Leverage Blog: How to Exploit the Web.

I'm back

Yes, I'm back.

From vacation?  Well yes, but that's not important.  Wheel Media, the web design and marketing agency that is my j-o-b has been flying high, leaving no time for writing.  But I'm managing the growth by finding really amazing people to join us, and that will bring me back to Leverage.

I was pointed to some great ideas from Paul Gillin in BtoB magazine (thanks to David Baker,) and without a lot of commentary I'll throw them out here:

"We hear a lot about blogs, but blogs aren't important. What's important is personal publishing, or the ability to communicate a message to a global audience almost instantaneously. Personal publishing will permeate electronic media, providing counterpoint to mainstream sources and adding depth and color to the conversation.

"We hear a lot about podcasts, but podcasts aren't important. What's important is time-shifted media. The phenomenon that started with TiVo has spread to digital audio and will soon capture portable video. Information consumers will no longer be beholden to program schedules or even their living rooms. Our TV shows will travel with us.

"We hear a lot about RSS, but RSS isn't important. What's important is the ability to subscribe to information that really interests us. RSS is mainly used to subscribe to blog posts and podcasts. But in the future, they will use it to subscribe to ideas."

Simple and smart food for thought.

...yet with all the talk about new Internet technologies I still find it odd that many small businesses don't understand the importance (i.e., the potential) of a website.  Most entrepreneurs know everyone goes online to check us out before they call.  It's a no-brainer.  Yes blogs and podcasts and RSS are valuable communication and marketing tools, but often forward-thinking ideas like Gillin's make me look backward at the foundation-- a plain website with a 1980 design makes a poor first impression.

Anyway, I'm back.  More news soon.

LeverageBlog Review: MerchantCircle local business marketplace

I recently discovered a new marketing opportunity for small businesses, an online business community called MerchantCircle.  I had the opportunity to speak to the CEO, Ben Smith, a veteran entrepreneur from the Silicon Valley and his Co-Founder Wayne Yamamoto, another startup guru.

In a nutshell, MerchantCircle provides a web presence for local businesses-- the cafe down the street from your office, or the dry cleaner on the corner.  Many local merchants don't need a custom, professional website, and MerchantCircle gives them a place online with a host of great features-- coupons, a blog, customer ratings and more.  And with the starting cost at free, it's growing fast. (A new business comes online about every 1/2 hour.)

More online visibility lies in the paid levels and the ability to secure ads on Google and Yahoo! for local searches, and the company is making great strides in sea ch engine ranking.  When I asked Ben for some early success-stories for MerchantCirlce businesses he suggested I do a search of my own:

If you live in the town of Lemoyne, Pennsylvania and need new gutters for your house you might use Google to search for "lemoyne gutter company" right?  Try the search here.

You'll find the top result isn't a local listing from Google or Yahoo!, it's a MerchantCircle listing from All American Gutter.  Now that's exciting. My agency Wheel Media has been providing search engine marketing services for years, and our research shows consumers are including their city in Google searches more and more.  (and leaving the yellow pages in the drawer...)  You don't need a company if San Francisco if you live in Lemoyne.

If Ben and his MerchantCirlce businesses come up early in local search results this site will drive huge revenue for the members-- not to mention MerchantCircle investors.

Thanks to Ben and Wayne for taking the time to introduce me to MerchantCircle.  Their early success is impressive and the usefulness to the local business clear.  Sounds like a winner to me.

(even) More proof that your clients visit websites.

Do we need more evidence that websites influence buying decisions?  That your customer is using the web more every day, trusting it more deeply, and pulling-out their credit card?

Well, we got some.

I read today that a recent art school graduate used a blog, a social networking website, and an online gallery online gallery to sell her art.  $20,000 worth so far.  She's using a website, blog and good-old-fashioned networking to grow her business.

She's succeeding (in large part) due to a striking design and compelling content.  Her website is attractive, professional and useful to her audience, and her blog sports a clean design and a message well-suited to her customer.  Well done Emily.

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Thanks to Seth for the discovery.

LeverageBlog Interview: Michael Simmons

As soon as I discovered the young entrepreneur and author Michael Simmons I knew I'd found a source of inspiration.  At 24 this tenacious New Yorker has already started a business and written a book; this guy is clearly just getting started.  I spoke to him recently to learn more about his background, book and keys to success.

In 1999, while still in high school, Michael created a web design company with a friend. (Yes, high school.)  They flew-high during the days of the Internet boom, but unfortunately couldn't keep the doors open after the crash.  He realized his experience as a student embarking on the entrepreneurial journey was a story others wanted to hear and he wrote The Student Success Manifesto, a smart collection of business best-practices tailored to ambitious college students.  He won the endorsement of Stephen Covey of the 7 Habits empire, and the book moved up the Amazon.com best-seller list.

Michael's focus is students, and he's a sought-after speaker at schools across the country.  Moving forward he and his business-partner have plans for an online community for high-achieving college students.  Picture a MySpace that's about personal growth instead of partying, or a LinkedIn for students.

The bottom line:  If you have a daughter, son or nephew that was setting-up a lemonade stand every weekend since they were 6 years old, buy them a copy of The Student Success Manifesto.  Even better, if you work in education contact Michael via his website and bring him to your school.

As an entrepreneur who worked with a startup serving college students Michael's vision is particularly inspiring to me; I'll be keeping a close watch on his career.

When will your customer call you a spammer?

Email marketing continues to get a bad rap.

Small business executives get so much spam in their own in-box that they figure an email marketing campaign will be a waste of time-- or worse-- their company will develop a reputation as a spammer.  Being cautious is wise, but I feel avoiding email marketing completely is a mistake.

In today's Email Insider newsletter Eric Sass mentions the three most common types of consumer complaints about email marketing.  They make sense to me:

1. The subject matter isn't relevant.
2. The company sends too many emails.
3. The email links to shady websites (spyware, for example.)

The bottom-line?  Build an email list yourself, with real clients and prospects, and respect their time.  Follow these guidelines and you can leave the SPAM on the dinner-table...or on the shelf at the supermarket.

Firefox web browser

I don't often recommend products or software on Leverage-- I figure my readers visit a host of other sites and blogs for that info.  But I recently discovered a very useful feature on the Firefox web browser.  (Think of Firefox as an alternative to Internet Explorer...but with more features and flexibility.  It's free. More information and download at www.getfirefox.com.)

Among the time-savers and conveniences of Firefox is a simple way to increase the type size of any web page.  Hold down the [Control] key and press the [+].  A few clicks and you can reduce the eye-strain on those small-type websites.

Does this mean I'm getting older?  Hmmm.

Web 2.0: I believe in its future

I've got a theory on the Web 2.0 technology boom, and I brought a visual aid.  Refer to the chart at left, and let's begin.

OK, right now the number of "Web 2.0" companies is growing like crazy. (See the top line, the thin one.)  What's a Web 2.0 company?  To keep it simple, let's say Web 2.0 products and services involve social-networks and user involvement on the web. MySpace is one, where the users are creating the online content-- personal web pages-- and connecting with one another.

Flickr is another.  Users, like me, upload photos to share, and we label them for others on the site to find and enjoy.  (Go here for an expanded definition of Web 2.0.)

These companies and their online "products" are (mostly) amazing, creative and very, very useful.

On my chart thick line is the number of people who understand these new tools and are using them.  I'm not talking about being hip and in the know; and I'm not making a value-judgment.  I'm talking about people who have chosen to invest the time to learn about and use tools like Flickr, RSS or del.icio.us.

After all, it takes time to integrate this stuff into your life, right?  What if you enjoy Triathlons more than technology, like my brother Eric?  He's not listening to podcasts, he's running his business...and training for the next race.  He's no slouch when it comes to technology, but we all make choices about how to spend our time.  Choosing the web over a Triathlon-- one isn't 'better' than the other.

My point is there are tens-of-millions of Americans like my brother, slowly integrating the new technology into their lives.  It will take time.

OK, back to the graph.  The two lines intersect, and that's good because with adoption we get profitability, which leads to more innovation and more creative, useful products.  BUT before they intersect I see this...gulp...downturn.  (The cross-hatched area.)  I'm a startup veteran, and I helped burn-through venture capital and watched the business turn-out the lights; I've been there, it's heartbreaking.  But here's my point about this downturn (and I hesitate to call it that:) It's going to be different this time.

That cross-hatched area on the very scientific graph up there?  Not fallout or crash.  Not YIKES but more...YOWZA! Why?  The people.  The people starting these companies are collaborative, open-source thinkers and this will help the consolidation (which will happen) to occur more gradually and with less fallout.  These innovators are more patient, less enamored with wealth, more often self-funded and stable, and the VC's funding them are more prudent too.  They will merge with one another and will survive.

I'm optimistic. I'm excited. I say YOWZA.

What do you say?

Elton John earned over $50 million last year. (And what that has to do with your business.)

Good things happen to your business when you make the investment.  The Long Trail from Seth's Blog:

[...Want to guess what these musical acts have in common?

The Rolling Stones
The Eagles
Elton John
U2
Paul McCartney

They each made more than $50 million last year, according to Forbes. They accounted for 40% of the top 10 acts.  The long trail is what happened...

...The long trail explains why so many unprofitable movies turn a profit when the DVD comes out. The Shawshank Redemption got seven Academy Award nominations when it was released, but disappointed at the box office. Now, after more than 1.3 million reviews at NetFlix, it is one of the most enduring DVD hits ever.

The long trail is a reminder to invest like your product might just be around in ten years...]

LeverageBlog Interview: AttentionTrust

Where are you focusing your attention on the web?  A non-profit startup called AttentionTrust wants to help you protect (and profit from) your web surfing history.  I'm glad they're on our side.

I recently interviewed Ed Batista, the Executive Director of AttentionTrust, a non-profit in San Francisco, CA researching the implications of our online attention, and their work is worth a minute of your time.  While still in a research and information-gathering phase, the future implications of this work will be huge.

What we're talking about

Think of the value of online attention in the same way that Nielsen Ratings affect TV:  When a 'Nielsen Family' focuses more of it's attention on a particular television program that programming becomes more valuable because advertisers will pay more for it; the same holds true for the web.

The exciting thing about the web however, is that we can collect much more detailed information.  What you clicked-on, how long you visited a website, what you purchased.  The ability to gather countless hours of information on our preferences is a fantastic opportunity, Ed says, if we can protect it and share it voluntarily.

The opportunity for us, as consumers, is to gather and store our online data-- our attention-- in a private way, and then to identify places we feel safe sharing it.  Take Amazon.com, for example.  AttentionTrust envisions a world where Amazon might be certified "trustworthy" because they will not misuse our privacy data.

If we voluntarily share our attention data-- our web surfing behavior-- with a trusted enterprise like Amazon they can recommend products we might really enjoy.  (And more importantly, NOT send us the "special offers" that we don't care about.)

Less spam, fewer ridiculous popup-ads, and more relevance.

More than just eCommerce

AttentionTrust is not just concerned about smart recommendations for books and CD's.  They and the growing community of "Attention Theorists" realize that social networks are built around attention.  Imagine being able to find, for example, fathers in San Francisco with kids between the ages of 8 and 11 who play baseball.  (Do you know anyone?  Let's go to the Giants game this weekend!)

By saving my attention data and making it available (anonymously, of course) within a social context we can use the web to find others that share our interests.  Yes,the internet can help create real, personal connections. Imagine that.

Implications for your business

The near-term implication for your business is this:  Personal relationships with your customers are critical, and the web is the easiest way to collect and save the information.  Help clients to register online and tell you what they like and what they want changed.  AttentionTrust reminds us that this type of personalization is what your customer will come to expect from you.

Thanks to Ed and AttentionTrust for sharing their time and, er, Attention with Leverage.

Net Neutrality: Why it matters

You may have read about the discussions of "Net-Neutrality" in congress recently.  If you've missed the debate (perhaps on purpose) I'll provide a high-level review of the issue and throw-in my .02.

Net-neutrality refers to legislation being debated in Congress that would keep the internet free.  This activity is in response to cable and telephone companies lobbying Washington to create two access-levels to the internet--  large websites that pay large fees would get priority over smaller sites.  The impact?  Small (business) websites would load more slowly and be harder to navigate.

Who does your customer blame when their experience on your website becomes harder and slower?  Comcast?  SBC?

That would be nice, but no.  They form the impression that your business is harder to work-with.

A few companies would make a windfall, like internet service providers and telcoms, but the small-medium enterprise would pay the price.  This issue has joined the left-leaning moveon.org with the conservative Gun Owners of America, as wild as that sounds.  What's more, a Democrat and Republican have teamed-up to draft a net-neutrality bill.  This issue has created strange bedfellows.

I suppose my .02 is clear:  Let's hope the lobbying skills of a small group of companies don't win-over our Representatives in Washington.

Additional ideas in the NY Times here.

Pay-Per-Click online advertising: What is it?

This week clients have asked about our pay-per-click advertising services, and the questions were good ones.  Here are my answers:

Q: What is pay-per-click?

A: Pay-per-click online advertising, or PPC, is paid text advertising in search engine results.  On Google they are called "Sponsored Links" and on Yahoo! "SPONSOR RESULTS."

Businesses with websites purchase keywords-- the terms a customer would use to try and find their product or service-- and only pay when a visitor clicks on the listing.  (It doesn't get much more 'targeted' than that.)  The cost of each click is determined by competitive bidding, and prices range from a dime (.10) to over $13.00.

Small and medium-sized businesses getting started in PPC should budget $750 - $2,500 per month for a 3 month trial campaign, evaluate results and adjust accordingly.

Q:  What does my business need to do to get started?

A:  My experience has shown there are 3 keys to an effective PPC campaign

1. A fantastic website
   • PPC advertising will drive qualified leads to your site.  What will they find when they get there?  A clear, professional design?  Compelling copy?  Testimonials from your elated clients, and an easy way to request a quote?  Driving traffic is half of the equasion, and converting visitors into leads is the other half.
2. The right keywords and ad copy
   
   1. research tools from the PPC advertising platforms are great at helping identify who your competitors are online and seeing how much traffic you might expect-- and at what cost.  You only get 65 characters per line in Google's PPC program so your message better be just right.  Ad copy will make the difference between a prospect clicking on your ad or the other other guy.
3. A resource to manage your campaigns
   1. There is one PPC platform for Google and a second for Yahoo!, MSN and AOL.  Plan on managing your bid prices daily to start and 3 days/week moving forward.

Q:  What's the ROI?

A:  The return on the PPC investment is going to vary, but because it's so targeted it's easy to measure.  You'll know how many clicks you're getting each month, and if the people on the phones (and email) are asking prospects where they heard about you you'll get an idea of ROI.

In the service sector, where a new customer or project could amount to $2,000, $10,000 or more the return is easy to see.  1 new project pays for the campaign for the whole month-- maybe for half-a-year.  If your company sells prodcuts and an average ticket is $350, let's say, then we can easily calculate a break-even point.

The bottom-line:  I like PPC.  Wheel Media is creating PPC campaigns for our clients, training them on the management, and helping evaluate results.  This is the most effecient, not to mention affordable solution for small business.  Is PPC a better choice than search engine optimization?  it depends on your business and where your customers are.

It's worth a serious look

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Local search and web design: A match made in heaven

I wrote earlier this month about the death of the yellow pages, and author and search guru John Battelle has some great insights on the YP and Yahoo! Local Search today:

Yahoo Local has rolled out an update to its business model for local merchants, and it's looking a lot like what the Yellow Pages do, only online, self service, cheaper, and, well, what I've been on about for a while - a step towards the online version of what the Yellow Pages really need to become...  (Full article here.)

My particular focus is on your business, and using the web to help you grow.  If you feel your customer is using search engines to try and find you (probably) and you buy a local ad (they are pretty affordable,) then you need to differentiate your business from the other guys.

You need a clear, smart, compelling website that inspires your prospects and motivates them to call, to come by, to request a quote.

...oops, I misspoke.  You need a great website to differentiate regardless of whether you advertise on Yahoo!, The New York Times, or by trailing a banner by from a plane flying over the Giants game this weekend.

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Google on your radio

Well, not exactly on your radio, just selling advertising on it.

Yes, with it's acquisition of tech firm dMarc Google is bringing it's easy-to-buy (and easy to target) advertising platform to radio.  dMarc's technology sorts out the complex process of scheduling and placing radio advertising, and over the coming months Google will streamline and simplify it further.

Google's press release is here.

Thoughts on using Flash in website design

I've been involved in an online-discussion about effective business web design and posted a thought that might be of interest to some Leverage readers.  For those in a rush (i.e., all of us,) the bottom-line is in orange.

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Hello bloggers,

My thought on using Flash in business websites?  A little goes a long way.

A little background on me-- I'm the Director of a web design and marketing agency for small business called Wheel Media, so I think about this stuff all day long.

After reading the research on usability and 'conversion' (i.e., motivating a visitor to make contact with you from your website,) our team feels Flash 'windows' strike the right balance.

Here are few examples:

www.lamphier-gregory.com

www.esbnb.com

www.summitmortgage.net

You'll see Flash, which communicates elegance, professionalism and sophistication-- the emotional triggers that turn 'browsers' into 'buyers' --and most copy in HTML, which can be indexed by the search engines.  HTML will also do other things more efficiently, but I'll spare you the fine-points. (You're welcome.)

Kudos to John for mentioning the search engine optimization consideration (SEO); it's critical.  We've found you can have both rank and compelling design-- www.esbnb.com is #2 for their main keyword.  Not every client is willing to invest in SEO, but when they do the ROI is typically (very) good.

Make it a great day everyone,

mr

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Wiki's: What are they?

A Wiki is another form of website where users create the content. The most well-known wiki is Wikipedia, essentially an online encyclopedia created by, well, all of us.  Use it like you would use an encyclopedia (not a search engine.)

Is there a marketing opportunity in wiki's?  Yes, but for most businesses I would say there are other online tactics that will drive more revenue, including email marketing,  blogging and word-of-mouth marketing to name a few.

Wiki's and blogs sound similar, and they are.  The main difference is that a wiki will read more like an encyclopedia, and a blog more like an ongoing conversation.  You can now create a "Product Wiki" on Amazon.com, as dozens have done for the book Freakonomics  (scroll down to the bottom.)

Why does Amazon have forums, customer reviews and a wiki?  Does it sound like overkill?  Yes, there's lots of overlap, but a huge online brand like Amazon understands that they need to give their customers different ways to get involved. Some prefer a wiki, while others would rather write a review. More on how this will shake-out later; things are moving fast.  Wiki's are undoubteldy one more way to leverage the internet.

wiki wiki+marketing small+business smb sme leverage+the+internet

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Where are news and advertising and, well, *media* headed?

A brilliant article in The Economist discusses the future of media, and they do it in a way that busy entrepreneurs will appreciate:  Clear, objective and brief.

The era of mass media is giving way to one of personal and participatory media [...] that will profoundly change both the media industry and society as a whole.

What's the bottom-line for your business?

1. All media is moving online.
2. The Internet (and later, all media) is becoming a place where the user is creating the content-- be it your business, your customer or your kids.
3. By opening your business up to your customers in this way they won't want to buy from anyone else.  You'll be more than a product, but a destination.  More than a service, but an activity.

Old way:  We have magazines, TV, newspapers and radio that send information to us.  We read.  We watch.

New way:  Blogs. Comments. Photo sharing online.  Social networking websites (i.e. MySpace) where the user creates their experience.

Full article-- highly recommended-- here, and thanks to Erik @ Business 2.0 Blog for the find.

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More businesses are advertising online (78% more)

Anything that grows 78% year-over-year is hot, and local ad spending on the web did just that in 2005-- to the tune of $4.8 billion dollars.

Businesses-- some local and some national-- are rushing to advertise on sites like  sacbee.com and sfgate.com, eager to drive customers in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay to their sites.

What we're seeing from all this investment is more information about how your customer is using the web:  They are flocking to local online resources like The SF Chronicle website.

Where is the opportunity for the Consulting Firm in Sacramento?  For the Contractor in San Francisco?  Search engine optimization (SEO) for your website.  Target the words that describe your products, in the cities you serve, and you'll be leapfrog the competition (and hear from customers that are actively looking for you.)

Depending on your industry, SEO will often provide a greater return on investment than a banner ad on sacbee.com.  How much does it cost?  Tell me a bit about your business here, I'll do the research and let you know.  No sweat.

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Full story here

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Catch your staff in the act

In graduate school I learned the technique "catch them doing good," and it's one of the best best-practices.  Give it a shot.  Maybe even right now.

Think of something your partner or employee did well over the last week and give them a pat on the back.  Don't combine it with a request, just say "great job" and continue strolling down the hall.

Positive feedback in a neutral context has a huge motivating effect.

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Get rid of your old computer junk for free

I received word that there will be 3 chances to get rid of your broken computer monitors, ailing TV's, obsolete printers and ancient PC's.  Yes, you could toss them in the dumpster but the toxic substances will find their way into the water and the bodies of our grand kids.  No fun.

Sacramento's drop-off is this weekend, the 21st - 23rd.

San Francisco's window of opportunity is May 5th - 7th.

Details on locations available at the sponsor's site, Electronic Waste Management.

Thanks to Al at EWM for hosting the event.

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Do your customers want you blogging?

One key to growth is anticipating the needs of your customers.  While it can be a challenge to figure out exactly what new service or product they might need, we can safely say everyone likes information.

The business that educates and informs is often the most trusted, and trust wins clients.  Blogs are a pretty easy way to provide that information and build trust.  To see if your customers want you blogging, think about the questions they ask...

...and then answer them, in your blog, one post at a time.

Still not sure how a blog can grow your business?  Email me.  Let's dive-in.

Fuel the growth of America: Support the Arts

I believe the strength of America as a global business leader in lies in our ability to innovate. (Very simply stated) our core value lies in the creation of products, technologies and new markets that the rest of the world help us produce.

Innovation stems from creativity, and creativity is developed in the arts.

Our schools have all but forgotten about the arts.  There are no classes, no teachers and no supplies.  If we don't get our 8 year-olds painting, designing and building, they won't create the next Google.

And we'll be in trouble.

One answer is a project called Preserving America's Cultural Heritage, which proposes a tiny tax on art sales to fund individual artists.  This is one solution, not the solution.  Let's get the ball rolling, turn the tide, and survive.

Good times: We just launched a blog for this small business

Four cheers for Cyd Kmeto, a counselor, personal-coach and guru (no exaggeration) in Sacramento, CA.  A long-time client of Wheel Media, Cyd approached me looking for a new website.  The conversation went thusly:

Michael:  A new site is a great idea.  Have you thought about creating a blog?

Cyd:  A what?

Michael:  A blog.  A blog is a new kind of website that enables the author to add new content as often as they like without fancy hi-tech skills.  Visitors can post comments to your ideas, and you become the hub of a conversation (online)centered on your work.  The world needs to know what you do...and of course many of those people will become clients.  Exciting stuff, no?

Cyd:  [puzzled look]

Michael:  [optimistic, encouraging look]

Cyd:  OK, this sounds interesting.  Give it to me one more time...

The rest is history.  Well, the future.  The future of small business.  The website and blog compliment each other, cross-market and encourage visitors to come back.  The website is richer in design, the blog in content.

Our blog marketing strategy is one part planning, one part execution, and one part maintenance. I've trained Cyd on the art of blogging and she's running the show now.  Read her at Move Inside and learn more about her counseling practice at www.cydkmeto.com.

Hats-off to Cyd for her vision and willingness to lead.

The death of the yellow pages

A quick thought on the yellow pages:  Even a hot-air balloon won't save them.

I know it's hard to imagine a world without that big book in your drawer, and I know that sometimes it's more effective than a search engine at finding a local service, like a plumber.  Or a roofer.  Or a jumpy-house for your daughter's birthday.  (You didn't forget, did you...?)

But Local Search from Google, Yahoo and MSN will replace the yellow pages, because it's getting better.  Better at presenting all the plumbers in your area, instead of a random few.  In the past local search has fallen-short because we're not getting the results we want...so we turn to the big yellow book.

But the advertising revenue is too great for the search industry to ignore, so local results are becoming more relevant, more useful, and the search-method of choice.

Where is the local-search opportunity for your business?  If you deliver a product or service within a specific regional area you still have time to beat the competition.  How?

1. Build a clear, smart, professional website.
2. Optimize it (i.e., search engine optimization, or SEO) for specific, local keyword searches.

Just showing up in Google's "Local Results" is not enough to win the business.  A one-page website created by a friend is not going differentiate you from the other guys.

I still believe local search is the biggest opportunity for small business on the web.

 

Why does your business need a blog?

I've heard it a 100 times, and it's a great question.  Blogs are the "latest thing," but why does your business need one?

Truth be told, blogs are not always my first recommendation.  Many times I recommend other tactics before embarking on a blog marketing project; an email newsletter or a snappy refreshing of the website are sometimes the best places to start.  But that said, here are three reasons why a blog needs to at least be on your marketing radar.  The more these resonate with your business, the more a blog can help you:

• Blogs inform your customer
  • Your blog tells your customer more about your product/service, how to use it, how it's changing, how it affects their world.  And your blog invites their feedback.

• Blogs help keep your company top-of-mind
  
  • With new information posted (nearly) every day your customers have a reason to remember you, to visit you, to check your RSS feed.  And being top-of-mind is key to grabbing up-sells and referrals.
• Blogs help take price out of the discussion
  • There is always going to be someone with a lower price.  Always.  But the personal connection on a blog, the opportunity to build a relationship with a customer, builds loyalty and trust.  Go ahead, raise your prices, increase your margins.  It's possible.

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A good reminder

Sometimes we're moving so fast to keep up with the competition that we forget.  Forget to plan and execute.

Or we're so consumed with our busy workday routines that we forget.  Forget to step back and create something new.

A consultant in San Francisco this morning knows this, and he has a reminder on his laptop:

Thanks to Seth for the wake-up call.

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