The 4WD Button

One night I got the 2 AM call every parent dreads:  “Dad, I’ve been in an accident!” My 18-year-old son, on his way home from work, was fine but shaken up.  It was winter and the roads were snow packed with spots of ice.  He was an experienced winter driver, but cruising down the freeway at 60 MPH in the middle of the night he hit a patch of ice, lost control and went into the median. Because of deep snow, the Blazer was propelled in then out on the other side, into the opposite traffic lanes.  Fortunately, there was little traffic at that hour, so there were no other cars around.

Smashing into the median bent the frame, pushed the engine back, cracked the radiator and other damage.  Check out the picture of the front license plate holder and you’ll get an idea of the devastation.

He was able to drive it to a friend’s repair shop, and I went to pick him up.  On the way home he shared the details and revealed that he had failed to push the 4- wheel drive button.  “Why??” I asked.  “I didn’t think I needed it,” was his response.

The Chevy Blazer he was driving had a button on the dashboard that engaged the 4- wheel drive.  Most of the time we drove in 2-wheel drive mode since the gas milage was better.  But when it snowed, that button was great! One click, double the power and control.  But he didn’t think he needed it!

$2500 in repairs or engage the 4-wheel drive?  Seems like an easy choice but it wasn’t as simple as that.

Today we see the same rationale. I hear people say ‘oh, I don’t need Linkedin’ or ‘I just don’t get Twitter’.  These are the new 4-wheel drive buttons of marketing.   Failure to use them will cost you.  

Internet marketing demands that your organization leverage every tool and advantage you can employ, including:

• Youtube video. The second largest search engine on the web and owned by Google.  Ignore it at your peril.
• Social media, especially Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook.  Depending on your product, service and audience, one can be more effective than another.  It’s vital to know which applies to you and why.
• Press releases.  News of product offering, expansion, customers, awards, etc., helps push your name and site in search engine results.  Tell the world your news.
• Blogging.  Consistent posting of solid information is the foundation of organic SEO.  Blog about your customers and how they use your product, or changes in the industry.  The list is endless.  Make sure it’s well written, interesting and helpful.
• Think creatively.  The first rule of marketing is to set yourself apart from your competition.  In other words, don’t follow the leader.
• How can you tell your story differently?  Think of the memorable ads of the past.  Most of them were creative and emotional.

These activities are critical to your internet identity and building strong, organic SEO.   Not understanding and engaging them will cost you.  Just like driving in the snow without engaging the 4-wheel drive.

Person of Interest: Mike Ballif

Rock band guitarist, concert promoter, real estate professional, college professor, and internet entrepreneur.  These are just some of the roles played by Mike Ballif.  Today, his company Class Star http://classstar.comdelivers online continuing education for real estate professionals.  The course takes the student through the lessons, presents tests, and electronically certifies to the state licensing agency that the mandated training is completed.  He understands the power of web video and how it contributes to the success of your website.

Mike Ballif, CEO of CLass Star
Click to watch the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCS5DZ_G2hY

A few years ago, Mike saw the revolution taking place before him.  He embraced the possibilities of using the web to deliver the required learning and certifications to streamline the CE process. He now wants to take his success to other professionals. Online learning has developed rapidly over the past 10 years.  Universities, technical programs, and even high school courses provide web-based training, certifications and degrees.  These programs and systems recognize the diverse needs of students while offering a variety of teaching and learning methods. Developers have noticed the trend and thousands of learning management tools have been created.  Some are full, web-based systems or plug-ins, while others integrate to other software powering an ever-growing field of online learning sites. A Google search of ‘online learning’ yields about 722 million results!  Everything from simple tutorials on YouTube  how to sew on a button http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrSs_DiJ-ZA  to MBA programs.  Even small companies can utilize these tools to train their staffs without great costs. All of these programs face the same challenge – delivering high quality content in an interesting way, so most programs include some type of video presentation. But dry lectures are worse online than in person.  A video talking head reading a lesson is more effective than Ambien.   At least in a classroom you can torment a neighbor to keep both of you awake.  However, interesting and interactive video can hold students’ interest while delivering powerful lessons.

So now will Mike add video star to his resume?  Keep an eye on his website to find out.

Web Browsing Helps Productivity

Web browsing can enhance productivity and refresh workers, as compared to other activities like making personal calls or sending personal emails. According to a study conducted by the National University of Singapore when people browse websites they enjoy and search for something that interests them they return to work refreshed and more productive.

Surfing the web on breaks is like taking a coffee break. Based on the study, web browsing is a rejuvenating and enjoyable activity that helps employees be more productive and effective as compared to others who did not take breaks or did other things during that break.

As browsing is shown to increase productivity corporations may want to reconsider their policies on banning certain website, such as YouTube and FaceBook.

 

Keys to an Effective Internet Marketing Campaign: Step 4

Number 4 on our list of effective marketing items, YouTube marketing.  We are a society of TV and video watchers.  YouTube serves hundreds of millions of views per day, and not just funny cat videos. Use this to your advantage by making mini tutorials about your product, a commercial, or news event that is interesting and enjoyable to watch. Quality is important. People won’t watch a low quality video of you sitting in your office where they can barely hear or see you. Use the best quality video possible.  Seek help from a professional to come across as professional.

A properly run YouTube campaign can potentially earn money from ads placed on your YouTube channel.  http://www.youtube.com/CoppermoonWebDesign

Coppermoon is a full service Web Design & SEM firm which aims to help businesses compete in this digital age. Follow them on twitter or facebook for updates.  

Keys to an Effective Marketing Campaign: Step 3

Number three in the circle of effective internet marketing items search engine marketing (SEM). SEM includes off the page factors, such as news articles, press releases, a blog, YouTube videos, and social media (Facebook and Twitter), all that link back to your site.

An interesting company blog and updating your Facebook page informs potential customers about you and leads them to your site. These posts create backlinks which in turn helps with SEO. Done correctly, your blog will be reposted by others onto their websites or blogs, again leading potential customers to you. Use these web tools to show your customer what you can do for them and why they should chose your company.

Coppermoon is a full service Web Design & SEM firm which aims to help businesses compete in this digital age. Follow them on twitter or facebook for updates.