Smart Marketing

Top 10 Benefits to Blogging

I was recently involved in a thread at John Jantsch's Duct Tape Marketing blog. He asked his readers if they thought a blog created more traffic than updated website copy.

That got me thinking about all the benefits to having a blog. Here's my Top 10 list:

10 Benefits to Blogging for a Small Business

10. It offers a low-cost alternative to having a website – If you don’t have the money to put up a significant web presence, or you want to get on the web quickly, a blog is one answer.

9. Publish content faster – Posting small sections of copy to a blog takes less time than posting fresh copy to your website. You’ll save time because your webmaster no longer stands between you and fresh web content.

8. Enjoy higher search engine rankings – Search engines seem to rank pages higher if they have fresh content and/or lots of links. A blog gives you both.
   

7. Generate more first-time visitors - I have noticed that my blog Smart Marketing generates its own set of traffic. And about 15% of these visitors, then go on to explore my main site www.emergemarketing.com These are visitors who wouldn’t otherwise visit my site. 

6. A blog makes your site sticky – A blog, properly integrated into your website, gives visitors a reason to return to your site. If you consistently post to your blog…and your content is useful and valuable…people will come back.

5. Establish community - Over time your blog will generate its own set of community. People will stop by and introduce themselves. You’ll hear from familiar friends regularly. Discussions and threads will happen. A blog is the modern day equivalent of Mayberry’s barber shop.
   

4. Increase your credibility - If your content is worthwhile, and your disposition calm, you’ll start to become known as an expert in your field. Increased credibility will follow.

3. Help identify link partners – Bloggers, by their very nature, like to link. If a blogger also has a website, then this site might be a good reciprocal linking prospect.

2. More search engine crawls – Search engines seem to sniff out fresh content.

1. Test things on a small scale – I have found that testing subject lines and body copy is easier and faster with a blog. Who says you need test cells of 5000? And what small business has the money to afford test cells?

OK...What have I overlooked?

Marketing lessons from The Apprentice

Alright I'll admit it; The Apprentice is one of my favorite shows on TV. Every episode has marketing lessons galore and last night's was no exception. Here's what I saw:

1. The experience is just as important as the product - Although both teams, Book Smarts & Street Smarts, had the same problems with rennovating ugly rooms, Book Smarts overcame Street Smarts because they added in a social experience. Gathering everyone around the pool and socializing seemed to help some of the guests overcome the room situations.
2. Teamwork always generates better results - You could argue that both teams had dysfunctional teamwork, but I saw alot more of it on the Street Smarts side. The leader of the Book Smarts team did a passable job of delegating and keeping others on track. Brian on the other hand was a basket case (and a delusional one at that). Teamwork is key to any successful marketing venture.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know...

Market research as a small business marketing tool

I just finished having coffee with the president of a company that sells data products for the health care industry. He told me a great story about market research.

It seems that several years ago, his (at the time) 1/2 million dollar company researched its customers. One of the questions it asked them was "What new products would you like to see us offer?"

Of the 90 responses it received, an overwhelming number said they would like to see the president's company offer market share data. The company moved quickly and within less than a year was offering market share data. The result? The business more than QUADRUPLED.

There's an important lesson here: market research is a marketing tool that can GROW your business.

So now, go do some.

24 marketing database techniques

Here's a great list of 24 marketing database techniques you can use. Published by DM News this is a must read for small business marketers.

Thanks to Dana VanDen Heuvel for pointing me there.

Vertical marketing benefits

Why should you vertically market your business? Here are 3 reasons...

1) Vertical marketing saves your company money in the long run. Because you focus on select niches, your spending is minimized versus broadcasting across a broader audience.

2) Vertical marketing tightens the focus of your communications. Instead of saying all things to all people, you can now be more selective. Consider the impact of saying "We offer consulting solutions to real estate firms" versus "We offer consulting solutions to all service firms". Which has the greater impact?

3) Vertical marketing positions you as an expert. Once you penetrate and establish credibility in certain vertical markets, you become known as the expert. You talk their lingo, and they respect that. Buyers look for similarity.

Interested in knowing more? Here's an article I wrote on the subject.

A service marketing tool that works

Last night I sat on an expert panel for a gathering of entrepreneurs. One of my fellow panel members mentioned a high-return marketing tactic that worked wonders for her, so I thought I'd pass it along.

It seems that last year she envisioned a period, 30 days out, where she would be quiet. She expected several concurrent projects to end all at the same time. Sensing she would have some available time for additional projects, she emailed her database with the following message:

"Hi-I'm just finishing up several big projects and see that I might have some additional time available in the next two weeks. Do you have a project you're trying to get to and just can't? Maybe I can help..."

She said the effect was incredible. She was approached by several new clients...and one of her existing clients (whose project she was just finishing up) also contacted her about another project. The result? More work than she could handle.

Why is this? It's because our customers are motivated by SCARCITY. Once they sense you have some scarce time available, it suddenly becomes more valuable to them.

Try this technique, then let me know how it works for you...

Search engine predictions for 2005

My good friend and business partner Ed Kohler has just released his 2005 Search Engine Predictions. This guy has lots of good insights into the seo industry. I've seen him work, and he knows his stuff. Check it out...

Pay particular attention to his heads-up on Shopping Search sites. We are having good luck with Froogle and Shopping.com for an online retail client, and I know this trend will grow for others.

What do you think about his thoughts on Reciprocal Linking? Anyone else have thoughts they'd like to share...?

Colors in marketing Pt. 2

Have you seen how UPS uses its color as the focal point for its newest advertising campaign? On spots I've seen recently, the opening statement and the ending tagline revolves around "What can brown do for you?".

UPS, and its most recent campaign, underscore several concepts around color in marketing:

• Choose a color that differentiates you from your competitors.
• Stick to that color and use it consistently over time.
• Consciously refer to it as a hallmark of your brand.

Too bad the company doesn't integrate this "color branding" more thoroughly into its website. But I'm sure they're working on that.

PS The cover for my book, The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses is purple. I chose this color because I didn't see any other small business marketing book using this same color.

Also, you'd be surprised how often I refer to it by color. It's not uncommon for me to say to an editor or book reviewer "It's the one with the purple cover..."

Click here for another post on Color of Marketing.

A link building tip

I came across this article on link building which I think is good overall. But the best feature in the article is the list of search terms you can use to find link partners.

Here are just a few of the 30+ different terms you could search on:

Suggest link" +"your keyword(s)"
"Suggest a link" +"your keyword(s)"
"Suggest site" + "your keyword(s)"
"Suggest a site" + "your keyword(s)"
"Suggest URL" +"your keyword(s)"
"Suggest a URL" +"your keyword(s)"
"Suggest an URL" +"your keyword(s)"

directory +"your keyword(s)"
directorys +"your keyword(s)"
directories +"your keyword(s)"
exchange +"your keyword(s)"
resources +"your keyword(s)"

Any others folks out there have seen yield good link partner results...?

An invaluable website marketing tool

One of the most invaluable website marketing tools I've ever seen is MarketingSherpa's Marketing Wisdom 2005 book. This free, 51 page pdf is filled with real-life lessons online marketers have learned during the past year.

Like you, I've read tons of marketing books and attended a bunch of marketing seminars. But this tool is truly different. There are 105 real-life lessons on topics like pay-per-click advertising, search engine optimization, email marketing...and others.

Each entry contains up-to-the-minute information written by a marketing practitioner. These people live in the trenches day in and day out.  Check it out.

Also look closely at #19...it's from yours truly. I'm honored to be included this year...

Small business marketing trends

The Small Business Trends site has a post on Small Business Trends for 2005.

Interesting that the first item on the list is Authenticity. Seems that many buyers are tiring of hype. We marketers have noone to blame but ourselves. In our march to higher and higher profits, we've forgotten that trust is the foundation of any business relationship.

If you speak with a forked tongue, expect a backlash. Build authenticity into your marketing efforts--blogs are a great tool for this--or risk the consequences.

Always have a backup plan

When I was in graduate school back in the 80's, I vividly remember "Interview Season" in the spring. During this hectic 2 month time period, Fortune 500 companies would come traipsing through the Northwestern University campus looking for fresh recruits.

Usually these companies would put on a dog and pony show in the evening at a local hotel where they would regale us with tales of how exciting and fulfilling it would be to work for a marketing powerhouse. Typically the presentations took the form of speeches with a question and answer period afterwards. One night was totally different though and it seared in my mind a valuable lesson.

That night I shuffled in, along with about 150 other eager students, to listen to the presentation of a major consumer foods company based on the East Coast. What first caught my eye was the amazing array of electronic equipment set up in the middle of the room. 2 side-by-side slide projectors, a jumble of huge speakers, and a mass of wires told me that this presentation would be different from the others.

After an overzealous senior executive welcomed us, he promised that we were in for the presentation of a lifetime. As the lights dimmed, I excitedly leaned forward in my chair and felt butterflies batting around in my stomach. But what happened next was the real knockout punch.

A few clicks and whirrs were heard, then a loud explosion and a brilliant flash of light erupted from the equipment, and suddenly the room was shrouded in darkness. So there we were, me and 150 of the smartest people I knew, sitting in a room full of quiet with Fortune 500 executives scurrying about trying to salvage their equipment...and reputations.

After about 10 minutes of nervous whispering, a few titters, and repeated assurances that the presentation would resume momentarily, a janitor came in and told us to leave the room. The presentation would be rescheduled.

Looking back on that incident, I realize there's a valuable lesson for all small businesses. And that is...always have a backup plan. Maybe that night if we'd been sheparded into another room and given hardcopy of the presentation, the show would have gone on.

When you give a speech, or put up a website, or send out a direct mail piece, try to imagine what could go wrong. Then plan a step or two ahead to give yourself some piece of mind.

Anyone else out there want to share a good story backup plans...?

Colors in marketing

This just in: The print edition of  Wired Magazine has this to say about certain colors...

Wired (or cool):  Red

Tired: Silver

Expired: Beige

Guess I'll have to mothball my favorite beige sweater...

Click here for another post on Colors in Marketing.

What you need to know about contact info

Last week, I noticed that spyware and adware had slowed my computer to a crawl. So, I pulled out a flyer for a local company that performs on-site computer services.

I was delighted to find a host of services listed that I could benefit from, as well as a complete listing of prices. The flyer even sported a cute logo in the upper left hand corner.

But then I tried to find a phone number to call for a service appointment, and this is when I started to get frustrated. After a full 3 minute scan of this one-page flyer, I couldn't find a phone number, email address, or even a website address...anywhere. Not one stitch of contact information was available for me to take the next step, and I started to feel a bit chagrined with this company.

Customers are too busy these days to to hunt around for a telephone number.
We want ALL the information NOW.

Do your business a favor and pull out all your brochures and flyers today. Peruse them for contact information and make sure that some form of contact information is on every page.

We're in business to make our phones ring first. Only after this happens can we deliver a service.