Remember back in the 70′s or 80′s or 90′s when the best pickup line was “What’s your Sign?” or What’s your number?”.  Well that’s made a comeback in 2012…  especially if you run your own business and market it over the internet!  So I ask you…  ”What are your looking for?”, 1) a long term relationship, or 2) a one night stand? My guess is you chose #1!  Then why would you treat your #1′s like #2?

The difference is it takes time and commitment to grow and build a relationship…  It takes a smooth talker to create a one night stand!

In the internet marketing world…  ”What’s Your Sign?” is Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pintrest, YouTube, etc.! “What’s Your Number?” is “How Many Followers You Got?”! If you base your business (and self worth) on the numbers of followers you have, then you are doing it all wrong (sorry to some of you). I have some customers with 1000′s of followers and others who have 10′s!  Sometimes, the one’s with 10′s are more successful with Social Media than ones with 1000′s (bought you from India and China).  If you have an international product, that might be cool…  if you are selling a service to a local audience, not so much!

What matters the most is measurement!

You have multiple opportunities to see how your Social Media is creating sales!  Sticking with Facebook, you have insights that gives you detailed information about what you post and how people interact with them. What you see above is fairly typical…  out of 555 fans, 222 actually see the post.  If fans feel your are talking to them and giving useful information.. you get 5-6% to interact with it or share it.  If you are selling yourself, you will get less interaction. User interactions  of 1-2% is a valid number (eMail clicks, AdWord clicks, Post Card redemption) throughout all marketing.  It sounds small but in reality it’s average.  IF you are getting 4-5% (or more) interaction, then you are creating a buzz!

Other numbers that should matter to you, is your website Analytics (I use Google).  You can measure how your Social Media is driving traffic to your website, where they go and what they do!  Managing over 50 analytics account, I have a good handle on what average is! Above, you can see that LinkedIn may drive more traffic to my website, but I get more engaged users (more time and visits more pages) from Facebook!

Now… I can’t give you the “Magic Numbers” for your business.  Every business, website, Social Media, campaign has different metrics and measurements.  What I can tell you, is that if you are not measuring your data, you are missing valuable information.  Sadly, too many people who do collect data, don’t check it as often as they should.  Even worse, they really don’t understand what these numbers mean relative to their business.

Now the good news…  You can use Social Media to drive more traffic to your website… but it comes with some “IF”‘s!  ”IF” your audience is authentically interested in what you have to say!  ”IF” you are treating them like people and not just another advertising medium! ”IF” you value their relationship enough to actually communicate back with them if they communicate with you!

PEOPLE… Social Networking is NOT ADVERTISING.  

If you treat people like a number, your are more than likely doomed to fail.  People have much better things to do than constantly read your ads.  Facebook is for FUN (that’s why it’s the most popular social network for consumers). Get to know your audience and treat them like friends…  not prospects!

Here is some basic advice to raising your numbers (and engagement) of people who care about you and your brand…

1. Don’t ROBO-POST - Remember the Eagles song “New Kid In Town”? Nothing says you could care less about people than posting stuff that is not personalized and directed to a specific audience! People can smell shotgun marketing a mile away!  If you are not sending specific messages to a target audience then you are just more noise! Take the time to personalize and more importantly…  RESPOND with personal interactions with those who interact with you!  Pulling out the bullhorn and constantly thanking new followers, may make them feel good, but makes others who follow you less interested in interacting with you in the future!
2. Be You – You have a personality… use it!  You have a brain…  create original thoughts!  You are different… tell people how and why!  There are 1000′s (sometimes 10′s of 1000′s) of people who do what you do!  Nicole Tudisco of Wheatland Realty calls herself “The Cure for the Common Realtor“.  In network meetings, emails, blog posts and in person, and she is clear that she does things differently and is not shy to tell you how and why!
3. Be There – Nothing replaces Face-to-Face Networking.  Make an effort to get to know other people and connect with them. That is the cornerstone of getting people to pay attention to you!  God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth to listen twice as much as we speak (and stereo is nice).  Nothing screams SPAM, SCAM, and WHAM (not the 80′s band who had great hair… but a closing door sound) as marketing to people who don’t know, like and trust you!  Spend time getting to know them first and CREATE A RELATIONSHIP!

In the course of my presentations and classes, I present one fact that continues to just blow people away…  ”You have 3 clicks and two minutes of your viewers attention”.  It often goes in one ear and out the other with some people… “Our website gets thousands of hits”, but each web page loaded can have hundreds of hits.  That does not equate to success…  only getting someone to contact you does.

People use the internet 85% of the time when searching for products and services (15% or less use yellow pages and directories).  70% of those people who search use Google (Bing, Yahoo, Ask and the hundreds of other search engines share only 30% of the rest of the search traffic). Is your website being effective as a sales tool and making a good 1st impression for your business?

I see a lot of companies who treat their websites like an afterthought. If you are using a free templates service (some charge $5-$10 a month), people know it right away.  Yes… you can measure the money you are saving, but what you may be loosing in sales, can’t be measured. People are not going to take the time to call you up and say “I looked at your company on the web, but I chose another company because their website was better!”.

Businesses can spend $1000′s trying to drive people to their website with no clue of what happens once people get there.  I’ve also seen companies trying to sell $1000′s of products and/or services with a $5 a month cookie cutter website, that just fails to make a good enough impression to generate GREAT business.

What you can measure is… what people do when they look at your website.  You can see how people get to your website, where they land (aka landing page), where they click to, how much time they spend on each page, and where they exit your site.  This is CRUCIAL INFORMATION about how effective your website is working for your business.

Here are some basic things that you could and should be measuring when it comes to website traffic:

1. Where Do They Land?  - You may assume that everyone starts at the home page, but that’s only part of the story.  Google can offer people links to multiple pages inside your website. You can also measure traffic to specific landing pages (using Facebook, EMail News and other tools to drive traffic to a specific page.
2. What’s Their Path? – Once they get to the landing page, do they go where you want them to or do they just exit the site?  A dead end landing page without the opportunity to get more information or contact you… is a mistake I see all to often.
3. Where Do They Exit? – I have seen one page websites that garner $1000′s in business, and sites with 100′s of pages that are less than effective.  You have to create a plan that guides users through your site and gets them to contact your business.

There are many paid services (HubSpot, Omniture, Clicky and more) and some free ones (like Google Analytics) that you can implement, but you have to know what you are looking at and what it means (training is critical to success). Having a plan of what you expect from visitors, and measuring what actually happens, is the key to making your website a lean-mean-selling machine!

How many times have you got this email…  ” We can make you #1 on Google!”, “Offering a Free Evaluation of your website!”, “Rank #1 in the Top 10 Search Engines!”.

I have a dare for you…  Search Google, Yahoo, Bing, (and the other 7 companies they are promising – whatever they are) for “Rank #1 in Google”, and see what shows up?  I can guarantee you that it’s not the company that sent that email!

Half the time, those emails come from someone@gmail.com, @yahoo.com or @hotmail.com.  People… if someone offers you the ability to make tens of thousands of dollars and does not even have a company email address…  run the other way (FAST!).

Trust me…  If anyone had the answer to that problem, they would not be sending YOU email…  They would be too busy picking which type of caviar they want to eat on the yacht off their one private island off the Caribbean!

Google is worth over $600 per share.  It got that way, by understanding user habits and changing their algorithms daily.  Google sells advertising and would not give people… inside information, tips and tricks, discounted keywords, or special keys to locked doors… and not sharing it’s fortunes like a long lost relative from Nigeria (although if you send those companies offering you to be number 1 Google your money… you will get about the same in return for sending a check to Nigeria to get those promised millions).

Being #1

There is only one thing that will guarantee you being #1…  being the best at what you do and convincing others that you can live up to that commitment.

On the opposite side of that is your website… and your marketing that drives people to it!  You can spend all the money in the world driving traffic to you site, but if your website does not live up to the expectations of your users, it can be a #FAIL.

There is something I like to call the “Microwave Effect” with websites. If people don’t understand it, they won’t buy it!  In the old days (the 1970′s) some microwaves had dials, buttons, and switches.  Today if you buy one…  every one has a button that says “Popcorn” and cooks it to perfection. I don’t care what you have to sell…  If your website is not intuitive and easy to use people will leave and go to the next one!

Here are a few tips to help you make sure that all your marketing efforts are worth the time, money and efforts (yes that picture below is of a REAL WEBSITE)…

1. Cute & Cool are not Cohesive
   I have seen buttons that fly around the screen, tilted off angles, and are named things like “Imagination Alternatives”  (code for ‘What We Do’ or ‘Our Services’).  If you are selling to creatives like yourself… that is cool (pat on the back)!  If you are selling to a 50 year old purchasing manager from a Fortune 500 company…  You’s just done lost them!
2. Short Attention Span Theatre
   If you think people are going to read your manifesto of the development of the potato chip and it’s existential relationship to the things that make you different from the Corporate Anti-Establishment Terrianism…  get over it!  You have 3 -Clicks and 2-Minutes to make the sale.  Interest them…  Let them dig deeper…  then entice them to contact you via an email, phone call or a form (or whatever THEY want to use).
3. Be There… or Be Square
   Just because you don’t like a particular method or social media…  does not mean your clients don’t also. If your clients use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Text Messages, Phone Calls, or Smoke Signals…  you better be there to receive their messages!  If not, I GUARANTEE there is a competitor who is… and would love to have your business scraps!

Caption Contest

A picture is worth a 1,000 words. To prove it, I posted this picture in Facebook and started a caption contest (no prize) with these rules… “Caption Contest – 2 Rules – NOTHING Religious/Political, or Sexually Gross : )”.  OK, I only got 764 words in reply but they are still coming in. I had 8 people “Like” it and 45 comments to date.

There are 1,000 concepts, approaches, procedures, methodologies, processes, philosophies,  ways, or techniques to create a conversation with your audience. (Yes… I used a thesaurus)!

Being in the Social Media World, I get 2-3 invites a week to attend webinars that promise to “Get More Likes”, How to Engage Fans” and “You can make Millions on Facebook”. I do make time to attend some of them.

The reality is… that the average small business has about 150 likes.  Chances are, you know those people personally.  Getting to know your audience, what they like, and what makes them tick, makes it easier to communicate “WITH THEM…  NOT AT THEM”.  This is what makes social media “SOCIAL”.  I have local clients with over 1000 Fans or Likes and quite a few others that have over 500. In talking with each of them, they attribute sharing a passion with their fans and being accessible to their needs, wants and comments.

The ones that struggle are still treating social media as a broadcast advertising medium.  They may think that they are communicating, but they are so rooted in self promotion, that when they do offer a useful tip or tidbit, it slips through the cracks or falls on deafened ears.

Word Up…

Great business people continue to learn and grow.  They also have a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. They seek out advice or training to improve those strengths, and they find good people to fill those voids.  My strengths are understanding on-line marketing techniques, website usability, and measuring effectiveness.  I do understand programming, design, and content development, but those are not particular strengths. When given the option (time and budget), I rely on experts.  I have a stable of programers (who themselves specialize in things like custom php, Drupal, or WordPress).  I work with designers (print projects are a big need for me).  I have a stable of photographers and videographers. And two of my favorite content developers are Shirley Mott of the theWrite-Word.com, and Matt Brennan of matthewlbrennan.com.

People tend to focus more on the design and less on the content.  Pictures are worth 1000 words, but 10 perfectly crafted words can be just as powerful and successful in communicating with potential clients!  What you say, and how you say it, is ultimately important to your brand as your logo. Just to show you how…  I was once told that “You would be more credible if I learned how to spell”?  I thanked the person for the feedback, and asked for some examples of what I did wrong?  The two things that bothered them was that I spell Dude – “Dewd”, and that I said “Fore Hour Nature Meetings” (which is code for I am going golfing). That is part of my personal brand, but it just rubbed them the wrong way!

Deep Thoughts by Matt Brennan…

I’ve asked Matt to share his insight and tips on creating great content…

Three Tips For Engaging Content

Breathtaking design is important when it comes to Internet marketing, but it only takes you halfway home. From that point, you still need strong content that provokes your audience to engage. It’s how to get your business noticed in the Internet age. Here are three suggestions to help you convert eyeballs into customers.

1. Write with personality. Chances are you have a decent amount of competition. They sell what you sell. What makes your business different? Why should someone hire you instead of the next guy?
2. Grammar and spelling count. It’s common sense. It only takes a few minutes. But nothing makes someone click away faster than a misspelled word, or the wrong usage of their, there, or they’re. Learn them. Know them. Use them.
3. Educate instead of sell. People are interested in what you do. Why not tell them why your product or service is crucial, instead of how great your business is? You don’t have to be a constant salesman. This is especially true with blogging and social media.

Not everyone is a writer, and business owners have so much else on their plate. If it doesn’t make sense for you to be undertaking this part of your business, hiring a writer to produce your content is convenient and affordable.

Final Thoughts

Thanks Matt.  To his points, if you are going to write content yourself, use personality and double and triple check the basics (I usually have my wife proof read my blog posts). Finally…  people are most likely to communicate, the way they like to be communicated to!  Make sure you are communicating in a way your customers will appreciate, engage, and look forward to again and again!

We appreciate your thoughts and comments!

At one point in my life…  the light switch clicked on.  I started to volunteer and donate to multiple organizations.  All I can tell you is that getting involved can be a big boost to your business and your reputation… more importantly you will feel better, and sleep better at night!  Some are blessed with treasures… I have friends that have started philanthropic parts of their businesses that donate hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.  If you are that successful, then you are blessed enough to share.  Others make a little less, but you still have the time and talent to share with those who need it and you!

What follows is two stories of people coming together and helping in ways never imagined…

Katie

Katie Conrad is a vibrant, loving, funny and sweet person that I have had the pleasure to network with over the last year or so.  Her business is selling advertising for a one page newspaper distributed to restaurants and more called Coffee News.

In December 2011, she suffered a life threatening brain injury.  Katie survived (thank God) but the injury and rehab bills has put a huge burden on Katie and her family.  Having been a skilled networker, Katie is a well respected part of her community and frequented many networking and chamber of commerce groups.  So much so… that people were lined up to give back!

Photo Courtesy of White Photography & Videography

What followed, was a fundraiser primarily organized by Heather Heavens and Adam Underhill (fellow networkers) with help from countless others.  People donated hundreds of items and packages for the auctions.  Restaurants and Big Box Stores donated food and supplies.  Even Carillon Lakes Golf Facility donated the huge tent space and staff to support the event. I was able to help with a simple website and my band Dough! (thanks Mark Yde) provided the sound system, video projection and entertainment (a small cog in a big wheel that day).

They had a goal in mind…  but with the hundreds who showed up that day… they smashed it!  Everyone in the audience was driven to tears when we showed a video of Katie, thanking everyone for the love and support (she was still too frail to attend).  Her husband John grabbed a mic told the audience how much everyone’s efforts were appreciated (more tears).

Katie still has a long road of recovery ahead …  but with a little help from her friends, it’s a little less rocky and unpredictable. If you still want to donate – here is the information -

First National Bank 13600 S. Rte 59 Plainfield 60544.
Or call 708 362 1136

 Smiles for Scotty

My wife Kim has a very big and close knit family. We have been to many reunions, weddings, funerals and so much more over the years. Cousin Scott Kluth (Scotty) is a great dad, a jovial and fun person to be around and one of a kind!

In late 2009, Scott and his wife Ginni both were laid off from their airline jobs.  In December, what they thought was a bad case of the flu was diagnosed as pancreatic cancer. Not a candidate for surgery and given only 6 months, Scott spent the next two years traveling from Kansas City to the Oklahoma City – Cancer Treatment Center of America, which offered a more aggressive treatment plan. Things were looking up and Scotty was responding well to chemo and the other treatments. During that time (as you can imagine) resources, unemployment, and insurance dried up.

In January 2012… the doctors convinced that they could do no more, sent Scotty home to hospice. Scott’s wishes were to have a proper funeral and burial, but financially that was going to be a challenge.  That’s when family and friends stepped up to the plate to start “Smiles for Scott”.  I created a website (scottkluthfund.com), we created a Facebook Group (Smiles For Scott Campaign), and opened a Paypal account to collect donations.

Over the next few weeks people (mostly in Kansas City) were holding fundraiser events like photo shoots, candle & jewelry parties, selling coupon books, and a silent auctions and more.  With a lot of work and some generous donations, by March 7th we collected 60% of our $10,000 goal.  We still had more activities like an upcoming fundraiser in Illinois (where most of the family is) so we felt confident of reaching that goal, but that all changed the next day…

It turns out there is more than one Scott Kluth in the world. This other Scott Kluth happens to own CouponCabin.com and has a charity Kluth Family Foundation.  It seems that his PR staff became aware of our little website.  He was so moved by Scotty’s story, that they decided to chip in (more tears)…

There are still a few more planned events, but Scott and his family has one less thing to worry about.

Final Thoughts

It just goes to show that there are good people in this world.  With a little effort, elbow grease, and a small group of loving and committed people, you can make a difference!  Oh Yeah…  a little web presence, social media, and a good Google search can help also .

It’s nice to be a part of these success stories, but there are many more opportunities to help.  Keep your eyes, ears and heart open to make a difference!

Have any thoughts or questions?  I would love to hear your comments!

Who Wudda Thunk???

Our Dog Buddy Guy is very good at Social Networking!  This mild Chicago winter has allowed us to get some exercise with daily walks. Each day Buddy gets to network with the neighborhood dogs by checking his P-Mail (thanks to Kizer & Bender for that reference). He stops occasional and says “Hi Ginger” or “Hi Bailey” or “Nice work Jack”!  He returns the favor by saying “Hi” on a tree or snow pile.  Occasionally he gets to say “Hello” face to face with his friends and their families! But he is very excited to get a chance to network with his buddies.  Can someone please tell me how the dog can tell time and know when to stop me from working to make sure he gets his daily Social Networking in on time?

Be a Resource…

Yesterday I was asked if I could help someone with their 10 minute presentation this morning.  She is part of a Tuesday morning networking group in Plainfield.  She needed to show a YouTube video on the restaurant’s 48″ TV.  Of course I said “Yes”.  That’s part of the goal of networking and part of my brand…  to be a resource to people!

The question I have to ask you is… do you treat people more like a client (or opportunity to create sales for you) or do you treat them more like a partner (someone who you have a vested interest in their success)?  I can assure you that clients act like SALES and partners act like your SALES TEAM!

Last Year I attended 20+ networking meetings a month with 12 different groups.  This year it’s been trimmed back to 13 meetings with 6 different groups (2 meet weekly and 2 meet bi-monthly).  Tack on an average of 4 presentations a month.  Additionally, each month includes 12 personal training sessions (about 3 per week).  The point is we all have a lot of opportunities to be a resource for people…  but it does not end there!

Be The “G”!

A friend of mine, Felicia Slattery is a public speaker and trainer.  She was giving a presentation at a networking event and said something that caught my attention… “Be a GOOGLE to your friends and collegues”.  My wife Kim likes that because she is known as the “Google Queen” (even at her new job). Just like K&B put an understandable phrase to Buddy Guy’s networking…  Felicia gave me a term to better describe what to do on a regular basis.  Whether it’s through a phone call, email, text, Tweet, Facebook or LinkedIn message…  people are always contacting me saying “You know everybody…  do you know a guy or gal who does catering, video, pooper scooping, logos, painting, coaching, Quickbooks (insert your request here). More often then not…  I have multiple resources to call and choose from.  THEY get to choose what fits THEIR needs and budget!

Be the Google!

It’s hard to be a resource to people without information at your fingertips. Google does it through vast databases and data mining.  You can do the same with a little prep work… and it could even help you in your daily business!  Here are a few tips to help you better organize information, to be a better networking partner…

1) Treat Business Cards Like Gold!
How many piles of business cards do you have? I’ve seen people who put them in files, and folders and sometimes boxes!  Turn that business card into Data Gold!  With a Neat Scanner, I scan every business card I get, then add them to my email news (Buddy Guy calls that PMail news), and then add it to my address book.  Yes, some people unsubscribe after the first email, but many re-subscribe after I send them a contact or client!

2) Organize, Categorize, and Prioritize
When I get that card, I try to add notes of how I met the person, what they specialize in, and how they may help me, my friends and clients.  If they are only trying to sell me something, they are still added to my address book.  If I think they are different than other people who do what they do, I add notes.  And IF we get the chance to have a coffee and do a one-on-one and really feel that they can be a quality resource, they get put into a special category in my address book… “Vendors – Video”, “Home Remodeling”, “Personal Services”.  That makes it much easier to copy and paste multiple people into an email response to “Do you know someone who does????”.

3) Be GOOGLE Accessible
We all know people who act more like Vampires who want to SUCK the knowledge out of you for free and for their own gains… but there are many more people who will appreciate your knowledge and connections, while not taking advantage. The benefit to you, is that they are more likely to return the favor when someone asks them “Do you know anyone who (insert your skills here)”.  When somebody texts, Facebook messages, calls or emails with a request…  do your best to be prompt,  honest, and a resource!

The Bottom Line…

Social Networking is about creating relationships with people…  not business card piles!  Help people when they need it and they will remember you, and more often than not…  return the favor!

Your questions and comments welcomed!

#Bacon is on purpose. Search #Bacon in Twitter and you will find thousands of posts.  I joined Pintrest and looked up Bacon and there were thousands more!  This just proves that people are more interested in Bacon than seeing a picture of me presenting about Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter : )

The Question???

During a presentation today I was asked “The Question?”.  It’s the one I get in every presentation, every class I teach, and almost daily online…  But I digress!

This was a panel discussion with Jean Maday from the Chicago office of the National Association or Realtors.  Jean is very experienced with Social Media and a big fan of Twitter.  We talked with people who belong to the Northern Illinois Commercial Association of Realtors (NICAR) about using Social Media and Social Networking to grow their businesses in these tough economic times.

The focus was on how do they leverage Social Media to grow business.  Since LinkedIn is primarily Business-2-Business (B2b), it was a huge topic of discussion.  Also how Twitter could help them (but there was only a few on Twitter – and less who really understood it’s use and power).  You get the questions of “How” and Why” and “Who” but no question is as poignant and eye opening as this…

The answer always comes out like the first Gulf War…  SHOCK AND AWE!  The answer they want to hear is “Well then it’s not for you and it does not matter!”.  The Answer they want is “I can just ignore this and do business the old way!”. But the REAL ANSWER is “If you don’t want to jump on the trolly then you can bet you are waving to your competition as they move on to a new way of doing business!”.

The Answer???

The Answer is simple…  but the execution is hard, time consuming, and a complete paradigm shift in doing business.  The OLD way was people chose you because you were the best, the most experienced, and the one that everyone knew!  The NEW is because, you are available, accessible, and someone that everyone recommends because they KNOW, LIKE, AND TRUST YOU!

The Answer today was…

If you don’t like the answer…  your competition will appreciate that… and will be happy to be available for those potential customers!

So What’s With This Social Media Thingy Stuff?

I am not going to tell you that Social Media is the Panacea of Marketing…  or the Holy Grail of the New Economy…  but what I will tell you is “You Snooze, You Lose!”. Here are some thoughts that I think will better help you get the Point, Purpose and understand the Peeked Interest Social Media For Business…

1. Face To Face Networking is King… Getting to sit down with people is the best way to get them to Know, Like, and Trust YOU! What makes you different than anyone else who does what you do?  No web entity can create personality, experience, and answers to personal questions!
2. Social Networking is an Extension of Face to Face Networking - Not a Replacement for It… When you get the chance to connect with someone, use Social Media to continue the conversation.  Just telling someone (who you have not met) how wonderful you are is just another ADVERTISEMENT!
3. Be Where Your Customers (or Potential Customers) Want You to Be…  I have clients that will text me one day, then Facebook message me the next, then eMail me the next, and call me the next.  Why would you not want to be where people WANT to find you?  If you say “I don’t do Facebook because I don’t want my personal life on display!”… Then there is definitely someone else who will be excited to answer that question or solve that problem!  IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU!

Believe me when I say that it’s a challenge and not easy…  but in this new way of doing business… others are figuring out ways to be where your customers are, and what they need to do to fulfill their needs!

Need help or have a question?  Please send your feed back or Comment!

Magic is mostly about diverting your attention and slight of hand. My wife and I were at the Roundhouse (In Aurora – now Two Brothers)  last year for Valentines day.  After our dinner we stopped in the bar for a glass of wine.  While sitting at the bar, a man approached us and asked us if we would like to see some magic.  The dewd was AMAZING.  Trick after trick just continued to awe us.  It really added a special exclamation point to our evening!

When it comes to websites…  people are sold a lot of hocus pocus and slight of hand. When was the last time you had an email for a free website review?  I get 2 a day (because I have 10 of my own and have developed hundreds). My favorite is the reviews for DoughBoys Pizza (I have a band named Dough! – but no pizza). Those website reviews are going to find flaws, and inefficiencies in your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and they can fix it to make you rank #1 in all the major search engines for only $1500 or $500 a month.

Well, unlike seedy clubs in the city…  Google has no Back-Door-Deals.  You can’t get in with the right password, and no amount of  meta-tags, keywords, or magic potion is going to help a website that does not meet their criteria (which is a moving target daily).  They are selling you promises that they can’t keep unless you keep paying them, and even if you do… there are no guaranties! To prove it…  Go through the motions and listen to their pitch!  Then ask for a “Money Back Guarantee” if they cannot get you to #1 in Google searches? They will slither and squirm and talk out of every side of their mouth but forward!!!

Search engines can drive traffic to your website…  but you can be much better at it than them…

I Am King of the World (Wide Web)

I am about to let you in on a couple of little secrets.  These tips will drive more traffic to your site.  That traffic will turn into more sales and all the unsolicited traffic to your site any SEO can ever hope to deliver.  And most of it will cost you NOTHING!

Most of you remember the “King” from Burger King (the almost creepy mascot to sell hamburgers).  That’s the way that people treat shortcuts to gaining their loyalty.  The way to get people to “Know, Like, and Trust” you is to meet you in person, and REALLY get to know you and your business!  One of the most powerful networking tools I know of (from my over 13 networking meetings a month) is the One-On-One!  When people get to talk to you and know what you do and what makes you tick…  they’re more likely to use your services and/or recommend you!

1. “The best internet marketing tool you have…  IS YOU!”.  You have dozens or even hundreds of opportunities to drive people to your website daily…  it’s called your signiture!  It what’s at the end of your emails.  Make the links clickable, and better yet…  include an offer or a call to action to get more people to click through to your website. Some people over do it with a lot of graphics (that just looks like advertising).  The same goes for your Social Networking links. Make it easy and inciting to find your information and follow you (and don’t be offended if they only do so for a little while).
2. “Your website is the key to any good marketing plan!”. Web developers get paid by the volume of content they sell you.  A 100 page website costs a lot more than a 10 page website.  I have clients with over 1000 pages (dynamically generated via databases) and others that have only 1 page!  Success is a relative term.  The one with the 1000 page does millions of dollars of business a year, while the other with 1 page does 10′s of thousands.  What matters is what the website actually does for your business.
3. “Welcome to the Short Attention Span Theatre”.  Other than 1 page websites, the average is 3 clicks and 2 minutes of user attention. The 1000+ page website gets an average of 5 pages and 3.5 minutes of attention… it offers user manuals, investor relations, and a wide spectrum of data.  Most of the other sites I see (including those who have thousands verses hundreds of visitors a month) fall into the 2-3 minutes and 3+ page rule. If you don’t have a plan in what you want people to do with those 3 clicks and 2 minutes, then you are more likely blah-blah-blahing them, then inviting them to interact with you!

No matter how many times I try to explain it…  people just cannot resist the urge to try to sell via Social Media.  ”But There are almost 1 billion people just waiting to buy what I have to sell…  It’s too tempting!”. Just going to Facebook and placing a text advertisement of this week’s specials is a sure fire way to become irrelevant and sometimes annoying.  Some realtors I know, only post listings of homes for sale.  How many of those 1 billion people really care (especially those in Abu Dhabi  and don’t speak English)?

You can really tell the difference between companies that get it, and those that don’t…  It’s called Fans or Likes.  The ones I work with (and get it) have over 500 likes (B2b just crossed that line). The ones that don’t, have less than 100. There may be multiple reasons for the disparity, but the successful ones understand the difference between SP and PS.

Self Promotion

I deal with a lot of businesses that say “I don’t want a personal Facebook account…  just a business page!”. What they are really saying is “I don’t have the time to interact with people…  I just want to sell them what I have or do!”. PEOPLE…  there is a reason why it is called “SOCIAL MEDIA”.

There is no such thing as “Shameless Self Promotion”.  If all you want to do is SELL, SELL, SELL, on Facebook, it will become glossed over between the posts of babies being born, friends dealing with cancer, or a parent who is ecstatic about their kids winning basket!  People post things with the hope that their friends will connect with them. If you want Social Media to work for your business, you have to start treating them like people…  NOT PROSPECTS!

The companies who do it best ,are the ones that talk more about their customers and less about themselves. There is nothing wrong with talking about your business…  but doing it every 10 posts is very different than every other post (or even worse…  EVERY POST).

PS = Public Service

The last blog I wrote was about how people are always looking for free advice… but that’s what makes Social Media so exciting.  You have the opportunity to define your business as a relevant and top of mind reference without selling anything.  You do this by posting timely, topical, and sometimes interesting or quirky content…  not commercials!

The other thing you have to do is create an identity.  Too many people just copy and paste the same things.  You have to know YOUR audience and what creates conversations. Getting people to interact and share your content (or better yet…  share content with you), IS what makes you stand out from the crowd.

By knowing who you are talking with (emphasis on with – NOT TO) and providing them with quality information, your posts become more noticed when dabbled in the flood of information.

Here are some tips to be a bit more successful and build your business with Social Media…

1. Social Media is not advertising…  it’s an extension of your face to face networking. People are getting more savvy about using Social Media to ask “Does anyone know a good plumber?”. By connecting with friends and business associates, with useful information that they can actually use…  you stay top of mind.   By constantly selling, you become noise in the barrage of messages in somebody’s Facebook news or Twitter feed.
2. Quality information is everywhere…  Google it!  If you want to find timely and relevant information… just search for it.  You can also follow some of your favorite sources in Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.  Just because you may see it all the time, does not mean that your audience follows the same stuff and may find it very helpful!
3. Pay attention to your posts.  Too many businesses take a “Post It and Forget It” mentality.  If people comment on your posts…  they’ll real appreciate it when you comment back.  That will give them a reason to comment again.  If their comments become unnoticed…  the are more likely than not to think that you JUST DON’T CARE about their thoughts and opinions (positive or negative).

Does all this take time?  WELL HECK YEAH!  Does it reap rewards? WELL THAT DEPENDS!  In this short attention span theatre, you have to have a “READY – FIRE – AIM” mentality.  Try some posts…  measure the results, and repeat what is working and abandon those that are not generation comments or creating conversations!

Like This Post?  Have Some Thoughts?  We really appreciate your comments

SOPA…  It’s Not Italian Irish Spring!

Unless you’ve been under a rock lately, you’ve probably heard of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) which is a bill that’s supposed to protect internet content from being stolen or shared without copywriter protection. Since I’m a person who produces content that’s sold on the Internet, I can totally appreciate what the bill was intending to do… but in its complete form, it would have made just simply sharing this blog a crime. That’s why people were so up in arms!

There are 2 sides to this argument. First, by freely sharing content we are making the world a better place. Second is… people think that because it’s on the internet… IT’S FREE! Things like this blog and other content across the Internet are designed to give you just enough information to make you want to explore actually doing a project with a consultant or company (hopefully it generates a phone call or email).

If you go on Facebook, you’ll see people posting pictures, links to articles, and a whole lot more. All of that would’ve gone down the toilet and would have made Twitter, news sites (Mashable, CNBC, or whatever), and Google almost irrelevant. We all constantly skirt a thin line between simply sharing interesting content, and plagiarizing or stealing!

Most sites give a link or an embed code to share content. This means that you are just copying and sharing the URL that is linking back to the original content, where the author or organization gets credit for it. Taking content, modifying it, and posting it to your own website or email is stealing!

Just because you find an image on Google that’s funny, does not give you the legal right to copy and post it to your own website or marketing materials. I learned that lesson the hard way when I used an image that was imbedded in a Powerpoint™ from a previous employer. When I temporarily posted it to my website and thought I had taken it down, I got a major wake-up call in the form of a FedEx with the bill for $12,000!!! But this SOPA bill could have made lawyers richer and my bill look like a McDonald’s $1 menu receipt!!!

What is free doesn’t come cheaply…

One of the most intriguing things about being on the Internet is that you can Google or YouTube just about anything. Ask my wife who calls herself the ‘Google Queen’… need a recipe, have a question, check a fact, want to learn needlepoint or to play guitar… Google it! Admittedly, we’ve all learned something from the internet.

Businesses have to learn to embrace their strengths, enhance their weaknesses and pick their battles. Just because you can learn to use a scalpel and see an open heart surgery on the internet… does not necessarily make qualified to try it on your friends and family.

That’s a question I have to ask you… Just because you can learn to do it… does it always make sense to DIY (Do It Yourself)?

Here some things to think about…

1. I totally trust and respect the accountant who does my taxes. I know I could probably just do it myself, or use a less expensive service, but in the long run it could cost me MUCH more. My accountant spends hundreds of hours a year learning software and all the new tax laws, both state and federal, that affect my personal and my business accounts. Does it make sense to learn all that stuff yourself when you only use it once, or is it better to pay somebody who continually is focused on your best interest?
2.  When I owned my recording studio, I constantly had people say “If you record me for free, I’ll remember you when I make it”. Would you take that gamble? It’s kind of the same game that people play when they ask you to come do a project for free… “It’s great exposure for your business”, “You’ll learn something that will help you in the future”, “If this is successful, there are 10 more projects just like it so let’s try this one out”!? How would that work in REALLY growing your business?
3. People…  Your time and your knowledge both have weight in what you sell. Each has it’s own value and you should not forget that they work hand in glove.  Knowledge may be free on the internet, but knowing what to do with that knowledge can make all the difference in your… and your clients businesses.

There’s a story that goes…

A business owner had the heat in his building go down because a boiler stopped working. This was costing him tens of thousands of dollars a day in lost revenue! So he calls a repairman to come fix it. The repair man goes into the boiler room, and with a quick turn of the screwdriver and the boiler starts working again. Then he hands the business owner a bill for $1000. The business owner looks at the bill and then angrily looks up and says “How can you charge me $1000 for just turning a screw?”. The repairman says “This bill is not for just turning a screw… but also knowing which screw to turn and how far”!

The moral of the story is sometimes your experience is more valuable than your time… Don’t be afraid to treat it that way! But how do you convince potential clients of that?

Bonus Video

Congrats to the Giants & Pats…  Enjoy the Super Bowl!