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Let’s face facts - Search engines are starting to rule and dominate the way people advertise their products and services.

Gone are the days of low-cost, no-cost advertising. Now it’s all about how much the major search engines can take from your wallet, without you noticing that your advertising costs are far outweighing your sales.

Let’s be honest - It’s all about greed. They know you need the advertising, so they place it at a premium and hold an auction on their keywords. So where and how does the ‘little guy’ fit in?
After all, isn’t this the land of milk and honey? Isn’t the Internet business option the cheap solution to owning a franchise?

What’s going on?

Well, I can certainly tell you one thing - Whatever is going on, it’s not being done for your benefit! After struggling with Google Adwords and getting billed for not conforming to their stupid policies, (which by the way, were their own guidelines and resources used), I simply halted the account, never to return.

Now there’s something else going on. I call it an inversion of the Google/Yahoo syndrome. The first peoples search engine. That’s right. Now you can actually own your own piece of Internet Real Estate and charge others for advertising on the space that you grow and own. OK, so I was doubtful. I did the best thing … I talked with the CEO.

Asking awkward questions concerning any Internet startup program or business model, is just one of the things that I do best. I crack most of these things wide open, expose the weaknesses and desecrate the very foundations that most are not built upon. In several years, just three have passed my stringent evaluation.

After an exhausting hour with the CEO, he actually showed me how he can guarantee top placements in the major search engines and described exactly how this new baby would integrate with the likes of Yahoo and Google. But it does more than that… You own your own portal and that means even more exposure!

I can only welcome this sort of activity, in the face of the adversity that the major search engines are causing the small business owner. Is this an Internet advertising solution?

I believe it is. I also think that in years to come, the rightful owners of the Internet, (the users), will take back their inheritance, as the greed of the major search engines will devour themselves.

Michael A Fowler, M.B.A.
Author and Developer of ‘The MBA Way’ system.
Group Trainer and Coach for FFSI.
You can contact Michael at: Goldcard43@aol.com
Website: http://www.the-mba-way.com

Tags: advertising, internet advertising solution, low cost advertising, no cost advertising, search enginesadvertising, internet advertising solution, low cost advertising, no cost advertising, search engines

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Here are some marketing mistakes that take a heavy toll on small
businesses. They have been very harmful to businesses at any stage, but especially harmful for new businesses.

1. Not having a marketing plan.

Studies show that having a marketing plan equates to a 24 to 30% improvement in sales over those without a marketing plan. Writing a comprehensive marketing plan takes time, thought, and rethought, they help a business owner to focus on new products and services. A marketing plan will help someone to determine if the product or service will take too much time, energy, or resources to make it a proper addition to the existing array of products and services.

2. Executing “Hit or Miss” marketing techniques.

Many entrepreneurs and small business owners buy advertising without exploring whether or not the venue is appropriate for them, or if it will appear in a place or manner that potential customers will respond to - or even see. Marketing dollars spent correctly will bring you sales. Marketing dollars spent incorrectly will not only cost you money, but will cost you your business-esteem. All marketing needs to have a “fit” with an overall initiative. They must convey a consistent message. Using advertising for name recognition is felt to be a good move by inexperienced business people. Experience dictates that success is best when even your “name recognition advertising” relates to a common theme.

3. Negative networking.

Networking is one of the most important parts of marketing for the small business person. Many entrepreneurs look to groups such as Chamber of Commerces, Business Network International, and Local Business Network to build business through networking. They attend networking functions and seem to feel that the more business cards they give out, the more business they will get. They are generally disappointed and reject networking as a false prophet. Positive networking takes a different approach. Networking events are an opportunity to find synergies upon which relationships can be built. Successful networking is not how many business cards you give out, it is how many quality business cards you gather. Opportunities such as Catapult allow individuals a networking opportunity to find those synergies while learning business skills.

4. Not seeking appropriate support.

Most entrepreneurs are people that have decided to leave corporate America in search of a better lifestyle with less stress. They find a great product or service and think they have it made. Unfortunately they do not have the focus and motivation they need to survive. In the corporate world they had a boss to continually set deadlines and goals, and to hold them accountable for hitting the deadlines and goals. They also had a boss to mentor and coach them. In the small business and entrepreneurial world, this important need is overlooked. People need accountability partners and/or mentors to keep them on track.

5. Inability to distinguish between being talented and being business savvy.

Too many small business owners and entrepreneurs feel that having talent is sufficient to attain success. They feel that if they are good at what they do, word of mouth advertising will supply a constant stream of customers. Talent may help you find excellent investments, glean out the best mortgage rate, repair the most difficult automotive challenge, or any of numerous other potential examples. However without business savvy in the form of a marketing system, the endless stream of customers will never materialize. You must wrap a marketing program around it to encourage or solicit additional referrals.

To be a success in your business, it is essential to focus on preventing these marketing mistakes. Be sure to make a plan and get the support to validate the plan and help you bring it to fruition.

Rick Weaver is President of Max Impact, a national leadership and organization development company based in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Rick is an accomplished business executive with experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain and project management, team building, and process improvement. He has worked with hundreds of companies to improve sales, processes, and bottom-line results. MaxImpact offers leadership and organizational development services along with employee assessments and background checks. Contact Rick at 248-802-6138 or via email, rick@getmaximpact.com. MaxImpact is on the web at http://www.getmaximpact.com.

Tags: advertising, entrepreneur, marketing, max impact, maximpact, small business, techniquesadvertising, entrepreneur, marketing, max impact, maximpact, small business, techniques

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Every business person who has any kind of product or service, and the merest

beginning of marketing sense, invites TESTIMONIALS.

These might be called “reviews” or “peer reviews” or “customer comments” but

they are all testimonials - a third party endorsement as to the merits of a

product which helps another potential customer decide whether they wish to

engage with this product or service.

Customer testimonials are a wonderful thing for the merchant/marketer, because

customers often pick up on benefits the marketer hadn’t thought of, and their

use of personal words and phrasings can bring the product/service to life in a

whole new way.

Whenever I am asked by someone to submit a testimonial, I am always delighted.

If I like the product or the person involved, this is a wonderful opportunity

for me to pay back in kind whenever I can.

Because I always heed a call and have written many reviews and testimonials, I

learned that there are AMAZING BENEFITS in testimonials - you actually get much,

much more that you give on this occasion!

Here’s what YOU get out of it:

The first benefit is peer-to-peer lifting.

If you comment meta on an expert’s products, or review it, or give a

testimonial for it, it puts YOU on a par with the peer you are reviewing and

raises YOUR status.

A real testimonial is signed with full name and contact details; that is

absolutely a perfect “mini advertisement” for you, right there!

Next, we have the marketing challenge of writing a GOOD testimonial for print,

and to create one for audio, or voice recording, with the onset of audio

testimonials you can now hear on many commercial websites.

For a lot of beginners in marketing, to get away from their own products and to

consider things from the CUSTOMER’S point of view for a change for someone else

is just what the doctor ordered to get some new perspective ON THEIR OWN

products and marketing efforts and wordings.

So this is also a great learning exercise as well.

Wherever the testimonial goes (and some of our most used testimonials from

peers are on more than a dozen websites, on stationary, catalogues, products,

advertisements, print brochures - everywhere!) there goes YOUR name, YOUR web

address - that’s the REAL PAYMENT for a USEFUL testimonial from the person who

asked for it.

And that’s FREE QUALITY ADVERTISING!

What is a useful testimonial?

Useful testimonials contain:

• good soundbites (no third party waffle, in other words),
• congruency and enthusiasm,
• no self advertising,
• GIVING to the thing you’re testifying to with all your heart and soul;
• short and concise;
• clearly highlighting BENEFITS YOU have really received from the product

  or service;

• HONEST.

Useless testimonials, ones that will NOT get printed, used, displayed on the

other hand are those which:

• try to sell yourself on the back of the other or their products,
• convoluted ambiguous waffle,
• going on about some hobby horse of self instead of focussing on THE

  BENEFITS OF THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE;

• sounding arrogant,
• trying to be cleverer than the product you’re reviewing or commenting

  upon.

So, and to sum up, this is what you get for under ten minutes of your time

when you choose to write and submit a star testimonial.

• Status.
• Valuable learning experience.
• FREE and possibly LONG TERM HIGH QUALITY advertising for yourself.
• Your chance to reach a new and different audience.
• Finding out about giving leading to receiving in actuality.

All for ABSOLUTELY FREE!

And here’s the last tip.

When you see a product or service that uses testimonials, which you also use and

where you are aware of the benefits, stop and send in your testimonial

immediately.

If you support it by a picture of your beautiful self, it is even more likely

that the recipients will be delighted to display it for them AND for you - and

this is advertising exposure of the highest quality indeed.

For an example of a much viewed testimonials page, take a look at Enchanted World Testimonals page here.
For a great book on Wealth Creation, check out The MindMillion Wealth Creator by Silvia Hartmann.

Tags: free advertising, free quality advertising, peer reviews, reviews, silvia hartmann, testimonialsfree advertising, free quality advertising, peer reviews, reviews, silvia hartmann, testimonials

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