Marketing Madness, Stop the Insanity!
Posted on April 27, 2007
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing continuously, and expecting a different result.
In marketing, I say marketing your business the same way everybody else does is insane.
One thing that seems to be evident to most marketing experts is that the majority of new businesses seem to be marketing ineffectively.
More specifically, they are not getting the most bang for their marketing dollars. They’re seem oblivious to thinking that it might be possible to get a better result for the same time, money and effort they’re already spending.
And, what’s worse is that many don’t care. They actually think they’re business is about their trade. I, and many other experts, suggest it’s about marketing – about getting and keeping customers for life.
Although their philosophy about doing business seems insane (and, it is!), I believe the insanity lies in those who emulate everyone else. Most people entering into business for the first time never really plan to stay in business. (I bet you’re wondering what I mean by that, right?)
I’m sure you’ve heard varying statistics that say something like “one in three businesses will still be out of business in a year” or “three out of five businesses will out of business in five years.”
While those may be true, let me tell you the real reason for this: they don’t know how to market themselves effectively. They think that people will flock to them because they offer something. But the truth is, if no one knows you exist, no one will come do business with you.
Because you are good at what you do is no indication that people will do business with you.
Let me put it this way:
== > If you threw a diamond ring worth $2 million dollars in the desert for someone to find, and you told no one, does that mean people will go flocking to find it because it’s valuable?
Absolutely not. THAT’S INSANE!
Marketing is about communicating with prospective and current clients about the value, benefits, and distinct advantages you offer. Without communicating to these people, they know nothing about you. They do not know you exist. So, their only choice is to go to someone who does communicate with them.
While understanding that you must communicate with your prospective and current clients is very important, how you communicate to them is even more important.
What I want you to understand right now is that you should not base your marketing plan on what everyone else is doing, necessarily.
==> You should not copy what your competitor is doing just because they’re doing it.
==> You should not do what your previous boss did.
==> You should do what works to market yourself.
That’s how you stop the madness – the marketing insanity.
Marketing insanity comes when you emulate someone else’s marketing strategy just because you think, “if they’re doing it, that must be what I should do.”
Nonsense!
You should do what works for your business. You should never guess. You should TEST!
Testing what works and what doesn’t is the most powerful marketing strategy you can employ. It allows results to be the final determination of what works and what doesn’t.
Testing your marketing strategies is what separates the “men from the boys.” You will stay in business longer because you’re not insane enough to keep doing what doesn’t work.
What do you test? For starters, you can test:
* One ad against another
* One headline against another
* One sales approach against another
* One offer against another
* One event date against another
* One publication versus another, etc.
Always test. Never assume what works. Always “put it to a vote” as one of my teachers’ says. You will only know what works for your business by doing it yourself, testing it, and by making small improvements to it until it works consistently for you.
If it doesn’t work, you don’t use it anymore.
Now one thing I do want to make clear. If someone else does have a successful marketing strategy or program that works for them, test to see if it works for you.
I am a big advocate of testing strategies from outside my industry. However, don’t just adopt everything they do, but see what works and what doesn’t in your business.
Because you may deal with a slightly or altogether different clientele, the results may be very different.
So, you have to be careful. But, again, test carefully and see what the results are.
I want to leave you with this important message: “STOP THE MADNESS, NOW!”
Remember, marketing insanity is what happens when you assume that because someone else is doing something, you should.
Dare to be different by doing what most businesses are not doing, by testing everything you do before “buying into it.” You and your clients will be the beneficiaries of your wise decision.
Test to be the best!
© 2001-06 By Craig Valine
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Craig Valine is a Marketing Performance Coach Who Helps Independent Consultants, Coaches, and Service Professionals Get More Clients, Make More Money, and Have More Fun In Their Business. To subscribe to his “Marketing YOUniquely” eNewsletter, Go To http://www.craigvaline.com/subscribe.html
Filed Under Internet Marketing | Leave a Comment
Get Google Adwords Pay Per Click FREE
Posted on April 25, 2007
I would guess that most of the Internet marketing community is at least somewhat familiar with Google Adsense and the Pay Per Click concept. Google Adsense can be a very lucrative venture for some, and a financial minefield for others, so having a better understanding of Adsense is worthwhile.
Google Adsense is small contextual ads that are published on websites. The ads created are called Adwords. Google Adwords and Adsense run hand in hand. Every time someone does a search on Google or one of their partner networks and clicks on one of the sponsored ads, then Google will charge the person who created that ad a predetermined price. This is where the term “pay per click” comes from.
So how is the price per click determined? This is where the Adwords side of the equation kicks in. Adwords publishers bid on keywords. The more lucrative or sought after a keyword is, the more the publisher will be willing to pay for each click. Keywords range anywhere from a few cents to in excess of $50 per click!
So there you are, spending midnight hours compiling keywords and manipulating text ads, trying to get the best deal with Google Adwords Pay Per Click. Cos’ if you get it right it can work wonders for your bank balance, get it wrong and it can seriously make a dent in your credit card.
However, after all that sweat and toil, it appears that a new break-through secret is all you now need in order to get your Google AdWords pay-per-clicks completely FREE of charge.
Are you kidding me?. Here’s me wasting all my youth trying to beat the system, and now they tell me that a gentleman from New York discovered by accident, what he calls an “oversight” on the part of 99.9% of all marketers that allows him to get advertising at Google absolutely FREE, as well as all other search engines that allow sponsored ads.
And no, nothing about his “secret” is illegal - nor does it require that you know someone on the “inside” at Google, Yahoo, MSN, Overture and others.
Instead, the New Yorker boasts proudly “…this is something that he caught onto just before 2000 when there was so much search engine craze running around, and started doing small just to test things at first … but which he later expanded on after getting the hang of it.”
And to rub salt into the wound, this same fellow went on to make millions of Dollars operating sixteen separate on line companies selling everything from pet food, DVDs, children’s toys & games, books, software, and sold not only his own manufactured products but became an affiliate for other web businesses – simply applying his mastermind secret!
Over the course of nearly eight years the New Englander confesses “I’ve actually gotten over $87 million in FREE advertising using my secret. The largest share of which was Google pay-per-clicks as well as other forms of paid advertising at search engines … all of which I got for free …”
So powerful is his secret that using Pay Per Click Advertising, he’s able to monopolize any niche on line, and can always secure the top premium spots just above the usual organic results featured at most search engines.
Now to everyone else’s fortune, the city slicker is releasing his secret for getting an unlimited amount of Free pay-per-click ads to the general public. But he’s not promising any of us for how long. A bit of an eccentric, the gentleman says “We’ll see just how long I can make it available before it saturates things.”
One famous public web guru pointed out that although this man may gain economically more so as a result of the publication of his secret “he’s already so amazingly rich that whether he continues or discontinues its sale will neither make nor break the man, but not grabbing it for yourself while it’s still available could prove disastrous for you as you may only have one chance, and a very limited one at that, to get this.”
I’m not too bothered, cos’ I’ve got mine, But when I discovered this man’s secret. I was so dumbfounded I nearly turned to drink. Why didn’t think of it?. It was so simple.
It’s in a very easily readable format and is quickly and readily understood and mastered by anyone with even a 4th grade reading level.
It’s currently available in the May edition of wb-bulletinboard, so you may want to head on over there now and get it for yourself
While you’re there, why not scroll down and review for yourself the huge successes others are now having with this incredible breakthrough in targeted advertising now made freely available to the rest of us?
To your Success
http://www.wealthbuilder-international.com/recommends/FreeGoogleAds
Approved by Bush- Create Online BusinessFiled Under Pay Per Click | Leave a Comment
Importance of Keywords for SEO
Posted on April 20, 2007
Selecting correct keywords is the best way to reach your site, because the keywords can make or break site future. So selecting correct keywords is an art, so that your visitors can reach on your site directly without any problem. But if your keywords are not according to your potential customer’s desire, or your web site doesn’t have the keyword which they are looking for then they will miss you, which is very bad for the future of your site. You should remember that when you select keyword for your web site, you must use those words which are related to your contents and also popular search words as well. This is called keywords optimization.
A good web page contains information that people are looking for. Keyword search is an art which we have said earlier, for this you have to choose good keyword which are really good and match with your contents, and you must use appropriate tool to select your keywords then you must succeed to select suitable keywords. For example if your site is related to the “dog care” then your keywords is related to the “bathing of dogs”, “eating habits of dogs” etc, so that when people search for the “bathing of dogs” then your site also show in the result, because when people search on all these types of sites then they use these types of keywords, which is too common and also related to these sites.
How to select keywords: Search engine use the keyword to show the rank pages. If you select the right keywords then it should be good for your site. Keywords search is the building block for the search engine optimization. Search engine use those keywords or phases to display web pages which are relevant to these terms.
If you want to select your keywords then you must spend some time on your company site and concentrate on products and quality then you set your keywords according to your products and your service. The most obvious is the direct description of our product, for example widgets if you are selling blue widget then you must set your keywords like “widgets” or “blue widgets”. If you select your keyword blue widgets then your site must display in the result of the search engine. If you have a product which is stain killer then you set your keywords as “stain remover” or “stain killer”, these types of keywords helps to search your site. If you have web Design Company then you must select any keywords like “web design”, “web designing”, “web page design”, “internet web site design”, “web design and development”, “web site design” and many more, these types of keywords helps a site to make the future of the web site.
Site description statements: one thing keywords are not the only way to promote your website. After the whole analysis you must make a list of 30 keywords, 15 is better. Put them in the order of impotency. Here are five steps to selecting keywords so that you can make the best keyword decision for your SEO strategy.
1. Make a list for selection process: Sit down and think about what your web site is about. What is your product and your preliminary service or what your potential customer thinks about your website? With this process you can make a simple list of keywords for the selection process.
2. Select the alternative of your keywords: Review the list you made in step one and try to come up with alternate keywords that are similar to the ones you listed. For example, if you sell ice cream or cakes bakery products, you could make your list of keywords even more specific by listing the different types of ice cream that you sell. Then your list might be expanded to include chocolate, vanilla, tutti-frutti, dry fruit, mango flavor, banana flavor, and many more. The more specific you can make your keywords, the better your chances of finding keywords that have little competition from other Web sites.
3. Go for some software: Now you just move your side to select the research portion of the keyword selection process. Use some software or web based tool to select more specific keywords for the site.
4. Select Common or popular search word: Review the popularity of each search items on the World Wide Web. This will helps you to select the better keyword and the result of the search engine. Keep one thing in your mind that your keywords are common and which is used by the visitor during any search if your keywords are not searchable then it affect the future of your site.
5. Implement your keywords in your site with the help of the Mata tags, alt-image tags, page title, site maps, and anything else you can use to incorporate the keywords you selected. Keep track of your site statistics so you can see what needs to be changed once you have implemented your keywords.
These are the few tips to research your keywords, because the success of your website may depend on traffic going to your site from search engines.
Keywords Solidity: The true definition of keyword Solidity is the ratio of the word that is being searched for, against the total number of words appearing on a given web page. If your keyword occurs only once or twice in a page of 800 or more words, obviously it has a lower keyword Solidity than a keyword that would occur six or seven times in a page of similar length. For Example: Suppose you have Web Design Company and your web site represents your company world wide, but you have chosen your keyword not according to your contents or nature of your site. You select your keywords regarding PHP, Photoshop, Flash, Animation these words are very rare in the description or a single web page during search your site is stands in the last number of the search engine, because the ratio of the word against the total number of words appearing on the given web page is very less. So these types of ratio destroy the future of your site.
So when you select your keywords you just select those keywords which have solidity on your web page. Solid keywords also help to brighten the future of your site.
So in the end keywords make or break the future of your site. You never select any keyword from anywhere you must be conscious during the selection of the keywords. The future of your site is depending upon the selection of the keywords. If your keywords are solid and also describe your business then it helps to increase the traffic on your site. A big website is not so big if no one finds it. Keep in mind to research your keywords carefully from the Potential consumer’s viewpoint and then sit back and watch the traffic roll in!
Author Bio: The author is Business Head for The Web Design Company, http://www.webdesigningcompany.net. It deals in web site design, website redesign, flash, 3D animation, logos, Banner Adds etc.
Approved by Car Guy- Create Online BusinessFiled Under Search Engine Optimization | Leave a Comment
Using the Internet to Find Your Next Job
Posted on April 16, 2007
If the thought of looking for a new job conjures up images of an oversized cup of coffee and a stack of Sunday classifieds, it might be time to re-think what a job hunt entails. Thanks to the Internet, newspapers are no longer the only “go-to” source for finding job prospects.
Search Online
Recent research has found that the Internet is the primary source of job postings for more than 71 percent of job-seekers. Newspapers continue to be popular and are typically used in conjunction with the Internet by many job seekers. However, the Internet is valued not only as a legitimate source of job postings, but as a fruitful source of jobs most likely to result in actual job offers. Some attribute this trend to the ability to use electronic media to more closely match an individual’s specific experience and abilities to specific jobs through resume optimizing — a process that can’t be accomplished via fax machine or a mail campaign.
Know What Works
There are several well-established job sites on the Internet, including Yahoo Hot Jobs, Career Builder, and Monster. Each site allows you to search for jobs by keywords, titles, and locations. In most cases, you can apply for the jobs online as well as post your resume for potential employers to view. Each site may present you with different results, though, depending on which sites companies use to publish their job postings. There are also several “niche” sites available that target specific professions, experience levels, or age groups. Sites such as TheLadders.com (for job seekers making $100,000 or more) currently make up 70 percent of the approximately 40,000 online job sites and may offer a great way to narrow your search, depending on what you’re looking for.
However, search engines designed specifically to troll a variety of job sites are also available and are a great way to search as many sites as possible all at once. Job search engines such as Indeed.com, Jobster, and SimplyHired.com will pull results from the big name job sites, as well as feed you results from the job boards of major corporations, associations, and newspapers. Results can be narrowed down to geographical areas, so local listings that may interest you will pull up as well.
Use Your Resources
Networking is still a popular means of locating jobs, although its usefulness in locating job opportunities may have diminished — although only a bit — in the shadow of the Internet. Online job postings are comprehensive and easy to sort through, but there’s still something to be said about rubbing elbows and making yourself known to key players in your industry. Make the best of your job search by using all the resources available to you: the Internet, the newspaper, and your real-world connections. A multi-pronged approach to the job market is sure to wield you the best results…and your next job!
Author Bio: Michael Fleischner is the Managing Director of ResumeEdge which provides Resume Writing Services
Approved by Jaybodean- Create Online BusinessFiled Under Business Planning | Leave a Comment
The Deadly Myth about Search Engine Optimization and Google
Posted on April 13, 2007
In the present time, we are so obsessed with Search Engine Optimization and Google Page Rank that many of the webmasters tend to think that SEO and Top Positions in Google would lead them to a hidden treasure and would immediately result in Tens of Thousands of dollars of business flowing into their bank.
They are wrong, Top Rankings wouldn’t be your best bet always, I’ve seen websites in Top Positions in Google for the worlds most competitive keywords, sustaining there for a considerable time and then eventually, falling down, changed their business methodology, or changing their business plans altogether.
Apologies for my Grammatical Errors, but I’m only a techie trying to share my experience but not a Web Copywriter or a linguistic.
I wouldn’t name the website here, but I know well about them because I was trying to compete with them for two most competitive keywords “web design company” and “web designing company” If you doubt that these keywords are so competitive, I would like you to have a look at this great tool which would tell you how competitive a keyword and a phrase is, it’s fun to play with.
This website was on top for a long time, their portfolio was nice, their site design and layout was brilliant and there prices were very competitive, but suddenly one fine day I saw their business methodology totally changed, they were now selling an online casino package and have shut down their web design operations and kept them on a low profile (at least on their website it seems that way). After a month their rankings fell and they were virtually non existent on that keyword term, but of course they are on prominent position for their targeted keywords now once again, but the keywords are different obviously.
So why did they do that, If they were willing to foray into a different field, why did they leave their existent business, I would think because their existent business was not very profitable so they decided to shut it down and do something which is more worthwhile for them to do.
So, Top Rankings do not guarantee Mind Blowing Profits, If your Industry is over saturated, then you can’t count on Top Rankings for a pool of money flowing in to your business.
The idea is that Webmasters should not keep trying to compete on competitive keywords and spend all their valuable time and resources there, Top Rankings could help your business grow but it’s not the only way where you can grow your business, I was able to get top rankings on keywords “web design company” in Yahoo & MSN, so did it help my business?? The answer is – Not Much. Much of the Business (90% of it), I’m generating is from direct marketing, emailing and other traffic building activities. This is not good considering that 40% of Search Traffic comes from Yahoo & MSN, 50% from Google, and 10% from other search engines, so where did I go wrong. The answer is no where, I didn’t do anything wrong, It’s a fact that only 10-20% of your customers come from Search Engines by searching your most optimized keywords even if you are on Top 10 Positions on them. Of course if you solely don’t rely on Search Engines for your Business.
Opt in E-Mail Marketing is the cheapest media to grow your business, Currently I’m getting 150-200 inquiries from customers interested in my products and services, out of which only 5% of these inquires are coming from Yahoo & MSN Searches, so if I somehow manage to get top positions on my favorite keywords on Google also, would my inquiries increase considerably? I doubt that, it would surely help, but it’s not worth the sleep less nights I was devoting earlier for SEO.
I would now rather create a great looking website, launch brilliant products, develop more and more stuff in Flash, of course if it’s user friendly to my visitors and loads quickly, develop better advertising channels and wouldn’t care a damn about Search Engine Rankings, It would be better if I concentrate to convert my traffic better than creating textual ordinary looking pages for Search Engines or pray for Google’s Mercy on my website and awake countless nights for it, at least I learned the Lesson Quick.
The Lesson learned by me is to concentrate more on bringing visitors to your site and converting them well by giving them a sense of personal touch and value rather then only try and compete on Google Rankings and Page Rank.
Give them stuff for free, which is useful for them, provide them resources which are lying with you on your website for free, create a nice looking website, which interacts with your clients well, show your skills and the customers would love you, Merely getting a Top Ranking in Google and a Page Rank 7 won’t do wonders.
I have seen Page Rank 7 websites getting less than 50 visitors per day and Page Rank 4 Websites getting more than 500 visitors per day, So if you concentrate only giving your customers a value, it will automatically allow people to talk about you and give you your desired position.
Author Bio: The author is Business Head for The Web Design Company, http://www.webdesigningcompany.net. It deals in web site design, website redesign, flash, 3D animation, logos, Banner Adds etc.
Stuck on the net
Filed Under Search Engine Optimization | Leave a Comment
