Business people, especially in small and medium sized organizations (SMO), tend to wear many hats. They don’t have a large staff of specialists working on a narrow task. So staff and managers in a SMO divide their time between many duties. Most SMO managers devote most of their time to the core competency items crucial to running their business. Support functions to the core business activities often are allocated as little time as possible. One such support task is marketing defined as anything that brings prospects into the sales process like brand building and advertising.

Many advertising methods are not very time consuming to setup nor do they require much ongoing time to maintain. Things like newspaper ads, yellow page ads, billboards, signage, and repeat radio spots can be created with a little bit of front end effort but require little or no ongoing activity other than paying for repeat ads. Publish some sort of ad and then wait for the phone to ring or a customer to walk in the door. This a set-it-up once, go passive, and then hope for the best approach that  fits in well with the time constraints faced by most SMO managers. But is it effective in today’s world?

A passive approach advertising strategy is great if it works and it did for decades. But then along came the Internet. SMO managers reacted by creating a website which they used as a digital brochure that they created once, seldom updated and then sat back and hoped for the best – just like in the good old days of traditional advertising. That worked for a while, but along came search engines and the era of pull marketing appeared where competing for page #1 in search engines is important. Online marketing began to demand more time from SMO managers.

Then came Web 2.0, the era of user generated content. Suddenly a passive approach to the Internet using a static website with search optimization was not enough. SMO managers had to find the time to interact with customers. As the explosion of social media and content publication websites appeared, the demands on the time of SMO managers increased significantly. Where to find the time to participate in blogs, review sites, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, directories, etc, etc, etc?

Today we are in Internet Marketing era referred to as the ‘Content Marketing’ era. Content has always been king in marketing – what you say, who says it, how you say it, and where you say it ultimately is the most important aspect of advertising. But with the emergence of Social Media and multiple content publication sources, never have so many diverse communication options been available with the end user having as much access as the advertisers. So the time needed by advertisers to do everything has exploded.

So what did SMO managers do? Some saw the opportunities and adjusted their priorities and jumped in. But many just couldn’t find the time or chose to ignore the revolution in marketing and clung to increasingly ineffective old-world marketing methods; for example they keep running Yellow Page and newspaper ads even though that isn’t working well anymore. They just don’t have the time for digital world marketing or have time but resist the change.

However, tools are catching up with the challenge of managing digital marketing. One such tool is WSI ReachCast. ReachCast offers technology that allows loading content in one website hub called a Cast Page. From the ReachCast hub content is published across all of an organization’s web properties while at the same time monitoring chatter within the Internet for comments about that organization. And better yet, ReachCast includes real live humans that provide content for the organization and manage the publication of that content via the ReachCast system.

So with ReachCast, an SMO manager with very little time commitment can maximize the marketing opportunities the Internet provides. More, Content, More Places, More Customers. Problem solved; Internet Content Marketing without the learning curve and time commitment. To see how, view the below 5 minute videos and then contact us to discuss how to leverage your precious time.

Introducing ReachCast

About ReachCast

Because of the cost, mass marketing was mostly the realm of big companies and corporations.  Small companies relied more on word-of-mouth with an occasional advertising splurge.  And a handful of media ‘anchormen’ were the face and voice of what was deemed newsworthy by the media network managers.  No company could be sure how mass print and radio news media would treat news about their company.

Then came the 3 screens.

Screen #1 was TV. WOW!  A screen in most living rooms across America could display an ad with moving images and sound! Millions could view and listen to the same message at the same time. Of course the cost for advertising in this amazing distribution channel made it exclusively the realm of large organizations.  So the whole country was exposed to product song and dance messaging like:

• Winston tastes good like a cigarette should
• Ajax laundry detergent is stronger than dirt
• Please don’t squeeze the Charmin
• Coca-Cola – It’s the real thing
• You’ll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsident
• See the USA in your Chevrolet

Sales of household & personal care products soared.  Fortunes were made advertising cars, cigarettes, cameras, sun glasses, watches; you name it and it could be sold via a TV screen – if you had the money for the ads.  Of course, news was still controlled by the networks.

Then came the Internet.  Screen #2 was the computer monitor.  Websites sprung up like dandelions in Spring.  Anyone, with a modest investment, could have a website to broadcast to the world information, offers, and ads about their business. Big, medium, and small companies jumped in.

The problem soon became that no one could find anything online easily because of all of the clutter. So along came search engines and search marketing.  With the right approach, organizations were being found by eager customers – a business did not need to go hunting for clients.

And soon the general public found out they controlled Internet content. Soon everyone was sharing news, reviews, opinions, and advice.  This is of course referred to as social media.  The gatekeepers of information have lost their grip. The era of democracy in information publication has arrived.  Anyone sitting at their computer is a potential publisher or consumer of information and news.

And now screen #3 is arriving in vast numbers. Screen #3 is all the mobile devices made possible by cellular technology.  Now each of us can carry with us anywhere a screen that is connected to the Internet and thus the world. We are now always, everywhere able to send and receive information.

Last month there were more smart phones sold than PCs so the next era is upon us.  And did you know that when emails are sent only about 33% are opened at all and on average it takes recipients about 24 hours to get around to reading the messages they do read. In contrast, a text message sent via a cell phone is on average opened 93% of the time within 5 minutes.  A new era is dawning.

Hmmm… A gadget that is carried everywhere by a growing number of people; it sends and receives audio and video; it is answered almost instantly; and it is increasingly affordable.   What’s not to like?  Advertisers are discovering the benefits of mobile marketing and growth is inevitable.

So what era is your organization in? Are you still a pre-screen advertiser? Or do you have the resources for the TV screen? Or have you entered the age of enlightenment by using Screen #2 and #3?  If not, why not?

In the late 90′s static, brochure websites were the rage. Websites evolved into e Commerce sales engines. Search Engines sprang up to help us sort through the clutter that was the Internet.  Thus search engine optimization and advertising became important at the turn of the century.

Several years ago static websites evolved into ‘Web 2.0″ sites with customer service features and dynamic user generated content.  User generated content became the driver for social media membership websites where people can share opinions, information, and reviews.

We are now entering the era where mobile connectivity  is practical.  An array of mobile devices enables people to be connected all the time wherever they are. Most of the things you can do on a desktop or laptop you can now do with a mobile device.

As technology evolved one thing never changed. The early adopters jumped on board quickly while the mainstream lagged behind. All stages of Internet business utilization go through phases of ‘interesting’ to ‘mainstream’  to ‘mandatory’.  There is always a lag between when technology becomes available and when it becomes mature – from just being interesting to becoming mandatory.  Big companies usually show the way and then the methods are scaled to small and medium companies’ needs.

Websites, including online sales when appropriate, are now mandatory. Search optimization and advertising are mostly mainstream if not mandatory. The public has embraced social media, but many businesses are lagging behind the demand. And business utilization and user acceptance of mobile is in the early adopter stage.

What companies need today, if they know it or not, is a holistic Web Presence, not just a website. Web Presence includes:

1. A High Class Web Destination (flagship website)
2. Active Social Media Pages (and related reputation management)
3. Mobile Delivery Capability
4. Traffic Generation Tactics
5. Content Marketing (more content, more places, more customers)
6. Measurement (including ROI)

But to create and manage a Web Presence you’ve got to work at it and that is what is separating web success from failure for most companies; they don’t work at it. In the old days, businesses used Yellow Pages, newspapers, postal mail, print ads, and maybe radio/TV to push out their message and there wasn’t much work involved. 

With the reality of the Internet those days are gone.  You have got to work at Internet utilization to push and pull interactivity with customers.  But most companies, large, medium, and small, have not committed the time and budget resources needed to learn how and implement a Web Presence.

So what’s the answer to the know-how and resource problem?

• Technology tools are needed to consolidate files (articles, audio, video, announcements, events, etc) and simplify the process of publishing the files via a managed Web Presence which includes a website, social media pages, directory listings, blogs, article publications, local search pages, mobile content, reputation management, etc.
• A Web Presence Professional is needed to oversee the Web Presence Technology Platform, help create your Web Presence, and act as expert strategist and publisher.

Well… help is on the way in the form of WSI ReachCast.  Contact me for information about how your organization can easily create a total Web Presence and bring order out of the possible chaos of managing your multiple web properties and web space.

Special Webinar: How Google’s New “Place Search” Feature Impacts Your Business – Learn About Place Search and How to Stay Competitive

If you’ve conducted a local search in Google recently, you’ve noticed a different layout in the results – changes that impact search advertising for businesses.  Register below for a timely special edition WSI webinar where Internet marketing experts will discuss the changes that have recently taken place in Google search. The new Google Place Search feature has become a game changer in local search and education about it is vital for local businesses to leverage the advertising opportunities available online.https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/635863608

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM CST - FREE - Register Here -

If you currently advertise your business via Google or are thinking about it, you need to attend this webinar to learn about Place Search.  This is a BIG DEAL, especially for local businesses.

See what Google has to say about Places

Short answer = yes

A longer answer is covered in this eMarketer Article

In Explanation: Small businesses (fewer than 10 employees) typically serve a local market.  Reports from multiple sources all concluded that 90+% of Internet users use social media and search engines to look for and assess local products and services.  Search engines are used the most, but social media is not far behind and growing in usage.

There are 127 million USA Internet users of social media. The chances are customers of small businesses are among that number.

And it is important to realize that ads show up by different methods in social VS search. In search, an ad shows up when a person (AKA prospect) types a search term into an inquiry field. That is inbound marketing as that person is looking for a specific product. In social sites like Facebook an ad shows up based on the interest profile of the person (prospect). This is outbound marketing where the business is getting in front of a likely prospect.

For example: If a person was looking for hunting gear they might type hunting clothes into a search engine and find a local sporting goods store. In social media, that same person might have indicated hunting was one of their hobbies when setting up their profile. While that person is in a social media site an ad for a local sporting goods store would show up automatically, based on their profile, and thus alert that person to the local sporting goods store where he can buy hunting clothes.

So… yes social media marketing works for small businesses if its social media presence is optimized and setup properly. Want to learn more? Contact me

So the health of small companies is important to the economy.  Small companies need to sustain sales or grow to stay healthy. Are small companies adapting to changing times to promote their sales and stay healthy? Evidence suggestions the answer is some are, but not enough.

It is now a digital world with digital customers and companies must become digital too. Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj0b8sUdGYA Online is where it is at.

But most small businesses still devote most of their online budget to…. their website. What’s wrong with that you ask? Well… a website is just a container for information – a destination.  Like any destination, you need to entice people to go there. You get people to go to a website by advertising it via search optimization, search advertising, or via incoming links from other virtual locations.  Small companies still don’t invest enough in generating traffic to their destination.

And Internet users (80% of all people who are still breathing) have moved beyond just visiting websites. People use the Internet to have a conversation, to share, or to get what they need more efficiently; that is what Social Media, things like YouTube, and self-serve online customer service are all about. Yet small businesses undervalue search marketing, email marketing, social marketing, sharing (blogs, video, etc), and automated customer service. Instead, they are content with just having a pretty website and even that is often not well done.

Most small business websites are just digital billboard type sites with general company information – ho hum. Most sites lack interactivity, customer service, lead capturing, and conversion elements. The owners of those types of sites don’t get it and often they don’t know what they don’t know.

While not totally useless, many small businesses cling primarily to old methods to keep their sales healthy like networking, customer referrals, newspaper ads, or oh-my-goodness are you kidding me… many still cling to Yellow Page advertising. Businesses caught in the old-era marketing twilight zone are on an unhealthy advertising diet and are going to be sick if they are not already.

Yes, a business needs a website. No, a website by itself isn’t enough.  You need traffic driven to your website from many sources. You need to engage the public in the virtual world outside of your website and invite them in. And you need to convert traffic from visitors to customers after they arrive.  Most small businesses still have not learned how to do those things. Their success and the economy would be a lot healthier if they moved beyond just having a website.

With the growth of smart phones and mobile devices like the iPad mobile advertising has started to take off. If you are a business person, why should you care?

Email Marketing is very effective, but consider this. The best email campaigns have an open rate of around 1/3 and the email when opened is typically up to 2 days old. Social ‘mail’ and Tweets are only read while logged in, if then. Mobile text messages on the other hand have an open rate of 9/10 and are read on average within 5 minutes of being sent.

The 90+% open rate and near immediate reading makes mobile marketing ideal for local businesses sending special offers, for event promotion, or for professional services as appointment reminders, etc. See some examples here.

User  acceptance of mobile ads is growing and advertising congestion has not yet set in. Now, while mobile marketing is in its infancy, is the time for advertisers to jump in.

Interested, but not sure how to go about mobile marketing? No worries. WSI has just launched a Mobile Marketing platform that offers turn key services with self-managed or WSI managed capabilities. WSI takes care of all setup administration including short codes and keywords, provides an online administration platform and reporting system, and then turns things over to you or offers managed services.

Checkout www.M3Mobile360.com and then Contact Us for sign up or more information.

Since forever businesses controlled the message to the masses about their brand and products via outbound ads in radio, TV, and in various publications like newspapers, magazines, Yellow Pages, and billboards. Businesses could say whatever they liked to mass audiences. What were unhappy consumers with an opposing view supposed to do? A consumer could not afford to take out ad space in TV, radio, newspapers, etc, etc.

Mass communication had a huge cost barrier to entry and that meant businesses had a monopoly on mass communications. And then along came the Internet. For almost no cost anyone could access the world.

But at first the Internet didn’t make it easy to reach really big audiences. Email could reach a large, but limited audience for example. Websites could only attract so many visitors.

But then came forums and mass communication became easier, And then blogs and it became easier. And then Social Media and product review sites sprang up and the lid was taken off mass communications.

Businesses got onto the Social Media bandwagon also. But many businesses are doing it all wrong. Same with many politicians. Many companies and candidates are trying to use Social Media as an outbound ad delivery system in the same old business as usual manner.

Businesses try using Social Media for ads and to publish self-serving articles. Politicians often use it to spread their ‘propaganda’ and to solicit donations.

WRONG. Social Media is an inbound, bottom up , not top down media. Social Media works best when the masses talk and businesses and politicians listen. But businesses and politicians are not used to listening, they are used to talking.

Businesses and politicians must learn it is not business as usual – the public is in control of the message. Believe it. Accept it. Learn to work with it.

Thanksgiving + Black Friday + Cyber Monday + Christmas + New Years = Sales Opportunities

Online driven consumer activity grows each year. Are you connecting with online consumers? Customers find your business online via the following. Are you ready?

• Search Engine Optimization
• Search marketing
• Local Search (Google Places, etc)
• Social Media Interactions and Promotions
• Directory Listings
• Email Campaigns
• Banner ads
• Online syndicated Videos
• Mobile Marketing

And does your website perform well when customers arrive? Is your site ready?

• Search Optimized
• Landing Page Optimized
• User Friendly (navigation, shopping basket, etc)
• Conversion Oriented (customer profiling, clear & timely information, content marketing, calls-to-action, etc)

Digital Consumers drive sales thus the Digitization of Business has arrived.
In doubt? View this brief video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj0b8sUdGYA

Now is the time to act if you want to maximize your Holiday Season sales.

Contact the Digital Marketing Professionals at WSI Internet Marketing. We will provide a complimentary assessment of your business Digital Holiday Readiness.

To your success this holiday season,

WSI Internet Marketing
262  898  7142 /Contact Us
www.wsinorth.com or www.wsidigitalmarketing.com

See here what I mean by the Digitization of Business.

Stay tuned, WSI Cast is launching in December to allow you to manage your digital content, reputation, and Internet presence across all of your Internet properties from one easy to use location.