Have you set your business goals for 2013 yet? 2012 is almost over with, and right now - in between getting ready for the holidays - sipping eggnog, holiday parties and wrapping presents - is the time to start thinking about what you want for your business in 2013 and beyond.
Here are some basic ideas for what you need to be thinking about - and planning for:
1. Connecting with your customers [...]
I love the flash mob dances that are popping up all over the world. I got to witness one in Paris a couple of years ago, and it's an incredible thing to be part of this experience.
Check out this inspiring one from Moscow - don't you love the bride?
This is the kind of thing that goes viral. And you should also look at it with a marketer's eye... Maybe you don't want to put together a flash [...]
One of the resources I highly recommend when you're ready to get started using online and email marketing is a company called AWeber. One of my favorite services from Aweber are the email newsletters.
I use it for all my different niche markets. If you've got questions about how to build a list, create trust and crediblity, Aweber can not only answer them for, but give you copy and paste simplicity!
With [...]
Who is your target market? If it's women in their twenties and thirties, then Pinterest better be in your marketing toolkit. Chances are, if you've been online lately, you've seen something about Pinterest. Someone's sent you a message, or you've seen someone's board..
Pinterest is a social bookmarking site that is taking off in leaps and bounds, but it doesn't work quite like other social bookmarking [...]
Are you using direct mail to promote your products or services? Have you ever wondered if you could beat your own direct mail control?
Here is an interesting way to think about it - I ran across this article from http://DirectMarketingIQ.com - they give you 7 ways to beat your own control...
One of the most interesting tips they offer is when they tell you to come up with a problem statement. [...]
Okay, if you're exploring going online, or you've got a Website, chances are you've heard the term SEO (Search Engine Optimazation) thrown around.
But dammit, Jim, You're a business owner, not a Website guru... (And by the way, if you don't recognize that little play on words as being from Star Trek - or worse, you don't know what Star Trek is... please don't comment here. You'll just hurt my feelings [...]
Doesn't it seem like every month or so there's some new social media marketing program that springs up? Something that's called the next big thing... The coolest thing since sliced bread... We're told we need to jump on the bandwagon and become a part of it... Sometimes it's true... Other times, not so much...
Well, right now, there's something new on the horizon - and this time, it's something [...]
Have you ever done the exercise where you are supposed to look at different ways to think of your business or your brand? The way it works is you answer different questions about your brand...
For example, if your brand were a color, what color would it be?
Or, if your brand were an animal, what animal would it be?
Or, if your brand were a superhero which one would it be?
I'm going to let [...]
At a meeting with one of our clients yesterday, we were asked if we could help them measure the ROI of their social marketing efforts.
This is an interesting question, because there's not an easy answer. Or at least, it's not as simple as "Post on your Facebook Wall - Make $X amount of dollars."
In fact, because there's really not a direct relationship between Social Media and revenue, more than [...]
This article will give you some insights into how you can leverage cross promotions without getting burned.
Most business owners have heard of cross promoting as a method of getting more bang for their buck, reaching a larger audience and saving money in their advertising budgets.
When it's done correctly, cross promitions can do all of that and more... But when it doesn't go as planned, you [...]
Special Announcement! Wildfire Performance Marketing is sponsoring a free 5 day Local Online Marketing Challenge - and You're Invited!
We've gotten over 1000 members who've signed up for Wildfire Performance Marketing, and to celebrate, we decided to sponsor a free 5 day Local Online Marketing Challenge...
If you're feeling stuck...
Let me help walk you through what you need to know to build [...]
Getting Traffic to your Website isn't going to increase your revenues. Okay, I know that you're probably going to get mad at me if you're reading this. Getting traffic to your Website isn't the answer to making more money...I know what I'm saying is controversial... And it's probably not what you want to hear.
But it's the truth...
Getting traffic to you site alone isn't going to help you [...]
Geo-targeting is a word you're likely to start hearing more about. If you don't know what it is, it means you create online marketing campaigns that are 'geo-targeted' to a specific area.
For example, if you run a restaurant in a specific neighborhood and you want to increase your customer base, you might try setting up an online marketing campaign that is sent to people a little further out - [...]
If you're going to create relevant and remarkable content - that grabs the attention of your prospects, then you need to understand their buying cycles... Why?
Because people aren't likely to wak up tomorrow and say - Oooh! I need (insert the name of your project or service here)...
In fact, if you want to be truly successful, you can't just create one article about your product or service, and [...]
Okay, let's admit it. Creating content is hard. Not just creating it, but creating it consistently and in all it's different formats. But you can't just slap a bunch of words together, and call it content. Because that's not going to help - in fact, it could hurt you in the long run.
Content has to be relevant. It has to be remarkable. It has to grab your prospect or customer's attention. [...]
Have you seen the YouTube Video called "Validate"? If you think video doesn't work, or cant be used to drive traffic to your site, and get people interested in what you've got going on, i want you to check out Validate... By the way, the video is a little small, so I recommend you view it in full screen to really get to see what I'm talking about.
Don't just watch it for the video - or at [...]
If you're thinking about making a holiday video, here's an idea: Make it stand out. Make it express your brand. Make it fun and entertaining. Or pull on the heart strings.
I got this in an email from a friend, and I think it's valuable - not just as consumers, but from a local business point of view. This weekend is the biggest shopping day of the year - how prepared are you to increase your sales from local customers?
Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition
As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide [...]
You need a content marketing strategy for your business - now. Why? Because there are more than 2 billion people around the world who are online right now. And guess what? When they want to buy products or services, they don't check out the yellow pages, or sit around watching TV, or listen to the radio to see if maybe an ad will catch their eye or their ear... Nope.
They do what you and I do. [...]
This article will answer your questions about video marketing campaigns that work - and why. If you've been wondering if you should try a video marketing campaign for your business, but have questions about how to set one up, or if it will work in your particular market, these series of articles are written for you.
I'm not just going to discuss different video marketing campaigns that work, but [...]
If you use Facebook as one of the tools in your marketing arsenal, this is news you can use... If you have a FaceBook Fan Page, no one may be able to see it after October 1, 2011... This article will explain why and what you need to do about it.
Facebook made a recent announcement that could literally affect thousands of small businesses - maybe even yours.
Basically it means that unless you take [...]
Measuring your mobile marketing campaign results is very important! Why? Because we all know that people - our potential customers and current customers - are spending more time than ever before on their mobile phones.
And because of this, brands that are the early adapters are already dedicating more of their marketing/advertising budgets towards [...]
This article talks about great calls to action for user-friendly mobile Websites. If you are currently 'going mobile' or you want to create a user-friendly mobile Website, one of the things you need to understand is what kind of calls to action you can use effectively.
So lets get right to it:
1. Use a 'click to call us' button. This is one of the best calls to action for a user-friendly mobile [...]
Do you want to create a user-friendly mobile Website? Then this article is for you, because by the time you've finished reading it, you'll know exactly how to create a user-friendly Website - and it's not as hard as you might think!
The mobile marketing industry - what you need to know now:
First of all, the next time you're sitting a Starbucks, or on the train or subway going home from work, [...]
Mobile Marketing and QR Codes have become the latest buzz words on the street today. Everywhere I look, it seems like someone is talking about how business owners need to be adding Mobile Marketing and QR Codes to their marketing arsenal.
But what's the real story? Can mobile marketing and QR Codes really make a difference for your business? Are they something you should consider using in your next [...]
