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    3 Ways to Build Your Own Website

    Monday, January 24th, 2011
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    Own a small business and need a website? Join the club. Have a small budget? You aren’t alone.

    While having a website is just one part of the digital marketing puzzle, it is a necessity. It serves as your home base. It allows people to find you, or at least takes the first step towards findability.

    In the “old days”, if you wanted a website you had limited options:

    • Build a crappy looking site on a free server like GeoCities
    • Pay your cousins, neighbor’s nephew to build you a crappy looking site
    • Spend a small fortune

    Today, you have more options. Technology is changing at break-neck speed and more tools become available everyday that allow you to DIY. From video and photo editing, to whipping together a simplistic website.

    While these do not present the best possible solution, they can at least help you begin down the digital marketing path.

    These tools have limitations. Everything that is too easy to be true, usually is. Here are a few tips, that will help you lay a foundation using these tools

    • Take some time in selecting a domain name
    • Unless it is an absolutely unavoidable situation use yourdomain.com
    • Take advantage of every SEO (Search Engine Optimization) opportunity you can
    • Keep your content fresh

    Good luck in building a digital marketing home base.

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    Posted in Digital Marketing, Web Design | No Comments »

    Predictions, Resolutions? I Don’t Know.

    Friday, December 31st, 2010
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    The end of December. It’s that time of year to reflect on the things that have been.  And place hope in the things that could be.

    Make your bold predictions. Tell us of the things you resolve to do. Would seem from the 7.8 million predictions and 7.1 million resolutions, most everyone else is.

    Me, I have some personal goals I would like to meet. To get there, I’ve decided to focus simply on next steps. I have, in the past, fallen victim to focusing on the pie in the sky image (Hey! I like pie!).

    In some cases that image seems to be a million miles away. Next steps help me get there bit by bit.

    Instead of giving a list of what I think will (or should) happen, I have a couple questions for you.

    Will this really be the year of mobile?
    There’s been talk of “the year of mobile” for quite some time. It has to happen eventually. Right? Or has it?

    What do you call yourself this year?
    It’s like agency mad libs. Fill in the blank: Digital? Integrated? Content Marketing? Social? Search?

    We all struggle with the naming conventions as overlap of disciplines has reached a high-point in, well, overlap. Fact is, to be successful online, you have to do a wide variety of things, both as a company and an individual.

    It really doesn’t matter what term you use to describe yourself. Just do, what you do, well. Sage advice, I know.

    Do you admit you don’t know the answer?
    Personally, I hate admitting I don’t know something. Just ask my wife. I may sound somewhat like Fonzie issuing an apology, but I do it.

    Over the years I have learned how important, and liberating, admitting not knowing something can be. Also, I have learned to distrust those that respond “I can do that easily” to every question. Which are you?

    Learn as much as you can. The only way we can do that, is to admit we don’t know.

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    Posted in Digital Marketing, Inspiration | 2 Comments »

    Using Foursquare Embed Features for Travel and Tourism

    Friday, September 24th, 2010
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    You have likely heard of all the new “check-in-here” social sites. They aren’t necessarily new, however, the launch of Facebook Places has opened the eyes of many to geo-location tools.

    Facebook Places, Gowalla, Yelp!, Bright Kite and Loopt are all examples. Foursquare is included in that group and also incorporates game mechanics. Essentially, people check-in and earn badges for a variety of reasons.

    You also have the opportunity to leave “tips” at various locations, including your own. It’s the digital way of giving the inside-scoop to visitors.

    When you talk to someone that is heading to your favorite restaurant, and you tell them, “make sure you try the….”. It’s like that. Only digital.

    A recent development with Foursquare makes it a very interesting tool for travel and tourism businesses. You can now embed tips, and to-do items, on your website.

    If you own a restaurant, you can add a button to your site that visitors can click and add your location to their to-do list. If you are a CVB, DMO or other travel resource, you can leave a variety of tips for people to add to their list.

    Here’s How You Can Embed Foursquare To-Do Items:

    Get the Code:

    • Find Your Venue:

      • Visit foursquare.com and do a search for your location to navigate to the “venue” page.

    • Location or Tip?

      • Once there you can either embed the location or a tip as a to-do item.

    • Grab the Code

      • You will notice buttons on either, which you can click to grab the necessary snippet of code. In the tip section, the button will appear in the bottom right corner, when you hover your cursor. When you click the button, a small window will pop up where you can select and copy the necessary code, which you will then paste into your webpage.

    Make it Available to Visitors

    • Simply Paste

      • If you know a little bit about your site code, find a suitable location on your website and simply paste it in. That’s it.

    • Your Visitors Can Now Add It

      • Once added to your site, a button will appear, which your visitors may click, to add items to their own personal Foursquare account. This item will now be visible when they are out and about on their mobile device.

    Seems like a great way to make your event or location known to travelers. What do you think?

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    Posted in Digital Marketing, Social Media | 1 Comment »

    Are the Rich Getting Richer?

    Friday, September 17th, 2010
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    Is The Marketing Digital Divide Widening?

    There was a time when digital marketing gave small businesses and mom and pops an advantage. They could create a website making themselves more findable and in many ways help level the playing field with the “big boys”.

    The efficient, assertive small businesses can still do this, however it is becoming more and more difficult and less and less the norm.

    Things have changed.

    Now, to stay on top you need to be active. Very active. This is also assuming you have a quality product, and offer solid customer service.

    Content creation, social media participation as well as simply staying abreast of the latest trends are all required to be competitive online.

    One of the key elements for a business to stay competitive is time. Devoting time to creating video, writing blog posts, interacting on Facebook and monitoring social channels is critical. However, time is something in which we have a limited supply.

    The Evolution
    For many small businesses there is but one marketing person. They have been under stress for quite some time, and are now under the gun more so than ever.

    Years ago, the marketing person could oversee the development of a website, pay for search engine optimization services and essentially “be done”.

    Many companies employing that strategy had great success. They were, in many cases, early adopters, and became leaders online as a simple by-product of early buy-in.  As their findability increased, their business increased.

    Things Have Changed
    That elusive findability has become much more difficult to pin down. Digital marketing is now a living, breathing thing. No longer a once a year project, it has now reached the point of being a daily, or more frequently, project.

    The Rich Get Richer?
    The ability to devote time and resources to digital marketing has a ceiling for small businesses. Know who has resources? And time? Yup, larger companies. Which leads me back to my question.

    Are the rich getting richer?

    Posted in Digital Marketing | No Comments »

    Improve Your Marketing…And Your Fitness?

    Friday, September 3rd, 2010
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    Want to improve your online marketing? Of course you do. Who doesn’t?

    Thing is, that is where most people get stuck. They want (need) to, but just don’t know how to get started.

    Beware the Quick Fix
    Pressure from a multitude of things from poor financials, to the boss breathing down their neck often leads to reactive decision making.   Something needs done…yesterday.

    Quick fixes never work for me, digitally or otherwise. I don’t think I am alone in admitting I have certainly tried my fair share, despite being told time and time again, ‘if it looks too good to be true, it probably is’. Yet we often try to find ways to justify going against our better judgment in hopes of a fast solution. Why? Only Dr. Phil and the producers of fad diets know.

    Ever notice that there are far more success stories which begin with “I worked hard” vs. “It was easy!”. It’s not a coincidence.

    Indulge me for a moment with this metaphor. Think of your digital marketing, like fitness.

    Who wouldn’t like to be fit? Or have a very strong web presence? How many times do you overhear conversations about either subject that contain statements including, “I wish I could”, “If I only had time”. I am personally on a mission to get back into shape. Am I there yet? No. But I have learned a lot to this point about diligence and effort.

    Fact is, people don’t suddenly become fit, and brands don’t suddenly find themselves with a rock-solid online presence. Both are the result of proper planning, execution and hard work.

    Make a Decision
    It’s one thing to talk about wanting to do something. It’s something entirely different to make the firm decision to do it. Committing time, resources and creating the proper mindset are all necessary steps to achieve success.

    Create a Plan
    Walking into the gym without an idea of what you are wanting to do is never a good idea. It’s the same with your digital marketing. Simply showing up on Facebook is not a plan.

    Think about goals, time-frames, and realistically evaluate the time which can be devoted to working towards those goals.

    Lay the Foundation
    Out of the gate you will not be able to simply tie on your shoes and complete a long, difficult workout. Think you can ride your mountain bike for 50 miles without some prep-work?  You might be able to, but without some foundation, it will hurt. A lot.

    Digital efforts are no different. You will not become a thought leader in your field, nor earn the trust of your audience with just one tweet. Crafting a nice page title tag isn’t going to instantly send you to a number 1 ranking.

    Work on the foundation. It will give you the opportunity to build and grow.

    Work Smart
    It takes effort. No way around it.

    You can find tools to make yourself more efficient. Be it running shoes, a smooth shifting mountain bike or hootsuite and tweet deck, there are tools to help you. However, those tools are no substitute for effort.

    Blood, sweat and tears is a tired euphemism, yet it is applicable. Be prepared to work if you would like to reap the rewards.

    Measure & Track
    There is no way to know how well you are performing, if you don’t know where you started. Measure everything you can and then determine which things really matter. Your key performance indicators (KPI’s) are going to be determined by your goals, not someone else’s.

    If you are wanting to lose weight, step on the scale and keep note of your diet and exercise and compare. If you are wanting to build muscle would you worry so much about your weight? Probably not.

    Be careful of chasing false-positives, or perceived positives. If you have 10,000 fans on Facebook, yet none of them are buying your product, does it really matter how many fans you have?

    Don’t Overdo It
    The first hints of success are sweet. They provide much needed encouragement and help us to keep moving down the path towards our goal. However, it is important to remember that it is a process, not an event, that will lead you to long-term success.

    Going to the digital well too often, can stagnate a campaign, boring both yourself and your audience. Much the same with fitness, overtraining can cause setbacks and frustration.

    While you may think that doing more is always better, it is the quality that matters.

    Push Your Limits
    If you continue to do the same things, you will continue to realize the same results.

    Pushing your limits helps you grow, expand and improve.  Stepping outside your comfort zone can create unique opportunities and help you achieve successes that you might not have dreamed possible. Take calculated risks and lead.

    What do you think?

    Posted in Digital Marketing, Marketing | 1 Comment »

    Why Aren’t You Listening?

    Thursday, August 12th, 2010
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    First, let’s just get this out of the way. This is not a post about what listening is, or how to do it. This is simply about why you should, and why some people don’t.

    The question which needs to be answered before going any further is this: Do you care what your customers think?

    This is, hopefully, a rhetorical question, however, it seems that far too many companies simply don’t care anymore. They might say they do, but their actions tell a different story.

    Hopefully, you care. You should. If you hope to have success in today’s trust-fueled thank-you economy, you need to.

    Traditionally, businesses use comment cards, or surveys to obtain feedback. These are still widely used, with success. Through the ubiquity of smart phones, and sharing through social media outlets, the comment cards have become real-time.

    Visitors are posting to Facebook, or Twitter, or sharing photos while they are using your product, visiting your location or making plans.

    By making use of simple listening tools, you create an opportunity to answer questions, share information, or simply say “thanks for stopping in”. Your customers have choices now more than ever, and they will be spending their money with those businesses which value them and listen.

    Why Some Don’t Listen
    “I don’t know how”
    A common way to rationalize not listening, is not knowing what to do. While often an accurate statement, it is not a legit excuse. Folks, Google can be your friend. It can teach you how to juggle or tell you how to raise a pet monkey. It can also help you find lots of useful information on how to listen.

    “I don’t have time”
    Fact is, none of us have enough time. For anything. I’m not sure if we are busier, or if the time-space continuum kicked it into overdrive. Either way, we know, you don’t have time. That being said, you need to make time.

    Remember way back when? I call it P.E. No, I’m not meaning the class where nerds got drilled with screaming-fast dodge balls (sorry if that was you…getting drilled). I am meaning Pre-Email. When email became a standard part of daily business, you didn’t have time for that either. But you made time, and eventually it became part of your daily routine. Same thing needs to happen here. Make time. Listen.

    These are just two, I’d love to hear some more. However, I’d really love to hear about how you are integrating listening.

    Posted in Digital Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

    What’s Different?

    Thursday, August 12th, 2010
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    I was clicking through my Facebook today, and re-watched this excellent, short, and neatly presented vid by Derek Sivers (thanks, Tripper).  Here it is:

    I love stuff like this.  And I love talking to people that love stuff like this.  Thinking differently is refreshing, no?

    One of the requirements to thinking differently is the willingness, even the delight in, being proven wrong.  I like it.

    When it comes to marketing, the most successful campaigns happen when our assumptions are challenged, exposed, and overturned.  Blow expectations from the water, and you’re probably doing something worthwhile.  If enough people of the “please change everything” crowd buy in, followers probably will too.

    Which means some people will hate it, because most buy ins of that ilk are small.  People from that other side of the fence consider themselves the norm; their expectations are set according to the simplest, most probable outcomes.  Anything that doesn’t fit is too weird, exotic, or obscure.

    If that’s the kind of people you need to market your business to, you’re pretty much set.  Deliver what’s expected, and you’ll keep those customers, until something more mainstream comes along.

    If those aren’t the kind of people you’re marketing too, then it might be time to ask: “What are we doing that’s different?”

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    Posted in Digital Marketing | No Comments »

    Confidential Marketing

    Monday, August 9th, 2010
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    How much of your business is a secret?

    In the way that many business owners separate their marketing from their actual day-to-day business, I think that most of what goes on at a place is secret.  In other words, there’s the face of the business, the part that customers see.  And there are the hands of the business, the part that does the actual work.

    The hidden parts aren’t necessarily bad.  They might just not be part of what the owner sees as the customer experience.  But then, for almost every single small business in existence, why have them at all?  Especially with the options that are available today.  What you’re hiding, a competitor is showing, improving, and turning into marketing.

    It makes me wonder what has to be hidden.  If I wanted to find ways to improve my business, looking at what’s hidden would be a good place to start.

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    Posted in Digital Marketing | No Comments »

    Get Help Now: A 12 Step Program For Digital Marketing

    Friday, July 16th, 2010
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    You know you need help.  Just the fact that you’re reading this right now proves it.

    Admit it:  you’ve been meaning to update your site for years.  But, for some reason, you can’t.  You’ve used every excuse in the book, but the reality is this: your content has become unmanageable.

    If you’re serious, if you’re ready to make a change, there is a way…

    The 12 Steps Of Marketers Anonymous

    1.  You admitted that you are powerless over what you call your website as it stands right now.

    2.  You came to believe that a digital marketing team could restore you to sanity.

    3.  You made a decision to turn your website over to your digital marketing team because you didn’t understand it.  Yet.

    4.  You made a searching and fearless inventory of your content, noting what can be salvaged and why.

    5.  You admitted the exact nature of your wrongs, from losing passwords to hiring your nephew to build the damn thing in the first place.

    6.  You were entirely ready to have your digital marketing team remove the defective site from the internet.

    7.  You humbly ask you marketing team to make the logo bigger.  When they refuse, you finally understand why.

    8.  You made a list of all pages that were wrong, and became willing to amend each one.

    9.  You made direct amends to those pages, and became fully involved in your digital marketing strategy.

    10.  You continue to take a personal inventory of your site, and when you were wrong, promptly admitted it, via twitter.

    11.  Sought through communication and timely feedback to better understand your digital marketing strategy, learning to use new tools and techniques to carry that out.

    12.  Having had a technical awakening as a result of these steps, you tried to carry this message to other marketers, and practice these principles in everything you do online.

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    Posted in Digital Marketing | No Comments »

    Working With Your Digital Marketing Team

    Thursday, July 15th, 2010
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    First, why work with a digital marketing team?

    Digital marketing companies:

    • create strategy
    • design
    • develop
    • optimize
    • train
    • measure

    Do any of those sound like processes that could help your marketing efforts?

    The Alternative

    Yes, of course you could have your brother’s nephew design your website in Front Page. You can also create your own fan page and spam it to bits, post asking for more fans and end every sentence with three !’s. Run your own pay per click campaigns without landing pages and bid management.  Want to simply use the same copy from your brochure online?  No problem.

    Forgive me for sounding jaded, but I’m, well, jaded.  I’ve talked to many companies that use that type of rationale I explained above to not hire a digital marketing company.

    The fact is, you can run your own digital marketing from the ground up. However, you can also build a car from parts, but why would you do a job that others have years of experience in doing?

    By hiring a digital marketing company you can expect efficiency, experience, and in-the-trenches knowledge. You can also expect to be asked to communicate and participate.

    The Relationship

    Entering into any relationship, whether it be work or personal, requires several things to be successful. Beginning a digital marketing project is no different;  people will often enter into a contract not knowing what exactly is expected of them in order to achieve success. Even when entering with eyes wide open, there are still potential pitfalls that can derail your project.

    Understanding that digital marketing is important to your company is half the battle.  If you and your company don’t buy into the process, you’re setting yourself up to fail.

    Once the contract is signed is when the real work begins. It’s important to realize that signing the contract marks the beginning of your work, not the end.  View it as an investment; you will reap what you sow.

    The Communication

    It is always important to make sure everyone is clear on how the project will run and how (and where) communication lines will operate.  The time to communicate your hopes, wants, expectations is at the onset, not mid-way.

    Establish preferred methods of communication, and don’t be afraid to pick up the phone.  Email and Instant Messages offer a great opportunity for quick, concise communication. However, it does not convey tone, sarcasm, and poor attempts at humor.

    Provide direction, and still let your team “do their thing”. Give ideas about the design you have in mind. Help brainstorm keyword seed lists. However, let your designer design, let your SEO do the keyword research.

    The Participation

    Digital marketing projects are processes, not events.

    In order to reach the finish line, milestones must be passed and completed. Almost always, you will be asked to provide some form of feedback and approval for those milestones to be met, and for progress to be continued toward project completion.

    Providing quality, timely feedback is important to the workflow of your project. When presented with design ideas, a reply of “I don’t like it” helps no one, and serves simply to continue spinning your wheels instead of making progress.

    When you participate, you are part of the process. In today’s world, there really is no “completion” when it comes to marketing online. You need to continue to publish, to monitor, measure, and modify. Participating in the planning, the building and the implementation will keep your marketing efforts worth your money and time.

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    Posted in Digital Marketing | No Comments »

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