begin?  The good news is that I found the inspiration I was looking for.



One of the biggest challenges we all face as marketers, online and offline, is cutting through clutter.  This has always been a challenge but has grown increasingly complex with the addition of social media and portable devices.  I don't know about you but I'm pretty much addicted to my gadgets.  I always feel the need to be plugged in and I know that I'm not alone.



Cutting Through the Clutter

Okay, so back to my online search for inspiration.  I came across a video of a well known marketer (name omitted on purpose) who had a great solution for cutting through the many messages that our target segments hear on a daily basis.  I was amazed at how simple the solution truly is to this growing issue. 



To reach your target audience and stand above all the "noise", you need to do one thing, be REMARKABLE.  That's right, be remarkable, stand out from the crowd by being different.  Think about the brands that capture your attention.  One of the reasons that Starbucks has such a strong brand is because it charges almost four bucks for a cup of coffee.  Some of the "marketing gurus" will disagree and say that Starbucks can charge that amount of money because of other factors (quality, store experience, etc.) but the reality is that Starbucks does it differently.  

Another great example is the Mini-Cooper.  When you look at the car, it's different, unlike virtually anything else on the road.  The lesson is clear, to cut through clutter you must be different, you must stand out from the crowd.  Me too brands and me too marketing won't get the job done in today's market where we must compete for just a few moments of someones attention.  



Mee Too Marketing

How can you make your marketing different?  Remarkable?  It all begins with a big idea and some original promotions. Once you pick a theme for your campaign, a big idea - something outside the box, you can use different media to communicate your message over and over again.



Whenever rolling out a new promotion it's always a good idea to test your campaign with a small portion of your target audience before you make any significant investment.  Once you work out the bugs, go big!  And think remarkable.  Even if you're hanging on to the traditional letter, stick something in the envelope:  a pen, a cube, a button.  How often do you get an envelope with a bulge in it?  See my point?



The last thing I want to mention is that you should start paying attention to other promotions, products, and experiences, that you notice - that capture you.  Notice what they all have in common and think of ways that you can differentiate your marketing, your products, and your campaigns to get people to stop and take notice.  It's my belief that what you pay attention to are the things that are different and unique!

For more free marketing advice, visit the marketing experts at http://www.MarketingScoop.com.

Marketing Magazines: A New Approach

Not too long ago I was approached by a publisher who aggregates and sells subscriptions to Marketing Magazines for a partnership opportunity.  As the owner of MarketingScoop.com, I get approached by dozens of vendors on a weekly basis to showcase and promote their products.  And truthfully my process of evaluation, should I work with them or not, is rather simple.  

If I don't use the product, have never bought from the company, or wouldn't purchase the product for personal or professional use, I simply move on.  Of course the next step is to discuss terms, business philosophy, and so on, but you have to start from a good place.  I think this is one of the reasons why the site has become so popular over the last few years - readers see through the promotion and see that I provide real value.

Marketing Magazines?

Okay, so what's the deal with marketing magazines and why is this the topic of today's post?  The reason I chose this vendor to showcase is because I liked their approach to marketing so much, that I actually partnered with them via MarketingScoop to feature their marketing magazines.  Not only do they provide a comprehensive offering, but they have enhanced their business model to offer a number of cost-free magazines and marketing white papers to prospective customers.

For example, check out the following offer for a free report from IBM on "11 Key Marketing Trends for 2011".  By giving away valuable information, TradePub builds long term relationships and delivers for customers. This is a great marketing tactic and one that earns Kudos in my book:

  

Receive Your Complimentary Survey Report NOW! "11 Key Marketing Trends for 2011" See how marketers are looking for ways to turn more marketing possibilities into better marketing results. “More” is certainly the key word for our times. But, as the results of IBM's annual survey of marketers reveal, the proliferation of marketing channels and the concomitant explosion of data pose a wealth of challenges for marketers in 2011. Offered Free by: IBM Corporation Other Resources from: IBM Corporation

Attract Customers With Free Offers

This is a great example of a great way to attract new customers.  Not with some useless gimmick, but to actually provide something of value.  In exchange, people are often willing to give you something in return.  This may be their name and/or permission to market to them.



You can do this with more than informational products.  Think of the ice cream store that offers a free sample or the software solution that gives you a 30-day free trial.  What can you offer to attract customers to your business?  Maybe its a portion of the service you offer for no cost or a reduced fee.  Or, it could be access to information that you possess based on your years of experience or expertise.



Regardless of what it is you have to offer, focus on providing something of true value.  As I mentioned before, consumers are not easily fooled.  Additionally, word will spread quickly in either direction.  If your offer is good, people will share it on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.  This is also true of a bad user experience or an offer that doesn't live up to its claims.



Move From Idea to Practice

As a take-a-way from today's post, consider what you will be offering in exchange for customer information in the form of a newsletter sign-up or registration.  If it's something you already have available, how will you host and deliver it?  Do some research online to find the best way to package and distribute your offer.  The goal is to ask for something in exchange, even if it's just an email.



As always, once you launch a campaign, be sure to measure the outcome.  You may also want to test different offers.  Basic A/B split tests or running campaigns one week at a time, and comparing the results, is essential for improving campaign effectiveness.

For more free marketing advice, visit the marketing experts at http://www.MarketingScoop.com.

Marketing Jobs: Can I Get Me Some?

This morning I received an email from Tim Ferris.  Well, not directly from Tim but from his blog.  I recommend following him if you're looking for some really great business and marketing insights.  Tim has written a number of top selling books, launched dozens of businesses, and continues to be an innovator in the Internet marketing space.  Although his blog post was really about generating ideas for starting a web-based business, it took me in a completely different direction.

Two of the resources that Tim mentions in his post were Google Trends and Google Insights.  What blew my mind was that after I entered "marketing" into the Insights tool to see what people have been searching on over the last year, the number one result was marketing jobs.  If you use the tool, be sure to page down to see the most popular terms.

At first it surprised me to see this result, but then I realized just how important marketing has become to any business, especially companies doing business online.  Add the ailing economy to the mix and you can see why people are searching for marketing jobs in large numbers.  When I look at Google Trends, it appears that people have been searching consistently over the last year for "marketing jobs".  I guess this means that there is, and always will be, a need for marketing professionals.

Keep in mind however that the skills required to effectively market your business, or someone else's, are continually changing and evolving.  Another piece of information that I found interesting were the emerging trends.  This is true validation of what marketers are interested in (things like Facebook marketing for example) and and indication of where you should be spending your time learning and expanding your skillset.  Consider using Google Insights to gain a true understanding of emerging trends and actual behavior.

Back to Marketing Jobs

You may be new to marketing or a marketing veteran and thinking about your next move.  If you're ready for a new marketing job, I recommend the following three resources for starting your search and finding the job that's right for you.

1.  The Ladders.  The Ladders job board now has a board that specifically caters to marketing professionals.  The Marketing Ladders offers top quality jobs in your target area.

2.  Linked In.  The way to get a new job in today's market isn't through a traditional job board.  Your best bet is networking.  In addition to getting acquainted with other marketing professionals or joining a marketing related group on LinkedIn, I recommend  expanding your network to include people from your target companies.  Do the research, find companies you'd like to work for, and start building connections.

3.  Marketing Websites and Forums. You'd be amazed at what's available via niche specific websites.  The goal is to connect with other marketers and people who are connected in the marketing space.  Start a conversation, engage in the community, and opportunities will arise. If your looking for a marketing job then search Google for terms like 'marketing forum', 'internet marketing forum', etc.

Marketing jobs are clearly on everyone's mind.  Google trends, Google Insights, and other online resources confirm this.  If you are one of the thousands of professional marketers searching the web for a new marketing related position, then use the resources noted above to find the job that's right for you. 

If you have addition marketing related resources you can share, please do so by leaving a comment.

For more free marketing advice, visit the marketing experts at http://www.MarketingScoop.com.

Premiums: An Essential Part of the Marketing Mix.

As someone who’s been marketing for over a dozen years, I know the importance of multi-channel marketing. Even with the advent of social media and other online marketing initiatives, offering face-to-face interactions and tangible premium items can do a great deal to grow your brand and generate sales.

I’ve experimented with a number of give-a-ways as part of my marketing mix. This type of promotion can be used at a trade show, during a presentation, or even via direct mail. And truthfully, not all promotional items are effective. Through trial and error, I have found a number of premiums that have really delivered a positive ROI. This is because they met the following criteria:

1. They allow for branding or personalization.

2. They are portable.

3. They can be used on a regular basis.

4. Prospect sees throughout the day.

If you filter all possible premium items through this type of filter, you’ll discover a very short list of truly valuable items. Take for example lanyards, mugs, or pen holders. Each of these items meets the above criteria. They are small enough to move from one location to the next, can be used daily, and be personalized. Best of all, they are seen throughout the day as they sit on a prospects desk.

Vendors who offer these types of premiums have the technology to truly customize your promotional items – creating more value for both the advertiser and prospect. Custom lanyards for example can carry your logo, url, brand name, and even an attached items such as a flash drive. The possibilities are limitless.

Traditional premiums like stress balls or pens are somewhat limited in their use. Compared to a pencil holder which sits on your desk every day, stress balls may sit on a shelf until you move out of your cubicle or office. Always be sure to ask yourself the above questions before purchasing premium items.

To get the biggest bang for your buck, consider integrating your premium items with other promotions. If your premium is valued at $10 or more, consider using it as an incentive to prospects in exchange for opting in to a particular form or agreeing to receive a newsletter.

Through an integrated approach, you can improve conversions. But it all starts with gaining the interest of your prospect and driving them to action. Always make sure to use a URL on your premium item and cultivate your leads. Premiums can drive successful marketing programs and have a long shelf life – so consider them an essential part of your next marketing campaign.

For more free marketing advice, visit the marketing experts at http://www.MarketingScoop.com.

How To Create Popular Online Video Content For Internet Marketing

This week I reached out to someone who I consider to be an online video expert, Andy Havard, for a guest post on a marketing topic that matters!  Everywhere I look, online video seems to be exploding - so I wanted to learn more. A special thank you to Andy for sharing these great online video marketing tips.

When you consider YouTube is receiving over 2 billion video views a day from thousands upon thousands of registered users (and even more from unregistered users) it’s imperative to make your online video content stand out from the competition. The following post explores how Internet video marketers can ensure their online video content is as good as possible in order to win over large audiences and generate higher levels of traffic and conversion. 

1. Keep Your Online Videos Simple.
Simplicity is key to a successful online video. Using creative effects and animations may seem like a good idea, but such distracting on-screen material can take viewers attention away from the true message of the video. The power of simple one-on-one video can be just as effective and actually more accessible to an audience than any online video that’s been taken straight out of a cinematic blockbuster. Not only is it advisable to keep your on-screen content simple, but your message should be kept simple too. Addressing one point per video is far more powerful than trying to address three or four. If you have a lot to say in your online video think about creating separate episodes to successfully target each subject clearly for your audience. 

2. Keep Your Online Videos Short.
When creating and editing online video always think ‘short and sweet’. It’s common in video productions to struggle to cut down content as you may feel every second is worthwhile, but your audience might not feel the same. Be as cut-throat as you can in keeping your videos between the 2 to 5 minute mark. If your content is more than 5 minutes then think about creating more than one video to express each point to its maximum potential. Creating a few episodes is much more beneficial than trying to shove all of your content into 10 rushed minutes of footage. 

3. Keep Your Online Videos Current.  Never promote old news. If your online videos are out of date, there’s not much you can do for them. This is why you need to make your videos current and topical at all times. If news about new developments, productions, services or technologies in your niche crop up in your field create a short online video production to discuss it. Online users will always be searching for information on new developments. If users are interested in your particular niche then a topical video could be very useful to such users, which in turn could generate a great deal of popularity for your brand or business. 

4. Make Your Online Video Content Informative.
It’s not always possible to create a video when industry news breaks, but your online videos can be informative and educational in other ways. Creating ‘how to’ guides, instructional videos and tutorials are a great way of being a useful asset to Internet users. By establishing your business or brand as a knowledgeable online entity you can begin to enjoy a great deal of trust from your audience, which is an exceptional trait to among potential clients and customers. 

5. Make Your Online Video Content Entertaining.
Entertaining an audience is perhaps the most powerful thing any online video can do. Internet marketers are all too familiar with the idea of viral video and always seek to reach similar degrees of success. Making your online videos entertaining is one of the best ways to achieve such goals. An online video that is funny, inspirational, innovative or interactive can be very entertaining to an online viewer. It’s not an easy feat creating a universally entertaining online video, but mastering it could generate more traffic and leads than you ever thought possible. 

By taking into account these five tips when you next think about creating online video as part of your Internet marketing strategy you can aim to make your content as popular as possible. It’s not easy to create outstanding content, but following these tips will help to ensure your online videos are giving your competition a good run for their money.

Guest Blogger: Andy Havard

Andy Havard is a Marketing Executive at Skeleton Productions, a UK based online video production company.

For more free marketing advice, visit the marketing experts at http://www.MarketingScoop.com.

#1 Rankings For Your Website Or Blog!

This week I read an amazing article by Ryan Woolley via Search Engine Watch which really hit the mark. Being nuts about search engine optimization and getting my websites and blogs ranked in the top organic positions has always been an obsession for me.



And lately, there's been a lot of conflicting information about SEO and what factors have been given additional weight from the latest Google algorithm changes.



That being said its very difficult to separate fact from fiction when so called "experts" profess the impact of Google's seemingly daily, weekly, and monthly changes. The reason I've decided to mention Ryan and this week's article is because it really drives home what we knew all along - that sound SEO principals are still the driver of top search engine placements.



Achieving top search engine placements requires an effective recipe that delivers consistent results. This secret recipe is one that might need a few tweaks here and there but consistently performs. The recipe consists of good keyword research, on page optimization, off page optimization, and measurement.



In the diagram presented in this post, you see the factors that are essential for off page optimization which is largely comprised of building inbound links to your website or blog. Whether you focus on forum posting, guest blog posts or commenting, the goal is to attract and develop inbound links to your web properties from high authority sites and pages. I know the recipe is fairly simple but finding the ingredients can be a real challenge. This is why individuals and companies that do a good job of SEO are so widely regarded and sought after by those seeking top placements.



One of the most important aspects of off page optimization is not just where you are getting links from buy how they appear on third party sites. In addition to the sources of inbound links noted in the fantastic article by Ryan is the need to pay attention to the format of your links. Always make sure to include your keywords in the link text of the link. By embedding your keywords, you give Google and other major search engines a clear understanding of what terms your site should be associated with.



By starting with on page optimization and building a consistent inbound link development program, you can dramatically improve your search engine ranking. Add the proper link formatting, using anchor text, and you're sure to get the results you're looking for.



Do you have some valuable link building ideas you'd like to share? Be sure to Like, Retweet, and +1, this post as well as comment to share your ideas.

For more free marketing advice, visit the marketing experts at http://www.MarketingScoop.com.

How To Make Sure Your Email List Gets Results!

A good email marketing campaign starts with your ability to get clean, active email addresses into your database. Email addresses with syntax or spelling errors can cause hard bounces, which in turn can harm your sending IP’s reputation. These factors all results in the poor delivery of your campaigns and ultimately a loss in revenue.

To ensure that you are only putting properly formatted email addresses in your database, create a few rules behind the email entry field on your website. First, have double entry fields for email addresses and do not allow the second entry field to be pasted into. Upon submitting, your web service should check that both addresses are identical. This should help reduce the number of misspellings in your database.

Next, have the web service also check for common syntax errors in the email address itself. Examples of this are:

• Are there any spaces in the email address?

• Is there an @ [at] sign?

• Is there at least one . [period]?

• Are there at least six characters present? [x@x.xx]

Any of these errors will cause an email to fail upon sending, so have the web service prompt users to correct their entry before proceeding. Effective email marketing requires that users enter correct information. Creating rules for data entry is essential for success.

Once you have a process in place to handle syntax errors, you also need to consider misspellings and typos. Since there are millions of possible errors, it would be incredibly difficult to build a service to handle these. Thankfully, companies like FreshAddress have developed a real time solution for exactly that. Their REACT (Real-time Email Address Correction Technology) software checks the email address that was entered in real time against a list of common misspellings and suggests alternative. Although on the expensive side, this service, and others like it, can greatly reduce the number of bad incoming addresses and save your deliverability.

If you’ve been emailing for a while, you’ve probably accumulated a large number of invalid email addresses. These are most likely caused from soft or hard bounces, and are probably just taking up space on your servers. Chances are that a large percentage of these addresses can be recovered simply by making a small change to the address. Do some research and find a list hygiene service or company to help with this type of project. Again, this could be a costly undertaking, but the number of recovered email addresses could be well worth it. Most companies will do a low cost or free test on a small segment of data so you can try it before committing.

For the hygiene process, you’ll collect all of your invalid email addresses and send them to the vendor of choice. They will then compare it to several other lists of blacklisted and retired domains, known complainers and – most importantly – check for misspelled domains. Once they’re finished, you’ll get a list of corrected addresses or a list with a code of what the address was flagged for. Then you should make any changes to the addresses that are needed and reload into your database.

It’s important to flag all corrected addresses so you can keep an eye on unsubscribes and complaints. Remember, it’s likely these customers haven’t been receiving your emails at all, so you should probably send them some form of welcome message to ease them into your email stream. If your budget allows, perform list hygiene at least once a quarter to keep your email list fresh and active.

Another way to keep your email list active is to use an engagement list. Start by filtering out inactive email addresses – those who haven’t opened, clicked or converted in a timeframe that’s relevant to your business. Send to the remaining customers in your email list for most of your mailings. If you are uncomfortable only mailing a portion of your list, include the inactives from time to time and start a reactivation campaign to re-engage them.

Any or all of these solutions will help keep your email list clean and active. A low number of hard bounces will ensure your IP’s sending reputation and your marketing efforts will benefit from the solid delivery. Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to engage your prospects and customers. Keep your email list clean and see your results improve.

For more free marketing advice, visit the marketing experts at http://www.MarketingScoop.com.

Rank Company, Rank Boss... Power To The People!

About a year ago I was looking at a number of different advertising opportunities for one of the companies I consult for from time to time.  They received a letter labeled, Inc. 500, and learned of an opportunity to be included in a list of Inc. 5000's fastest growing companies.  As someone who's always interested in free publicity, I agreed to fill out the paperwork.

I quickly realized that this wasn't for free publicity.  Quite honestly, it was anything but.  The whole concept of rating and ranking companies by Inc. is pretty much a scam.  In addition to providing information about your company, you need to send a check.  That's right, nothing comes without a price.  In order to have your company considered for inclusion in the list, you have to pay a fee.  Inc. may call this a "processing fee" or some other bogus name but you have to pay to be considered.

Fighting Back

It's right then and there that I decided to take action.  It took me almost a year, but I recently launched 2 new websites: Rank Company | Rank Your Company and Rank Boss | Rank Your Boss.  The goal of both of these sites is to have the people who know a company the best (employees, vendors, stakeholders, etc.) rate the company - not some magazine that charges a business or individual to be listed.  I'm trying to bring some objectivity to the rankings game.

I've been in marketing and advertising a long time and have learned that sometimes, if you want objectivity, you need to stand up and take charge.  That's the goal of both of these sites.  Not only should you be sharing an experience about the company you work for or your boss, but you should also help to fight back against companies that are focused on only supporting organizations that can pay a fee.

Take the Next Step

I'd like to ask all of my blog readers and followers to support these sites.  I'm most excited about Rank Your Boss as it will change the landscape of companies forever.  I learned early on that people don't leave jobs, they leave bosses - and nothing could be more true.

Please go out to Rank your boss and Rank your company and start sharing your insights and opinions about the companies you work for today or have worked for in the past!

Thanks,

Michael H. Fleischner

For more free marketing advice, visit the marketing experts at http://www.MarketingScoop.com.