Posted by Jody Raines
Argh. Are you tired of Cold Calling? Another week of rejection on the phone?
Recently, when I attended the Voorhees Business Association lunch, one of my business acquaintances was sharing his frustration with making fruitless calls. It occurred to me, something is wrong with that picture...
Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if the leads came to you instead of doggedly pursuing them? Imagine a business where potential clients volunteer their contact information and even request you call them when they are ready to buy! Even more exciting, imagine that there are so many of these leads coming in that you barely have time to respond to them.
What's a sales person to do?
If your company is smart, they'll get on the band wagon of a new wave of Internet Strategy called inbound marketing. Inbound marketing in a nutshell, is positioning your website in a way that it becomes a lead magnet... But let me explain...
As an "Internet Strategist" my role is to help businesses take advantage of the power of the Internet to get found. How? The method I use is not really a secret, and I'm happy to share this with you.
Formula for inbound success on the Internet:
1. Develop your website with correct architecture. If your links are broken or your code is 'funky', you risk Google or Bing or Yahoo spidering your site and penalizing it. Make sure that your website is constructed correctly, and if you are not sure, try using our website grader. You can find this at www.websitegrader.com
2. SEO is important, but content is KING. Do you have a blog? Are your pages optimized? Is someone checking to be sure that you are being found in searches? What terms would your customers be using?
3. Are you posting comments and articles? Using Social Media? When did you post on Facebook last? How is your Linked In account holding up. Has your business created a Linked In business profile? Are you Tweeting on Twitter and if so, are you tracking the clicks on the shortened URLs?
4. Once you've been found, do you have a call-to-action that is compelling? Are potential customers sharing their contact info with you?
5. Who does your lead nurturing? What is the system you are using to follow up when someone submits their info?
SO much to do, so little time.. but if you consider that most people will search the Internet before making that large purchase, it makes sense to be found, and it makes sense to connect.
In closing, keep us in mind if you'd like a plan to help put an Internet marketing and strategy program together for your business. In the meantime, put your rap hat on and enjoy the video...
Posted by Jody Raines
The age of social media and viral video has changed the complexion of business communications.
Your employees are Twittering, posting on Facebook and "connecting" through Linked In. Should you condone this behavior or censure it? How does social media in New Jersey and Pennsylvania impact the way businesses go-to-market? And should it?
Many sharp business leaders are struggling with this question.
At a recent breakfast meeting, when Bob Earl, President of VBA (Voorhees Business Association) and owner of Express Personnel asked me to think about a good topic for the VBA to present, it sparked a passionate rant about the public relations nightmares that social media could foster. Imagine workers complaints about quality virally expanding through the Twittersphere. Or a disgruntled employee's criticism being re-tweeted with geometric progression. It's terrifying how vulnerable a company is these days.
So, what's a CEO to do?
Cut off the Internet? Hmm. That doesn't seem right. The Internet is full of good information and represents a valuable way to reach potential clients.
And hence an idea was born: To put together a panel of experts to discuss their perceptions of how to legally deal with Social Media from an HR perspective.
On February 10, at 8 am, I'll be moderating a panel which will focus on this issue. Our keynote speaker is Chris Blackman, VP of News for NBC 10 in Philadelphia. Chris is a true luminary and intellectual. Nonetheless, he faces an incredible challenge the likes of which would cause many HR professionals to cringe. Imagine if every employee on your staff had a following of thousands who truly pay attention to their every post or tweet. As VP of news, part of Chris's job is making the tough decisions that teeter at the edge of personal expressive freedom and the company's best interests.
In addition to Chris, our panel includes Alex Nemiroff of Archer Greiner. Alex specializes in Labor Law and he deals with issues surrounding social media on a daily basis. He'll share the state of the law as it exists and has evolved with regard to rights and ownership and usage.
We'll also hear from Deb Myerson, Licensed PI and paralegal for Intelysis. Deb uses the Internet, among other tools, to screen candidates for positions to report back to the employer. Deb will point out the wealth of information that can be found out about anyone, from ebay purchases to Amazon reviews, you'd be surprised how much you can learn.
Gary Finger, former Voorhees Mayor and former member of the Voorhees Township Committee is also an expert with pre-hire screening. Gary will highlight the strategies and legalities of investigating your employees.
The event starts at 8 am with a full breakfast (yep, including eggs!) at Elite Caterers, located at 333 Preston Ave in Voorhees, NJ. Cost to attend is $20.
If you have a business, or have employees, this is one event you won't want to miss.
More info at www.voorheesbusinessassociation.com