Have you noticed that people are less and less trusting?

This really struck me while watching HGTV’s hit show Yard Crashers this past weekend.  The host Ahmed Hassan wanders through home improvement stores looking for someone he can help with a little yard work.  Little do they know they will get an AMAZING yard makeover for free!

Ahmed is not intimidating in any way.  He’s the kind of guy that can kick up a conversation with anyone.  He flashes his smile and tries to find one person who is willing to say yes to his help.  He even has a camera crew with him so you’d think people would put two and two together but they don’t.

Not only do most people say NO, many are rude about it!

This past episode a lady went on a rude rant before continuing with her shopping.  (I do secretly hope her best friend watches the show and let her know what she missed out on.)  Another guy said he had plenty of work to be done in his yard but that he preferred to do it himself.

Have we become this cynical in our society?  I guess so!

Even when there’s no catch… Even when it’s free… Even when we are getting more than promised… we are slow to trust.  When it comes to marketing we have to keep this in mind.  People don’t believe what they hear and see.  People want proof.  Sometimes they don’t even want that.  They want to believe in NOT believing.

So how does a business owner build trust through their marketing?  Slowly over time.

You see, Yard Crashers is now such a hit that more and more people have seen how things turn out for that one trusting individual who says yes to Ahmed.  While the guy was explaining that he would prefer to do the work himself a lady comes around the corner and let’s out a scream!  She runs up and give Ahmed a hug and proclaims her love for him.  (Apparently she had seen the show!) This of course throws the know-it-all-engineer off his game and now he’s afraid he might be missing something and changes his mind, but only after the lady begged Ahmed to pick her.

After just a couple of days the distrusting engineer had the most spectacular yard and Ahmed was off to the next town to see who would roll the dice and accept his offer of free help with yard work.

So, don’t worry if people put up their walls or think they can get along fine without your products or service.  Just do what you do and they’ll get the message over time… and they’ll be happy they gave you a shot.

Ready to give us a shot?  Give us a call at 619-272-2360 to find out if Internet Marketing is right for your business.

When we network on and offline, we get this question all the time…

And the truth is, if you ever want to receive quality referrals you have to be able to clearly communicate what exactly makes your business stand out from the crowd…

We have found the best way to get to the core of what makes a business great is to ask the client or customer…  For example, most of our clients have had experiences with other companies who do internet marketing.  All we have to do is listen and we will very quickly know if we are different and if we can offer them a better experience.

Even when a client is completely ignorant about an industry, they can always pick up if the company cares about them…

Just yesterday I was talking to one of our clients that unfortunately went through multiple bad experiences with internet marketers before a friend referred her to us.

She told me, “I didn’t know what I should expect or how much I should pay for these services and they took advantage of my ignorance.  But, they must not have cared about having me as a long term client because sooner or later I was going to figure out they didn’t care about my business.”

One of the biggest things we dislike about our industry is that many companies will take money for creating x, y or z… but at the end of the day, they don’t care if the business owner achieves their goals or if they make more money because of it.

So we’ve put together six reasons we are different and why our clients love us :)

And we know that by maintaining these six key things we can only grow so big and we are fine with that…  We will always be a boutique agency who knows the ins and outs of our clients lives and businesses.  They will always deal with Derek and I.

They can call any day of the week and we’ll be available…  That’s how we want it because we don’t feel it’s right to abandon the very things that have grown our business in the first place.

1) We create strategies first.

When we meet with a business owner for the first time, we listen for where they are and where they want to be.  It’s our job to map out a strategy to get them there as fast as we can.  And then it’s about selecting the “tools” that will help them achieve what they want.  Having websites, social media and emails “for the heck of it” isn’t how we work – everything must serve a specific purpose or we don’t use it.

2) We maintain everything we create.

We always called ourselves control freaks until a client gave us a new name, “quality control freaks”.  We love it!  Since our clients are all successful, busy people we don’t expect that we can create something online and that they will be able to maintain it (on a daily, weekly or monthly basis).  It’s just not realistic.  Far too many companies have dead websites and social media accounts, why?  The real work was left up to them.  We never want to hear our clients say they paid for something that didn’t do anything for them, that’s why we maintain, so everything is working for them.

3) We create the “celebrity factor”.

When we go on appointments, not only does the prospective client have to decide if they like us, but we have to decide if we can market them.  We believe in making people and companies bigger than life online.  This requires a big personality and a passion from the owner and their staff.  Once we know these are in place and we can establish a good line of communication, we know we can make them stars.

4) We are “people” people.

Something we hear regularly is how most “techy” people are not “people” people, and we’d agree.  We are “people” people first.  The relationship we have with clients is important to us and we want that to be a two way street.  On our website you’ll find pictures of us and stories about us.  We never want to hide behind the computer!

5) We look at the big picture.

Most business owners are so buried in their business they need an outside perspective and we offer that.  We look at their business, website, communication, etc. from the outside and help them understand what their customer experiences.  We look at the competition and trends to find holes and where they can easily excel.

6) We practice what we preach.

We don’t just tell our clients we can get them more business from the internet, we get ourselves more business from the internet.  We blog 5 days a week, we are on Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn everyday.  We send branded emails to our list every week.  We advertise online.  We walk the walk.

How about you? What makes your business different? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below…

Do you remember Sea Monkeys?

You know, the little packet of powder that “magically comes to life” when added to water?

If you used to read comic books like I did, then you would have found some great direct mail ads for Sea Monkeys in the back of your typical comic book.

Now, the other day I wrote a post about the difference between selling and marketing in which I said that you had to find some people with problems that your product or service solves… and get in front of them with your marketing message.

So, what if your product doesn’t sell a solution to a problem?

Sea Monkeys are a great example of that… So are restaurants and any other business that relies on expendable income.

But here’s the thing… the marketing geniuses behind Sea Monkeys still realized they had to get their message in front of their target market… kids. Kids read comic books (at least they used to!)

But they didn’t just put out some lame ad and expect sales to expand… Nossir, they presented their Sea Monkeys in a way that would make kids bug their parents until they had some in their hands!

How?

They told a story.

Your story is what sets you apart from your competition and connects you with the right customers…

Every successful restaurant, for example, has a clear idea of what their story is… and conveys it in everything from their advertising, to their menu, to their decor and “ambiance”, to how their waiters dress, to how their food looks, to what music they play, etc.

Basically, what it boils down to is this… you are a certain “type” of person if you eat at a certain “type” of restaurant.

Find more of your “type” of people and market to them with your story! Simple as that :)

Give us a call if you could use some help with this… 619-272-2360. In the meantime, you might want to check out our restaurant marketing video series.

It’s 3:09 a.m. and I’m wide awake!

Why you ask?  I had a conversation with Craig Slike of “The Agency San Diego” that really got me fired up.

We are in a networking group together and if you’ve done the networking scene, it’s important to really get to know your fellow members… otherwise there will be lots of meetings and coffees and not a lot of referrals.

Craig was asking me about our brand, our cards etc. and the thought process behind it all.  He wanted to know why we selected this particular way of representing ourselves and if it is working for us. (He takes businesses through this process to really define their brand.)

I would say I answered those questions in a pretty shallow manner at that moment but I couldn’t stop thinking about this topic for the rest of the day…

And what I couldn’t forget was the look on his face when I told him something to the effect of, “We want to work with small business owners, working for corporations would be like working for the enemy!”

It’s a strong statement, I know, and I’m sure he was thinking, “There’s a hell of a lot more money in doing SEO for them than for the mom and pop down the street.”

And that would be true if we did this simply for money…but we don’t.

We are all shaped by our experiences and I realized yesterday why I’m so insanely passionate about working with small business owners…

I believe I was in the 3rd grade when Wal-Mart showed up to my rural hometown in Colorado…

They built the first ugly strip mall and Wal-Mart was the big store right in the middle.

That same year, at least half a dozen local business owners closed their doors because they couldn’t compete with the big corporate giant.

This was often a topic of conversation in my family because both my parents owned their own businesses…  My grandparents owned their own business…  My aunts and uncles did as well.

I guess you could say, I’m an entrepreneur through and through. :)

Fast forward 25 years and I’m still thinking about those small businesses that were crushed under the weight of a corporation.

Today there a so many wonderful ways for small businesses to be “large” online and our mission is to show them how it can be done.

We exist to let small business owners know they don’t even want to “compete” against the big dogs by trying to be like them.  No, the beautiful thing about the internet is that every owner’s passion and personality can be showcased on a big stage.

And we don’t just rattle this off as sales rhetortic, we believe it and do it for ourselves. We don’t try to compete with big SEO companies that outsource everything to India…  We don’t hide, faceless, behind a computer…  We don’t put up a corporate front.

We believe in working side by side with our clients…  They don’t have to call India at 1 a.m. to talk to the guy who’s handling their campaign.

We network in our community and put our picture on our website and business cards because we want it be known we are human, not just clicks and tags and technology.

We are the opposite of corporate…   We are young, passionate, non suit-wearing, self-taught internet marketing mavens!

What’s rewarding for us is seeing our clients thrive and knowing we had a hand in it.

Give us a call at 619-272-2360 and we’d be glad to help you thrive on the internet, too.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

While you may not find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, I’m hoping you’ll take these five simple marketing “pots of gold” and apply them to your business.

Now, with most things that are simple, they are often overlooked and underestimated…

But, if you’re really serious about making more of the green stuff, you’re gonna apply these tips…

1) Tell one story.

Get all your materials including business cards, brochures and promotional items out.  And then look at your website, social media sites, emails, and ads and ask yourself if there is an obvious common thread.

2) Go from plastic to fantastic.

Ever noticed that most Realtors have the same type of websites and that most insurance agents wear a navy blue suit?  It’s important to lose the stereotype of what you’re “supposed” to be and instead be distinctly unique by letting your personality come through everything you do.

3) Don’t be a cheap chicken.

One of the fastest ways to lose value in the eyes of your prospects is to create your own website or print your business cards at home.  Don’t skimp on the things that represent who you are.

4) Be a trendsetter.

Due to ever evolving technology things are moving fast, real fast and it pays to be in the front of a trend.  If you don’t have the time to stay on top of things… at least surround yourself with people who do.  Now is not the time to bury your head in the sand.

5) Mix business and pleasure.

If you’re having fun in your business it shows… and nothing is more attractive than that!  Allow yourself to have fun at work and watch how others respond to you.

Here’s the shortcut to making these 5 things happen… give us a call at 619-272-2360 ;-)

The truth is if you want to make money or make more money in your business, you better learn how to sell…

(And part of the selling process sometimes involves giving your best stuff away for free!)

This weekend we were up at the Little Italy Farmer’s Market for the fourth week in a row. We have our list of favorites, for example… we never leave without eggs, berries and mozzarella cheese. But we also try something new every week.

I had seen one particular vendor with at least 15 different kinds of hummus, but I never stopped by to check it out. I love hummus, so that’s not the problem ;-)

They just never did anything particularly special to get my attention…

You see, every week we have a set budget… We stop by the ATM and get $100 bucks and when it’s gone, it’s gone. Of course I want one of everything, but I’ve got a limited amount of money in my pocket.

This particular week, right in the middle of “walking traffic” a young guy has a bag full of pita chips and he told me, try some of our hummus as he hands me a chip… Well, I’m committed now because I already have a chip and it’s practically begging for hummus ;-)

I take 3 steps over to the array of homemade hummus and the guy behind the table sees I’m overwhelmed by my choices. (I only had ONE chip after all!)

He confidently says, “This is our bestseller, you’re gonna love it!” Needless to say, I bought 2 hummus and a bag of pita chips.

Why?

Simple, they went the extra mile to earn some of the money in my pocket…

And I felt a little obligated to buy something after their act of generosity.

Will I go back next week? You bet!

Am I telling everyone how much I love their chips and hummus? Right again :)

Those guys show up on a Saturday, set up and sample out hummus because they are there to make money… I guarantee you they make more money on the weeks they send out the “friendly sampler”.

What extra measure could you take in your business to earn more money from your customers?

First of all, let me just make clear that the whole point of Marketing is to sell more stuff…

This post is dealing more with what I perceive to be some common misconceptions between the words “selling” and “marketing.”

“Selling is marketing, but marketing is not selling.”

If the above phrase doesn’t make any sense to you, allow me to explain…

I’m a great salesperson, always have been… but I could certainly never sell ice to an eskimo.

Why?

Well, let’s take a look at the meaning of the phrase…

Verb

to sell ice to Eskimos

1. (idiomatic) To persuade people to go against their best interests or to accept something unnecessary or preposterous.

   He’s such a smooth talker, he could sell ice to Eskimos.

Basically, it means to convince someone to buy something they don’t want or need.

Isn’t this what most people think of when they think of sales… some “slick-willy” selling junked-up used cars?

But I tell you, I’ve always been good at sales… and not once have I ever sold someone something they didn’t want.

How is this possible, you ask?

It’s because I listen to people and try to solve their problems based on what they’ve told me.

In Internet Marketing, this is easy to do…

Basically, you find where people who have problems you can solve are hanging out… and you present what you have to sell to them!

Too easy!

Some of these people will buy your stuff, whether you’re good at selling or not… for the simple fact that they have a problem, you can solve it, and they are aware that you can solve it.

It’s kind of like those Grizzly Bears on National Geographic… You ever watch that?

The smartest ones find a nice little spot at the top of a waterfall… sit down… and let the salmon jump right in their mouth!

If you’re interested in being a smart Grizzly Bear who has salmon jumping right in his mouth, you might want to give us a call… 619-272-2360

Do small business owners understand the value of their BRAND?

According to Wikipedia:

“A brand is the identity of a specific product, service or business.”

Simple enough right?

The truth is small businesses must competitively fight to establish their identity in the market.

Being in the business we are in, we believe the internet and social media can play a huge role in building “brand love”.

Here is a list of 3 steps we recommend small businesses owners complete before we get to the big branding strategies…

• Create and perfect your logo. Visuals are powerful, so it’s important to have a logo that uniquely and clearly states your company’s mission and personality.  You want to really love your logo because you’re going to be using it on everything.
• Know what makes your business unique. Your brand is the main promise that you commit to giving your customers.  Create a list of what makes you different and irreplaceable to your customers.
• Build your credibility every way you can. The clubs and organizations you join are very valuable to your brand. Starting a blog, teaching, or writing a book help you gain recognition and credibility from the public.

Now that you have these three things squared away, we want to encourage you to use Social Media as a way to boost your brand…

When someone is thinking about spending money with you for the first time, they want to feel confident that they are getting a good deal, that there will be someone to help them if they have any problems and, most of all… they want to feel valued and important.

Social media is a great place to address all these often unspoken questions.

Day by day, bit by bit, social media is the idea platform to educate and ease your prospects doubts. Social media platforms allow businesses and individuals to create and share information with each other in a way that didn’t happen five years ago.

For example, we have an internet marketing business, but for many people that doesn’t mean anything to them…

However, through our Facebook page and Twitter account we are able to communicate three main things about us…

• We work with well established, small business and franchise owners.
• We create and maintain websites, blogs, social media profiles and ad campaigns for those who are not interested in the “do-it-yourself” route.
• We specialize in the 3 R’s… restaurants, retailers and Realtors, although we have clients in many other industries.

Social media also allows you to create a database of people who will be very receptive to your marketing campaigns…

Who better to tell about your new website, latest blog post or monthly special than the people who are already listening online via your Facebook page?

Once a person has spent money with you, or become a fan of your social media sites, they are already primed to buy your products or services again…  Social media keeps your target audience front and center.

The other great thing about social media is the ability to advertise for almost nothing…

Both Facebook and LinkedIn make it possible to create ads that showcase your company logo and tagline.

How much would you have to pay to have 100,000-300,00o people see your brand in traditional advertising?  The answers is… more than most small businesses have in their marketing budget :(

Brand awareness refers to customers’ ability to recall and recognize the brand under different conditions and link the brand name, logo, jingles and so on to certain associations in their memory.

And our job is to make sure your small business is getting plenty of “brand love” through fans, likes, shares and views!

If you’re ready to have us take your brand to the next level just give us a call at 619-272-2360… we can’t wait to get started!

Let’s be honest here, Groupon’s Super Bowl Ads sucked, didn’t they?!

I mean, pardon my “Gen-X,” (ooh, he said sucked!) but the commercial just left me bewildered… I think they tried a little too hard.

It’s not like I’m against the political “incorrectness” of it all… It’s just never a good idea to make your customers feel like cheap, shallow, opportunists only worried about finding the next deal.

You be the judge and tell me what you think…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

While we’re on the subject, I don’t think Groupon’s competitor, LivingSocial did much better…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Why?

Because people are generally afraid of change in the first place, let alone a lifestyle change like cross-dressing!

Anyway, if you’d like to read some other people’s takes on the matter, I’ve compiled some articles on the subject…

Groupon’s Super Bowl Ad Quickly Draws Backlash

By Scott Austin

It’s not clear yet whether Groupon sought controversy for its Super Bowl commercial to gain publicity, but either way the venture capital-backed daily deal site sure got it.

Immediately after one of its three commercials ran during Fox’s second-half coverage of Super Bowl XLV, hundreds of people took to Twitter to air their displeasure with the ad.

The commercial in question involves actor Timothy Hutton, who makes light of Tibet’s social ills by touting a discount offer on Groupon:

“Mountainous Tibet – one of the most beautiful places in the world. This is Timothy Hutton. The people of Tibet are in trouble, their very culture in jeopardy. But they still whip up an amazing fish curry. And since 200 of us bought on Groupon.com we’re getting $30 worth of Tibetan food for just $15 at Himalayan restaurant in Chicago.”

Here is a sampling of Twitter comments about the ad:

That @Groupon commercial was terribly offensive. Way to commodify an entire people’s real struggles & experience.

That Tibet commercial of yours was the most offensive thing I’ve seen all day! #yousuck

Groupon, your commercial insulted a lot of people. good job. you suck.

@groupon You lost another customer from that Super Bowl commercial.

I guess Groupon decided to do a funny commercial about Tibet because Darfur would be in bad taste? #adFAIL  Read More…

Groupon’s Tibet Super Bowl ad offends everyone

• By: Andrew Couts
• February 7, 2011

In a Super Bowl ad intended to mock itself, Groupon makes a mockery of the struggles of the Tibetan people.

Aside from deciding the champion of pigskin, the Super Bowl has long been the time when companies roll out their most high-budget, titillating or controversial commercials. But last night, collaborative coupon-savings company Groupon apparently took a step too far.

In case you missed last night’s big game, here’s what happened: Groupon’s ad, for which the two-year-old company paid $3 million to air, opens with shots of the beautiful landscape of Tibet — a county that has suffered under the heavy hand of communist China since 1951.

“The Tibetan people are in trouble,” says actor Timothy Hutton in a voiceover. “Their very culture is in jeopardy.”

And then it all goes to hell.

“But they still whip up an amazing fish curry!” says Hutton, now sitting comfortably in a restaurant.

From here, he segues into why Groupon is so great: Members of Groupon saved a life-changing $15 on dinner at Himalayan restaurant in Chicago! Yes, 15 whole dollars! Hurray!  Read More…