Don’t you just love it when someone really “gets” your business?

Well, that happened to me today…  I had an appointment with a franchise owner who had been referred to us. She wanted to utilize some creative methods to do what all business owners want, get more paying customers.

On thing that is sometimes difficult for us to do is communicate how internet marketing works, especially if the person sitting across from us has never got a single customer through pay per click, social media, email marketing etc.

Many business owners want to know if internet marketing is just a mythical tale or the real deal…

Toward the end of our meeting I heard my prospective client describe internet marketing perfectly…  “It’s the accumalative effect of doing a series of things consistently over time that really lead to successfully generating new customers.”

Yes, that’s it!

It’s NOT that sending one email will change a business, but great emails sent 12-24 times a year will.

It’s NOT that creating a Facebook page will blow up your phone, but writing to your ideal client there daily will give you insight and interaction most businesses never experience.

I saw this quote today on Facebook and I thought it applied to the arena of internet marketing as well.  Yes, we are always aware of the new thing coming down the pike, but the real secret to our success is the “uncommon application of our knowledge”.

“We all know what it takes to be successful. We really do. If you go to a successful person and ask them, “What’s your secret to success?” they’re not going to tell you something you don’t already know. You know it. So, to me, it’s the uncommon application of common knowledge.”  -Ivan Misner

That’s what we love to do – keep at it, tracking and adjusting until our client’s campaign is giving them what they wanted most, more customers! 619-272-2360

If you’ve ever watched the show “What Not To Wear,” you know know that even good change is terrifying…

Hosts Clinton and Stacy give a $5000 makeover to one lucky winner who has been nominated by their friends, family and co-workers.  Every nominee is clearly in need of a new look, but they are almost always afraid that they will be forced to be someone they aren’t.

However, by the end of the show they are more of who they really are.

Derek and I often joke that we are the Clinton and Stacy of internet marketing!

Many business owners are terrified of using internet marketing to grow their business because it’s outside of their comfort zone…  And we can’t blame them, social media, blogs and SEO is a long way from The Better Business Bureau, Yellow Page ads and handing out fliers.

Change is never easy… but in the case of “What Not To Wear” and On Top Internet Marketing, it’s worth it!

Here are 3 ways internet marketing has changed our clients’ businesses:

1) They Gain a greater understanding of  their online image…

When clients come to us, we take a look at what their internet presence portrays.  It’s kinda like the 360 mirror – there is no where to hide.

We look at everything and if it isn’t in alignment with who they are and what they want to accomplish, it gets changed.

2) They Learn what really works…

Most of our clients use many types of advertising and marketing in their business, but they aren’t always clear on what’s working for them and what’s not.  We love connecting internet marketing to their current mix and giving them reports and analytics that give them a clear picture of what’s working.

3) They Get excited about what’s possible…

When we see a broken sales funnel or a confusing online image, we get excited because we know when we correct that, our clients will have a brand new stream of customers.

It’s easy to say, “We’ve never needed to use ‘xyz’”, but we love how internet marketing opens up new possibilities that are just waiting to be tapped into.

So, do we try to make change easy – yes.  Is it still change – yes.  One thing we remind our clients is that we have a system and every piece of it serves a purpose.  We only change the things we know will change success of their business for the better. 619-272-2360

A recent study by Webs.com shows that approximately 2/3 of small business owners have a presence on Facebook…

Over three quarters of the survey respondents plan to increase their use of social media this year, while almost one in five plan to maintain the same amount of effort they did in 2010.

We see this as great news not just because we are in the internet marketing business but because it shows that small business owners are more aware of the importance of having social media as part of their marketing plans.

A couple of days ago we arrived home to find a brand new Yellow Pages at our door.  Both of us groaned because we knew we were just going to recycle it.  Of course all of our neighbors had received one too and there is now a stack of Yellow Pages at one end of the hall.  Conclusion: The Yellow Pages, The Red Pages, Dex etc. are no longer “the one that gets used.”

The internet is the one that gets used these days…

The survey went on to find that when business owners were asked whether they see social media as a viable way to communicate with their customers, 62.1 percent responded “definitely,” while 34.3 percent said “sometimes,” and 3.7 percent said “not at all.”

From a consumer point of view this is awesome to hear because 62.1% of business owners who are using social media are getting that it’s meant to be a two way conversation.  They are listening and the consumer is actually given the opportunity to give their opinion and be heard.

My favorite part of this survey was this: “40.5 percent of the surveyed small business owners said that social media has either met or exceeded their expectations; some 42.8 percent said that it only somewhat met their expectations, while 16.6 said the experience hasn’t lived up to their expectations at all.”

I can guarantee you that the business owners who said social media has exceeded their expectations have a plan and they are working the plan.

A perfect example of this is my mom.  She’s owned a health food store for almost 30 years.  We started a Facebook page for her over two years ago and we’ve updated it everyday since then.  When we first started this page she didn’t get why we were doing it.  On several occasions she told us that we didn’t need to be using our time on this project.  Over the weekend I received a text that said, “I’m loving Facebook!”

This small business owner had a change of heart because she now has 1,043 fans who regularly participate in questions, polls and contests.  She has a growing email list and is now expanding to sell her products through an online store.

Social media is both a short and long term plan for business owners.  The benefits are accumalative and cannot be underestimated.

We are interested in helping the nearly 17% who have taken their business on social media but say they have been disappointed.  We know if we help them create a strategy and then execute it for them on a daily basis, they will be loving it, like my mom is… 619-272-2360

Do you remember the 1986 comedy, The Money Pit?

Unfortunately, many business owners have a money pit and it’s called “internet marketing”…

That’s not a typo – I’m saying my own industry can be a huge money pit.  And I don’t want any business owner to fall into it.

“Tactics without strategy are aimless actions.”  -John Rodolff

The absolute sure fire way to burn money with internet marketing is to pay for tactics and tools without creating a strategy that can easily be implemented.

Recently I was meeting a client for dinner and he told me that friends had commented that his Facebook business page was looking great and had helpful information…  They weren’t surprised when he told them he had hired help for it.  He admitted to me that he inconsistently updated it and when he did, he had no idea why he was.   He said, “it’s so nice to see the updates and the strategy behind them”.

We are not attached to particular tools…

We are, however, set on creating a strategy and implementing it for our clients like clock work.

There are two main reasons we do business this way:

1. Given what we know about internet marketing, it’s the right thing to do.
2. Our clients stay with us when they are getting results from our work.

We know we can help a business owner who says any of the following things:

1. I have a website but it’s not doing anything.
2. I have a Facebook page but I haven’t been to it in months.
3. I paid for Google ads but I didn’t get more business.
4. I’ve spent thousands but never heard back from the company who did it.
5. I don’t have any idea what all this stuff on the internet does to get me more business.

I’d like to add to John’s statement… Tactics without strategy are aimless actions and On Top Internet Marketing wants nothing to do with such practices…  It’s not enough to do things because it’s trendy or because everyone else does.  Every idea we give our clients must directly help them achieve their goals – otherwise, we aren’t doing our jobs well.

We don’t believe in doing anything unless it helps a business reach their goals…

Certainly, internet marketing is no exception.

Many times we hear what we call the “check list” mentality… which is thinking that all a business needs to do is have “x, y and z”… and their business will magically grow.

The truth is, without a creative strategy that can be regularly implemented, nothing will happen as a result of having a website, SEO campaign, social media presence, etc.

We want to make clear that these things do not have power in and of themselves, but are dynamic when the people behind them shine through…

Utilizing internet marketing is a team sport… Derek and I will provide the consistency that is required to build a strong Internet presence…

We offer new ideas and perspective as “outsiders” to your business, however, we ultimately look to you (our client) for inspiration.

We look to you for the details of your business… We ask you to communicate your passion and love for your work…

We need you to keep us up to date on the latest in your industry – including trends, events and offerings.

We have found that communication is an essential ingredient to a recipe for success…

We know you get busy, so we’ll email you when we need information for your emails etc… And, understand that we get busy too, so we’ll need you to email us when you’re adding a new service/class/product, when hours or staff change and when you’re being featured or attending a special event.

While you keep us abreast of the goings on of your business, we keep you abreast of all the latest trends and goings on in Internet Marketing Land…

(As long as it’s applicable and we feel it can help your business.)

Deal?

Good! Let’s make this happen! 619-272-2360

Don’t get me wrong – word of mouth is great, but it will kill your business…

Especially if that’s the only way you get new business!

You can’t just sit around and wait for new business to come through word of mouth…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… This ain’t “The Field of Dreams” and you aren’t Kevin Costner!

Whispers: “If you build it, they will come.”

Good luck with that ;-)

In a perfect world, everyone who ever buys your product or service will tell all their friends about you and they will tell their friends and they will tell their friends… and on and on it goes :)

Now, I’m not here to burst your bubble… but this ain’t exactly a perfect world!

The more likely scenario is that the rare times your business screws up, your dissatisfied customers are 10 times as likely to tell all their friends about how bad you are then they would have been if you did an excellent job.

The thing is, you have to encourage your customers to help spread the word about your business…

And the good news is, there are plenty of opportunities to do so – especially with the Internet.

Here are some ideas that we’ve used to get the word out…

• Run a Groupon campaign (be sure to have a strategy or it won’t work out so well!)

• Start a Customer Loyalty Program through Facebook Check-ins (you can even stipulate that they have to bring a friend to get the deal)

• Create a Facebook Page for your business so all your loyal fans can interact with you (which means that all their friends will see that they’re a big fan of your business)

• Build an email list of all your best customers as a way to stay in touch and stay on their mind

• Start a blog to keep your customers in the loop (please do have fun with it, or it won’t work so well)

There are plenty more ideas, but this list is a great starting point… Now, get to work! OR hire us to do it for you (619-272-2360)

“How can I use networking more effectively in my business?”

This is a common question we get from clients, in fact just today we had this discussion with a new client who is still in the early stages of his business.

The good news is networking and internet marketing go hand in hand.  In fact, when business owners follow these simple steps I’m about to outline there’s no way the business won’t grow!

The key to networking and internet marketing is consistency

Let’s start with networking and then I’ll show you exactly what I do to connect the people I meet with our online marketing.

1) Find a couple of networking groups you really enjoy attending…

Most cities offer so many choices you can get overwhelmed with all the options.  So keep in mind the days and times that work best for you.  Also take into consideration the location and how convenient it is to attend.  Get a feel for the members and don’t look for people who you think would buy your services in the future, instead find key players who have circles that they will introduce you to.

2) Religiously attend the meetings of the groups you’ve committed to…

Come early, stay late and show the members that you care.  Anyone can walk around and brag on how great their products or services are but how many people demonstrate their core values in the meetings?  It’s a great way to stand out in the crowd.

3) Follow up with every person you meet while networking…

I often hear people say they only follow up with people they think will spend money with them and that is a very short sighted way of looking at networking, not to mention a very selfish one.  Create a system that encourages consistency.  For example, I created a video that I send to everyone I meet.  Then for the people that I really connected with or have a referral for make an appointment to meet in person outside of the meeting.

4) Give before you ask…

This is hardest for business owners who are newest to networking.  Be looking for ways you can give business before you ask for business.  The easiest way to do this is to ask what an ideal referral is.  By asking questions you can learn a lot about a business and how to best help them.

5) Invest the time (over time)…

Networking is not going to make a big difference in your business over night.  I’ve been networking for five years and it’s been worth every minute.  It not only has helped build our business but it has also played a huge role in making me a better business person.  Networking meetings are a great way to practice communicating who you are and what you offer the world.

So, now I’m going to give you ideas on how to incorporate internet marketing to your networking efforts…

• When you’re out networking, be sure to tell people about your great website, blog, your Facebook business page and your valuable monthly email they can join.  (Make sure you are very proud of whatever you are telling about.)

• Be sure to remind people of these things again in your follow-up email or video.  You may only see people once or twice a month but if you can connect them to your website, social media and email list you will be at the top of their mind regularly.

• When you meet people out and about, add them as friends on your social media accounts.  Networking is usually very business-focused but we all have family, friends, pets and hobbies that add another dimension to relationships.

That’s all for today! Give us a call at 619-272-2360 if you can use some help with this.

The last few posts, I’ve been talking about SEO and how to get more traffic to your business’ website…

But it dawned on me that most businesses’ websites could get 10,000 hits a day and still struggle to get people through the doors!

Why, you ask?

Because most businesses’ websites don’t take one very important ingredient into account…

Copywriting – The Art of Persuading People to Buy Your Shizzle

Most websites are terrible at this… They ramble on and on about God knows what (literally, God couldn’t even be bothered to try to sort all the information out… let alone potential customers!)

Listen, everyone loves traffic – it’s kind of sexy, ego-inflating, addictive… and strangely gratifying in its own right.

But traffic doesn’t pay the bills… It’s people who take the actions you need them to who do.

So again, it’s not traffic that matters, it’s targeted traffic reaching the intended pages.

The "Real" Housewives of Orange County

You need to make things stoopid simple for people these days…

They’re busy… they have tiny attention spans… The Housewives of Orange County is on… Junior is lighting the house on fire… yadda yadda.

Not making things crystal clear of what actions you want website visitors to take is almost like setting up a labyrinth in front of your store and expecting people to take the time and make the effort to figure it out… not happening, my friend.

So what action do you want them to take?

You’ve got to get them on your list!

Your contact list is the most important thing you could ever own…

This is why Groupon is raking in the dough… they’re able to send emails to targeted customers on a daily basis. As long as they don’t abuse this privilege, they can continue to be successful.

Need an example of a call to action?

Give us a call at 619-272-2360 and we’ll get you traffic and conversions, a winning combination :)

Just because the internet affords us amazing possibilities doesn’t mean people skills are no longer required.

After a couple of conversations with a referral I realized what the critical, missing piece was in her internet marketing – interaction with humans.

You see, she’s been in her office for years doing research, creating products and hiring other people who sit behind a computer doing “marketing.”

No one involved in her process was out and about networking or getting feedback from the people they wanted to reach.

Getting out in the “real world” is one of the best ways to test your online marketing.

Before I attend networking events, Derek and I talk about a new way of explaining the benefits of a service we offer…  I then test it out and let him know how it was received.

Testing out products or services on real humans gives immediate feedback!

I know, it’s amazing!

Either people look at you cross-eyed or they light up…  They either walk away or ask for more information…

And if they’re really good, they’ll tell you they didn’t understand a word you just said or have any clue what you could do for them.  This is critical for any internet marketing plan.

We do this with clients as well.  We like to ask how did customers respond to that email or promotion.

Now, keep in mind we can look at the numbers, but the comments they tell the owner and their staff is golden…  We can very quickly tell if we’re headed in the right direction or if we need to try another angle.

So, here’s a few things to look for when you’ve decided you want to do internet marketing but want to connect with humans in a real way:

1. Look for a company that has a picture of themselves on their website.  This is actually a great way to gauge how accessible and social they are.
2. Make sure they’ll keep your target market in mind every step along the way.  Way too many companies are glorified graphic designers whose main goal is to create pretty (in other words, what appeals to them and the person paying them) websites.
3. Ask questions and get a feel for how they communicate.  This is going to be key in your relationship with them AND your relationship with prospects online.

And last but not least, if the company you’re looking to for internet marketing never interacts with humans you might want to keep looking because people skills will never go out of style. Give us a call at 619-272-2360… I’m a people person, you fool!

As you may already know, I am a HUGE University of Arizona Sports fan…

I’ve even christened my wife as an “Honorary Alumnus” and converted her to “Bear  Down” and root for the Wildcats.

One of my favorite teams to watch over the years has become this year’s version of the men’s basketball team, led by Derrick Williams and coach Sean Miller.

Sure, there may have been “more talented” teams in past years… even teams that achieved more, but I can’t remember ever watching a team that played together as well as this year’s team did, or beat the odds and exceeded expectations as much as this year’s team has.

Oddly enough, there are some Internet Marketing lessons to be learned from this year’s Arizona Wildcats Basketball Team…

Lesson 1: Pick one Internet Marketing strategy to master and let the others “compliment” your dominant one.

Derrick Williams is a future NBA player with unbelievable skills, so coach Sean Miller made him the focal point of the offense.

In fact, he was the only player on the team to average double-digit points per game!

=>Correlation to Internet Marketing: If you want to get more business through the Internet, pick one traffic-generating strategy to be the star of the show… whether it be your Twitter Page, Facebook Page, Paid Search Marketing, SEO, etc.

Everything else should compliment your main strategy and work together to get the best results.

For example, when we run an SEO campaign for a client, this is our main focus – to get our client’s website ranked on the first page of Google for the “money keywords”… everything else we do is meant to help that goal come to fruition.

Lesson 2: Don’t neglect your “role players” because you may need them.

Sean Miller played a 10-man rotation this season… which meant that everyone was expected to contribute in some way the entire season.

It also meant that he had to keep his role players focused on the team concept and winning basketball games, despite their limited playing time.

No doubt, he probably had to pep-talk some kids to maintain their confidence. This resulted in several players stepping up in different games throughout the season to make big shots or play great defense on the opposing team.

=>Correlation to Internet Marketing: When your customers comment on your blog, or Facebook Page, etc… show them you care and respond!

Ignoring them, whether what they had to say was good or bad, is one of the worst things you can do… and I see it all the time.

A little acknowledgment goes a long way.

Lesson 3: Build on the successes you’ve had “this season” by creating a game plan for the next one.

Sean Miller has a top-10 recruiting class coming in next year on the heels of an Elite 8 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Which means he’s not happy with “close but no cigar” ;-)

=>Correlation to Internet Marketing: As you start to get more business with the Internet Marketing strategy you started with, be sure to “keep your ear to the ground” for anything else you can be doing to get the word out and generate more business.

For example, a lot of your customers (and potential customers) are spending a lot more time on their mobile Smart Phones… what are you doing to get in front of them?

Check out our Mobile Marketing Services to see what we’re doing to help our clients get more business from the Internet. Give us a call at 619-272-2360 and we’d be glad to help take your game to the next level!