Archive for January, 2009

Does Social Networking Really Work? You Tell Me!

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

I received an email about three weeks ago regarding a potential interview opportunity with a gentleman ( Martin Meyer-Gossner) from Germany (at the time I thought he resided in the Netherlands).  He was looking to talk with someone who had expertise in Web Strategy.

You may ask, “Is this a relative or someone you met while travleing?”   Nope.  I’ve never left the North American content and this is someone whom I’ve never met.  This connection happened through my use of Linked In.  I am not even an avid user as I prefer Facebook as my primary social networking tool of choice.  The beauty of social networking and the Internet is it makes the world very small and opens up opportunities that we would have otherwise never knows existed!  This “smallness” of the world also creates an opportunity for businesses to create revenue opportunities in other parts of the country or even the world who aren’t experiencing such bleak economic conditions.

This story goes even one step further.  I update my status on Facebook periodically throughout the day to let people who are within my network know what I am doing.  Well when I was going through the interview I changed my status to let people know I was getting interviewed by someone from CBS in the Netherlands and that interview was going to be placed in a Web Strategy blog.  Well within about 10 minutes the interviewer had commented on my Facebook status and corrected me by letting everyone know he was from Germany!  :)

I think this is an excellent example of how Social Networking can help you expand your business opportunities and tremendously increase your geographic reach.  The sky is truly the limit!

So…  Does social networking really work?  Leave a comment and let me know if you have any similar experiences.

Pete

Ps.  Click here to read the interview and leave a comment if you’d like!

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Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Website Development | 1 Comment »

Resolve to Increase Your Online Revenue in 2009 – AND STICK TO IT!!!

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Ever year when the clock strikes midnight and we usher in a new year I get excited for all the new possiblities.  I know this is simply a point of view and it truly is just another day of course, but many of us treat it as a new beginning.  I typically take the last week of a year and reflect on the previous year’s accomplishments and set my new resolutions and goals for the coming year.  It is truly refreshing to take this time for reflection and quite exciting to look forward to the next 12 months.

Every year I seem to have a new “healthy resolution” which leads me to the gym along with about 95% of the population.  Where would the YMCA be without New Years Resolutions?  I have to guess the majority of their membership base is accumulated between Christmas and the middle of January.  The task of locating an available parking spot in the health club parking lot can be more challenging than the workout you go through once you finally get inside.

I never worry too much about this “short term” issue because I know that by the middle of February 99% of the 95% of the population will ditch their new healthy resolution and I’ll have a great spot in the front row.  That is if I haven’t ditched my resolution as well.  :)

You may find yourself in a similar situation when it comes to setting new goals and resolutions for your business.  You spend the time reflecting on the past years accomplishments and hopefully pat yourself on the back a bit.  You then sit down and chart out what you are going to be doing for the coming year and go into the new year motivated and ready to take over the world and as much of your competition’s business as possible.  If you really are looking to accomplish these goals and you truly do want to gain marketshare you should resolve to STICK TO YOUR RESOLUTIONS!

Remember the majority of the companies out there follow through on their business plans about as long as they do their new health plans.  If you want to CRUSH the competition all you need to do is “keep on keeping on!”

Every smart company out there is constantly thinking about how they can stake their claim to their own corner of the Internet and increase their online revenue.  I am sure you’ve found yourself having this internal dialoge many times throughout the course of the year and I am quite confident this was probably one of your New Year’s Resolutions.

Well if it was then MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THROUGH!  I heard a quote from someone the other day that said, “There is no shortage of good ideas, there is only a shortage of follow through.”  Don’t let this lack of follow through negatively impact the future and strength of your company.  If you don’t know how you are going to increase your online revenue, start from square one and learn what it takes.

The most important ingredient that is absolutely necessary to succeed online is having a plan!  The days of succeeding online by chance are over.

There is no shortage of “experts” online who can teach you what it takes to succeed, there is only a shortage of companies that are going to take the information these “experts” are providing and act on it!

If you have set your resolution to increase your online revenue I challenge you to follow through consistently for the entire year and watch the results.  If you have made the resolution but are unsure what to do, we can teach you.  We are holding  our “Mindshare Web Marketing Workshop” on February 5th, 2009.  This workshop is going to be a full day ( 8am – 5pm) of education.  We are also going to provide 90 days of followup teleseminars to ensure you have the necessary guidance to continue to STICK TO your plan. The attendees are also going to receive a video tutorial program of 10+ hours so you will see EXACTLY what you need to do to implement what you’ve learned in the workshop and on the teleconferences.

This is going to be a very “hands on” workshop and therefore we have limited it to a very small group.  If you are TRULY serious about increasing your online revenue in 2009,  REGISTER.

If you already have a plan then make sure you STICK TO IT!  I wish you a happy and prosperous NEW YEAR!

Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Website Development | No Comments »

Email Marketing: Work hard to earn their business. Work hard to keep their permission.

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

We pride ourselves in educating clients on tools they can use to market their services online.  In this case, it happened to be related to email marketing.

Well, I just received an email in my inbox from a client using a tool we’ve talked about.  I was happy to see this email, until I read it.  Now there were no misspellings, there were nice graphics.  Appearance wise, it was a nice looking email.  Where it fell short was the message.  If it were in print like a newspaper or magazine, it would have been good.  Lots of immediate calls to action to buy, save, act.

But email marketing is much different.  It’s permission based marketing.  Meaning you’ve been given permission to email me and thousands of others.  And when you have permission like this, you need to communicate a little differently.

The email I received assumed I was ready to buy a new car or parts.  If I were, this email would have been excellent.  However, I am not.  And the majority of their recipients may not.  So when they read this email, there is no value to me…or to them.  So without value, what do they do?  They’re more likely to unsubscribe because they didn’t sign up to just be sold over and over again.  Once they’ve unsubscribed, you lose touch with them for when they really are ready to buy what you offer.

Any email that goes out should have value.  The value is determined based on how your recipients are segmented.  If you have a list of emails that are specifically for people who are interested in buying a new car within 2 weeks, this is great.  If it’s just to Ford owners in general, you’ll need content with a more broad appeal.  The quality of your list will help you determine your content and approach.

Just keep in mind people are solicited via email to buy things many times a day.  Buy now, buy this, etc.  Work hard to earn their business.  Work hard to keep their permission.

If you want to promote the new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, I would write a quick blurb, something like “Did you know that the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is capable of x, y, z.  Furthermore, did you know, depending on your current vehicle, you can make it also do x, y, z.  This is how you do it.  This is what you need.  But if you are interested in this Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, we’re offering one for only $X (MSRP is $X!).”

I may not be able to afford the car.  But I may have a Mustang that I would really like to perform or look like it.  This email relates to me.  It has value to me.  I am wanting to hear more ideas from this company.  I stay subscribed.  I still give them permission to talk to me.  And soon, when I am ready to buy, I am only going to think about Ford.  Because that is where I am getting value.

For more information on how Mindscape can help you with your web marketing, please check us out at Mindscape-HM.com.

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Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Website Development | No Comments »