I am working with a client to get their new website and online marketing launched. They have been really close to flipping the switch for six months but they, like the majority of businesses, have talked themselves into not being ready.

However, in reality, the website will never be “right” and nor should it. Testing and improving are the keys to progress. And the only way to progress is to get something going something even if it doesn’t feel quite right.

I’ve missed soooo many opportunities in my life in many different areas of my life because I didn’t feel right, the timing wasn’t right or any of a dozen other excuses I made up. (Remind me to tell you about Dire Straits one day when I told myself a false story).

So the result was that I missed out completely in these areas whereas if I had taken the step and it had gone totally wrong, I would have been no worse off and in all probability, I would be far better off.

In fact, if it had gone totally wrong I would have been way ahead because I would have known that that particular episode was not right for me.

Doing something when you don’t feel it is right is scary – I still don’t do as many of my own off-line and on-line marketing activities as I should – but once you have taken the first step, it becomes easier as you go along.

Launching part finished products didn’t do Bill Gates any harm.  So what switch can you flip by Friday this week to increase your online marketing?

Share your experiences below and how you overcame the blocks.

Technorati Tags: Internet marketing, local marketing, Small business marketing

My partner, Susie and I had to move – our landlord had decided to sell.   We could have waited until after Christmas to begin the search for our new home but decided to explore the options.  Our list of needs and wants meant we had a limited choice of places and so when one came available we made a decision and got on with it.

It is very different from anything either of us has lived in, quite modern, in a cul-de-sac and very suburban, so we wondered if we were doing the right thing. But we decided that it wasn’t the end of the world even if we didn’t like the place. We could always do something else if it didn’t work out.

We both decided to be rigorous with what we kept or rather, what we discarded.  We had both been carrying some “stuff” for a few years that no longer served us.  For me it was old papers, presentations I’d given, Internet marketing seminars around the world I attended and other stuff which was “leading edge” when I first came across them ten years ago. (I’ve always been into exploring new ideas).

For Susie it was clothes and her “foo-foo” stuff as she calls it.   She loves to fossick in recycle stores for clothes, furniture and nick-nacks.  I have to say, she is very good at it and has furnished most our house that way and receives loads of compliments on her style. So for her to part with some of these possessions was a hard decision.  My daughter, Billie, forced Susie into even more discard choices with her clothes  – “Have you worn that in the last six months?” “No.” Out it goes.

There are a few cool things about giving these clothes and ornaments back to the recycle shops.
•    We de-clutter and create more space in our lives
•    Other people get the chance to rummage and find bargains
•    The charity shops get some more revenue.

The sorting and packing was plenty of work –but we broke it down into manageable amounts each evening so we could see progress but also move forward at a good pace.

I then approached furniture removals companies that were on lower pages of Google and offered them a contra deal – I’d optimise their site if they did my move.  And that was an interesting exercise as most thought it was a scam or too good to be true. One guy though, Paul, who is spending significant amounts on Adwords each month immediately saw the benefit to him and went for it, especially when I showed him how the new Google map scrolls down over his adverts! So we got to move for free and he saves $$$.  Plus, when he arrived with his team, he had a hot SEO lead for me. 

Once we got to the new house, Susie had a brain wave about changing the master bedroom for the office.  This meant the office was on the ground floor and close to the rest of the living space so I can remain “connected” with the rest of the family instead of being stuck upstairs.. This one small change has made the house even better suited to us and our life.

Then more, swift, focused hard work with unpacking and placing belongings in their new places.  And already the house looks like we’ve been here for ages.

Some added bonuses are a super friendly dog the children play with (in fact he just walked past my door as I typed this), cats my daughter loves and my son Joe has rediscovered riding his bike.

The result?

Within 3 weeks from the initial idea, we were settled in a new place which is ideal for us at this stage of our life
We are carrying much less baggage and
My children have new buddies to play with

Lessons to apply in your business

• If you have an idea or desire to do something but are unsure of the outcome, start on it immediately.
• Precisely define what you want.
• Research quickly.
• Don’t hold onto preconceived ideas, they are probably wrong.
• Have a plan and make it manageable.
• Be creative like using your services in exchange for what you want.
• Be bold in your decision making.
• Act fast knowing you can change if it’s not what you want.
• Small changes can produce huge benefits.
• Be flexible and willing to change quickly.
• You never know what other benefits you will get by making decisions and taking action.

So what marketing plan have you been putting off in your business?
•    A promotion to your customers?
•    Optimising your website so people can find it easier in Google?
•    An on-line promotion for Christmas perhaps?

Whatever it is, decide to do it or get outside help to make it happen.  And with the holiday spending season fast approaching, you could receive a nice windfall.

Technorati Tags: local marketing, Search engine optimisation, Search engine optimization, Small business marketing

I was talking to a prospective client today, following-up a proposal I sent for a small website she needs (and wants).

I’ve also sent her an update on the new Google search results plus a piece on how to avoid the biggest mistake people make about their website (an over emphasis on the design of the site rather than the marketing of it).  So she’s well informed about the current important aspects to marketing on-line.

But when we spoke she said “Who knows my business better than me?” and she had decided to do more planning for a bigger site.  My head swooned at this.

Firstly, making the project bigger is a sure-fire way to bring the project to a screeching halt.

But the biggest problem is that she “knows” her business better than anyone else.  While that’s true to a large extent in terms of the operations, most business owners rarely know their business from a customer’s perspective.  And almost certainly is the worst person to plan and implement their marketing.

How I Learnt The Secret To Marketing Yourself Online.

Last December, I was struggling to create my new website.  I couldn’t get a grip on where to start and thought, “How can I consult to people if I can’t do my own site?”I was in inner turmoil about it.

Then I was being interviewed about SEO by a successful marketing consultant in San Francisco.  She mentioned that she always outsources her marketing because she’s too close to it. Phew! It wasn’t just me.

A week later I was chatting with a marketing guy in England and he said the same thing – he outsources his marketing. Hmm – interesting.  I see a pattern developing

Then soon after I was talking with New Zealand’s top marketing consultant and he said that he always has someone else check his marketing.  Hallelujah!  The answer to marketing myself is not to try it.

And that’s it.  You are very unlikely to be successful with your marketing, whether it’s an ad, a sales letter, a web page or your search engine optimisation because you know what you want to say but you rarely know what a customer wants to hear.

An Example – The Same Market – Two Different Languages – No Business

A client in a small volume, high ticket price industry was #2 in Google and his competitor was #1 but neither got any traffic to their sites. I did some keyword research and found that between them they had many hundreds of web pages but hardly any searches for their keywords.

At the other end of the spectrum, there were a good number of searches but hardly any pages.

The business owners were using the wrong language because they know the topic inside out but they didn’t know how a customer expresses the problems.

So, for an independent view on your online marketing and SEO, email here for a complementary 30 minute consultation with an Auckland Internet marketing service.

Technorati Tags: Auckland, Internet marketing, local marketing, Small business marketing

This week I’ve been working on a client’s website, setting up a blog for them and integrating their social media accounts.

It can be a complex process bringing it all together which is why I was asked to look after the job.

Anyway, one of the most difficult parts is ……..passwords and the number of different accounts you need to run.

At the moment you’ve probably got your on-line banking PW, a couple of email accounts, your Facebook access codes, your work email and probably a few more.

And when you start to use social media which, social book-marking, blogs and a whole array of other modern essential communications tools, it soon mounts up and becomes impossible to remember.

Unless of course you use the same PW for each account or the obvious ones – your name, child’s name, birthday.  Those are very unsafe. They are simple to guess, hack and crack. (Wasn’t that an advertising agency?)

So what can you do?

Here are three simple ideas to save you time looking for the PWs and increase your PC security.

1 The boring sensible approach.
Mix up lower case, capitals and numbers.
Even adding a single capital in an 8 character PW increases the combinations exponentially.

2 The fun and personal growth approach.
What!

How can personal growth increase your PC security?

By using positive affirmations for your security codes.  For example.

IamHealthy, IamHappy, IMustWorkWithAndrew.

You get the idea.

This has three benefits.
•    A less common phrase that’s personal to you.
•    Mixed case letters which increases the combinations.
•    You frequently reinforce your desires or goals.

Cool idea huh,

3 The easy option wherever you are.
You may have your PWs stored on your computer but you may not always be at your own desk.

The answer here is to use a product like www.LastPass.com.  This is a free service that stores your passwords online so you only have to remember one password and can access your PWs from whatever terminal you are working at.

Your responsibility and a disclaimer
These ideas do not guarantee your PC security.
No system is completely safe and you are responsible for the
security you use on your system.  But these ideas are
better than “yourname123” that far too many people use.

Let me know your thoughts or post a comment below.

Technorati Tags: local marketing, Small business marketing

She said it was uncanny how I’d pre-empted what she was just about to write in her newsletter.  Spooky huh.

Besides the fact that my crystal ball was especially active last week, it’s more that the topic (prospects not making decisions) is so endemic that it affects most of us as far as our business is concerned.

It frustrates the heck out of us because they can’t / won’t / don’t decide to use our service which we KNOW will help them.  It’s plain as day you could take them forward.  Hey, even if they said “No”, at least you would be further ahead.  You could stop wasting time on them.

Yet, many of us are just as guilty when it comes to investing in people who could help us.

Think about it. How many issues do you have in your business where potential service providers have been calling on you but you’ve still not engaged them.

Hmm – my crystal ball is vibrating again.  I think I just struck a chord with a few folks.

If you are resisting taking on suppliers, how can you expect people to take you on?  Same coin, different sides.

So my pressure-point question this week is.

Choose one company on both sides of your business – one prospect and one supplier – that you know you should be doing business with?

Make it your objective this week to commit to converting one prospect and then investing that revenue into your business with a supplier who will be able to take you forward.

Let me know how you get on.

And for the first person to complete both sides, I’ll give you a gratis 27-point SEAT – Search Engine Assessment Test.That’s normally 147 smackeroos.

So, away you go.  Get on the phone.
Now.
What are you waiting for?

And think what that will do for the economy.

Technorati Tags: Action, Internet marketing, local marketing, Small business marketing

As with most business people, the conversation soon turned to business conditions and how each of our businesses are doing.  We both agreed that each was doing significantly better than last year.

Rather than simply saying that the economy was picking up, she said in her case it was because she was doing more marketing, hence her new website. It’s the same for me too – more marketing which may sound odd coming from a marketer.  More on that later.

And then she made the comment “Anyone can sell in good times. In tough times you have to market yourself.”

It was like a breath of fresh air.

I’ve said the same dozens of times but when a client volunteers that thought,  Wow!

Take a look around, see which way the wind blows

When you look around and don’t like what’s happening, you have two choices – do nothing and hope it will all get better or decide to do something about it.

There’s the old saying, “Three types of business; those that make things happen, those that watch things happen and those that things happen to.”

In any economy but especially in tougher ones, the companies that make things happen (the marketers) grow and that growth comes at the expense of those that watch who eventually become those that (unpleasant) things happen to.

And it’s especially difficult when the media you’ve known for years have stopped working.  Just this week Yellow Pages in NZ was put up for sale by its bankers who want to get some cash out of the fast ailing business.

The proof

McGraw-Hill researched companies in recessions and found that those that continued to market grew by 275% over five years.  Those that cut back or stopped marketing grew on average only 19% over five years.  Hmm, makes you think doesn’t it…. Well not for long.

It’s a no-brainer – your competitors are stuck in fear too, so start or pick up your marketing.  Anything but do something.  And if you know you must start to use the Internet but don’t understand how, ask someone.

Not marketing in a recession creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Oh and why was it odd that a marketer might be doing some marketing?

Well, we are amongst the worst when it comes to marketing ourselves.

I used to think it was me but talking to marketers from San Francisco to London to Auckland, they all said the same.

It’s almost impossible to do your own marketing.

A case in point just two days ago.

A web marketing buddy rang me and said he’d read my newsletter about procrastinating.  “We need to work together on this project” he said and it sparked him into action.

Why is it so hard to market yourself?

There are lots of reasons but some common ones are:

• You know too much about your area of expertise.
• You don’t want to toot your horn.  (That’s a biggie).
• You are too close to “your baby.”
• It’s scary to try something new.  (Excitement and scary are the opposite sides of the same emotion, it just depends how you look at it).

Among that list is probably the reason why you aren’t upping your marketing too.

So, don’t feel it’s your fault.

97% of other people feel the same.  It’s just that at any point in time, 3% of people decide to

do something about it.  Others take action later. The majority watch and wonder.

As my client said, “Anyone can sell when times are good.”

So what Internet marketing initiative are you going to take this week?

I’d love to hear from you.

And if you are confused about SEO, Social media, Web2.0 or any other buzz term, drop me a line.

I’m here to help and keep it simple for you.

Technorati Tags: local marketing, Marketing, Small business marketing

Anyway, what have two fugitive, poverty-stricken, unkempt musicians got to do with smart business owners?

Good question and the answer may surprise you.

Before I get to that though, for those who haven’t seen or have forgotten the movie, I’ll quickly re-cap the plot.

The two brothers, Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) and Jake (John Belushi), were raised in a church boy’s home before going on to become blues musicians in Chicago.  One of them is released from jail and the brothers go to see the nun who had raised them because they’d promised to see her when he got out.

They discover that the school is about to be closed because it owes thousands of dollars in city taxes.  Hmm, don’t we all love those taxes huh?

Jake and Elwood decide to raise money to pay the taxes so that other boys can have a home and basic education just like they did.  The problem was, how?

They had no jobs.  No assets.  And they had no money of their own.

Someone suggested they go to see a gospel singer, played by James Brown, to get some inspiration. It’s a great scene in the movie plus some fab music too.  A big gospel choir backing JB with Chaka Khan in the choir too.

As the choir and band are in full throttle, a light shines through the church window onto Jake with “hallelujah” resonating around him.

Then he said. “The Band.  The Band.  I’ve seen the light. Let’s get the band back together.”

And that’s what happens to some business owners.

No, they don’t form a blues band but they do see the light….. about their marketing.  Specifically, they understand the need to use the Internet for their marketing because it’s where customers turn for information about local products and services.

Being smart, they look at their own behaviour when they are looking to buy a new product or service. What do they do?

•    They turn to Google first to research the potential products and suppliers.
•    Then the probably look at a video about the product on YouTube.
•    Maybe read a review or two.
•    Look at some articles or case studies to get some background so they are better informed when they speak to the sales people.
•    Perhaps see what people on Twitter, LinkedIn or other social media sites are saying about it.

Plus they know the Yellow Pages ads, newspapers and flyers aren’t working anymore. So why not use the same tools for their own businesses?

Now most of those that “get it” don’t need or want to know the ins and outs of Internet marketing. They don’t feel inadequate because they don’t understand the technicalities.  After all, they are experts at what they do, not Internet marketing.  They just know it’s the right thing to do because it’s the best way to safeguard the future success of their business they’ve worked so hard to grow and nurture.

So my question to you?

Have you seen the light?

Are your own actions unique or are they typical of over 70% of the buyers when you want to finding local goods and services?

If you know that the Internet is the way of, not just the future but the here and now, then you might be open to some new ways to market your business.  You might want to try it before your competitors see the light.

Send me an email Andrew@gigmarketing.biz or call 021 458089 to see how the light can shine on your business.

Technorati Tags: Internet marketing, local marketing, SEO, Small business marketing

This was good news for those entrepreneurs who could see the opportunities and took advantage of them.

Not so good for those that didn’t either see them or especially not act on them.

Fast forward ten years or so and over 50% of businesses still don’t have a website.

So were they wise not to leap headlong onto the Web?

Not really because they are still small businesses.  They haven’t grown. Because that’s where prospects go to look for new suppliers.

Plus, many of those local business now suffer from price pressure from “foreign” suppliers.  (Foreign can be the next town or state for traditional businesses).

They have lost hordes of customers and have seen new suppliers come into the market.

All-in-all, life is certainly tougher for those local companies that didn’t grasp the opportunities that the Internet provided.

How has history turned against your local business?
But now, in 2010 there is an ironic twist in fortunes for smart business owners and managers.

The vast majority of those companies that had a website put up in 2000 or even 2005 have done very little to them since then.  Their websites area as fresh as the day they were put up.  They’ve gathered digital dust and let’s face it, most of them look it.

•    They were built with very little understanding of what makes a website successful.

•    Most have little or no marketing and selling from the site.

•    There are few sites built so that Google will offer them as a credible answer to prospects’ problems.

•    And less than half of one percent of local companies uses the full range of Internet marketing capabilities.

For those companies that do any marketing, most still rely on newspapers, Yellow Pages and other traditional marketing tools.

But you know they don’t work like they used to do they? In March, the Advertising Association in NZ announced that ad spend had dropped 11.9%with newspapers losing over 13% of its revenue.  The numbers are worse in other countries.
So smart marketers realise that too.

Is there any hope for your business?
There quick answer is “Yes.”

The Internet.

It’s under-used by over 90% of businesses which means if you decide to grasp the opportunities, you will be miles ahead of your competitors how either can’t make a decision or who stick with what they know.

Plus it’s easy and very cost-effective.

And there are so many different ways to use the Internet.  It’s not just putting up a website.
I can think of 27 different marketing techniques that local companies could use.

That ironic twist?
Well, those business that have suffered from those “foreign” and new suppliers could, if they were smart and grasp any one of those 27 marketing techniques, they could out perform their competitors with ease by using the very platform that squeezed their business in the past.

Technorati Tags: local marketing, Marketing, Search engine optimization, Small business marketing

You switch on your computer.

You pick up the mail and go through it while your PC is booting up.

You see an offer for a seminar to learn the latest developments in your industry.  Hmm that looks interesting you think.

Then there’s another offer for a marketing technique that other people in your industry and others are using.  It’s the same the same price as the course on your industries developments.

You can only afford one so which do you pick?

Like most people you would choose the one to keep up with changes in your industry wouldn’t you?

That’s probably the wrong call.

Why?

Well, unless you are in telecoms or hi-tech industries, there is usually very little change.  May be a slight twist or tweek.  Perhaps a different slant on old methods.  But be honest, when was there a shift in the way accounts were prepared?  Or how plumbing has changed?  Or a particular therapy has evolved?  Or what ever industry you are in>

And how many of your customers’ problems are you unable to solve?  Probably very few because you are already an expert at what you do.

You DON”T need anymore technical skills.

But what is it that causes you the biggest problems in your business?

Customers!

Not enough.
The wrong ones.
Too cheap.
They complain.
They’re not repeat buyers.

Lots of problems with customers.

And all of those problems come down to one thing and one thing only.

Not enough good marketing to attract the best customers into your business.

If you could find and use current marketing tactics that work, the traditional Yellow Pages, newspapers, radio, don’t work any more, you would be way ahead of your competitors.

You could position yourself as the expert so people would be lining up to work with you.
Or you could get your promotions out, cheaper, faster and to more people.
Imagine sacking the pain-in-the-butt customers because you already have better ones lined up.

How cool would your life be?

How much more successful would your business be?

You will only find those new, better customers by using the Internet for your marketing for your local business.

And you won’t learn that at your industry skill seminar will you?

Technorati Tags: local marketing, Small business marketing

Or maybe you get one-time customers but little repeat business.

Or worse still, your phone never rings.

Yet you deeply believe your product or service is just what other companies need.

So what went wrong? Where is your steady stream of clients?
Most businesses struggle to thrive or even fail because they don’t conduct market research before they open, to see if there is a demand for two things:-

1.    their service or
2.    their positioning – how they differentiate themselves from everyone else

They rely on their belief rather than fact or testing the market.

Why don’t more people do it?
One reason is that people just don’t think about doing it.

Another is that market research is notoriously difficult to get any meaningful output.  There are many reasons such as:

•    the difficulty of finding willing respondents in the first place.
•    getting “sensible” answers from them.
•    and finally, being able to believe what they say. Often people will say what they think you want to hear.

Simply put, you cannot rely on what your customers say.

The only reliable source of the truth is what people do.

And there’s one place where people freely and consistently tell you what they want by their actions.

Google.

When people type into Google for business services or products, it’s not to while away an idle half hour or, out of curiosity, to see what the local plumbers are up to on their websites. (Well some of us do but we have our own special peculiarities).
No, people go there to find immediate providers or at least to research potential providers.

Even on social media not all people say what they really think.  Certainly a lot tell their truth but for some it’s a game.  For others, they say what they think is cool. And for more, they don’t want to be seen in public.

But Google gives them privacy and information without being hassled by sales people.  Your prospects feel safe using Google.

The only source of your customers’ truth
So, to increase your chances of success, or rather to reduce your chances of failure, redefine yourself and your business based on what people are typing into Google for your broad category.

You can then drill-down to find more detailed data and then use those Search-terms on your website.

And here’s a big tip.

Don’t forget to use those terms in your off-line communications as well.  People will recognise their words and feel more connected to you as a result.

Rename your offering from the bland “Services” that everyone else uses to match the best Search-term you can find.

For example, in the tree-maintenance industry, instead of crown-lifting, use tree pruning.

Treat your business to the best investment you will ever make

Go to Google’s Keyword Research Tool It’s free.

Find out what words people are really using to describe your business.  You’ll find loads of data. And then use those words on your website.

Learning what it all means and how to use it will be the best day’s work you can do.

But then I would say that wouldn’t I, as an SEO guy.

But it really is the best research tool you can find.

Or, if that all sounds too complicated, ask an expert to do it for you to turn all that data into useful information.

Email me at Andrew@gigmarketing.biz for a no obligation, fixed-price quotation to find out what your market is really looking for.

Technorati Tags: local marketing, Search engine optimization, SEO