Use social media to talk with, not at, your customers
Some people are quick to label social media as a passing fad that time and ever-changing technology will eventually make obsolete. They couldn’t be more wrong. Technology will always evolve, and social media will evolve with it, but the benefits that make social media so popular will never go away. The more things change, the more they stay the same Generations ago, before the birth of computers and the internet, people had the same interactions they’re having today. They would go to a diner, read the morning paper, and talk politics with the patron at the next stool. They...
Read MoreDon’t beg for traffic. Lure traffic with great content.
Once again, The Oatmeal offers some pithy advice for e-marketers. I’m annoyed by the shameless parade of self-promotion that usually accompanies business’ attempts to build their facebook fans and twitter followers. I’ve pretty much tuned it out and only reward genuinely entertaining or educational content. The virtual world is a lot like the real world; if someone has to ask for praise, then they probably don’t deserve it. The Oatmeal demonstrates this maxim quite well: Like I’ve said before, the customer experience is paramount. Happy customers take to...
Read MoreIs your technology working for you?
I remember seeing a cartoon once where a father is yelling at his teenage son. He’s screaming that the music today is awful, and that all music stopped being enjoyable and meaningful about the same time that he stopped buying new music years ago. That joke came to mind when I read a recent editorial. In it, the author laments that Microsoft Word used to be a necessary and dynamic tool, but now it’s bloated to the point of being a hinderance. It seems he’s been too lazy to stay up-to-date with the new features and now he can’t figure out how to use it. Today, [Word...
Read MoreMore dashing of dreams of instant success
Fast Company has a great piece out called The Dirty Little Secret Of Overnight Successes. It offers a reality check for people who think there’s an easy trick to making it big: As Chris Dixon pointed out in a recent blog post, Angry Birds, the incredibly popular game, was software maker Rovio’s 52nd attempt. They spent eight years and nearly went bankrupt before finally creating their massive hit. James Dyson failed in 5,126 prototypes before perfecting his revolutionary vacuum cleaner. Groupon was put on life support and nearly shut down at one point in its meteoric rise. When...
Read MoreFive easy blog post ideas to drive traffic to your site
Generating new content via a company blog is a great way to not only attract new visitors, but also to show the searchbots that you’re actively improving your website. But you should never post content just for the sake of it. Your goal is to add value, not to just add words. As always, keep everything as brief as possible and focus on topics relevant to your readers (even if you don’t have many). A lot of people hate writing. Their minds drift back to double-spaced term papers and seas of red ink. Those days are long gone. It doesn’t need to be difficult or even very...
Read MoreBeware of black hat SEO scammers
I recently wrote at length about the six pieces of simple advice I give to web-based entrepreneurs and marketers about laying a good foundation for success on the web. Like everything in life, doing something well means taking the time to do it right. There are no shortcuts that really work, or else everyone would take the shortcut and it would become the new path. So when people tell you they can do something fast and easy when it’s usually time-consuming and difficult, you should know that it sounds too good to be true. For instance, if you talk to a marketer or a public relations...
Read MoreOn “showrooming” and adapting to change
The ubiquity of smartphones has resulted in a new phenomenon in commerce, the act of “showrooming” a product at a brick-and-mortar store before buying online. In one of the starkest signs yet that chain stores fear a new twist in shopping, Target is asking suppliers for help in thwarting “showrooming”—that is, when shoppers come into a store to see a product in person, only to buy it from a rival online, frequently at a lower price. […] “What we aren’t willing to do is let online-only retailers use our brick-and-mortar stores as a showroom for their products...
Read MoreThe six most basic steps to SEO success
I was talking to a few clients on a conference call the other day. I was helping them get their site integrated with Google services and optimize their copy for search crawls. As I was running through various tools like Bit.ly and Google’s Keyword Tool and URL Builder, I could tell that they were a bit frustrated. No one likes to learn new programs, and when you’re starting out with a new website, everything looks like code. I calmly explained to them that their site was already well-positioned to climb in the search engine rankings. What I was showing them were additional...
Read MoreThe harsh realities of starting a web-based business
Here’s a great piece on what happens when people’s idealistic expectations about online marketing are put to the test in the real world: 5 Harsh Realities of Making a Living Online These are the points that most people don’t seem to understand. Compete…or die Traffic is never truly free You’re a slave to technology People don’t buy from strangers You may never make millions I highly recommend that you read the whole thing. It’s hard medicine to swallow, but you’ll be better off for taking all it in one gulp. This part rings especially...
Read MoreThe ten most annoying website mistakes
Your website is the virtual ambassador for your brand. It may be a storefront, an engagement platform, or a mere informational portal, but it’s meant to attract users. The best way to have your users bounce away is by annoying them. Web 2.0 has seen the demise of most of the annoying gimmicks of the 1990s and early 2000s, but there are still some bad habits that won’t go away. In my opinion, these are the ten worst sins that well-meaning websites can commit. If you’re doing any of them, you need to stop. Disabling the back button Remember when Christopher Walken played The...
Read MorePopular marketing and public relations news resources
In a meeting a few days ago, I was talking about facebook’s implementation of the timeline format for brand pages. A colleague asked if I could direct her to a few resources where she could stay up-to-date with the ever-evolving trends in social media and strategic marketing. I thought I’d just go ahead and blog it since I’ve gotten the question before. I’ve already explained how to import and manage RSS feeds, so I’ll just direct you to the resources. These are 20 feeds that play big parts in my PR, SEO, and Tech lists. How useful you’ll find them depends...
Read MoreSuggested Reading: Business Books
Every few years, I brush up on all of the non-fiction/non-biography books that people have been talking about. I like to let the market filter the lasting hits from the passing fads. In the past year, I’ve gone through lots of titles, some good and some not so good. I thought I’d share the ones that were most worth taking the time to read. I’m ranking these in order of quality, with “quality” meaning a good balance of readability, insight, and prescience. The Thank You Economy Social media isn’t a fad; it’s a fundamental shift in the way we...
Read MoreIf you manage a website, you need to integrate with Google
Google integration is a service I offer to business owners. It’s something they can do themselves, and I usually recommend that they at least try before contracting with me, but they usually just pay me to do it because of my experience. They’re juggling sales and services and just want it to be done. That’s understandable, but it’s not optimal. I’ve said it before; if you think of your website as a sunk cost, then you’re doing it wrong. Your website should be thought of as a digital salesperson, promoting your brand across the globe and selling...
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As an experienced marketer and an avid social media user, I keep a hobby blog. It mostly exists as a public scrapbook for my out-of-state family. Feel free to take a look around and see what you like.
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