Entrepreneur.com Daily Dose - Internet Power Marketing

Entrepreneur.com Daily Dose - Internet Power Marketing

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What is an "expert"

Do you consider yourself an "expert"? There is a lot of controversy about who really has the right to call themselves an "expert".  See what Scott Messinger says in Small Business Owner/Entrepreneur Experts Wanted

The Importance of Social Media Marketing for Small Business Owners

The world has changed yet there are still many small business owners who haven't accepted this change. It is time for everyone to jump on the bandwagon so as not to be left out in the cold. Mike Clough from America's Best Business Practices wrote a great article with tons of insight:  How Important is Social Media in a Marketing Plan?

Small Business Internet Marketing: Stop – Breathe - Plan!

Small Business Internet Marketing: Stop – Breathe - Plan!

How to Recruit a Guest Blogger - Website Magazine - Website Magazine

How to Recruit a Guest Blogger - Website Magazine - Website Magazine

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Consumers Today are Vastly Different Than Consumers of Yesterday

In the article, Consumers Demand Engagement, the author speaks about the changed consumer. 

Consumers today want to be engaged and involved and marketing is adapting more social strategies to meet these challenges and needs of this new breed of consumer.

Top Reasons Why A Small Business Owner Should Consider Outsourcing Their Internet Marketing Initiatives

• Are you a small business owner with limited time?
• Do you have a website? Are you marketing your website? If not, you should read Building A Great Website Isn’t Enough, You Have To Market It and Why do I need to do Internet Marketing?
• Do you wish you had the time to increase your internet presence and overall brand visibility by driving traffic to your website?
• Are you an industry-expert with information to share? Wouldn’t you like to be able to use that knowledge by participating in your industry-specific forums, discussions groups, and other social networking sites in order to increase your internet presence?
• Did you know that article marketing is a valuable branding strategy and will increase your website traffic?
• Have you written articles about your industry niche but don’t know what to do with them or where to submit them for the best SEO?
• Are you overwhelmed by the vast number of social media networking sites and don’t have the time or knowledge to identify which sites would provide the most valuable visibility?
• Do you have a new product or service that you would like to announce to potential customers but don’t have the time to write and distribute a press release for the best visibility and the most impact on your SEO?
• Are you currently blogging but don’t have the time to keep your posts up-to-date?
• Do you wish you had the time to start blogging because you have heard that blogs increase search engine optimization and brand awareness by increasing your website traffic?
• Did you know that blogging can help establish you as an industry-expert and is a powerful form of social media marketing?
• Have you heard that online free directory submissions are a way to increase your internet presence and your search engine optimization?

If your answer to even one of the above questions is "yes", you are not alone. Small business owners have a difficult enough task of trying to find enough hours in the day to take care of the day-to-day running of their businesses. You can’t possibly do “everything” your business requires and do “everything” well. Do an analysis of your current marketing efforts to determine which are working the best. Consider those areas you would like to get involved in but don’t have the time to devote. Create a strategy that will get you the most bang for your buck.

Does outsourcing your Internet marketing needs sound like a viable option?

Say Goodbye to Sleep

Free Backlink: How to Get to a PR 3 Ranking in 90 Days - good advice but if you follow it to the letter, you can say "goodbye" to sleep.  Oh well, sleeping is over-rated anyway.

The Effect of Mobile Marketing and Social Media Marketing on Brands

Brands have lost control of their identity and they will never regain it.

Are you Making These Blogging Faux Pas?

9 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid

Literate or Illiterate?

Do you know the difference between There/They’re/Their? Read Can You Right Write? 10 Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid to check your literacy status. 

I am sure we have all, including me, have made some of these mistakes, but by accident. 

Unfortunately, many truly don't know the difference.

The Lines between Traditional Marketing and Social Media Marketing Overlap

A research from a national survey conducted by Cision and Don Bates of The George Washington University’s Master’s Degree Program in Strategic Public Relations found:

• 89% read blogs
• 65% go to social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn
• 52% use Twitter or similar services
• 61% use Wikipedia

Read more about how social media marketing is entering the traditional marketing model.

What is Your USP?

Mitchel Harper in What's Your USP and Why Should I Care? talks about the same concept that Seth Godin does in Why you, why now? but it is important enough to repeat.

The bottom line for any businesses' potential consumers always boils down to why should they purchase YOUR brand and why should they do it NOW? 

What Social Followers Want - eMarketer

What Social Followers Want - eMarketer

It's All About Relationships

When I first decided to get involved with Internet Marketing I was concerned about my lack of technical knowledge and asked the advice of a former co-worker who was very techno-savvy.  He assured me that I had what it took to succeed by pointing out that Internet marketing and social media marketing are more than 80% about relationships and that is one of my strengths.  He was right. Connecting and interacting with your target market on various levels is paramount. 

Read New Social Media Connections Could Equal New Opportunities for more information about the importance of making and keeping connections.

SEO Pricing Models – Finding the Best Bang for Your Buck!

"Getting the highest ROI (return on investment) for your marketing efforts is the ultimate goal of internet marketing. But with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) pricing models all across the board, it may be like trying to find a needle in the haystack." Read full article here.

Another example of how social media can affect brands

HubSpot's post Why Pampers' Diaper Fail is a Lesson in Marketing Transparency proves once again how social media can affect brands.  Pampers made a decision to release their new product Dry Max diapers in the old "Cruisers" packages two months before they launched their marketing campaign.  They made this decision because distribution was slow and many of their prospects wouldn't have access to the diapers until later. So rather than announcing their new product, they just released it and experienced some social media backlashing on various social networking sites as well as at PampersVillage.com. I am sure that Pampers will recover from this situation but it serves to further illustrate the power of social media.

The Power of Branding

Water bottles, coffee mugs and the power of brands

Which bottle would you buy?

FREE is always nice!

Free Marketing Resources (Yes, Free!)
By Barbara Findlay Schenck

"Analysis Paralysis"

I can't take credit for the term "analysis paralysis".  It was coined by Google Sniper in the comment section of Mike Moran's blog post Deciding What to Ignore in Internet Marketing, but it is very descriptive of what some people's reaction might be when faced with something they deem overwhelming. 

In the case of the Internet, the amount of "stuff" to do, especially social networking "stuff", can be so incredibly overwhelming that some small business owners, when trying to decide where to put their efforts, might become so intimidated that they do nothing.  Hence, the term "analysis paralysis".

Mike says "If you start by focusing on what you want your Web site to do for your business and you focus everything on helping improve the results of that initial goal, then you can try things and see how they work. Or you can take a look at something and say, "I can't see how that helps me towards my goals." Read Mike's full post here for some more very practical advice on how to handle Internet overload.

Can You Answer These Two Simple Questions?

Take all the complicated processes and terms out of the "how to market your business" equation and you are left with 2 simple questions:

1) Why you?
2) Why now?

Seth Godin, in his blog "Why you, why now? points out how these are really the only questions between a business owner and a customer.

Article Marketing For Small Business Owners: Promote Your Brand

Today’s economic climate and competitive market make it more difficult for small business owners to prevail. Marketing efforts need to be finely tuned and precisely targeted for maximum benefit. The Internet allows the “little guys” to play in the same playgrounds as their larger counterparts. These playgrounds are in the form of social networking sites, forums, article sites, and various other business networking platforms. The amount of ground the Internet covers is immense and can be intimidating. But if the small business owner is able to narrow down and fine-tune their target niche, they can focus their time and energies on only the most relevant and valuable sites for their specific target audience. Read full article here.

The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration

A great post by Mashable on how to integrate SMM into your overall marketing strategy.  Read the step-by-step process with great graphics here.

“Giving Small Business Owners the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

Twitter can help the small business owner be one of the "big" guys on the Internet.  Read about it "Wisconsin T-Shirt Retailer Tackles Twitter and Google Live Search"

Google and Twitter

In the ever-changing wide world of the web, Google Reveals Factors for Ranking Tweets gives some important insight into how Google ranks Twitter in search.

Outsourcing for Small Business Owners - a Win-Win Proposition

Let's face it folks.  The small business owner can't do everything by himself/herself and do it all justice.  Add to that the fact that the small business owner might not have all the necessary knowledge in all areas of running a business and outsourcing becomes even more helpful.  Read The Role of Outsourcing In Online and Offline Marketing to see why outsourcing might make sense for your business.

Attention Small Business Owners!

What exactly is your brand?  For many, this is a difficult question to answer because a typical response is "we do so many different things".  Todd Schnick in "Three Keys You Need to Know About Personal Branding, But Probably Aren’t Doing" explains why you really need to hone in on your brand in order to clearly, concisely and consistently promote your business.  Check it out.

Ask the Experts

What is an "expert"?  When it comes to the field of Internet marketing, there are a lot of heated debates going on about what qualifies someone to call himself/herself an Internet marketing "expert". 

If you can identify those "experts", the advice in How to Become Your Industry's Leading Expert in 30 Days can be very helpful.

The Power of Tesimonials!

Don't Listen to Me, See What Others Say ABOUT Me.

One of the best ways to beat your competition and convince your prospects that you’re the real deal (all on a shoestring budget) is to tap into the power of testimonials. Read full article here.

Still Not Sure if You Should Use Social Media Marketing?

Whether or not to get involved in social media marketing and if so, to what extent, can be a difficult decision for small business owners to make.  Take a look at 20 Goals for Business Social Media Use to help you decide.

Small Business Internet Marketing Does Not Mean Throwing Successful Babies out With the Bathwater

What on earth does this mean?

It means that just because the rest of the world is on the Internet promoting their brands, it doesn’t mean they aren’t or shouldn’t be continuing to utilize traditional offline marketing strategies that are working. With all the hoopla about SEO, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and the tons of other social networking sites, small business owners might be led to believe that they have to do a total about-face in their marketing efforts and jump into the Internet with both feet without looking back. Instead, they need to analyze, evaluate and strategize.

First small business owners need to take stock of what their current marketing initiatives are and analyze their success rate. Are your current programs attracting qualified leads? If something is working, keep doing it – even if it is not on the Internet. For instance, if attending or participating in trade show events results in valuable and qualified leads for your company – then trade shows are a viable marketing initiative that you should continue. In addition, you should be analyzing your competition. What are they doing that is working? You want to do what they are doing – only you want to do it better.

Next you need to look at all your current marketing efforts and evaluate how effective they are in terms of return on investment. Using the trade show example, attending a trade show is usually far less expensive than exhibiting at the same show (unless the show is out of town and you are bringing many employees. Then of course you have travel and accommodation expenses). But if having a booth attracts enough qualified leads (“enough” can only be determined by the business owner) that convert to sales, then the expense is worth the effort and exhibiting at the successful trade shows should be included as part of your overall integrated marketing strategy.

The last step is to strategize or plan. This is not a final step because your marketing strategy should be dynamic in order to remain competitive and keep up with the ever-changing market and latest technologies. Without a clear and concise marketing plan, the small business owner can literally get lost on the Internet scrambling to try to find out where to put the most effort.

Have You Heard of the Movie Avatar?

You are probably thinking to yourself "Of course I have, who hasn't?"  That is exactly the response I would expect. 

People always understand concepts and ideas better if you explain it to them in ways they can relate to.  Amanda Steadman in her post "AVATAR – What James Cameron did right…and how it can apply to you." makes excellent analogies between what James Cameron did to promote his movie and how you can apply similar principles in your own marketing efforts.  Read full article here.

Don't Believe Everything You Read

There is so much information on the Internet that it is oftentimes difficult to know where to focus your attentions or how to know what is true.  Greg Satell in his post "The Importance of Paying Attention" brings out how both on and off the Internet, it is important to "pay attention" and read entire reports, don't just believe something is true because everyone says it is, and to check out your facts.  He tells it like it is!  Read his article from Digital Tonto here.

Everything you Need to Know About SEO from the "Experts"

SEO Book is an amazing resource for tons of valuable and free information on SEO. 

Check out their article "SEO & PPC Competitive Analysis & Keyword Research Tool"

Twitter Traffic Technique #3 - How to Leverage Twitter to Feed Your Blog Tons of Traffic

Get some very helpful Twitter tips from Jeff Herring here.

The Power and Influence of Press Release Marketing to Promote Your Brand

What is a press release? It is the dissemination of information or the communication of something newsworthy to the press. At least that was the traditional definition of a press release. Today, we have the ability to reach a huge audience via the Internet. Would it be beneficial for a member of the press to help promote our product or service? There is no question that it would be. But while we wait for someone from CNN to knock on our door, we can create our own press and distribute it widely on the web for maximum brand exposure.


Has your company done anything “newsworthy” lately? Have you improved or added a product line to your business? Have you moved to larger more accessible headquarters? Have you added a noteworthy member to your staff? Are you just starting out and want to announce the launching of your brand and/or website? Read full article here.

New Horizons 123 Announces the launch of New Website offering Internet Marketing Services Designed for Small Business Owners

Social Media Marketing ala Einstein!

Who can argue with scientific method?  Tamsen McMahon in her article "Six (scientific!) steps to social media success" approaches social media marketing scientifically. 

Great article - read here.

Time to Re-Evaluate and Re-assess Your Marketing Efforts and Your Marketing Edge

Marketing has always been a very important and oftentimes overlooked function of running a business.  Because it SUPPORTS the sales function rather than having a DIRECT effect on the bottom line, it is also often the first area businesses will neglect in hard economic times.  The term Marketing is also often equated with the term sales - when in fact - they are not one in the same.  However, well thought-out strategic marketing efforts are even more important in times of economic crisis.  Mark Bower in his post on Brand Republic offers a witty and wise look at the importance of marketing.  Read full article here.

The Importance of Internet and Social Media Marketing for Small Business Owners

The power and influence of social media marketing is so great, it is hard to believe that not every business owner is embracing it.  The fact that it takes time to develop and time to see the rewards of your investment make it difficult for many small business owners to be able to embrace it.  Devising a clear, well-thought out strategy is the first step in starting a social media campaign.  "How to run a B2B Social Media Campaign" does a great job in describing how you should plan before you dive in.  Read full article here.

The Ever Changing World of the Internet

Don't blink or you will miss a new trend trying to keep up with the Internet! 


Check out what Richard Gilmore has to say about how meta descriptions can affect Google - again - here.

How Twitter changed our lives in 2009

The power of Twitter.  Was there ever any doubt? Read article here.

Small Business Search Marketing More Important Than Ever

Real time search will be a big help to small business owners in their search engine rankings.  Read about it here.

Attention small business owners!  Are you tweeting yet? 

If not, what are you waiting for?  If not, read about what you are missing out on here.

Look confusing?  Well it is and it isn't. 

Read more about Web 2.0 from Online Marketing Series – Overview here.

Why Many Small Businesses are Still Struggling

Why Many Small Businesses are Still Struggling

Research shows small business owners struggle with Twitter | {grow}

Research shows small business owners struggle with Twitter {grow}

Bridging the Gap: Traditional Advertising & Social Media Marketing

Traditional advertising and social media marketing, the leaders and buzz generators in advertising and marketing arenas. Traditional advertising is reaching the masses in and outside of their home through targeted messages where you tell them how you will solve their problem and how your product or service will increase their quality of life. This is very effective when reaching your target and they are convinced that they need what you are selling. Social media is creating a presence online, finding your target, and letting them know you are there. Sort of a little nod of the head from the other side of the room so they know you are there. Those that see you, trust you or do know you, become a follower or a fan and have welcomed you into their community. They have opened the door to interact and build a relationship with them.  Read full article here.

Digital Marketing Strategy Development: 12 Common Problems

This is a great article about common problems organizations face when trying to integrate a digital marketing plan into their overall marketing strategy.  The following two points in particular, although in theory are good ideas, in practice might lead to unemployment:

"4. Placating executives by executing their bad ideas

If this is happening to you – stop, now. No one wins when you’re creating things merely because someone up top is forcing down a one off idea here-and-there they feel might work (especially if they have limited experience with digital marketing). If it doesn’t play into the strategy, it doesn’t matter who it comes from. If you see this happening put a stop to it. No one wins when resources are drawn away from a winning path to placate bad ideas of the king. If the emperor has no clothes, say it – if you’re that valued you’ll be respected for it.

5. Having to dumb things things down for the team

If you have to consistently do this, you need a new team. There are far too many others fluent enough in modern marketing strategies, it’s unnecessary to waste time doing this. If you have to dial down ideas for internal comprehension, it means your competition is already running circles around you."

Read full article here.

Social Media and Brand Reputation Strategy

Interesting article about how to handle negative brand comments on social media sites. What would you do to counter negative comments about your brand?

Read full article here.