Somehow, overnight it seems, flat screen TV’s are no longer available as an upgrade. Nope. Now flat screen is the default. In fact, if you want to buy a regular cathode ray tube TV, you’re going to have to go to an electronics store, or eBay or Craigslist. Because, Wal*Mart isn’t going to special order it for you.
I don’t recall it, but I imagine there was a day that color TV was the default – not just an upgrade option. Just as there was a day that CD’s replaced tapes, and the automatic replaced the stick. In fact, can you find ice cream makers that require you to hand crank them? When is the day that all banks will have drive-thru’s?
Change is inevitable. The question is whether or not your small business is ready for the change? Just think about the simple things like popcorn ceilings that really make you look old and out-dated. How about business cards that don’t feature your e-mail or web address? And are you prepared to have a corresponding Facebook page should that become the norm?
Keeping up with technology is hard – there’s so much of it. But because it changes rapidly, you can begin to lose customers just because your technology is outdated – and thus foreign to today’s consumer.
Check your website, is there a “contact us” tab? If not, perhaps there should be because everyone expects to find the hours, e-mail and phone number there. It’s no longer an add-on – now it’s the norm. Is your main web address a hotmail account? Today’s savvy youth see that as cheap and out-dated. Make sure to get info@yourdomainname.com right away. Finally, are you ready to book appointments, sell products or communicate with your customers through your website? Soon enough the lack thereof won’t be tolerated.
Doesn’t sound like sitting on your hands is helping does it? What else is becoming the norm? More importantly – are you ready to grasp it? Leave your web address, we’ll look it over and tell you what we think about your site and the future “norms”.
One of the biggest mistakes in internet marketing is failing to understand the true nature of your conversion rate.
Conversion rate is such a lousy term, but for many business owners it has come to mean profit.
Unfortunately, businesses that want to provide you with internet marketing services will use the term conversion rate to get your attention and sell you services. But that’s precisely what you don’t want to hear. Continue reading “Mistakes in internet marketing: conversion rate”
Ever seen Dog the Bounty Hunter? He’s a Harley-looking dude in Hawaii who goes around rounding up the bad guys. But he doesn’t just round them up, he takes them down with style. Duane “Dog” Chapman and his family have turned their little bounty hunter enterprise into a full blown reality TV sensation. Since 2005 Dog has also turned up as a guest star on other popular shows as well.
Alright, enough with the show prep. What has that got to do with your local business? Well let me answer that with a question. If you live in Hawaii and need a bounty hunter who are you going to call? I’ll answer that for you, you’re going to call Dog the Bounty Hunter because he is the expert.How did he become the expert? He did it by allowing you to see what he does for a living – but more importantly he shows you how he does it.
There’s a roofer in Maryland who has achieved the same “expert” status in his community. He didn’t have a TV show though. He, like you, has YouTube. He films himself everytime he gets on a roof to make his initial inspection. He films the roof while talking about the problems he sees and the solutions required.
He’s created so many films that he’s featured prominently when you search for his local keywords. That ability to prove yourself by allowing others to see your expert knowledge creates a level of trust, appreciation and credibility. Not only that, but he uses the video when he talks to the client and proves to them he understands their problems and necessary solutions.
Become the Dog of your community. Plan your work and turn it into a marketing and teaching moment. You’ll revel in the appreciation your local community shows and accomplish your marketing activities while you’re getting your work done.
So, I’ve written quite a bit about the buying process lately. I think that’s mainly because marketers don’t always understand. For instance if you’re an affiliate marketer and you write an ad that says:
Nikon 30D Camera Lowest Price on the Nikon 30D No registration required
Now, suppose you write that ad because you’ve become an affiliate of a camera website and the Nikon is a popular camera. Does it make any sense to send that person to a landing page with a title like:
Nikon 30D vs the new Canon SLR
NO! It doesn’t. Do you know why? It doesn’t make sense because the person who clicks on your ad (based on what you wrote) is beyond comparing features in their buying process. They want to be taken to the page that shows the price and the “BUY NOW” button. Anything less than that and you’re wasting your money on ads.
And speaking of how you write your ads, make sure you spend some time testing what’s written. A poorly written ad won’t get you anywhere (well, maybe you’ll get a spot in this blog) 🙂
Here’s an example of a poorly written (from a non-native English speaker, most likely), and highly humorous ad – just for fun. I got it in my spam e-mail folder today:
Christmas, Happy! Hey, what are you doing lately? I’d like to present to you a very good company that I knew. Its home page company: www.Ele-sky.com If you have any needs, please contact the company Email. They can offer all kinds of electronic products that you need, such as motorcycles, laptops, mobile phones, digial cameras, , x box, ps3, GPS, MP3 / 4, etc. Please take time to look at that there must be something you’d like to purchase. Hope you have a good state of mind in buying your company! Regards
Please check out these posts on the Buying Process as well:
(prREACH)Nashville, TN (April 8, 2014) – The iconic and historic East Ivy Mansion located in the beautiful splendor of Edgefield and NASH-FM’s America’s Morning Show are going to make one lucky engaged couple’s dreams come true. Presenting a wedding valued at over $100,000, this event will be planned and designed by celebrity wedding planner Angela Proffitt and will feature a live first dance performance by Lee Brice, a Curb Records CMA Award Winning Platinum selling country artist. Brice proclaims:
“As a newlywed, it is an honor to sing one of my songs to the new husband and bride for their first dance. Listen to the words in my songs such as “Love Like Crazy” or “A Women Like You,” and you’ll understand why.”
The East Ivy Mansion’s Italian inspired grounds will offer unparalleled historic sights coupled with some of Nashville’s most prestigious vendors. All parties are generously donating their professional services to guarantee the winning couple has the wedding of their dreams. To ensure no detail is overlooked, celebrity wedding planner Angela Proffitt will meticulously walk the couple through every step of the process, transforming the couple’s dream into a reality.
“As a wedding planner and designer who has had the honor of planning some of the most unique weddings in Nashville, I am so excited to provide my service to a deserving couple. With some of the top vendors in Nashville to help with this memorable event, it will truly be a dream wedding!”
When asked why East Ivy is giving away this ultimate dream wedding valued at over $100,000, East Ivy LLC proprietor Ed Clay simply stated:
“It’s always a great thing when you can give back to someone, and it’s so exciting to help a lucky couple live their dream wedding. This idea was born on Christmas Eve and has taken on a life of its own. I am blown away and honored that Angela Proffitt and all these first-class vendors have stepped up to donate their services and that Lee Brice graciously agreed to sing the couple’s first dance song. It truly shows you the pure hearts of the people helping with this magnificent event, which is perfect… because weddings are all about love.”
And just how did Lee Brice get involved? Clay explains:
“It was simple. On our way to a camping trip, I was telling Lee how I wanted to give a couple a once-in-a-lifetime dream wedding. I wanted to ask him to sing the first dance song, but before I could ask, he volunteered, ‘What if I sang the couple’s first dance song?’ It was just meant to be. Lee is one of the kindest human beings I know.”
The ultimate dream wedding will include stunning appearances and illustrious services by: East Ivy LLC, Angela Proffitt, Lee Brice, Karen Hendrix Couture, The Life Lens, Jay Qualls Cakes, Music City Dream Cars, Matchless Transportation, Liberty Party Rental, Dylan White Videography, Lejardin De Juli, Parlour 3 Beauty Bus and Nashville Event Lighting .
Dan R Morris of Blogging Concentrated is putting together a promotional program for bloggers. Wine, travel, wedding, garden and food bloggers will be covering the event for their audiences. Bloggers interested in getting involved should contact Dan R Morris.
This dream wedding giveaway is an opportunity of a lifetime for engaged couples everywhere and will be awarded to a deserving pair on April 26, 2014. In addition to the East Ivy Mansion serving as the spectacular venue, world-class photography, catering, lighting, limo services, cake creation, floral design, champagne packages, and more will sweeten this already “sure-to-be-amazing” event. All couples looking to tie-the-knot are highly encouraged to enter to win their dream wedding, and finalists will be selected and contacted for additional wedding details before the official winner is chosen.
“This is truly a fairytale wedding at its finest, which will be customized to the bride and groom’s personalities,” says Angela Proffitt, the planner responsible for making all the lucky couple’s dreams come to life.
America’s Morning Show host Blair Garner adds, “ We’re excited to be part of this great give away. Family is an important part of our show and knowing that we’re helping a couple become a family, in this most incredible fashion, is a huge thrill for all of us.”
The East Ivy Mansion was built in 1867 and has been recently acquired by owner Ed Clay. The Mansion has been rezoned and is used as a full-time vacation home and event facility. This historic property consists of 44,000 square feet of beauty and boosts a guest capacity of 250. To learn more about the Mansion, as a Nashville Wedding and Event venue please visit: www.EastIvyMansion.com.
Structuring your social media platform as a business gives you an opportunity not available to a consultant or sole proprietorship. While I spend a good deal of the time branding my own image, a company has the option of allowing it’s “employee faces” to brand themselves as employees or to make the “employee faces” anonymous giving all the credit to the company. Continue reading “The Structure of Social Media for Small Business”
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