Stand Upon the Desktop

Do you remember the movie "Dead Poet's Society?" There was a scene where the lead character played by Robin Williams told the students to take turns standing upon the desk and viewing the classroom from that angle. When was the last time you "stood upon the desk" to see things from another point of view?

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with the owner of a company that has been in business since the 1970's and has even produced a few pieces for Air Force One.  One thing about being in business that long is that you stick with what you know and what has worked in the past.  But when the times change, you have to adapt. This business owner's industry has been going through tough times in recent years (who's industry hasn't?) and he was looking for some insights to what can be done with the website to help business.

The company traditionally sells to manufacturers which packages their products within a larger framework to sell to end users. But since the consumer is the one who ultimately buys the fully manufactured item they, the end users,  have the ability to influence what is included within the manufacturing process.  By taking a look from the top of the desk a slight shift in the view can make a big difference.

The new strategy: share photos of the high end company products in the fully manufactured end product as they appear in magazines, news, media etc. in social media (Facebook, LinkedIn).  The images will then create a desire for options the end user may not know about. By letting the end user see the options in the finished product they will then  request the customization from the manufacturer directly.  Instead of the business pushing the manufacturers to use their products, the end-user will create a "pull" for the products.

Sometimes all it takes is a slight shift in perception to change the way promote your products and services.  With today's ever changing technology that shift can include a multi-focus approach to marketing which has traditionally been restricted to a single channel.  Social media is one way to change the approach because people who own and operate businesses of all sizes are on the front line of seeing what consumers are requesting.

Need someone to give you a different perspective? Contact me!

Free Money - Just Ask

Believe it or not I saw these words plastered on a van this weekend when I went to the grocery store. "Free Money, Just Ask"

Thing is, if the owner of the van had access to "Free Money" then why was it that they had a broken rear-window wiper (hanging down across the lower portion of the hatch, not against the window)? If you are going to send a message, it's important that you can at least be credible, that you are actually an example of the message or offer you are promoting.

The same is true with online marketing. If you are looking into hiring an individual or company to assist with online promotion take a good look at how effective they are at promoting themselves. If you've never heard of them before, you can't perform a search for their offerings and find their company, or you don't think their site is attractive, chances are they won't be a good match for your marketing needs.

On the other side of the fence, if you are making an offer or stating a claim about your business then be prepared to back it up. If you are offering free money, you better be prepared to hand it out. People really hate being baited.

Content vs Search Advertising

It's no doubt that a carefully planned pay per click campaign can produce great exposure, click-thrus and leads. Still many people who use pay per click advertising don't fully understand the difference between content advertising and search advertising when it comes to ad placement.

Content ads are displayed, as the name implies, within the content of a web page. So, as opposed to seeing the ads on the right side of Google for example, the content ads will be seen together with articles, videos and other types of content on the web. You have probably seen these types of ads when you visit sites like "about.com" or in news websites, or even blogs.

So to get the most out of your advertising it pays to make a separate campaign for ads that will be displayed within content and ads that will only display in the search engines.

Remember that in a search engine, your ads are poised to attract the attention of people who are already looking for your product or service. But content ads are displayed to people who were merely reading an article or doing research, they may not necessarily be in the market for your products or services. Content ads need to emphasis low cost, value, savings etc. preferably in the headline. And be sure that the page that the visitor will be directed to upon clicking the link has the same information.

By taking the extra time to write 2 separate ads for 2 different markets you'll gain better exposure and higher quality click thru rates.

Need help with your pay per click campaign? Contact me today.

PS - Remember that you can also place ads on Facebook to highly targeted audience groups but treat these like content ads.

Stop Acting Like A Sissy . . .

I just read this great blog post that directly addresses the mindset of many businesses these days. "Stop acting like a sissy and market your company" by Eric Karjaluoto.

Although I highly recommend you read his post start to finish, here's the topic in a nutshell: Now is not the time to cut your sales and marketing efforts because you will narrow the number of leads coming into your funnel of sales. It is scary out there, for some businesses more than others, but if you're feeling the panic over the current economy and possible consequences to your business remember you are not alone.

Also, it's important to remember that people (& businesses) still need stuff and they are still buying. If they weren't buying, all the stores would be closed - even my business. I can confidently say that business is good and people are still in need of what I have to offer.

Sometimes you may find that you'll have to adjust your pricing, your payment structure or take other measures to keep bringing in business. One suggestion from the blog: make everyone in your company a salesperson and everyone hit the phones.

So, stop acting like a sissy! If you are in need of business, don't huddle in the corner hoping it will all come to you, get out there and start a new grass roots effort to stake your claim.

A Few Tips for Rocky Times

Tough times?

I received an e-news with an article by Brian Eisenberg (author, internet marketing expert) and I thought I would pass along this info and a few tips to help you through the potential storm.

Overall, conversion rates are starting to trend downward.

So what does this mean to you, your company, and your conversion rate? Can you come out of the other end of this with little to no damage? Anyone who has been in business through a recession knows it's absolutely possible to survive and, sometimes, even grow a bit (or a lot as competitors fold under pressure). But it's never easy.

For online marketers wishing to thrive, a down economy brings two big-picture lessons. First, now is the not the time to stop being innovative. Second, efficiencies are not an option.

Remember these tips...

• Remember that people will buy value, in the absence of value they will take the best bargain price.  Be sure you are communicating the value behind your product / service.
• People will still buy what the need and want; they'll just buy slower and more methodically.
• Expect longer sales and lead-generation cycles. Customers won't ask you for more value, they'll just search for it elsewhere.
• Don't be shocked by changing patterns in your metrics. Your customers may behave differently based on new found attitudes. Ask why they are doing what they are doing. Use personas to find ways to persuade them and calm their fears. Test to find the answers.
• Don't cut back on optimizing for conversions.  Add social media to your conversion efforts.
• Consider visiting or revisiting price-point- and shipping-cost-related offers. They are at least worth a test or two.
• Stay focused on your customer first, not on the market.  Even though you can, don't blame the economy. It likely won't hear you, and if it does, it won't do anything about it.
• Don't think you're immune or you may end up in the ash heap

A little enthusiastic inspiration. . .

This week I was asked by a web entrepreneur which markets he should get into, which products or services should he sell online. My answer was: Only those things that you are passionate about.

If you are to be truly successful, you must be enthusiastic about your undertaking. Enthusiasm and passion go hand in hand.

If you look at the companies or ideas that were truly successful you'll find an enthusiastic person behind them. Think of Thomas Edison - he says that his early attempts at the light bulb were not failures but successes in knowing how *not* to make a light bulb. Think about Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak of Apple, and even Larry Page and Sergy Brin of Google. These people were as enthusiastic when they undertook their project as they are today!

That is why doing something you love is so important, you won't always succeed right away but having the enthusiasm and passion about what you are doing will help carry you through. It is difficult to muster enthusiasm for things you don't enjoy. If you aren't excited and driven by your idea, it won't go far.

So whether you want to write a book, a blog, a business idea or anything that you want to commit your time, effort or money to be sure it's something you are really passionate about. 

No One Really Cares

Sad but true, no one really cares how great your company is, how awesome the people are in your service department, the cool tagline. No one really cares about the fluffy text, fancy flash or any of the multitude of things that people tend to put on their websites.

But there is a good side to this rather negative post: When you keep the "no one really cares" in mind, you'll be more likely to write better opening statements, more creative responses to the objections you most frequently encounter, more engaging email messages - the overall reasons people should do business with your company.

The idea is to approach sales and marketing from a less egocentric angle. Be as hard on yourself as your customers are on you. Forget the fluff, the hype, just get to the point and make it a good point. Time and space are always precious commodities in advertising so using these resources wisely will help visitors to your website see the value of your product or service much faster.

Getting and keeping the attention of your site visitors shouldn't be taken for granted, it's a privileged that is afforded only to those websites that do a great job of responding to "no one really cares."