Leverage Blog: How to Exploit the Web.

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.

The web is still growing very, very fast

Seth talked about a fungus today, and it made me think.

Seriously.

My comment after reading about his experience at the buffet is this:  The Internet is still growing, and fast.  Growing in terms of visitors.  Users.  Customers.  There are tens-of-millions of people out there that just started using email 6 months ago, and made their first online purchase last Christmas.  What will they be doing this Summer?  Reading blogs?  Using an RSS reader?

Not to mention the 75 million Americans retiring soon who will have time on their hands and may enjoy activities while seated.  What do you have for them?

Bitty Browser: (Another) new way to spread your message online

I came across the Bitty Browser today, a small browser that you can add to a website or, in this case, a blog.  It can be configured to display any site or blog you choose or organize a blogroll, and access to search.

Cool and interesting?  Of course.  But more importantly, what's the marketing value of the tool to your business?  Here are my top-of-mind ideas:

• Cross-promote blogs and websites.
• Add "Portal" features (search, news, etc.) to retain visitors and encourage repeat visits.
• Keep your site (and your brand) fresh *

* This is the big one.  Let's talk about how this tool can help communicate to your customer that you're a leader in your industry.  Are you providing your visitors with easy access to information that will position you as a thought leader?  Can this tool reinforce the message that innovation is standard at your business, and that your competitors are standing still?  Get creative, think about your customer and what they want to see, to know.

Also to note:  Non-technical staff can configure (and update) the Bitty Browser in no time flat.  The marketing strategy requires some thought, but the moving-forward execution is easy.

Oh, for this post I've set the BB to Wheel Media, my web design shop for small-business.  Surf away.

The Google dis-utopia

Allow me to digress...

Michael Arrington's post today reminded me to share a link to a mini-movie that paints a dark future...one owned by Google.

One part entertainment, with tongue-in-cheek, and an equal part forecasting; it's worth a look. Michael's overview is below:

In the spring of 2004 Robin Sloan and Matt Thompson presented the ominous Epic 2014 (now renamed Epic 2015) that ultimately predicts that Google will force the New York Times to shut down. In the movie, they also predict that Google will launch something called “Google Grid”: “…a universal platform offering an unlimited amount of space and bandwidth that can be used to store anything. It allows users to manage their information two ways: store it privately or publish it to the entire grid.” See the movie here.

Oh, the quote in bold well, that's coming.  Google announced it on the 2nd to analysts.

Orwellian, or simply progress?

Blogging: Will it catch on?

This just seen on a bus in Sacramento:

Blogs being advertised on the side of a bus?  With the marketing budget of AT&T (and others, I'm sure) building awareness about blogs the medium will get a head-of-steam in no time.  AT&T has so much faith in blogs they're spending big bucks just to promote the category.

Wow.

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New in Search Engine Marketing: Pay-Per-Call

When I discuss search engine marketing (SEM) strategy with clients we evaluate the opportunity/impact/expense of two core tactics:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

A new tool called Pay-Per-Call is being rolled out by Google and Yahoo! and I've added it to the list.

Pay Per Call adds a phone number to paid search results.  Calls to a toll-free number are forwarded to the advertiser's business and are tracked and billed by the search engine (or their partner.)

The service is very new so listings are hard to find...so far.  The opportunity is great for simple services, like a florist. This searcher/customer is less interested in comparing flower shops and more interested in ordering a bunch.  For most B2B firms however-- an example might be aircraft sales-- the visitor is going to be clicking-on website links to evaluate the business; they'll be less-likely to just pick up the phone and say I'd like to buy a plane.

Pay-Per-Call is now on my radar.  Learn more here.

The Long Tail

Simply put, the Long Tail is a look at the company of tomorrow.  Maybe.

It's a theory advanced by Chris Anderson, the Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine, that makes a strong case for specialized business-models. Niche-companies with focused, highly-targeted services can compete with giant companies...and win.  So what does this look like from a 20,000 foot view?

1.  The internet makes it possible to target a very specific customer. (Example:  Pay-per-click advertising on search engines enables a niche business to target the specific words that describe their services...and not spend a dime on the rest.)

2.  And the search engines now make it easy for customers to find a very specialized company. (Example:  A Google search for "Environmental consulting company in Oakland, CA." This person knows just what they are looking for-- in this case a certain-type of company in a specific location.)

3.  The website behaves like a salesforce. (Example: An online tour introduces the firm's service, FAQ's anticipate objections and respond, quote-request form set expectations about pricing,  live-chat makes an instant conversation easy for the prospect...more.)

4.  If product inventory is online, you don't need a warehouse.  And you don't need shelf-space.  The Long Tail theory doesn't suggest that brick and mortar businesses will disappear, only that niche-businesses will spring up-- and do very, very well.

5.  You can listen to your customer like never before.  (Example:  Blogs.  The enable you to demonstrate your expertise, ask questions, gather feedback and refine your offering.)

Keep Long Tail on your radar.  Read more at The Long Tail.

We're not living in the Information Age

Paul Saffo, a Forecaster at The Institute for the Future (IFTF), Stanford professor and all-around guru recently declared we're not living in the Information Age. He calls it Media:

"...In the old media, all we could do was press our noses against the Glass and watch.  This new world of personal media- the web, the internet etc. - not only delivers the world to [our] living rooms, but everywhere.  And we get to answer back.  And we're expected to answer back.."

Media more accurately describes the exchange aspect of today's information.  The interactivity.  And this is impacting every business out there,.  You can sell tires or manufacture parts or design buildings--  regardless of industry, your customer expects to interact with you pre- and post -sale..and they expect you to answer back.

How will your customer expect to interact with you tomorrow?

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Of note:  The web design agency I created for small business three years ago is called Wheel Media.  Was I prescient, or just lucky?

 

The advantages of focus

During a recent discussion about the new companies (I hesitate using the term 'startup.' Why is that?) buzzing around the Bay Area the topic of new product development came up.

Some firms cannot stop innovating new products/services.  They love their customer and they want to deliver the world, so they create new offerings, new services, new payment models.  New new new.

My experience as the Director of Product Marketing for a fast-moving startup (gulp) in 2000 was that introducing new products made it hard to market those already in the mix.  Sure, the new products we're a good for our customers and fit into our core-business, but the challenge was time.  Let's say with 20 offerings each gets an hour.  If you're driving 5 offerings each gets 4 hours.  Hmm.  If you can succeed on all 20 with that single hour by all means, rollout now.  If.

Our company faced the challenge of advancing each fantastic, interesting new product an inch each day when it needed a yard to gain traction.  Many factors outside of our control sealed our fate, but this one made things that much more challenging.

On the other side of the specturm, many firms don't seem to innovate new products at all.  This is slowing growth by either a little or a lot, and usually is part of the culture of the organization.  This doesn't mean a consulting agency should start selling lawnmowers, but simply start thinking new.  The fastest way to break out of this rut is to talk with 3 customers and ask them what they do with your product, how they use it, what else they want it to do, and what else they'd like you do do.  Mow their lawn? Well, that's a start.

eCommerce: Not just for product sales?

I met with the sales & marketing director of a large hosted shopping-cart solution yesterday and he asked an excellent question:  With about 70% of small businesses selling services rather than products, how long will it take for SB service companies to leverage eCommerce?

• Attorney's selling chunks of time online?
• Contractors accepting payments online?

or...

• Pay for your haircut before you drive over?
• Your car wash?

And he's a smart cookie, so he suggested the eCommerce platform for SM B's could be easily tweaked to accommodate online scheduling as well.  What would that look like?:

• Go online, schedule your haircut appointment for next Tuesday, pay for it.  That took 284 seconds.
  • You didn't have to pick up the phone.
  • Your stylist (no, not 'barber') didn't have to answer your call
  • You didn't have to make sure you had cash in your wallet when you rushed over (late) on Tuesday.

Slick.

We have some of this right now, of course.  Fandango is a good example, but the opportunity for 1000's of other markets is there.  Waiting.