MARKET 4 PROFIT

My professional coach, Kathy Nelson makes a point of explaining to her clients that it's important to take at least 20% of your time to work ON your business each week.

This means - taking care of marketing chores like Facebook Timeline cover photo selection or creation, tooling around LinkedIn to see who has changed jobs and congratulate them, writing your email newsletter, or lining up your next marketing venture -- like a company video.

If you are always dedicating your time for IN your business -- servicing accounts, doing production, you aren't cultivating and nurturing your own business, and it may go dormant. 

Hi!

Thanks for joining the Pinterest waiting list. We'll be sure to send you an invite soon.

In the meantime, you can follow us on Twitter. You can also explore a few pins.

We're excited to get you pinning soon!

- Ben and the Pinterest Team

I had to blog immediately when, after I read a PR story on Pinterest, I responded to the "ask to be invited" link. I can honestly say I thought the acceptance would be immediate. My attention had already been peeked with all the media reports and stories.  So when the time was right "I bought in." Only to see if I qualify (as Elaine from Seinfeld would say,"Am I Pinterest worthy.")

So just as the wait for the invite to the Brother Rice Boy's High School prom kept me up all night - using hair straighteners and all. I am on pins and needles waiting to see if I can get to go to the Pinterest prom.

Have to marvel at "prestige-based" marketing tactics!

A whole new service to add in the marketing arena -- Manage Your Online Reputation. Who would a guessed we would be checking our name in a Google search to see how many links there are to our name, persona, achievements and otherwise going's on. From LinkedIn to Facebook to Twitter to Flickr to Google Images - and many more, you can probably find a welcome or unwelcome glimpse of yourself. If your name is Joe Smith,  you may get lost in the list. But add a couple of identifiers like city you were born, and you will Pop! up.

Sign up for Google alerts for your name i.e. "Susan Almon Pesch" in quotes. It's free, and it will alert you if there is any website posting of your moniker. Socialmention.com has alerts that will inform you when you pop up in a tweet or are tagged in a photo on Flickr or Facebook.

Ah, does absence make the heart grow fonder? I am hoping so, since it has been a year and a half since I paid attention to my own Market 4 Profit Blog. That would take us to the "shoemaker analogy."  As a shoemaker I am taking care of all of my customers' shoes and neglecting my own.  In the case of the care and feeding of my blog, this has been the case. 

So my commitment as of today, February 16, 2012 is to write a post at least twice a week. That's doable. The topics will vary. I like to cover topics that are in my face. Like poor customer service or client's expectations -- I promise to keep short and sweet as my e-Newsletter "SNIPPETS."  Which it too is in need of attention! 

Are their areas in your business that have fallen off your radar?

It's great to have a client like CEO Steve Weber of Z57 and Z58 with PhotoBin, a photo scanning services company. I told Steve about 8 months ago, we have an opp to have two guys wear t-shirts with the PhotoBin logo on them for a full day of social media exposure. At the time we didn't know what we or the I Wear Your Shirt team of Jason and Evan would be doing. Quite honestly we are still unaware of the day's full content. Based on the day of they year we picked -- IWYS prices their marketing services -- this day for PhotoBin cost less than maybe 2 local :30 second radio spots. Next year the same day goes for $1200.  I'd say IWYS is making social media marketing news - one day at a time.

Here's the scoop on where PhotoBin will be featured on September 7, 2010:

1. Twitter - @iwearyourshirt
2. www.facebook.com/iwearyourshirt = postings to FB)
3. www.iwearyourshirt.com/blogs  (this has all of the links to the live Ustream video at 9 a.m. PST, YouTube video, Flickr photos, blog        post PLUS all will stay archived)

Today is one of those days. I just had my computer system upgraded and lo and behold every saved password is gone - kaput. So I am spending time with my word doc that has all my passwords saved matching them up with accounts -- like this one. The days of using the same password are long gone. Now I can think of a lot more productive ways to use my time . . . like posting on Facebook, creating a YouTube video (which right now) is the BEST thing you can do for the home page of your website. The black widows of the web love video content. I look forward to finishing this mundane task of reconfiguring my turbo-charged new computer system. Every one else - get a Flip Video -- have some fun and add to your organic search rankings!

Did you know you can use your ezine provider to send to your email database text-only, personal emails? I know you typically use the HTML templates. And typically your contacts don’t open them. They are thinking – “don’t have time to read a newsletter now…” Then of course they never get back to it. Once in awhile it’s good to mix it up with a simple, personalized text-only email that appears to be a personal note from you.  Keep you message generic, yet informative. Offer information or a recommendation of a book you’re reading or an event that would interest your circle.  Mail Dog email marketing and MarketingSherpa have stats showing the value of these notes to subscribers. The text-only, personal emails generated a 40%-100% increase in open rates and a 10%-20% increase in clickthrough rates. Voila!

How to use twitter to grow your business--that is today's question. If you have signed up for a free twitter account, but are not really sure how to use it or how it works, what are you waiting for--let's find some YouTube videos or training webinars.  Since I never claim to know everything about everything marketing, I surround myself with specialists--like Alan Underkofler and Angie Schwartz of Square Martini Media.  Also Melani Gordon of gWave Consulting--both companies are powerhouses of social media talent.

Recently I've committed to learn myself as well as help my clients  get started or restarted on twitter. Watch for webinars explaining the in's and out's of twitter; what is a twitter message--or in twitter language--“ a Tweet;” why twitter is a big deal for your business; how to set up your profile; who should you follow and how to get followers . . . by the way follow me @market4profit.

A fun way to spend a cloudy May Gray day in San Diego is search and buy domain names. Maybe not for everyone, but for a marketing consultant it's like qualifying for the Indy 500 on Bump Day. Okay, so I am multitasking while I play on Network Solutions checking and buying domain names and watching the Indy qualifying. So far, my buy of the day is www.letsuehelp.com. Right now to get any domain name that is short - under 12 letters -- that makes sense is tough! Going for action statements like - www.goshopnow.com are a cool way to go too. Not sure if it's taken yet, but I'd bet $20 it is. Also as an FYI - you can easily point these neat URL jewels to your current website for miminal dollars. Like $12 per year. If you think of domain addresses as assets, tools and products, it gets quite exciting and lights my tires up! 

As long as you would like it to take.  Make it a challenge to be aware of what happens around you related to your specialty and make a mental note. Note to self - this info is Blog Material. Jot some information on the topic on a post it or in your cell notes, and when the five minutes in your busy day is free - write your post. Some think if it doesn't take a lot of time or preparation 'it isn't good enough material to share.' Wrong answer. Blogs are most fun and enjoyable when your personality appears in a chat mode. So lighten up and share when you become aware . . . of something.

"Oh my, it sounds serious." People are turning to the Internet for their TV show programming--for free. Not only to save money on their cable and satellite bill, but also so they can be in control. The cultural shift is all about ondemand services. Gen X and Y are saying, "We want content whenever we want it." The competition for Hula.com and other sites are DVRs. Over 30% of cable subscribers have a DVR -- and that number is expected to shoot up over the next couple of years. All traditional forms of TV media advertising are up for grabs (as they have been, but now even crazier than minutes ago!)

It's about time for my Market 4 Profit Blog to be integrated into my website. Been too busy being the shoemaker and not taking care of my own shoes. Stay tuned for posts from the past as well as juicy tidbits for the future of your marketing and entertainment!