Does Your Old School Marketing Director Really Understand Your Web Presence?

 

Does Your Old School Marketing Director Really Understand Your Web Presence

Who’s helping you with your online marketing? Do they truly understand online marketing … or are they old school?

Increasingly we are talking with business owners that entrust their marketing strategy to a marketing director that simply doesn’t understand what they should be doing in the online world.

And that can be very expensive for your business.

Mike and Mary [I changed the names to keep things anonymous] are growing their company and recently hired a marketing director. He met with us to understand the concepts Mike and Mary already have in place, why their website was designed the way it was, and what he can do to move it forward.

His first complaint was the site was too wordy – way too much content, not enough images and catchy bullet points to sum up their concepts. His goal was to take away a lot of the content, and make it more presentation worthy.

And so the conversation began.

Old School methods involved quick marketing. The goal was to capture attention and pull them in to connect with you. And that worked well when you expected a client to pick up the phone and call you.

But in the online world, you rely on SEO tactics, keywording, social marketing and content marketing to be in the places you’re customers and prospects will most likely be.

(Yep, as expected, the wide-eyed stare began when terms like SEO, keywording and content marketing were mentioned.)

What should you be doing if you have an old school marketing director?

1. Hire a mentor. The online marketing world is still in its infancy – most of today’s working people remember when the Internet was introduced into their workplaces. As a mentor, we worked to ensure Mike and Mary’s new marketing director understands the importance of content and why he should be striving to create as much as possible.

2. Educate. Marketing is an ever-changing industry. Try, test, repeat … and learn something new along the way. If you’ve committed to have a marketing director on staff, make sure they are trained in every way to understand how to market to your clients in a variety of ways.

3. Get help when needed. While the marketing director should understand the overall strategy, they still might not have the time necessary to accomplish all of the tasks. Contract out and get the biggest bang for your bucks in the areas that are easily represented … just like we’re still ghost blogging for Mike and Mary to help them with their content marketing strategy.

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5 Reasons Content Blows SEO Away Every Time

A few years ago, SEO marketers were everywhere. They promised you quick action within the search engines, and could get you to a number one ranking under a variety of search terms simply by SEOing your site.

Yes, those SEO marketers still exist today, and they are trying desperately to bring people in using “old” tactics. And of course some businesses still hire them and try that way of marketing – you don’t know what you don’t know. And for many small business owners that fall into this trap, they will quickly find out that SEOing a traditional site simply won’t cut it any more.

Today the buzz is around content marketing. Yet there is a difference between SEO and content marketing, making the future wide open for the latter.

The difference is SEO creates content that pleases the search engines, whereas content marketing creates content that humans want to read.

If you create content for the search engines, the only ones attracted to the content are the search engines. People don’t like it once they get there. And they aren’t willing to share it on the social sites like Pinterest and Facebook.

With Google being one of the top sites online, and getting around 100 billion searches every single month, their mission is to be better at what they do … deliver content. But it can’t be just any old content. If people consistently get what they don’t want, they quit using it. Google knows this, so they refine their search delivery techniques all the time. And when they refine it, old content drops off using old rules, quality content moves up using the basic theory of business – give people what they want.

Whether you are just starting your site for the first time, or have been online for years, the five best practices for creating content on your site include:

1. Create quality content people want to read and share.

2. Understand keywords and key phrases and use them to write about things people want to read and share.

3. Create a quality brand. Google watches for exact domains (MyProductColorado.com) and for people that use subdomains (MySite.com/blog). They no longer want your site and content (blog) to be separate – they reward for being one and the same.

4. Develop your personality. With as much content as exists in today’s world, regurgitating what everyone else is using will give you the same results. Instead, create a reason for doing what you do, and be willing to share that every chance you get.

5. Never drift from your core. In every subject matter, in every niche, there are millions of ways of writing about things that matter to your business. Don’t drift to other areas that are pointless to your client base – such as talking about water conservation if you are a tax accountant. You may believe strongly about something. But unless it has direct correlation to your business, leave it out.

In every business model, the best piece of advice is to stay true to your brand and stay on track for the long run.

Don’t deviate with hidden gimmicks, huge promises, or far out guarantees. Remember the old saying of “if it seems to be too good to be true, it probably is?” We’ve forgotten that in the online world.

Focus on what your business is and do something to move you forward every day.  It works today. And it will work just as well five years from now.

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Why Niching Is The Only Way To Make Money

Who is your ideal customer?

This may seem like an easy question. Most people, without hesitation, would answer something like:

“Females from 18 to 80.”

“Families with kids.”

“Anyone breathing.”

Do you see yourself in those answers? Have you ever used something like that yourself?

While in some ways it may be true, if that is what you are focusing on, you’ll have a much harder time building your business.

Niching is about getting specific. Very specific. To the point you can describe someone in detail, and go on and on about whom they are.

“My ideal customer is a female from 40 to 60. She has worked extensively in a variety of industries, but has now decided to go it alone and set up her own company. She is building a creative company as an artist and author, and loves her new business, yet has no idea where to start when it comes to marketing. She has a website, but it isn’t giving her traction. She reads several business magazines, attends two conventions a year, and reads various online publications for support and advice. She’s never had a business coach, yet now realizes she needs help if she’s going to take her business to the next level. She doesn’t want a hand-holder coach; instead she’s looking for someone to build a plan and help her put it together over time.”

See the difference between a description like this over some of the others mentioned above?

And because I now can “see” my ideal client, and can market to her even more succinctly, I have a much greater chance of finding more just like her. Where there is one, there are many, both in your local community, and all over the world.

Have any doubts? Lets look at an example.

Let’s say a dentist is targeting local families. “Any family within a 20 mile radius of my office.”

Sounds like a great start. But what separates you from all other dentists within that 20 mile radius? Why should I choose you over Dr Smith? Or Dr Jones?

Now lets say you focus in on single working moms. You know they are busy. You know they are trying to juggle everything, and always have way more on their to-do list than they have time in the day.

So you start marketing specifically to them. Open Wednesday mornings at 6 am to stop by before school and work. And you’re open on Thursday evenings until 9 to squeeze in appointments after a busy day. Your marketing can be very specific, and say things directly to a single working mom.

Think you would see a rise in your clients? You bet. And think they would refer you to their friends – even friends who are happily married, and maybe even a few stay at home moms too? Yep.

They key is you are very specific about who you are targeting, and it allows you to think clearer about how you will reach out to them.

This is an example of a local business, but it gets even easier if you have a business where your client can exist anywhere in the world.

The key is knowing exactly who they are. Rinse, and repeat.

Filed Under: Online Marketing Tagged With: , , , ,

5 Questions To Ask Before Creating An Autoresponder

Do you use autoresponders in your business?

Autoresponders are the best method I know of to connect and communicate with your readers. It allows you to give instant feedback to people on any subject matter related to your business, and be able to do so 24/7/365.

One of the most magical things that I love is when I’m able to write such a personal autoresponder that the reader can’t tell it’s an autoresponder. Instead, they send me a personalized message back, answering my questions and giving me more information about them.

That doesn’t happen by accident. I don’t just throw together a message, or add so much content they get lost in the message. Instead of create a series of notes that make it exclusive for whoever is reading it.

For those of you new to the online world of marketing, an autoresponder is an email message that is sent out automatically by an email system depending on when a person signs up to receive your emails. You can send as few or as many messages as you desire, and set them up to be sent at a predetermined timeframe. These messages give you more credibility, and allow you to make that initial connection with someone new, helping them learn more about you through a variety of media sources.

Before you write your messages, grab some paper and spend some time analyzing these 5 questions. [Read more...]

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What Does The Most Important Page On Your Site Say About You?

What’s one of the most important pages on your website?

Your home page?

Your services section?

While they are all important in creating your overall brand, there is one page that stands out above the rest, and has the most impact in converting a complete stranger into a potential prospect. Yet its also one of the pages we think the least about, and throw up more as an afterthought.

It’s the About Us page.

Statistics continually show your About Us page is the second most trafficked page on your site. Yet if it’s just a few bullet points, a few sentences that give basic information about you, it’s also the number one page that is holding you back.

Your About Us page should be used to sell who you are and what you can do. And while that sounds easy in theory, statistics also show its one of the most difficult pages for people to write. There’s something about “tooting your own horn” that people simply find impossible. They consider it bragging. And therefore they write up a few sentences and leave it at that.

Having trouble writing up your own About Us page?
Maybe its time to let someone else do it for you.
With our newest service, we’ll do our research, ask the right questions, and put together a page that will help you reach out and connect with your prospects and customers.
And through the month of July, you can get it for 25% off.

Adding The Pizzazz To Your About Us Page

1. Start with a story. Every business started with one late night idea that built up because of passion. Whether you worked for someone else and wanted to make a break, or had a hobby you loved and wanted to grow it into something more, that passion is what built the business. People love to hear that story. They love to know what was “the moment” for you, and what persuaded you to take action and create the business you are in today. [Read more...]

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How Relevant Is The Information You View Online?

Did you know the Internet is changing right now?

I recently picked up a book “The Filter Bubble” by Eli Pariser. A few days later, someone forwarded me an interesting Ted video by Eli on the same subject.

When you do a search online with Google, it doesn’t provide you with the same information as your next door neighbor would see, your client would see, or a person half way around the world would see. Google now has algorithms in place that filter the relevant information based on your search, where you search from, and your geographical locations, among other things. They use that information to personally tailor your query results, and provide you with the content “they feel” is relevant to you.

While in some ways, that can be good, in many more ways that can hurt us all. Your search results may completely ignore current news, news in a different genre, or even news with a different political voice all based on the algorithms in place.

Google isn’t the only site doing this. Facebook is also jumping on the bandwagon, and changing your newsfeed based on which friends’ links you click on most. This allows your feed to begin to “ignore” friends in which you have little interaction. Which again means they are controlling what voice and what information you receive on a regular basis.

What does this mean to you?

First, keep in mind that what you see isn’t what everyone else sees. If you are striving to be number one under a keyword, you may achieve it, but your clients don’t see it because of their search patterns.

Next, think congruency. Don’t rely on one site to carry your message – build an online platform that crossed many sites and many interests. Make sure your message is the same from site to site. Stay active and you will be found.

Finally, stay informed. The Internet is still a new venue, and is changing from day to day. The more you learn today, the more you can apply in the future. The important key is to make sure you are reaching out to your customers in many ways, and understand how they like to find you.

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The Incorrect Way To Market With QR Codes

In our mail today, we received a powerful marketing piece that instantly made me take notice of it.

We have a lot of urban areas popping up next to our transit lines – living and shopping space that make it convenient to ride the tram system throughout the city. This brochure is announcing one of the newest, and provided an assortment of advertising space to the different shops within the community.

The first thing I noticed as I opened it up is each business had their own mini ad space, and included a QR code to move people to the online world. So of course I grabbed my phone to see where each business would send me. And in my opinion, they all did it wrong. [Read more...]

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The Future is in Friendship Marketing

If you’ve lived in one location for a while, chances are you know what a small world it really is.

I’ve owned three separate businesses here in Denver over the past 20 years, and over that time period I’ve networked just about everywhere. Today I can’t walk into a restaurant or event without knowing someone – or at least saying, “I know him/her from somewhere.” It comes with the territory.

And if you’ve ever been out on vacation and run into someone you know, again you realize what a small world it is. We were at Disney World in Florida a couple of years ago, and walked down the main stretch of Downtown Disney, only to walk right into a family we knew here from Denver but hadn’t seen in a few years.

It’s not coincidence. It’s simply the fact that the world is getting smaller. Which means that everything you do can either help or hurt you in the future. So its more important than ever to monitor your habits online and off, and always pay attention to the impact you have on your relationships.

What Is Friendship Marketing?

Friendship marketing isn’t about selling. It isn’t about marketing. It’s about creating a friendship base around you so that ultimately you can create a lifestyle you love.

People need certain things in their lives, and they would much rather give their money to a friend than to a business or to someone that simply doesn’t care.

People go to the same salon for a haircut because they enjoy the friendship they’ve created. They don’t just cut your hair, they know you and understand you. They ask about your family and with you a happy birthday. You have to have your haircut anyway, so why not go to a friend?

The same applies to any type of service you choose, whether its heading out to dinner, buying a new outfit for Saturday night, or hiring a marketing firm to help you market your business. You can trust a friend, so it’s important to find the right one.

It’s Possible With Social

You can build strong relationships with people online, even if you are in a different country, and have never met before.

It’s simply a matter of taking what you do in a face-to-face situation and converting that to the online world.

With Twitter, you can monitor what people are saying and respond. You can remember what people are up to and ask questions. You can bring 140 character Twitter conversations to Facebook or to Skype and expand on the relationship. You can even agree to meet at an upcoming event, whether its in your home town, or you meet in another city.

Just like in your face-to-face relationships, it takes little effort because you are dealing with friends. And if you treat your online social friendships the same way, it won’t be work; you’ll be dealing with friends.

“Every person is a new door to a different world.”
- from movie “Six Degrees of Separation”

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Google Instant or SEO? What Will Lead The Way?

If you’ve been over to Google this week, you’ve noticed a few changes. Google Instant is providing users with a new way to search, and a new way to get results at a fraction of the time.

No longer do you need to type out an entire phrase, hit enter, and view the results. Now it’s a matter of starting to type, and watching the results as you move from letter to letter. Google is actually “predicting” what you want based on the order of the letters. And because Google is going to give you constant feedback as you type, you’re going to be able to adjust and define your search term even further as you type.

I decided to do a simple local search for a pizza restaurant. Even when I type in the letter “p”, Google already pulls one of the biggest chains, Pizza Hut.

Which also shows that the larger your presence, and the bigger the company, the better your chance will be to come up with Google Instant.

By extending out to “piz” Pizza Hut remains in the search, but it also expands out to coupons, and also to pizza dough, giving me the option of making pizza at home. Not only is Google Instant predicting what I’m searching for, but it also can start influencing my decisions. The “pizza hut coupons” result may just sway me to try for coupons since I’m heading out for pizza anyway.

Once I get the entire word “pizza” typed in, it begins to give me other options.

Then when I begin typing in the word restaurant, it starts moving into the local search strategy. Google at that point picks up on the fact I want pizza, and want a restaurant close by to where I’m searching from. So it allows me to pick a city as well. Even though I may have originally been thinking of just “pizza restaurant” as my search phrase, I may now decide that the “pizza restaurant in Denver” sounds even better, and choose to click on that instead.

So how will that affect SEO? It depends on how well you’ve been using SEO techniques in the past, and what Google Instant continues to predict. While Google will always pull based on quality content, your ideas may now be swayed by what Google Instant is showing.

So the key to your web presence now more than ever is providing quality content, and covering as many long tail phrases as possible.

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