MarketingMoment

If there is one online marketing tool that is possibly the most underused and least understood it has to be web analytics.

At its most basic, traffic analysis involves collecting and interpreting information visitors to your website. At the more advanced level, tracking systems can provide an array of key data about the journey your visitors make once on your site, what your most cost-effective traffic sources are, which pay-per-click (PPC) or search-engine-optimisation (SEO) keywords and key phrases to concentrate on, and a whole host of other sales and ROI information.

A really fantastic resource that is FREE from Google is their Analytics program – http://www.google.com/analytics/. As well as being able to track your web visitors, page views, and more, you can also track your email campaigns, referrals, and even offline campaigns. This is definitely one to bookmark . . .  and USE! 

Your website’s statistics provide a LOT of clues as to what visitors make of your site.  Don’t ignore them!

Adapted from: “Using Online Marketing to Your Advantage“

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We all strive to find some kind of half-decent balance in our lives. And Fiona Parashar’s book The Balancing Act: Work-Life Solutions for Busy People aims to help you just do that in as little as seven days.

As well as helping you identify what’s sabotaging the ideal balance in your life, Parashar leads you through a series of intelligent, practical steps to redress the imbalance. It’s like having your own personal coach in a way.

What I like most about this book are the seven-day action plan, the inspirational case studies showing how people from all walks of life have managed to regain balance in their lives, and the fact that it is solutions driven.

Read this if you want to identify and understand the WHAT, WHY and HOW of getting more control of your life. 

Now, let’s see if I can at last make a significant dent in my ‘TO DO’ list!

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The laws of yin and yang state that there is an opposite for everything. So while many have been preoccupied with the doom and gloom of failing economies, other business-owners are quickly realising that there IS light at the end of the tunnel . . .  if one is prepared to be optimistic.

An economic downturn can provide a smaller company to capitalise on that optimism by gaining market share and moving into a position of strength for the future. Just be sure you:

• Focus on the details. 
• Make sure that you are charging for each and every part of the business. Increase prices if you are undercharging — difficult but certainly doable.
• Reassess the profitability of your customers.
• Go for the low-hanging fruit — your existing customer base; it’s less expensive and unpredictable than going after new customers.

For more ideas on how to be profitable in a slow economy, sign up to my free newsletterCommuniqué for Success. 

Source: Business XL, October 2008, pg38  

Shameless Plug: My proven marketing campaign focuses on maximising your relationships with your current clients or customers AND make immediate changes in your business that will unearth a ‘hidden’ untapped source of newfound profits. Find out how much money YOU are losing right now due to neglecting this one crucial area — simply ask for your free, no-obligation consultation: www.mediaminister.co.uk/contact2.htm  

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It’s already the end of October and, boy, is it cold (zero degrees as I type)! I’ve been researching ways to keep warm while keeping energy usage down as I work out of the, brrr, cold north-facing dining room (my office). So far, I have come up with wearing Thermals and layers — LOTS – of clothing. Jumpers, T-shirts, cardigans . . . you name it, I’m probably wearing it!

Any ideas to save my blue fingers most welcome! Do please share how you cope with the cold by clicking on the comments link below. 

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So, as of this morning, the UK is officially on step away from entering into a full-blown recession. It’s hardly surprising, what with all the doom and gloom of recent times.

And you’d be forgiven for thinking that we were ALREADY in the red, thanks to the doomsayers, the negativity and even panic that has been spread by the mainstream media (and, boy, do they LOVE the fear induced by the dreaded R word; it means they fill and sell their papers more), kind of like an infectious disease.

But, before you turn yourself over to an inky-fingered bank clerk cementing your future in his ‘big debt’ book, remember you’ve got to have a little faith…

…Faith in the fact that just as a lack of confidence in the markets has caused this economic downturn (OK, with a large dose of greed thrown in), confidence will get us out of this precarious situation — sooner or later. Faith in the fact that history has shown that it is those businesses who march full speed ahead, actually increasing their advertising and marketing spend, who come out the other end fighting strong. And faith in the speculators who say we’re in a good position to ride any recession wave — no matter how big — with ease. Indeed, I heard one financial expert this morning say that any looming recession will be a short if sharp one, and NOT a long, drawn-out one. He also predicted that we’d be well out of the worst by this time next year.

Of course, there will be difficult times for those companies who need credit, and, yes, people STILL need to have a roof over their heads and eat well. They will still need advice, and services and products, too.

However, to flourish in business right now, you need to  have confidence in your own ability to rise to the challenge . . . and confidence knowing that consumers will always buy. If they didn’t, things would have ground to an almighty and irrevocable halt quite some time ago. 

So to recession-proof your business:

• Ignore the doomsayers
• Have confidence 
• Build value in all that you do and sell 
• Nurture your ‘house’ list
• Aim for excellence in customer service
• Actively seek out the positive in everything you see and hear (there is ALWAYS a silver lining to every dark cloud, if you look hard enough)
• And, above all, market more and panic less.

Feel the fear and do it anyway. Marketing, that is. If you cut back on this one vital element to running a business, you WILL feel a hit. These times call for the bold and the brave… 

What about YOU? Are you doing anything differently because of the slowdown? If you have any tips, let’s hear it!

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One of the largest and most efffective forms of marketing on the planet. That is what direct marketing is. And it works. Boy, does it ever. Just spend a little time Googling the term with the word “success” or “results” and you’ll see what I mean.It has many advantages over advertising and most conventional forms of marketing, including:

1. Direct marketing is trackable. And, of course, by being able to account for every pound or dollar spent, there will never be a question mark over what works – and what doesn’t.
2. It has publicity value. It lets your prospective customers and clients know that you exist in the first place. While they might not act immediately on your offer, there is no telling when a prospect might pull your direct-mail piece out and get in touch.
3. It’s perfect for small businesses and entrepreneurs because of its simplicity. It doesn’t take much –  in terms of time, cost and effort – to product an effective direct-mail package.

So whether business is slow right now, or you need to test a new product, you owe it to yourself to at least give direct marketing a go. 

If you want help with your direct mail, join my FREE VIP newsletter for practical tips and strategies on ALL aspects of marketing: http://www.mediaminister.co.uk/marketing_cfs_newsletters.htm

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Inner confidence, self esteem and . . being the first-born child are what makes a winner, according to new research.

Alliance and Leciester Commercial Bank’s study shows that 60% of business owners are the first born, while 80% have one or or siblings, where they put to good use qualities such as leadership and teamwork learned at a young age.

Big egos, super confidence and an almost blasé attitude towards risk, as often displayed in business programmes on television, are NOT necessarily what it takes to be a winner. Rather, being dependable, considerate and a good listener are what counts, says the study.

And you don’t have to necessarily have benefited from a private education to make it in business: nearly three-quarters of survey respondents come from a state school background. However, further education does seem to have a positive role.

I think tenacity ought to be added to the list, and maybe time-management skills (still haven’t quite worked out the latter, though). Having all the desirable ‘winner’ qualities, as outlined above, is one thing, but when the economy is on a downward spiral, business is slow and almost three in ten small businesses fail before they pass the three-year mark, having faith in oneself and being prudent with your time are paramount . . . if you want to stick around for much longer.  ;-)  

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Bold claim. But all my research and experience stands firmly behind it. (And so do I!)

Apart from hyperventilating at the mere thought of cold-calling a relative stranger (hey, I’m a writer!), it has been shown time and time again that marketing or ’selling’ to those you already know or have some kind of connection with will give you a much better outcome. 

That affiliation may be that you’re both members of the local chamber of commerce or an online networking group. You may have passed email messages. You may have both contributed to a post. Your prospect may have signed up to receive your ezine… 

The point is they will have some connection with you and it should be easier to do business with them. And when you do pick up the phone, you’ll be making a ‘warm’ call that is more likely to end in an appointment or whatever the next step in your marketing strategy is.

Ultimately, getting new business is about building relationships first — not making a quick cold call that usually results in an even colder reception.  ;-)

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Let’s say you’ve just spent the best part of your month creating and fine-tuning your core marketing message. How do you REALLY know whether it is likely to be of any interest to your target market? The research you will have carried out (oh, you didn’t — OK, straight back to the start! Do not pass ‘Go’ and do not collect £200!) is inextricably linked, but so is testing. But there is another, much simpler way to gauge its success . . . just ask yourself: “Would it be possible for anyone to say the opposite of this?”

Here’s an example of what I am getting at:

* Your message: “We firmly believe in always putting our clients first.”

* The opposite: “We don’t firmly believe in always putting our clients first.”

* Conclusion: No one would say the opposite (unless they were intent on committing business suicide!). So this gives a fairly good indication that your message is no-goer. Apart from being meaningless, it isn’t going to rub well with your prospective clients.

OK, let’s try a different message:

* Your message: “Our support team is ready to help you at all times.” 

* The opposite: “Our help desk closes at 11pm.”

* Conclusion: You could certainly say that your help desk isn’t always open. Not everyone can provide a 24/7 service. So your message is worth trying out. 

Of course, the more specific you are, the better the message. And the more you show how you differ from the competition, the greater the chances of your marketing’s success.

Try it and see — and DO let me know of any successes!

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I’ve been asked by many to put together a few publicity packages that will offer year-round publicity ideas, support and mentoring without the HUGELY steep prices associated with the typical PR agency. 

So I thought, “Why not?” I’ve worked with companies as large as NEC on their big-budget campaigns, as well as entrepreneurs on a one-to-one, more-down-to-earth-budget basis. So why not package that expertise? Especially if it will help small businesses and entrepreneurs leverage the most from F.R.E.E. publicity.

As a special offer to all my clients and CfS subscribers, I am happy to deduct 10% from all the prices you see at this new page:

www.mediaminister.co.uk/PRservices.htm

BUT . . . only until 12.01pm on 9 September.

To take advantage of this offer, email the word “publicity” and your details to me before D Day.

(NB: I will never sell, rent, trade or share your email address with anyone. Plus, I will ONLY email you regarding this offer, unless you tell me otherwise, of course!) 

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