Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

While there is not a magic bullet that applies to every business, the best way I've found to win new business is to:

1. Convert strangers to friends

2. Convert friends into fans

3. Get your fans to talk about you to their friends (who are strangers to you before that conversation)

4. Rinse and repeat

You can replace the word stranger with prospect and friend with customer, if you must, but I wouldn't recommend using that language as it will affect the way you treat PEOPLE.

When first venturing into the world of internet marketing, with the overwhelming jargon and rapid speed of change, many people just need a bit of direction and a helpful push to try something new.

That's why I've created a list of 65 things you can do to improve your online marketing for under $65.

They don't require a ton of time, talent or capital. Most of them are free, and anyone in a company can do them. Not just the marketing, PR, advertising types.

Note: You don't have to do them all….today. Pick 2 or 3, and get started.

It's About Creating a System

It's the sum of all these parts that make up an internet marketing system that will help you be successful using the internet for business. Being relevant never hurt either.

Future Plans for This List

I plan to add links to related resources, but I wanted to get the list live, first. You can always Google anything you don't already know about.

The List

1. Research and listen to your customers
2. Conduct a survey of past customers
3. Ask your customers to review your products or services on popular web sites
4. Ask a customer for a testimonial
5. Figure out a new customer is worth.
6. Use SpyFu to check on your competitors
7. Do keyword research with Google Keyword Tool and Traffic Estimator
8. Improve your Web site's Page Titles
9. Improve your Web site's Meta Descriptions
10. Add more lists to your Web site.
11. Get rid of the slow-loading Flash intro and “Enter Site” on your home page
12. Add a form to your Web site. (free trial, request a quote, request information, etc.)
13. Add your office locations to each page of your web site.
14. Create a listing on Google Local Business Center
15. Create a listing on Yahoo Local
16. Create a listing on Bing Local Listing Center
17. Add your Web site to DMOZ
18. Add your Web site to Best of the Web
19. Create a listing on MerchantCircle
20. Create a listing on Yelp
21. Create a listing on YellowPages
22. Create a listing on SuperPages
23. Create a listing on HotFrog
24. Create a listing on iBegin
25. Create a Squidoo Lens
26. Create a listing on InfoUSA
27. Create a listing on MagicYellow
28. Create and Submit an XML Sitemap to Google, Yahoo and Bing
29. Test a new PPC advertising campaign
30. Test a new display advertising campaign
31. Advertise your products on shopping engines
32. Upload photos of your past projects to Flickr
33. Create a Facebook Page for Your Business
34. Create a LinkedIn Profile for Your Business
35. Create a video or slideshow for YouTube
36. Create a Twitter account for customer service, new product announcements, etc.
37. Create a Google Profile
38. Create a MySpace page
39. Tweet the media the a story idea
40. Join HARO
41. Create a Blog or a Blog Post
42. Submit your blog articles to Digg and Delicious
43. Register your Blog on Blog Directories
44. E-mail an industry blogger and ask to write a guest post
45. Create and distribute a podcast
46. Host a webinar
47. Post upcoming offline events to industry sites
48. Create and distribute a Top 10 List
49. Create a free newsletter on MerchantCircle
50. Send out an e-mail newsletter
51. Create a 48-Hour Sale and promote it via e-mail
52. Add your Web site address to your e-mail signature
53. Add a link to sign up for your e-newsletter to your e-mail signature
54. Host a free Q&A session via conference call.
55. Write an article and submit it to article directories
56. Post 5 products for sale on Ebay Store
57. Create a Yahoo! Store with your 5 best-selling products
58. List your 5 best-selling products for sale on Amazon
59. Integrate PayPal on to your Website
60. Create a data feed for Google Base
61. Write a whitepaper
62. Write or record a case study about a past project
63. Donate products or services to a silent auction
64. Answer questions on forums, LinkedIn, MerchantCircle, etc.
65. Ask a complementary business in your area to trade links

Thanks for reading. Now get started. You can do it!

Questions?

Leave a comment, tweet me @Crentmeester, or e-mail me ( craig at relevantemarketing.com ).

Ever wonder what factors Google takes into account to rank a web page?

Well, the Google Webmaster Blog just released a blog post with their own internal SEO report card for their own products. Check it out, and use the factors they evaluated to better your Web site's rankings. 

If you're looking a Web site SEO Evaluation, email me at (craigrentmeester at gmail dot com) or click the link and fill out the form. They're free and full of information.

The most common success factors for a small business are:

• Speed
• Smart
• Service
• Promises

Speed – Act quickly. It’s simple, but powerful. 

You can’t win the resource game. But, you can win by making
decisions faster, adapting to changing markets quicker, and deploying your resources faster.

Big companies have momentum — brand, customer base, assets, etc. Use momentum against them as things change. 

Smart - Solve business problems with creative solutions.

A neat way to do this,  create diverse teams. Another way is to think about problem solving as a skill on its own rather than an added bonus.

If you’re customers see you as providing smart solutions, they’ll view you as a trusted advisor.

Service - If you’re not getting thank you e-mails or fan mail you’re not doing a good enough job at service to make it a competitive advantage.

Non-retail related tip: If your
employees don’t know the answer to a question, teach them to say “I’ll look into it
and will get back to you in 30 minutes.”

Then, teach them to drop everything, and solve the problem.

Wait, what if we can’t solve the problem in 30 minutes? No problem. Keep your promise. Get back to the customer with a more informed time frame, and let them know that you’ll keep them updated as you know more information.

Promises – Make a promise to each and every customer, and keep it. Keeping promises builds trust. 

The idea of promises — weather it be promotions, warranties or satisfaction guarantees, to name a few — is powerful, and simple. Leverage it.