Posted by Carole Mahoney on Fri, Jun 18, 2010
Harnessing the herd without going over a cliff.
"If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute solving it." ~Albert Einstein
Unfortunately for many business owners and marketers, this is the stage where they start. There is a distinction between strategy and tactic. Step 3 is all about the using the strategy as the guide book for the tactical.
Your investment in steps 1 and 2 will more than return to you in the amount of time saved going back and forth with design, copy and functionality changes.
The implementation phase of your internet marketing is where you take the 'how' and turn it into the 'what'. With step 1, you have identified the influences your competition, business and industry have on your prospects as well as how they go about their search. In step 2, you have figured out how to navigate the landscape, tied it into your business goals, set the plan of action and figured out what you need to make it happen.
How to keep a clear head during your internet marketing implementation.
Purpose of Implementation
Well that seems rather obvious doesn't it? Or does it? Inbound marketing is a fundemental shift for marketers and business owners. It means that your prospects are voluntary participants in your sales process and studies have shown that they more likely to buy. Being in the right place, at the right time, with the right message has been made all that much easier with the internet.
The tactics you use for your inbound marketing is likely to be a combination of things, such as:
Process for Implementation
1-Identify the necessary elements of your persuasive copy. Taking what you know about your prospect's buying mode and your sales process, your goal here is to align your sales process with their buying process using all of the inbound marketing tactics available to you.
2-Create the mock-up. How does the layout come together visually? Elements to consider here are navigation (UI), branding, page titles (SEO), header graphics, etc. Each element should have a function and priority in the conversion process. By giving elements priority it is easy to decide which ones need the most emphasis and where they should belong on the page.
3- Design without color. I know of some designers who will spend weeks deciding on just the exact shade of blue to have the right emotional impact. That is fine, however at this stage you want to be able to look at the mock up to decide without emotional influence. If it looks good in black and white, it will be fantastic with color. This will make your design decisions easier and faster.
4-Add color. I leave this to my designer experts. It is an art and a science all of it's own. The right use of color should create consistancy and a positive emotional response.
5- Development. It's alive! Now begins the HTML development. (Again, something I leave to the experts!) Things to consider here are download time, compatibilty with multiple browsers, CSS that is compliant with Web standards and fonts that can be easily read on a screen.
6- Testing! Before your site or campaign goes live- test that links go where they should, forms work, copy is proof-read, etc. Even though a website will always be a work in progress, it doesn't hurt to put your best face forward.
By first creating a persuasive wireframe that lays out the processes that are fundemental to your business goals and to conversion, you create a structure that your designers and developers can work within and support.
Imagine cowboy Joe and how much time he would waste (and cattle going off a cliff) because he did not know the landscape, where the preditors lurk, or ended up on a route that was impassable. He just trotted out and followed all the other cowboy's paths, because they must know where they are going right?
Now imagine cowgirl Nellie with a GPS, topography map, and a heat sensor to see where animal activity is happening. Which one do you think is more likely to make it to their desitination (goal) safely, on time, and within budget? Does this mean that Nellie won't encounter issues and dangers? Of course not, but she is less likely to be overwhelmed by them, is able to keep her sanity and cool, and deal with issues swiftly and decisively when they arise.
Does internet marketing overwhelm you? Do you feel like part of the herd headed straight for the cliff? Download the presentation I did with the Maine Marketing Association where we will talked more about how you can take the reigns of the internet for your business.
Posted by Carole Mahoney on Tue, May 18, 2010
As the 1986 wonderhit 'Save Some Time for Me' goes:
"I was thinking I could wait until the work is doneBut you'll only want to get back out and have some funWhy can't you save time for me...There isn't much but it's all that I want from youI showed you what you had to do to make some sense
But time moves fast
And it doesn't last" (Yes, I am being sarcastic on the wonderhit part)
If you're struggling with finding the time to use social media, you're probably wrestling in two ways. You either spend too much time on social media and not using it effectively for marketing, or you're struggling to find the time.
Fortunately, the solutions for both issues are the same!
Five Time Saving Tips to Make the Best Use of Social Media
1. Know your audience and have a purpose. Be intentional about the time you're spending on social media. To do that, you need a plan, a marketing plan. What do you want to accomplish? Who are you trying to connect with? What is important to them?
Recognizing new media as an important part of your marketing plan, and designing action steps, can help you control and use your time efficiently. Understanding that before hand will keep you on task and prevent you from developing ADHD in Twitterland.
2. Schedule your time on social media like an appointment. Set aside time several times a day to check Facebook, log on to Twitter, or read your blogs. If you set aside 45 minutes a day, in three 15 minute increments, and actually put them on your daily planner, you'll begin to control the time spent.
If your marketing plan calls for you to comment on one industry Tweet a day, and one blog, make sure you've scheduled a reasonable, appropriate amount of time to do that.
3. Use social media tools. Tools like Hubspot allow you to manage your social media accounts all within one application, saving you the time of going in and out of multiple accounts. In addition to saving you time, you can also analyze your social media reach and how many leads you are generating from social media.
Some other tools you can use are Google Alerts, Tweetdeck or for analysis TwitAlyzer.
4. Shut off notifications to eliminate distractions. Don't keep your accounts open so that you hear every ping! Intentionally log on when it's time to check an account, remind yourself of what you're trying to accomplish, spend your time there and then log off. You are in charge!
5. Be selective. No one is demanding that you overwhelm yourself with interesting -but essentially useless - content. Sometimes less is better. Stick with those sources that you have come to see real insight through.
Bonus Social Media Tip
6. Create a content schedule that includes social media. If you're supposed to be posting a blog every week, set aside the time to develop an editorial calendar, and then schedule your blogging time every week. If it's an important part of your marketing plan, be intentional, and then follow through.
Not sure if social media is the right fit for your business? Sign up for our Internet Marketing Audit to set you on the right path.
Posted by Carole Mahoney on Wed, Jan 20, 2010
A recent Washington Post article by Michelle Singletary was published in my local Sunday paper's business section titled "Watch What you Tweet". It caught my attention not only because I knew right away what the article was about, but also because it was posted in the BUSINESS section of the paper.
In summary, the article talks about the dangers of posting too much private information online. I have joked with some Facebook followers that it makes the jobs of stalkers and identity thieves all that much easier- but in reality that is exactly true.
To protect your private information, reputation, personal liability, and job prospects, here is a short list of DON'T (s):
- Reveal your birthday (I rather they guess by my picture anyway)
- Reveal any information that you might use as a security answer. (such as pet name, mother's maiden name, etc)
- Trash talk, bad mouth, or post that drunken photo of you at the frat party. (Yes, all you college students and grads- employers will look at and consider this information.)
- Post derogatory comments or threatening notes about others. You may think you are just venting- but you can be named in a costly defamation lawsuit, no matter how silly. Keep your conflicts (with neighbors, bosses, co-workers, clients, etc) private.Post when you will be out of town or on vacation. (Empty house= easy target)
So are the benefits of these social media networks for business branding, identity and promotion worth the risk? When is it too much information and how do you know if it is even worthwhile?
First, a few examples of DO's for social media:
- Are you a consultant who needs to establish credibility and a reputation of expertise? Tweet new posts on your blog, recent trainings you are giving (or receiving), set up a Facebook page where your clients can interact socially.
- Are you a restaurant owner who needs to publish the daily specials to your regular customers? Tweet the specials at a regular time each day so your followers know what & when to expect it.
- Are you holding or attending a special event, trade show and want to see some traffic? Yes, you guessed it- post the event on Facebook, promote it through Twitter= create a stir.
- Are you job hunting? Create a LinkedIn account to serve as your interactive online resume. Monitor (and yes- censor!) your Facebook account to make sure you are not tagged in those wild party photos. And I know it would seem common sense- but don't swear or use deragatory language.
In short, determing the value of any internet initiative is going to be determined by your busines goals and how you measure and manage it. So before you can answer whether the benefit is worth the perceived risk and time, you have to know how it will play into your business goals and objectives.