80/20 Strategies for Web Marketing, Business Systems, & Personal Productivity
What is the #1 factor that predicts the long-term success of any business? Systems. Of course, I’m talking about long-term, the big picture. This is not to say that a great system is all you need to make boatloads of cash. Sorry, folks. Customers and consistent sales are crucial factors. I’m talking about the importance of systems in taking a business from something that works to something that’s scalable and sustainable.
I hate to do this, but it’s just too obvious to avoid. Let’s look at the McDonald’s business system. I know, I know. Been there, done that. Business School 101. But to be fair, McDonald’s and all of those savvy followers (Blockbuster, Starbucks, Netflix, etc) are great examples of businesses that succeed because of smart systems.
So what does all of this have to do with Internet Business and Web Marketing? Stupid rhetorical question, I know. Obviously no web-based business is going to succeed today without a streamlined system. Yup, the same rules apply.
In fact, what the web has done for the business world has made systems easier to create than ever before. That’s the good news. The bad news is the web has made it harder to compete than ever before.
Let’s be honest, the term Internet Business is a bit of a wash now. Aside from local providers – groceries, cleaners, personal services, etc – virtually every business today is web-based in one way or another. And those businesses that maximize the potential of web systems and web marketing are going to outlast those that don’t.
Now we can dig into the practical stuff. What are some of the most important (more…)
Sprouter is an emerging social media arena targeting entrepreneurs. IMHO, it’s the first of many similar networks to come that will target niche groups instead of trying to compete with the monster networks like Twitter. But unlike many other social media networks I’ve seen, Sprouter offers something very intriguing for the modern entrepreneur.
First, I must admit – I have not really been much of an early adapter with social networking. Around the time Facebook and Twitter came onto the scene in a big way, I was focusing much more of my web marketing education on improving results and not updating countless social media profiles. Plus, I’ve always related more to the work-smart-not-hard philosophy of entrepreneurship. Social media is not exactly a big results zone of activity for most people.
I still believe in the importance of prioritizing in very disciplined and results-oriented ways. That said, I also believe online social networking can be a good thing if there’s a clear ROI on the time spent.
Early Adapting
Since Sprouter is new to the scene, now is the best time to get in on the action. Social networking definitely has a pyramid shape when you look at how connections evolve over years of growth. Most of the power players in Twitter today will likely still be power players in 5-10 years. Plus, every social network has its own (more…)
Everybody loves free, especially around the holidays when most of us spend more than any other time of year. And when it comes to building successful websites and creating targeted Search Engine Optimization campaigns, free tools are the best!
Today I want to share a few of my favorite free tools and tricks for SEO. These puppies are a great way to get more natural search engine traffic and work great with the strategies I’ve suggested before.
1. EzineArticles.com Free Article Directory
For article marketing, my absolute favorite directory is www.ezinearticles.com because they almost always deliver the most results. You can setup a free account at their website in minutes and submit articles absolutely free. Just be sure you follow their terms of service for the most success with your submissions.
2. Jeff Johnson’s Free Traffic Getting SEO Plugin
Jeff Johnson has put together some amazing Free SEO plugins for WordPress all-in-one. His tools do a great job of improving natural search engine traffic and building up your content marketing via blogging. Be sure to download this one right away. Get the Free SEO Plugin here!
3. WordPress.com
If you’re blogging, WordPress is the only tool you should ever consider using. Search engines love it, it’s easy, and the results are always great! You can download the WordPress open source software free at their website or simply setup a free blog on their servers to start promoting your (more…)
It’s no secret that content marketing is what makes the Internet Marketing world go ’round. For that reason, I’ll spare you a long treatise on why content marketing is so important, what it is, and blah blah blah. Instead, I want to focus on the real strategy behind content marketing in terms of action steps you can take today.
Whether you’re a small business owner with a growing website or you’re an affiliate marketer looking to get more results from your online marketing efforts, the strategies for content marketing are essentially the same.
I have talked about these strategies in more detail in other posts, but today I want to look at the whole package together to give you a better idea of how you can get these auto-pilot web marketing machines working for your business or affiliate system.
1. Blogging
We’ll start with the most obvious of the five – blogging. We all know how powerful blogs have become in the last few years or so. These easy mini-websites do a great job of communicating with your niche market directly in an informal and often personal manner. This is the most important place to begin your content marketing system.
ACTION STEP: Setup your own self-hosted blog with a provider like Bluehost or learn how to build traffic with (more…)
The holidays are upon us and a new marketing season has officially begun. The US holiday season is incredibly important for most businesses – whether online or offline. Since “Black Friday” marks the day when most consumer goods operations go “out of the red and into the black” on accounting sheets, you can imagine how critical it is to make the most of this notorious period of consumer spending. But you already knew all of that, so I won’t bore you with the details.
Instead, let’s dig into taking your holiday season marketing plan into the online world to maximize your results. Although we’re already well underway, it’s definitely not too late to take action and rally your existing customer base for even more sales or to develop a web marketing strategy for acquiring even more customers during this period.
First, it’s important to note whether or not you’re marketing in a B2B (business-to-business) or a B2C (business-to-consumer) environment. Naturally, the holidays are much more about consumer purchases than business-building purchases but there are still very important details to note for B2B operations.
For the B2C marketing plan, your goal is simply to create the best offer for your customers as possible. Much of this will involve keeping tabs on your competition to see how your consumer base will compare your offers within the market. Your primary motivation is to obtain as much business from each customer as possible. This might sound obvious, but you should really think about the significance of this point. Many consumers are searching for a one-stop shop for their holiday needs. The more of this you can provide and the more of it you can portray in your marketing efforts, the better.
For the B2B marketing plan, your goal is much more about timing. Remember that offices close and many people take extended vacation periods during the holidays. In addition, many business operations go through a bit of a “slump” period as cold weather and that “holiday feeling” sets in. Your primary motivation is to encourage your customer base to take action during a period when they otherwise would not. You have to give these folks a reason to buy — tax benefits, huge discounts, next year benefits, etc.
Despite these two basic differences, I’m sure you’ll find that most of the action steps are essentially the same for (more…)
