No Goal is a Big Reason Why Online Marketing Fails

One big reason why websites, blogs, and Facebook business pages fail to produce results is because no realistic goal was formulated.

For example, somebody decides to make a blog, and "monetize it", which means ruining it with ads.

When people visit the blog, they're repulsed by how spammy it looks, with ads cluttering the design and distracting from the blog's content.

To make matters worse, the person doesn't publish posts very often, has no understanding of SEO, and doesn't get any traffic to the blog. So the ads do nothing but annoy the few people who go to the blog.

You must develop a goal for your web presences.

"Tell people who we are, what we do, and what products we carry" is the strategy of losers. It's company-focused.

"Tell customers how their needs are met by the benefits and features our products provide" is the strategy of winners. It's customer-centric.

Blogs are primarily for SEO.

Blogs are best used to supply fresh, frequent, relevant content to Google. This savvy content positions you, in the mind of customers and in the Google algorithm, as a leader in your field, a local expert.

Then, by strategic use of a blog, your business rises higher and higher in Google search results when customers are seeking what your business provides.

While Google prefers longevity (web pages that have existed for several years or more), I've seen a client with a brand new website, brand new Facebook business page, and brand new blog, get to page 1 on Google search results in just 3 months.

This victory was achieved in spite of ferocious competition, local companies advertising on the radio and with gigantic 4 color postcards in the mail twice a month.

Bicycle Fever presentation for your organization: ACT NOW

Owner of Younger Than Yesterday and long time friend and fellow musician, Craig Moore, was happy to receive a signed copy of my book "Bicycle Fever."

My book "Bicycle Fever", written for Charles Ruppman and the Proctor Cycling Classic, in association with Bradley University, Peoria Historical Society, and Peoria Public Library, traces the evolution of bicycle technology, culminating in Peoria's role in early bicycle manufacturing and international bike racing.

Want a fascinating, educational, and humorous presentation for your group, club, or company?

I have given this presentation to Peoria Women's Club, Chillicothe Historical Society, Peoria Public Library, and others.

People laugh and learn. Interesting aspects of Peoria, and astonishing Peoria champions, are covered with amusing anecdotes and tales of bizarre daring and skill. A good time for all.

I video record my presentation, and upload it to YouTube, so those in your organization who were not able to attend can view it.

Booking now for Fall and Winter 2017.


CONTACT me at:

steven.streight@gmail.com

THANKS.

Don't Make Your Business Look Like a Bum with a Crap Website

I often see posts like "Anybody know of a kid or hotshot that can build a website cheap? Asking for a friend."

Instantly I see that someone is wanting a crappy website, just so they can say, "Check out my website." or "Visit our website for more information." They don't want to spend any money on it. They don't see the value of it. But they still think they need a website.

Why would you, if you had any professional dignity and self-worth, try to get by with a website that has no visual appeal, poor credibility, boring content, ugly colors, hard to read type font, and bad functionality?

It's like asking, "Anybody know where I can buy a rusted old clunker car that will need to be in the repair shop constantly?"

A cheap, poorly designed website -- what does that say about your business?

A website that, when you suddenly need to add videos, or photo galleries, or to shift things around in it, the web designer has moved out of town, won't respond to your emails, and leaves you hanging?

Your website, blog, or Facebook business page gives customers their first impression of your business.

Putting up a crap website is like showing up for a business meeting unshaved, stinky, wearing dirty clothes that are all ripped up.

You wouldn't want to look like a bum in a business meeting, so why should your business look like a bum on the Internet?

You need to invest some money if you want a professional website built by a reliable designer. You should also invest in good content writing and SEO implementation.

Your website represents you and your business. Make sure it shines.

Branding vs. Marketing

Branding is extremely important for any business. It's not a footnote, it's a big headline.

A rough analogy. You want to land a job interview for a high level executive position, for which you are qualified. So you buy a brand new suit, tie, and white shirt -- or you ladies buy a new business outfit and shoes.

That's similar to branding. But you don't just sit around, wearing your new interview garments, hoping the phone will ring.

After sophisticated branding, you then have to market that brand and sell your products and services.

Branding includes logos, tag lines, slogans, radio jingles, TV spokesperson, colors, CEO photos, etc. It's your identity, the first impression your business makes on customers. It's your corporate image, the company's overall personality.

Branding is based on (1) what differentiates you from your competitors, (2) how you position your company as Top of Mind Choice or Industry Leader, and (3) what problems you solve for customers.

Once you have determined what makes your company special, and describe that special aspect in terms of customer needs (NOT corporate bragging, with "we do this" boredom), you're ready to start a marketing campaign.

As a website content writer and SEO specialist, I can tell you that all your marketing material MUST be written in language your customers use.

You may have to introduce, and define, peculiar industry terminology, but most of your content must be customer-oriented and using their exact words.

All your radio commercials, TV spots, social media posts, billboards, brochures, email promotions, even down to corporate slogans and business cards, MUST be directed toward the customer's needs, problems, and interests.

It must NOT be "we-oriented", bureaucratic bloviating, corporate culture messaging. STOP doing that. STOP it right now. You need to understand how damaging it is to boast from the company's point of view.

Get to know how your customers talk about their needs. How they complain about competitors. The specific words and phrases they use when searching on Google for answers and solutions to their urgent problems.

For example, my business cards used to say "Web Content Development". That's how us IT guys and gals talk.

When I said that to clients, they'd always say, "You mean you write content for websites? You come up with the words to put in them?"

So I changed my statement to "Website Content Writing."

If you keep just this one idea firmly in mind, and judge all branding and marketing communications according to this rule, you'll be light years beyond most if not all of your competitors.

You WILL see sales and store traffic increase. Contact me for more specific recommendations for your particular business.

10 Worst Things a Business Can Do on Facebook

What are the biggest mistakes a business should avoid on Facebook?

Sprout Social lists these 5, and I add a few more....

(1) Post too many promotional messages. People are turned off by relentless, pushy ad campaigns and product announcements.

(2) Use slang and jargon that doesn't really fit with your brand or target audience (in a vain attempt to be "hip").

(3) Being impersonal, with no unique point of view, no sense of a real person behind the posts, too cold and bland.

(4) Misguided attempts to be comical, using humor that's not easy to understand -- or being satirical, but it's not obvious that satire is intended.

(5) Not responding at all, or not quickly enough, to comments, questions, complaints, etc.

Turned Off: How Brands Are Annoying Customers on Social

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/data/q3-2016/

I would add:

(6) Not posting information (including links to relevant news items) that positions your business as the leader in your field.

(7) Posting irrelevant information about sitcoms, Hollywood, fashion, etc. that has no bearing on what you sell, just to get a lot of Likes and comments.

(8) Not posting information about what differentiates your business from competitors.

(9) Not posting photos or videos of your products in use, solving problems for customers.

(10) Not posting videos of the CEO, business owner, or manager talking directly to potential customers, explaining how your products benefit people.