Social Marketing Webinars

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you've no doubt heard mention of Facebook, Twitter, and maybe even LinkedIn on a daily basis. Are you confused by these sites? Not sure how to use them, and feel completely lost when your friends talk about them? Want to find out the best way to utilize these sites to promote your business? I will be offering some online seminars over the next few months, and for a nominal fee, you will be able to join a 2-hour Social Marketing 101 online seminar which will explain it all. More info coming soon!

Free Social Networking Buttons!

Free button icons for promoting Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr...the list goes on....on your website! - www.mysocialbuttons.com

Should a Marketing Pitch Be Focused or Comprehensive?

My question was recently featured in Inc. Magazine:

Q: Should a Marketing Pitch Be Focused or Comprehensive?

What's the best strategy for a sales pitch when there are many services available?

We offer multiple services, including hold messages and Web design. In our marketing materials and sales pitches, should we promote all of our services or focus on one?

Amir Watynski
President
Watt Media
Coral Springs, Florida

A: Research shows that most human brains can hold only a few thoughts at a time. Assuming you are targeting humans, it's best to edit.

The kitchen-sink approach confuses potential clients, says Vaden Landers, CEO of ProfitPoint, based in Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania. He learned that lesson when ProfitPoint first branched out from gift-card and customer-loyalty programs into services such as credit card processing and merchant cash advances. "We'd throw everything at them," says Landers. "Fifteen or 20 minutes later, people would forget why they called in the first place." A narrower pitch scored more hits.

Once clients have made the acquaintance of one or two offerings, just keep on making introductions. And stay in touch with those customers who don't want the whole enchilada at once. ProfitPoint stays visible by sending gift-card customers biweekly e-mail newsletters with tips on using its services and occasional discounts. Those e-mails have attracted clients to newer services, which now generate 30 percent of gross profits. "Once you've established a rapport, it is much easier to go back to those clients," Landers says.

One way to make things clearer for customers is to explain how all your products work together. LEVEL5, based in Atlanta, offers construction, marketing, real estate, design, and consulting services for financial institutions. Chairman J.F. Kassler emphasizes how the sum of those parts is a greater whole for expanding clients. Once LEVEL5 has supervised construction of a bank's new branch, for example, it can help attract customers to keep that branch hopping. "We weave the services together as we uncover their needs," says Kassler. (At this point you may be tempted to use the word synergy. We urge you to show restraint.)

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Here's the direct link to it: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20090701/ask-inc-should-a-marketing-pitch-be-focused.html

I'm in Inc. Magazine!

I'm in the current issue of Inc. Magazine, p. 112 in the "Ask Inc." column. I will post a link as soon as the issue is online.

Does it Make Sense to Have Two (or More) Websites?

Sometimes it makes sense to have more than just one website, even if they are all for the same company and have lots of similar content. Why would you want to do this? If you can get two or more sites ranking well, then you have basically blocked out the competition and diluted search results a bit.

Say you sell garage doors, and have a really good site that ranks well. Then you add another site with a different url, which has different content, but still about your company. Once this site starts ranking well also, you can target a different set of key words, so now you have a much broader set of key words, or you can rank for the same key words as your first website. If someone searches for garage doors, if both sites show up, you increase the chances that someone will visit one of your sites - it's that simple.

This only makes sense if you can design and update the content yourself, or don't mind paying someone else to design the site for you. Don't go half way, setting up the site yourself but then not getting around to building it. Either decide that you will do it, or that you don't have the time or don't want to spend the money. Here's some food for thought though - if you get one or two sales due to having a second site, is it worth it?

Ft. Lauderdale Company Offers OsCommerce Zen Cart Websites

Do you have a website, but are looking to sell products on it? Do you currently have an e-commerce website that uses Zen Cart or OsCommerce for the shopping cart? At Watt Media, we build e-commerce sites, allowing you to sell your products online, using OsCommerce, Zen Cart, and other shopping carts.

Your online store will give you full control over adding, deleting, and editing products, prices, and item descriptions. You will also be able to accept credit cards and checkout will be secure and encrypted, for customer peace of mind.

If you already have a Zen Cart or osCommerce site, and need support or a web company to maintain it or make some changes for you, we can help there as well. Our developers are experts in both shopping cart systems.