Duct Tape Coach Jeff Paro has some good advice how to use Skype from anywhere!
Monday, June 30, 2008
long-term-business-strategy | Hot Ideas & Hot Air
Fellow Duct Tape Coach Adrianne Machina wrote this blog. She is so right. most of us are worrying about next month. By the way 85% of these companies have an aggressive position on the web. I should right them down and in 5 years do a comparison with the ones that do not!
The world’s oldest business has been around 1290 years. Surely you can find a way to change your strategy to survive the next few months or years. And after this downturn, you’re be smarter.
long-term-business-strategy | Hot Ideas & Hot Air
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Best of RWW: Making Facebook Useful - ReadWriteWeb
Best of RWW: Making Facebook Useful - ReadWriteWeb
We just can't get enough of this social media stuff, can we? Let me know your thoughts, does anyone care except for marketing people?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
How to Add Your Business to Google Maps
How to Add Your Business to Google Maps
via Google Blogoscoped by Brian Ussery on 6/24/08
Google “Universal” includes results from Google Maps as well as other verticals. In addition to relevancy, Google Maps includes geographic factors in determining ranking order in search engine results pages.
Google Universal search engine results page including Google Maps results.By creating their own business listing, business owners are helping drive traffic to their site as well as customers through their front door. Millions use Google Maps each day and business listings are free through Google Local Business Center. Local Business Center is available to business owners with locations in Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Japan, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, the UK, and the U. S.
Languages available in Google Local Business Center listings for Google Maps.Before creating a new listing, it’s important to verify businesses aren’t already listed. One way of avoiding duplicate listings is to search for [your business name in your city, zip code] before submitting new listings. If a business is already listed, select “Claim your business” and if not continue to signup with Google Local Business Center.
Example of information required.In addition to general contact information, Google Local Business Center allows owners to specify hours of operation and accepted forms of payment. They can also provide up to 10 photos, 5 videos, offer coupons and more. The entire process is easy. Business owners have two options for receiving their personal identification number, either phone or mail. This PIN must be entered in the account before listings are activated. After the PIN is submitted, listings usually become active within a month.
Verification options in Google Local Business Center.So no matter how large or small your business, inclusion in Google Maps can be a nice way of helping your business grow. In fact, even if you don’t have a “shop” it’s possible to create individual Google Maps listings like the listing I created in 2005 before phone verification was offered, using my own address at the time. At minimum, a name and phone number are required, though including more information may increase visibility in search results. Google suggests registering a physical address as well as including meta data along with categories, phone numbers, pictures, video and other details. They also suggest encouraging customers to leave honest comments and ratings in the Google Maps “Review” tab for business listings.
After all that, don’t forget to also include contact information in your site.
[By Brian Ussery | Origin: How to Add Your Business to Google Maps | Comments]
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Technorati Tags: Internet,google maps
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The Origin of Brands Blog
Great summary on social networking, I have a tendency to agree with her and think LinkedIn is where I need to be. However the popularity of Facebook is sometimes overpowering.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Seth's Blog: No such thing as price pressure
No such thing as price pressure
Your sales force and your customers may scream that you need to lower your price.
It's not true.
You need to increase your value. If people don't want to pay, it's because you're not delivering enough value for the money you're charging.
You're not selling a commodity unless you want to.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
If You Were to Close Your Business Tomorrow, Who Would Care?
June 17, 2008
Your Tuesday quick fix of money making retail marketing ideas from retail expert Rick Segel.
PDF version of this issueVisit us at www.ricksegel.com
If you answer that question with just you and your employees, then it's time to rethink your business.
Where would your customers go if your business closed?
The more stores or businesses you mention, the more you need to rethink who you are.
I read Rick's Retail tip every week. He wrote the Dummie book, "Retail Business Kit" but he is far from being a dummy and he has humor! If you own a retail store I encourage you to become a follower.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
"Is Your Market Researcher Some Yahoo Named Google?"
Here's a bit of an interesting scenario (real names withheld to protect and maintain privacy):
I got an email yesterday from Person A who had received a cease and desist letter from Company B. Person A had named their business fairly recently, while Company B had been in business for well over five years using the same name. Both are working in the same industry. Person A had secured the .org domain name, while Company B owned the primary .com domain name.
Company B's email was not so much a "cease and desist" as much as it was a very kind email asking Person A to reconsider the name considering the equity and trademark work that Company B had already done. Company B also, rightly, stated that they would need to defend all infringements on their trademark (a truism we know all too well in Marketing). From a legal standpoint, if a company does not defend their trademarks legally, it dilutes any and all ability to do so as time goes by.
Person A wanted to know how they should handle it.
Here was my response:
"If you did know that the .com was taken, and had done a basic search to see that the name you were thinking about using was the same as this company, then they are right.
I would also say that if you didn't do that... you probably should have... and the other company is right.
They are asking you nicely to respect the fact that they have been running a business using the same name in the same industry for some time.
The question is: why did you name your company by the same name?"
It seems simple enough, but I am constantly amazed at how few Businesses use the existing (and free) channels to do basic and preliminary leg work to see who else is out there and what they're doing.
The lesson is very simple and reminds me of an Entrepreneur's Conference session title from a few years back: "Is Your Market Researcher Some Yahoo Named Google?"
We all need to be choosing our names wisely. We all need to run every name we're thinking of using (including mis-spellings and different versions) through the Search Engines. It's no longer "good enough" to just register a business in your local state or province. Everything is global when it hits the Web (and everything hits the Web), so be smart, be kind and be online. The above scenario was easily avoidable, but now it's sucking the time and energy out of two Entrepreneurs who should be putting all of their energy against building their business instead.
Nomenclature is a function of Marketing. Maybe legal isn't, but that doesn't preclude any of us from doing some preliminary leg work.
Always be Googling.
Borrowed from the TwistImage, one of my favorite blogs by Mitch Joel.
Tags: brand business domain name entrepreneur google incorporation internet legal market research marketing name nomenclature research search engine trademark web yahoo
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Special Offer on Ultimate Marketing Machine
I am offering a Group Coaching Webinar of the DTM system. This is going to be offered in a 2 week program at a special price. There is a limited amount of spots available and will be filled rather quickly. For more details, you have to subscribe to my newsletter, send me your e-mail, or join me on LinkedIn. If you decide to participate, there will be a special implementation offering at the end of the program.
The Ultimate Marketing System is a collection of 12 workbooks and 12 audio CDs that make a complete small business marketing program. Each workbook contains a thorough explanation of one critical small business marketing topic, real-life small business examples and worksheets, forms and tools needed to help you implement the information presented.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The Best Things In Life Are Free!
John Jantsch just sent me an e-mail and told me to broadcast this to everyone I know:
Have I got a deal for you!
One strategic partners, InfusionSoft, has asked me to conduct a webinar Wednesday, June 18th at 3pm CDT called “Infusionsoft & Duct Tape Marketing Reveal The Must-Know Secrets of Small Business Growth”
Infusionsoft makes marketing automation software that
helps small businesses keep track of leads, lists, orders, opportunities and campaigns. I spoke at their user conference and recently converted my marketing automation effort over to the service. This company is going places.
The1-hour session is free of course, but here’s the kicker – anyone who registers and attends (you must attend and we will know if you do!) will get a free copy of the paperback version of my book Duct Tape Marketing shipped from Amazon.
Go here and send your customers, network and prospects to enroll
Feel free to pass this link and offer along to other folks and blog about it – let’s sell this baby out, shall we?
Technorati Tags: InfusionSoft,Duct Tape Marketing
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