Many SEO expert friends of mine have longed to find the answer to the Google Search phenomena of highest search engine ranking kingmanship. The bottom line is and probably will continue to be, that it takes many tweaks and listings and content and links and algorithms and lots more jargon to get your web site listed high in the search engine rankings of Google, Yahoo, MSN, Bing and others.

While discussing the virtues of You Tube with a colleague who has been researching You Tube video seach rankings, he shared the fact that it takes a couple good ratings (stars) and a few reviews to get your video listed above all other, more viewed videos.

For example a video I did for Comfort Keepers. Not many views, but high search rankings based on the stars and review.

Next, search Comfort Keepers in Michigan and all of a sudden it ranked in the top 10 on any search engine. Interesting and exciting! So you make a video, tag it with what people are search for, ask people for reviews and rankings, then watch your web site and video come up more often! Make sure to list your web site within the You Tube video for best results.

My Best,
Kathy Kane
Market Insights, LLC

#1: No one is reading your blog.
The world is not waiting breathlessly to hear what you have to say about unless you truly think about what’s in it for them? I try to write only what others can benefit from, not what my opinion of the day is.

#2: You’ve got to give (some of) your best stuff away .
The answer to the first question is “why should anyone read your blog?” is that you’re going to give away some of your best, most valuable, most life-improving material away for free, within a well planned marketing strategy.

#3: Social media just like face to face networking does not like selling.
How many followers have you blocked because they continue to post the same message without regarding to how it remotely relates to you? Stop selling, it’s a new market be real, to be friendly, and relate how they can use your information

#4: It will command your life (if you let it).
With social media you’ve got to keep yourself focused, and set a timer if you have to. The tools are amazing, but so is their power to distract you from what you’re trying to accomplish. I set up a month at a time, post it or tweak it but no more than 20 minutes a day.

#5: Listen! What they have to say is much more important than what you have to say. Your marketing might be beautifully executed. You might have a special report that get massive exposure, maybe, a great-looking blog that hits the search engines daily and an email marketing campaign that provides killer results. Treat people right, because if you don’t, you will be exposed. And remember the downside of being out there is anyone can say anything they want about you.

#6: You need to join the conversation.
The conversation will happen with or without you. You definitely don’t need to respond to every Tweet or post (and you shouldn’t), but you need to re-tweet, respond and know what is being said so you can pro-actively take action when you need to.

My Best,
Kathy Kane
Market Insights, LLC

Unfortunately there is no ONE tool to use…but there are many DECENT tools. Here are my favorites:

TweetBeep: This is the best tool for monitoring any Twitter buzz being “tweeted” about you. Even if the tweeterer uses the “tinyURL”…if they are linking to you, you’ll find out about it. Best of all, it’s FREE.

Google Alerts: We’ve talked about the great uses of this tool before, but it is worth mentioning again. Google alert allows you track when your brand name, URL, or other entered topic shows up on Google (you set the frequency). And, again…it’s FREE and I love getting a daily alert.

Technorati: A great way to search the blogosphere for what’s being said about you (and if anything is being said at all). Technorati indexes in real time, so if someone blogged about you 3 minutes ago…it shows up. And yup…you guessed it…it’s FREE.

Trackur: This tool isn’t free (though they have a free trial), but it is a more sophisticated tool than technorati and it emails you updates for your saved searches. And, it’s not too awefully expensive ($18/mo). Guess if you really want to know about yourself, you will gladly pay for it!

Good luck tracking your rep!

My Best,
Kathy Kane
Market Insights, LLC

It obviously depends what you may be promoting that week as well, maybe less or maybe a little more. But I definitely don’t think you can do it in 10 minutes a day…very well at least.

Based on the research I’ve done this week alone, on over 30 articles on the subject, the rule of thumb seems to be set aside an amount of time a day and hit these sites:

1. Twitter- Say something, follow someone
2. Facebooks- Say something, update something
3. Linked In-Comment on a group, link to someone
4. Check Google Alerts-Check Your company name, your name

I go about it a little differently
1. First I use www.ping.fm to say something to these accounts, post a video or a link: I have it set up to go to twitter, plaxo and linkedin ( I could use it for Facebook too, but I don’t like the set up personally, so I choose to do that seperately)
2. Facebook- Add to one or more of my groups and make my comments
3. Once a week I’ll check out other sites like Naymz, Biznik or Seesmic and see if I can post additional information if need be.

I already have google alerts set up to my email so I get them once a day without having to check the site. This program works for me, I’ve seen results and I can get it done before most folks are out of bed in the morning. Hope this may give you ideas to organize your social marketing, set limits and market effectively on the web!

My Best,
Kathy Kane
Market Insights, LLC

Do make sure your email is….
• Permission based! Don’t blindly send an email to people you’ve met years ago. Ask for e-mails at Point of Sale or Check Out. Ask for e-mails along with a contest clearly stating you will not sell, spam or share their email.
• Easy to read. You can insert photos and if they can’t see them because of firewalls, they can now view them on-line with these programs.
• Professional. Many of these programs have professional templates you can make your own or easily insert a graphically designed flyer. (most take a jpeg or picture format)
• Reporting! You can clean out emails that don’t exist, see who opened your email, see you went to your web site or blog or article. This is the best feature of email programs and shows your success rate for people who are opening your mail. By the way a 30% open rate is pretty good for most campaigns.
• Video Friendly. If you send a video link, make sure it is easily downloadable (Like You Tube, Talk Fusion or on your web site) people will not click or take time to download a large video file!
• Keeping Up On The Latest Techniques. The rules are always changing, even my emails are not always perfect, make sure to correct as you go.

My Best,
Kathy Kane
Market Insights, LLC

Consulting: Marketing Plans, Marketing Budgets, Feasibility Studies, Campaigns & Promotions
You must be: Organized, Coordinate timelines, Like to do research, Write Goals, Plan events

Creative Designer: Ad copy, place media buys, design brochures, logos, taglines, web sites, write video and radio scripts
You must enjoy: Design work, have an eye and writing style for what catches attention, like to “think outside the box”

Internet Marketing: E-news, Web site content, search engine optimization, blogging, social site networking and many more future career opportunities
You must like: Research, writing, learning about the ever changing rules of the net

Sales & Membership Marketing: Outside sales and social/business group networking
You must look forward to: Working and conversing with people in various networking groups to find out how you can help their business.

Public Relations: Writing stories, taking photos. Includes local, national and international specialties
You must have a flare for: Writing and taking photos, researching media contacts for your target market

My Best,
Kathy Kane
Market Insights, LLC

Many entrepreneurs I work with spend almost all their time and energy creating, and then working in, their business. Some waste tons of time and money on tactics and materials that don’t create results. To the point that they forget to even think about growing their business until after they realize people just aren’t rolling through their doors or they lack making the monthly quotas. Many hire my firm to implement projects they can’t get to, don’t enjoy doing or just can’t do themselves.

Many businesses buy from the sales person pushing a certain mailer or someone who stopped in sold them an ad for a local event. They don’t really have a monthly budget or plan on where their ad money is going, it just goes as others ask them to participate rather than making an ad plan and sticking to it.

And just running an ad here or there, throwing up a brochure Website, or sending out an occasional postcard or letter isn’t going to do it. If you want your marketing to get results (IE leads, sales, new clients, etc.) you have to think it through and plan it out. Then market on a consistent basis.

7 Points to Ponder:

1) Your Target Market
Focus on the people who most want what you sell, and have the ability to buy. make a list, check it twice!

2) Give Them What They Want
Speak directly to your target market. Understand how your products and services can help them, (instead of what you think is most important). And you can create headlines that grab their attention, ads that make them want to know more, use graphics that command attention!

What’s going to make them jump to action?

3) Unique Selling Proposition- USP, Use it!
This is what makes your business, products, services or results different from the competition. Make sure it is TOTALLY clear why you are different.

4) Show Benefits
Most business owners focus their marketing on selling the features of their product or service (the size, shape, speed, power, time commitment, process, etc). But they forget to explain why they prospect should care. It should be TOTALLY about them!

5) The Purpose of the Piece
It’s not enough use marketing and advertising just to let people know about your business or what you’re selling. You need to know what each piece of marketing should do…And what the reader should do after reading it. Only then can you create a compelling “call to action” (“Call A to get B”, “Click here to learn more” etc.) telling them exactly what to do next. Then you can track it and see how that program generated or didn’t generate sales.

6) Consistancy!
Very few things can be sold effectively to all people on the first shot. Studies show people have to see your name, ad or promotion a minimum of 7 times just to notice it. Then likely another 7 or more times before they take action (assuming they’re even interested in what you’re selling in the first place).

Why? Because these days we are bombarded with information. Not only that, people are skeptical. So you have to get in front of them over and over to establish familiarity, then rapport, then desire, then trust, and finally get them to take action (which may not even be making a purchase). Your list should have a plan, contact 1- enews, contact 2-phone call, contact 3-press release, contact 4-thank you note, contact 5-personal call, contact 6-follow promotional item, contact 7-email blast….you get the idea…

7) Get Your Message Read—and Responded to
How much junk mail or email do you get that you never even open? And even when you do open it, how much of it do you actually read? Think first, how will it benefit them and keep trying new ways.

With email marketing programs you can see who opens your mail, who clicked thru to your site and you may be able to see patterns that will help you develope materials that your clients are looking for and ultimately what they NEED to buy from you.

My Best,
Kathy Kane
Market Insights, LLC

Such a shift has indeed occurred before in the life of our nation and those who took advantage of change opened the doors to amazing opportunity.

Back in the 1800’s when the railroads were being built and when Wall Street emerged was when all the rules by which the traditional economy had functioned were broken and remade. Then, as now, everything was changing. And, it was the age when nearly 20% of the 75 wealthiest individuals in human history took advantage of those changes and built their fortunes… all in America. Some of them include: 01) John D. Rockefeller: Oil Industry, 02) Andrew Carnegie: Steel 28)Frederick Weyerhaueuser: Paper Industry, 33) Jay Gould: Railroad Industry 34) Marshall Field:Department Store, 36) Hetty Green: Banking, 64) Peter Arrell Brown Widener: Tobacco Industry, 65) Philip Danforth Armour: Meatpacking

Even in those dark days of uncertainty during the great depression, great opportunity existed for entrepreneurs and business leaders with the vision to see it, and the boldness to reach for it. Those strong enough to take a chance, took advantage of the low costs and built empires from nothing. Walmart and McDonalds, the very few US companies showing an increase on Wallstreet in 2008 grew up during the depression.

Today, we face similar economic uncertainties. We also find ourselves in the midst of a changing world rife with possibilities. Are you constantly researching, keeping up with trends, taking chances on new media or just giving up? Will you take the challenge and find new opportunties in this economy or will you curl up and wait for the market to get back on track?

Change can be scary, especially when it is so profound, and occurring as rapidly as it is today. Rather than be fearful, be grateful. We are fortunate to be here now, we have the power to change, grow and find new niches never dreamed of. Don’t give in to the gloom and doom of the nightly news. History shows that even in the most volatile economic times opportunity abounds for business. So the question is are you committed to growing or are you slowing?

My Best,
Kathy Kane
Market Insights, LLC

How about offering your services as a fund-raising opportunity? You can piggy-back on their marketing (i.e. donor lists, media contacts, etc.) to fill seats at events. Depending on the arrangements, you may receive a set fee or a percentage of the proceeds with the rest going to the nonprofit.

The big money at any event is always in the back of the room. The opportunity to offer additional services, obtain contact information and develop relationships is the real benefit to your business. The ongoing income stream from services or goods can be impressive. Increased awareness and publicity is the added bonus for the nonprofit (which incidentally you will also receive.) There may be tax advantages as well.

So, the community wins through the service you provide. The organization wins through funds and publicity. You win through increased cash flow, publicity and business relationships. People who rely on the charity of others for food, clothing and shelter – the basic necessities we take for granted – win through your generosity.

Then publicize it yourself on your web site.Market Insights has contributed quite a bit last year, why not get a little goodwill from it? It also helps when you get do get hit up by other charities, you can say you do give to certain groups. I am a Rotarian because I so whole heartly believe that this is a way of life all small business must adopt.

Oh, there is one other bonus – the warm feeling you get from knowing that you made a difference in peoples’ lives beyond just making a dollar. It feels so good to make money and also give it back!

My Best in Charity,

Kathy Kane
Market Insights

Businesses that have survived a brutal year should be rethinking they way they are marketing their business both offline and online in 2009. According to a survey conducted by Hearst Electronics Group and Goldstein Group Communications (GGC), almost one half of all marketing spent will be online in one form or another.

Conventional media will still play an important part in balancing your marketing and advertising efforts, but it is clear that online advertising dollars will be spent on webcasts, search engine marketing and in generating online content for blogs and websites.

With many businesses struggling to survive, targeted advertising is going to be very important to get the most out a marketing campaign. Focusing a message that is relevant and well targeted verses a broad message will make all the difference in a successful online campaign.

Search engine marketing will account for 11% of budgets in 2009, which includes organic and pay-per-click programs. Most campaigns will focus on ranking well on Google and Yahoo, but advertising on Facebook and MySpace should not be overlooked as well as other online niche directories.

While a shift to online marketing is going to be a trend to follow in 2009, you can not underestimate the power of direct marketing. Direct mail marketing will account for 12% of business to business spending and Trade shows will account for 17% according to Goldstein.

Every business will have different marketing methods that fit their particular business model, it may make sense for your business to continue and even increase your offline marketing efforts. Either way survival in hard economic times requires you to increase and maintain a well targeted advertising program.

To Your Success!

Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc.

Tim Somers is owner of Bizarre Promotions, Inc. a promotional products distributor with over 750,000 promo items to help your business grow. For more marketing and advertising solutions visit his Bizarre Promotions Blog.