Marketing For Power Packed Business Growth

I have commented on the death of business blogging in a previous post (27th September).

Any suggestion that business blogs are a waste of time is wide of the mark.

And simply to suggest that business blogging is failing is like saying the sky is falling on us. It aint.

Rich has put forward an opinion that I think is exactly right at the moment.

I think if you like writing - I do - then blogging is fine and can be a part of your marketing arsenal.

If you don't like writing find other things that work for you.

We don't all produce articles and send them to trade magazines or newspapers do we?

Blogging is fun but you don't have a real clue as to the effect you're having on your audience. Sometimes you don't know whether you really have an audience or not!

Having said that you can track whether your blogging is attracting attention. But at the moment any transfer to my web site seems to be incidental. In fact the traffic on this blog and the web site are completely unrelated!

Isn't it incredible.

You've been writing stuff for years. You think you know what you're doing.

Then, BAM!

You read one sentence in Michel Fortin's blog and suddenly it hits you.

You keep using the word "BUT" in your copy.

I know it's a negative word, but ...

Find it in Michels blog about Upwords and you'll see exactly what I mean about it being negative.

Right. I must write out 100 hundreds time, "I will not use..." what was that word again?

My web site has a six part course on online and offline marketing.

I can almost hear you yawning and reaching for the <next blog> button.

"So what's new", you think?

See, that's exactly the problem. We've got so used to email courses being yet more of stuff we already knew that we lump them together and file under - "more email to wade through".

And Yet...

Not all email courses are created equal.

I know I've subscribed and read a huge number. I started reading them when they first surfaced on the Internet. A perk of originally having fast access to the Internet as part of my job! That's going back a long, long time to the early nineties.

There are great email courses that I was pleased to take, like Perry Marshall's Adwords course.

Of course there were others, that shall remain nameless, that were simply recycling bits of web sites or 'borrowing' from other courses.

The consequence of so much choice and the lack of knowledge about what are the good ones tars most email courses with the same brush. We sign up to them but then treat them as unimportant and almost like spam.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could find a site that checks all email courses for us and gives them a rating and a brief summary of the content?

There's already a great site that acts like a stock index of marketing gurus which seems like fun. There are also sites that review gurus, such as http://www.phenomenix.com/.

I notice I'm not on these sites yet. But one day ...

So come on if you know a site that rates email courses let me know and put me out of my misery! Or maybe I should do one myself...

It seems like only a few short weeks ago that people were saying that a business had better start blogging or miss out on the stampede.

More businesses are blogging but I suspect that as there are so many blogs floating around finding your target market is next to impossible.

When it comes down to it whether you have a marketing strategy for using a blog or not it's the ego of the contributor that is really running it.

Yes I admit it. This blog takes time from work that I could be doing for customers. Which is why you sometimes see posts at one, or later, in the morning.

But it's also quite useful to get things off your chest and it remains a good excuse to check out the internet for useful marketing or self-development tools.

The blog I've linked to makes interesting reading. But what really made it for me were the comments at the end. John Cass has done some research about company blogging and provides links to the research. He also has some interesting comments about.

So what? Should you stop blogging?

The answer depends on your strategy.

Of course you remember that a blog is simply one more marketing tool.

You may be interested to note that Jay Abraham is still blogging and Gary Halbert writes an ad-hoc letter site - that is really a blog but not named as such.

So if those two marketing geniuses are doing it perrhaps it is worth doing after all.

Just look at the advertising that's out there. It may be in prestigious magazines, high circulation newspapers, county wide radio or country-wide TV.

But if it's ineffective advertising you wont get your sales. I've looked at specialist SME magazines, like "EN" or "Talking Business" or "Mind YOur Own Business" and cut out the adverts in there thinking to write to the business owners to suggest some things that would help them produce Ads that work.

But I held back.

Do you know why?

The simple reason is that people settle. They settle for what they're getting. Yet they could get much more.

Say the advert gets them 10 leads and 1 sale. Lets say that makes the ad break-even. They justify it by saying they're getting exposure. Who wants exposure. You want sales don't you?

Wouldn't you prefer to run an Ad that get 15 leads and converts 2 or 30 leads and converts 5 to customers?

Unless you look seriously at how you're producing and running Ads you're not making the most of the money you're sinking into them. Anyway.

This blog really helps the busy business owner start to get to grips with writing Ads that work. It'll pay you to read it and apply some of the suggestions it gives. Plus I'd recommend signing up to The Achiever's Edge (I'm an affiliate so make a commission on it but that's not the reason to sign-up!). The reason is that Peter Thompson who runs it interviews some really great people on it and "The Wizard of Ads" is one of them. I'm not exactly sure when the interview is due to be 'aired' but it's a good one (actually it's split over 2 months).

But the Achiever's Edge is actually very useful for marketing and sales generally as it's on a CD so you get to fill the dead time commuting with useful information for your business.

Even my 11 year old has enjoyed listening to some of the interviews we've heard over the years!

I've also written an article that explains more about branding and direct response advertising. To get a copy just leave me a comment and I'll send you a copy. If you advertise just be aware that unless you use direct response advertising you're letting your money pour down the drains.

I was looking at all the copy I've written over the past 6 months. Some of it written at ridiculous times of the night too.

I suddenly though the Internet is a great tool. This is no great news I know.

But I also thought it can waste your life too.

The reason is that all my life I've kept learning new stuff. Even copywriting has nuances that change what, or how you write. Marketing changes all the time. Not in fundamentals but in application.

So I use books, seminars and of course the Internet to learn about super advanced marketing and coywriting. Does it help? Yes. Is it worth the time investment?

You know I'm not sure.

You see I realised that you can get sucked into following links to more and more interesting and useful stuff. It all takes time to review and check.

Also the Internet really has no editors so how do I know the stuff is ok? I need to check other sites or read my books, or review my seminar notes. Time slips away.

Also like you I use email. I get around one hundred every week. Granted some are spam or can be deleted because I've answered a question. But almost all of them used to get read.

Again it's time reading emails. Time you'll never get back again.

If you're not careful the Internet can claim a large portion of your life without you even realising it.

Now I'm more aware of it I've set rules up to divert mail from my inbox to folders so that it only gets looked at if I need the information immediately. Everything else can wait. If it's a book offer, an online seminar, a new marketing book they'll all be offered again.

I'm still using the Internet but now I use it for specific things not simply to surf.

Is it helping?

I'm getting more done.

I think that answers my question!

This article is intriguing and I'm glad I didn't read it when it came out. Not because it's boring. It isn't.

It's fascinating. Chris predicts the future massive downsizing of the advertising company sector.

It hasn't happened yet. But I agree with his general thrust.

Particulalry as he didn't know about ipods or blogs then.

Blogs is just onre more death knell for the major advertising corporations. At this rate people will be able to use web sites and blogs to decide what they should buy based on actual consumer experience.

Worrying, or liberating? Who knows

This article makes very interesting reading.

The last thing I'd want is to have a piece of software decide to add a comment on my behalf to someone else's blog!

We already have pretty much automated Ping-o-matic and other ping directories for blogs. Who needs "auto blog submitters " to help us get link to our blog?

I almost can't belive this.

I've just read Gary's letter on his amazing free newsletter site (great if you want to learn to write gripping copy).

He's recommending that we use a specific organisation to give our donations to. It's not one that normally trips off the tongue like the Red Cross or similar.

It's one that I for one didn't even know dealt with disasters at all.

But it turns out they do. Not only that but they out organised the US miltary on disaster relief for Hurriance Hugo and they have incredibly low overheads so money donated goes direct to the relief operation. You can even say the money must be spent on Hurriance Katrina.

Go check out what Gary says. This wasn't originally from Gary it's actually as a result of a letter from a subscriber.

I agree with the sentiments expressed by Nick Temple here.

I used to work in IT myself and was very hot on making sure backups were present.

I suspect that I may well have misread his site but I didn't see any information as to whether you might be affected if you're on a computer run by a long-standing Internet hosting company like One and One

The other thing I'd draw from this is that I too have had bitter experience from backups not working so I'm currently use Acebit to backup but I'm going to try the TK8 Backup to see if it's any better.

The other thing I must do is remember to move the backup DVDs to another location. My garage, which is separate to the house, springs to mind at the moment.

I keep coming across Markus's web site and his ideas are great.

But I also noticed that he's stopped his ezine.

The reason?

His ideas were free. The problem with free is that it has no perceived value.

But like I said his ideas are excellent. I'm quite sure that applying some to any business will help that business.

But again free is not looked on as any good.

It probably comes down to that old cliche "you get what you pay for".

Maybe that's why Jay Abraham can ask for such huge sums for his training sessions/workshops and consultations.

A thought to ponder on.

But in the meantime do check out Markus's site. He does say he has no immediate plans to take the tips down but why risk it?

I thought I'd comment on an email I got from Jo Han Mok at Midas Marketing. He noted that some people have enormous lists that people do joint ventures with and pull next to nothing.

If you've done anything on the Internet you'll also be on these guys lists where all they do is give you stuff that everyone else is doing.

As I'm on most of the big boy lists I get all these offers direct from the horses mouth and then get the same offers drip fed through the affiliates.

It makes for an easy way to delete mail. But I just wonder why some of these affiliates I get mail from don't look further than their nose. Yes they're making money. But who's getting the real money for all the work they're doing? It's not them.

But it's not just that. It's the hyped way the emails come across because they all use pretty much the same wording and refer to their best mate Mr X who has theis groundbreaking package/offer/video whatever that they're offering exclusively to you.

Jo gives some pointers that I fully agree with. These are (points edited for brevity):

Start of Points >>>>>>>>
Power Pointer #1: It's NOT the size
I rather have a list of a 1000 people who have
spent at least $97 than a list of 3 billion people who
have not spent a dime with me.

Power Pointer #2: Give MORE value
Majority of Internet Marketers fall into this
category. Every email is a pitch. Buy this, then buy
that. Let me promote anything under the sun. Doesn't
matter if it's garbage, as long as I get my
commissions.

Leave this to the amateurs. Probably aside from
sending emails to their list, they have no other means
of making dough online.
If you wanna squeeze MAXIMUM profits from your list,
you gotta give. Give more, and learn to 'hold out'
from all that pitching.

Power Pointer #3: Focus
If you want to make the most number of sales you
possibly can ... focus.
Concentrate on ONE product, and have a CONGRUENT
message.

Marketing bozos on the other hand will have a 'buffet
spread' of 72 hour specials alongside with an exlusive
'buy my ebook and you get my mother as well' type of
offer.

When people are confused, they DOn'T buy.
If you get a poor response intially, try to 'tweak'
your offer and your marketing mechanisms and see what
happens. It could be anything, but
unless you test and monitor your results, you wouldn't
know.

Power Pointer #4: DARE to be different.
If you have your own unique spin on things, do it.

You can stand your ground and you don't need anyone
else's permission.

I'll give you an example.
Most 'bozo' marketers online are followers.
They see a 'fire sale', they come up with a 'fire
sale'. They see a 'source code blowout', they come up with a 'blowout'.
They see a 'Private lable package', they come up with a 'Private Label Package'.
They see a 'Content Publishing system', they come up with a 'Content Publishing System'.

Yet if you look at them and ask yourself what they
'REALLY' do, there's only one answer. They're anything
and everything that makes money.

That's cool, but where's your business longevity?
Where's your 'identity'?
Where's your 'brand'?
How are people EVER gonna relate to you?

End of Points >>>>>>>>

What's your conclusion are they doing the right thing or does Jo have a great set of points? Let me know.

Brochures...

Yet more proof that brochures can go badly wrong from a fellow copywriter.

The trouble is that people are so enthused about their product or service and what it does they forget someone.

The most important person in the whole equation. Of course the customer or prospect.

Does the customer really need to know that you're the 3rd best company for widgets in the whole of Texas or London?

After all what is the intention of the brochure? It's to sell after the salesman has gone, or before they arrive.

If it's not helping the sale why are you even wasting money on it?

Look at Alisa Gilhooley's piece on brochures too at http://crmguru.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/crmguru.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1561.

She notes the following:

"Today, unfortunately, the disconnect remains the norm. The American Marketing Association's CMM Forum has found that:

As much as 90 percent of the materials marketing creates for sales goes unused in the field.

More than 97 percent of these materials are irrelevant to the customers they were intended to attract."

Do you think that the USA's approach to brochures is any different to any other country's?

The answer to that has to be, "not really".

That means that the majority of companies aren't using brochures effectively.

You need to talk to your prospects. Ask them, "what would be most useful to them, and in what format?". Similarly to your current customers ask them, "what did you find useful about our brochure, what wasn't?"

Believe me the reason I talk about brochures so much it is that I'm always amazed that so much is spent on brochures without a thought to what sort of marketing would work best with the target market or what tactics would work the best.

I once lost a client because I was a bit forthright about the fact that they'd wasted their money on a brochure. Normally I don't get annoyed but they'd wasted their company money on a brochure that firstly didn't sell but secondly no one I asked knew what on earth it meant!

I was doing some coaching for someone when I suddenly thought of an interesting analogy about coaching, which went down well with them.

I'd like to share it with you together with the 10 things to check when choosing a good business coach.

Your favourite hairdresser rarely does their own hair.

That means that when you choose a new stylist you don't choose the one with the best hair.

You ask them who did their hair.

Then you ask the one who did it to do you hair.

Simple! Something that almost every woman knows - not sure about the men.

Equate that to success.

Sure you can be successful on your own.

But like a stylist you can't see yourself as others see you.

You only see it in the mirror, or filtered through your own perceptions.

A coach, can see the "whole head" and can advise and help you achieve your success.

But there are many coaches around. So how do you choose which one to go for? Is it the one who's been to coaching academy, the one with plenty of tales to tell or the one who has had loads of different jobs?

The answer of course is it depends on where you are in your life.

But whoever you choose there are 10 things you must look out for when choosing a business coach, they are as follows:

1) You don't have to wait until the following week to ask a quick question.
2) They're honest so if you're wearing the Emperor's clothes they need to tell you.
3) They give you a free coaching session where all they do is listen to your goals and aspirations. So they can tell you whether they're the right person for you.
4) You don't feel that what they say is simply what they say to everyone else
5) You don't worry whether they'll be clock watching if you go a few minutes over your scheduled timeslot because you're discussing something important
6) Any reasonable email request you make is replied to within 24 hours, the unreasonable you need to negotiate!
7) You're held to your commitments, but in a friendly and non-judgemental way
8) You achieve measurable results in your business life through their insights, suggestions and assistance
9) You can use them as an uncomplaining sounding board and confidante
10) They're always on the look out for little news items that could help you keep informed, help you do better or simply amuse you

Does coaching work? Let me give you a testimonial and you judge for yourself:


I am the owner and founder of Digitactive Ltd (an IT & Internet services company). When we came to you we were lacking in direction, purpose and had poor processes.

Through your business coaching process you helped my business put a business action plan together which has helped us focus heavily on what we are trying to achieve. You also helped us by giving us lots of ideas and proven methods, which we implemented with great results.

We found your service to be first class and I will not hesitate to recommend you.

Mac Attram
Managing Director
Digitactive Ltd

My point?

Mac was actually doing pretty well. But he didn't know what he didn't know.

Coaching helps. Get some. Just use the checklist to find the right person.

Right well that's done it then!

I've taken the plunge and got myself syndicated through FeedBlitz.

The good thing about it apparently is that if you subscribe to my blog you get a normal email containing the post.

So none of this Really Simple Syndication stuff (RSSS).

To be honest I'm wondering if this will work due to the need to whitelist. But as I'm also a subscriber to my own blog through FeedBlitz I can test that shortly!

Anyway .... I'll keep you posted.

Isn't it amazing.

You find an article on a topic close to your heart and you follow-up to check the author's blog and find this ...

It's a great little blog.

But the thing I really noticed first off was the comment about proper blogging Suzanne made which was,

" I used to talk about this type of writing as 'microscopic truthfulness'. Really getting at the heart of what's going on"

Fundamentally that's what I believe is at the heart of blogging.

I'm certainly sick of fluff, half-truths and hype.

I for one am going to continue to try to be as honest about what I think as possible. Although having said that I may have the odd rant but it's never directed at anyone specifically.

Certainly blogging can keep the media on their toes. Sometime blogs are ahead of the media - and sometimes they get it wrong too.

As always buyer beware when it comes to choosing which blogs to go with and believe!

I agree with what this author is saying. RSS and blogs are going to take over from ezines. Firstly the consumer has more choice over what they receive and secondly Blogs are much more immediate.

Suzanne makes the point that lists have declined over the last few years.

Simply taking a straw poll of friends I've noticed that people subscribe but then don't read them.

I've set up Outlook rules that moves ezines to their own folders and then I read them as and when. That could easily be 4 to 6 weeks later in some cases.

People are getting more ruthless too. Rather than having 400 emails clogging their inbox waiting to be read they're using the delete key and they're simply assuming that they're not important.

In fact one person said to me. "if one of those emails was important I'll get another or they'll phone me."

People just don't have the time to read.

Blogs allow you to be notified of new content and to do a quick check of the content. Then scan it if you want or ignore and next!