It’s 2011.  There is a new day and age in technology, in how we do business, and in how we interact with others on a macro and micro scale.  Yet, here we are, recycling the same old marketing schemes over and over again.

I’m referring to the phrase “Click Here.”  I wrote a marketing article a couple of years ago emphasizing our need to back away from our usage of that 1999 phrase and be more proactive in our call-to-action messages and methods of cultivating customer relationships. Sadly, that proactive emphasis has gone to deaf ears, as I still continue to see such unattractive and non-engaging verbiage in many sites and many campaigns. Continue Reading »

If you’re working for a small business, chances are, you’re wearing “multiple” hats as part of your job description.  And with multiple hats, you may be responsible for being the “go-to” person for any of  the areas you cover in your company.  So, with all of the “hats” that you wear, can you do it all and do it well?

Below you’ll find several key issues (or as some would say, “mild concerns”) that are predominant within the small business community.

Human Resources

I believe that this is the biggest need and possibly the hardest obstacle to address. Small businesses can have minimal amount of people to do the job and do it well.  It is even harder for a one-person or two-person entity to wear the notoriously many hats of a small business, let alone the social face of one.

Technology Resources

This, I think, is a very close second to human resource issues, if not tied to it.  Side by side with human resources issues, technological savviness can be difficult to achieve without the necessary tools to become savvy.  And if you employ an intern with limited technical knowledge or savvy ingenuity, then it gets harder to become relevant.

Financial Resources

A close third deals with the moolah.  The almighty dollar.  The budget (you guys remember what that is?).  Hard to get employees who are rich in knowledge, wisdom, and education when budgets are limited for new hires, let alone for hardware, software, and other small business expenses.

Time Management

Critical time management work is essential for balancing your business needs, especially when there is a lack of human resources. Being a small business owner myself, it takes lots of time and effort to conduct just the everyday “business” of business without having to put on your social media hat.  And honestly, how much time do we even take out to do social marketing when there is a gazillion of other things to do?

Social Relationships

Generating, managing, and maintaining social relationships online is almost as hard as conducting the same in real life, except that “real life” is now involving your online social “friends.”  And what of your potential costumers?  Finding them, engaging with them, and ultimately getting them to do business with you is hard enough in the physical world…

Any Thoughts?

What are other ways that makes it difficult for small business owners to compete in the social marketing realm?  Send me your thoughts!

The continued rise of social mediums created more increased exposure for all brand sizes, small to large, to participate in an “equal” platform.  As more and more companies and brands get on the social media “craze,” this playing field is a lot more than just your ordinary marketing avenue.  There are tremendous possibilities to gain by initiating in social media marketing (SMM).  While increased brand exposure and recognition is possibly the first and foremost for most businesses, there are other similar benefits that your company can experience that would help the growth and stability of your company.  These are in no particular order:

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Being in marketing, I know specifically first-hand that when a company goes under, or when it is trying to cut costs, the marketing department is “usually” (and I say this loosely) the first of several departments to go first. I understand some of the reasons why, and I know that some of those reasons that I have gathered from my former employers and managers are that companies need to keep the workers that do between 65-80% of the work for said companies to stay afloat. That I definitely understand and do know that work has to be done to be able to generate as much positive ROI as possible. I also don’t want to assume that ALL marketing employees will be let go during a company crisis. But let’s take this reason to a whole new level, shall we? Continue Reading »

On the topic of online content development, nothing irks me the most than seeing “click here” on any online marketing element/initiative — websites, email marketing, and otherwise — and especially in those sites that say that they offer search engine marketing services and optimization, or online content development.  I won’t name names or sites, since I don’t believe in tattle-taling (as much LOL), but I do want to address this issue firsthand and get this off of my chest.

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I’ve had multiple conversations in the past few days about the foundations of web design in a marketing-centric world, and it’s very interesting to hear other people’s take on the effectiveness of web site design.  I’ve talked to one who was completely downplaying site design and instead focusing on content mostly, and on the other extreme, I’ve had back and forth discussions with one whom site design is the key to a relevant marketable site.  So, is there a right or wrong answer?  While I believe that relevant content is definitely going to keep the user in the site, the design plays a role in determining whether or not the user is going to even want to try to stay there.   Here’s my 2 cents:

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Do you think that social bookmarking is over the top?  Does it bother you to see multiple social bookmarking links like Furl, Simpy, Technorati, etc. on web sites?  Why or why not?  I’m interested in seeing what people, both tech-savvy and tech-challenged, think about them now that they’re more popular, and how such technology is changing the way users are seeing web applications, products, brands, usability, functionality, marketing, and so forth.