Brian Tracy

December 29, 2008 | 1 Comment

I am involved with Brian Tracy for the first time because I joined iLearning Global in his down line.

Before that, I’d never looked at much of what Brian Tracy did, but I knew who he was and I had heard about all the people that respect him.  And after seeing Brian Tracy’s Videos on iLearning Global I have grown to respect him as well.

The interesting thing for me on this blog is BRAND protection.  Brian Tracy does a good job of locking up his organic searches on google for his name.  I think all 10 are favorable for him and probably owned by him.  Many other long term word combinations with his name are not locked down well, but that is time consuming and hard to do.

What fascinated me more is the heavy attack on his personal brand with Google Adwords - just look at the image to the right of the ads that appear when you search on Brian Tracy.

Maybe that is a sign of when you have really made it.  When people feel compelled to try to steal your thunder by running ads for your name and trying to lure people that are clearly interested in your message away from you, it is really the ultimate sign of respect.

Personally I think it is kind of sad, but Brian Tracy probably gets the last laugh as people that are looking for his name most likely do not click much on the ads that are defaming Brian.

The image to the left does not click anyplace - it is there to illustrate the point.  If you want to see some of these ads live and clickable, go do your own lookup of Brian Tracy.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Branding, Networking 

Old School Marketing

December 29, 2008 | 4 Comments

It is popular to talk about social media, influentials and Web 2.0. But does that mean the old school marketing has stopped working?

No, it means that there are more ways to reach people and depending on your target market, you have more options that all may be less effective than in the past when there were fewer options (and more people condensed into fewer communication channels.)

Here are some old school marketing techniques that still work.

  1. Press Releases - When it used to be really read by the press, it was appropriate to call it a press release.  Now I would call it a news broadcast.  I do not believe a press release will usually find any major writers but I do think that you are going to get some good exposure and good back links to your website.  Also, if you focus on a niche or use the more expensive services you may still hit some great media outlets.
  2. Email - Way more attention seems to be given to social media than email marketing.  However, email marketing will still generate a lot more money for you.  It is an essential part of your marketing and if you bought the whole Email is Dead crap, you jumped on the wrong bandwagon.  I make most of my money from email and SEO.
  3. SEO - Search Engine Optimization is not the new hot thing, but if there is one area that is actually using social media well, it is the people that get how SEO and Social Media tie in together.  The key with SEO is that if you are in a tight target niche with little competition, you can probably pay for a one time project and reap the rewards for a long time.  If you are in an even slightly competitive market, you need someone that goes to war on your behalf every month to increase ranking and get more pages indexed.
  4. Old Websites - Do you have one of those old websites sitting around that looks like late 90’s and does date back to then?  Don’t touch it without talking to a professional!  The age of your website is very valuable and the pages should not be changed unless you have someone that can look at your ranking first.  I updated one of these old sites after some research and got fantastic results within 3 days - I am talking #1 rankings where a lot of other people were fighting for it.  These old sites have great credibility in the eyes of search engines and can be ignited by a good search engine specialist.
  5. Directories - Things like directories seem out of date, but getting listed in a good directory still gives you a valuable back-link and can generate a steady (if not huge) stream of traffic.  Some of my favorite are technorati and blogcatalog - but the older (less shiny) ones are still effective if you get into them too.
  6. Link Exchanges - These things have a bad name, and anything that automates the process I would stay away from.  However, doing an occasional link exchange with someone else in your industry will help - not hurt - your website.  If link exchanges actually hurt websites, most blogs with blog rolls would be thrown out of Google long ago since they often link to each other.  This is one of those things that still works, you just have to be smart about it.
  7. Word of Mouth - The oldest of the old school marketing is the new cool.  Finding ways to get people to talk about you are the holy grail of cutting through the clutter.  But it may just not work for you - you really have to be differentiated.

Dead Marketing - Some things are really gone

Yes, there are some marketing techniques that are really gone.  Do not do the following -

  • Pass out your audio book on 8 track tape.
  • SPAM - Does anyone fall for that now?
  • Dressing up as a gorilla and selling encyclopedias door to door - OK, this still works but don’t do it.

Most things will still work with good execution and message.  Just be realistic about how people’s attention has scattered.  You need to scatter your message where your niche market is to make sure they can find you.  But that does not mean you throw the old school marketing in the garbage.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Buzzoodle, Internet Marketing, Marketing ROI 

Blog Blazers - Stephane Grenier

December 28, 2008 | 2 Comments

Blog Blazers is a new book by Stephane Grenier, although he wrote few of the actual words.

Instead, he went out and interviewed 40 top bloggers and assembled their interviews into a book.

If you are looking for the one secret that will take your blog to the next level, it might be in there, but it will not be crystal clear.

I find this book fascinating because of the diversity of the answers.  One blogger will say adwords does not work, another says he makes $20,000 per month from Google Adwords.  Some say the headline of a blog is important, while others stress the content.

Sure, there are some things they all seem to agree on - good writing is fairly obvious.  But it is in the areas that these bloggers differ that I find more interesting.  And it shows how diverse the topic is.

If you are thinking about blogging, you are blogging but no one is reading it or if you want to rethink your blogging strategy, you should pick this book up.  No, it does not give you a clear blue print, but it is a feast of information to think about and find the pieces that apply to you.

Here is a list of the successful bloggers interviewed in Blog Blazers

  1. Aaron Wall - SEO Book
  2. Abdylas Tynyshov - AdesBlog.com
  3. Al Carlton - Coolest-Gadgets.com
  4. Alex Papadimoulis - The Daily WTF
  5. Andy Brice - Successful Software
  6. Anita Campbell - Small Business Trends
  7. Asha Dornfesh - Parent Hacks
  8. Ben Casnocha - My Startup Life
  9. Benjamin Yoskovitz - Instigator Blog
  10. Bob Walsh - 47 Hats
  11. Dan Lyons - The Secret Diaries of Steve Jobs
  12. Dane Carlson - Business Opportunities Weblog
  13. David Armano - Logic + Emotion
  14. David Seah - David Seah
  15. Derek Semmler - Derek Semmler
  16. Dharmesh Shaw - On Startups: A Community for Entrepreneurs
  17. Eric Sink - Erik.Weblog()
  18. Ian Landsman - UserScape
  19. James & Alex - Google SightSeeing
  20. J.D. Roth - Get Rich Slowly
  21. Jeff Atwood - Coding Horror
  22. Jeff Clavier - Jeff Clavier’s Software Only
  23. Jennette Fulda - Half of Me
  24. Jennifer Perry - 101 Reasons I Hate Being Fat
  25. Jessamyn West - Librarian.net
  26. Joel Cheesman - Cheezhead
  27. Jonathan Snook - Snook.ca
  28. Manolo Blahnik - Manolo’s Shoe Blog
  29. Neil Patel - Quick Sprout
  30. Pamela Slim - Escape from Cubicle Nation
  31. Patrick McKenzie - MicroISV on a Showstring
  32. Penelope Trunk - Brazen Careerist
  33. Ramit Sethi - I Will Teach You To Be Rich
  34. Rob Walling - Software By Rob
  35. Rohin Bhargava - Influential Marketing Blog
  36. Seth Godin - Seth Godin
  37. Stephane Grenier - Follow Steph
  38. Steve Rubel - Micro Persuasion
  39. Trent Hamm - The Simple Dollar
  40. Yaro Starak - Entrepreneur’s Journey

You may want to bookmark this page and come back after you by the book, Blog Blazers, to check out each blog quickly after reading the interviews.  Combining the interview and the blog visit is very insightful.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog 

TwitBlogger - The new Z-List?

December 23, 2008 | 7 Comments

Over on the Servant of Chaos blog there is a new post about the old z-list.

I am copying that list below this post, but instead of rehashing the old blog meme, I think it would more interesting to start something new that integrates Twitter and Blogging.

So here it is: You may copy this to your blog and add 3-5 people that you think provide the most interesting experience combining blogging and twitter. If they are not active on both, do not add them to the list. Feel free to add yourself, but don’t be a dork and do it if you are not using both tools.

I would suggest you follow everyone on the list in Twitter (since they are all added because of being interesting)

The Z-List TwitBloggers

Name Blog Twitter Category
Mack Collier Viral Garden Twitter Social Media
Gavin Heaton Servant of Chaos Twitter Marketing
Zadi Diaz - Epic FU Zadi Diaz Twitter Video - Fun
Phil Gerbyshak Make is Great Twitter Motivation
Mike Sansone Converstations Twitter Writing
Ben Yoskovitz Instigator Blog Twitter Entrepreneurship
Ron McDaniel Buzzoodle Blog Twitter Internet Marketing
Chris Brogan Chris Brogan Twitter Social Media

Add your favorites and pass it along

Old Z-List - Feel Free to Update into the new TwitBlogger Z-List if they are doing both.

You may or may not want to copy the blow list as part of the post - your choice.

Originally Started by Mack

Blog Name Author Location Category 10 Word Description
Calico Monkey Animation Focuses on the  ToonBoom software to create animation.
Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together Tammy Vitale Maryland, USA Art Art-focused, including thoughts on the art that Tammy produces.
Woolgathering Elizabeth Perry Art Looking, thinking, drawing, being
World Blog Collection ugyen Blog aggregator Blog listings categorized by type; goal to add 1000 links in ’07.
Blogging Secret Louiss Lim Malaysia Blogging Part personal but mostly blogging related site.
Blogging to Fame Divya Uttam India Blogging All aspects of online business from SEO to usability and blogging.
Blog-Op Chris Lodge Blogging How to improve your blogging by Chris and others.
Daily Blog Tips Daniel Blogging Tips to improve your blogging from tools to design.
Mike’s Money Making Mission Mike Blogging Making money using free blogs.
One Reader at a Time Bob Glaza Blogging One blogger’s experiment in building and engaging with online communities.
Ruminate this site The Ruminator Maine, USA Blogging Reviews blogs and sites so that we don’t have to.
SMogger Social Media Blog Linda Bustos Vancouver, Canada Blogging The ethical use of social media for bloggers and other web users.
SuccessCREEations Chris Cree Georgia, USA Blogging Blog Consultant bringing the twin passions of business and blogging together.
Successful Blog Liz Strauss Blogging The legendary Liz Strauss, blogger extraordinaire and creator of the SOB award.
Troy Worman’s Blog Troy Worman Jacksonville, USA Blogging Focus on writing, ideas and connections
Copywriter’s Crucible Matt Ambrose UK Blogging, Copywriting The importance of copy in corporate blogging
Copywriting Tuneups Eric Rosen Blogging, Copywriting How to measure reading effectiveness and why it is important in the blogosphere
Dipping into the Blogpond Meg Sydney, Australia Blogging, Tech Blogging about starting an Internet company in the Sutherland Shire.
BrandSizzle Anne Simons Branding Broad and deep insight into the branding process.
Own Your Brand! Mike Wagner Iowa, USA Branding Blog to help businesses re-imagine their brands.
The Emerging Brand Anna Farmery UK Branding Corporate branding blog focused on leadership.
The Engaging Brand Anna Farmery UK Branding Using technology and marketing knowledge to improve business communications.
What is Brand? Japan Branding Japanese readers/speakers? Anyone?
Presentation Zen Garr Reynolds Japan Business (Site in English) Tips for great presentations, marketing, and business communications.
Bob Sutton Bob Sutton California, USA Business Discussions of “jerks” in business.
Perspective Niti Bhan Asia Business Health, wealth and the freedom to choose. Archived blog. New one is jugaad (http://www.nitibhan.com/jugaad).
Ramblings from a Glass Half Full Terry Starbucker Connecticut, USA Business Views on business life.
Simplicity Mary’s Blog Mary Schmidt New Mexico, USA Business Business development, marketing troubleshooting
Funny Business Scrambled Toast Business commentary Wide ranging discussion on business with a funny and pictorial approach.
Creative Think Roger von Oech California, USA Business, Creativity Fun Ideas to stimulate your creativity.
The Copywriting Maven Roberta Rosenberg Washington DC, USA Copywriting Marketing and SEO copywriting tips.
Brain Based Biz Robyn McMaster Creativity Tips for stirring creativity in business.
Experienceology Stephanie Weaver California, USA Customer Experience How to create great customer experiences on the web and in the “real” world.
QAQNA Tom Vander Well Iowa, USA Customer service Business blog on call centers, quality assessment, and customer service.
Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid! Tim Jackson Cycling, Blogging The irrepressible Tim MasiGuy Jackson and Co’s slant on bicycle marketing.
MineThatData Kevin Hillstrom Database Marketing Tips for database marketing from the viewpoint of a DM wiz.
Design Sojourn DT Sydney and Singapore Design How to do good design and create clever products.
aialone JT (Jon) Winebrenner Canada Design, tech Design, innovation, as well as Jon’s cartoons!
Frozen Puck Brock Skywalker Canada Eclectic Making cool stuff with expensive toys
Africa Unchained Emeka Okafor Economy Discussing issues and solutions in Africa.
Energy Blog Energy Industry News, information and updates on the Energy generation industry.
Movie Marketing Madness Chris Entertainment, marketing Marketing with a focus on Hollywood. No info on About page.
gDiapers Jason Oregon, USA Environment Corporate blog discussing environmental issues.
Time to Budget Mona Weathers Finance How to gain financial freedom by controlling your finances.
Soloride Paul Sanchez California, USA Fundraising A project raising awareness and funds for children with dyslexia and learning differences
Girls Swimsuits Preety Girls The name says it all, new site, small archive.
Home Business Wiz Barbra Sundquist Canada Home business Collection of resources about home business.
Working at Home on the Internet Joe Hauckes Home business, Blogging Home business entrepreneurs and making money from home
Kristie T Kristie Tamsevicius Home business, Online Money Making Fun, mom-geared work-at-home tips and advice on making money on the net.
Asia Inspection Community Industrial Blog for Inspection Engineers based in Asia. Includes job board.
Employment Law Colorado Peter Mullison Colorado, USA Law Resource for employers and employees on Colorado employment law
Leading Questions Ed Brenegar USA Leadership Real life leadership, organisational tranformation and practical tips for leaders of all kinds.
Steve Olson Steve Olson Life Chronicling one family’s quest for personal freedom.
Make It Great! Phil Gerbyshack Wisconsin, USA Life coaching How to take your life from good to great by focusing on relationships.
You Already Know This Stuff Jodee Bock Fargo, USA Life Coaching Reminding us all that what we need to know is already in our minds and hearts.
HolyMama! USA Lifestyle Funny perspective on life from a stay at home Christian mom.
My Marrakesh Maryam Montegue Morocco Lifestyle Expatriate American with an eye for style, architecture and good living
Gangster Sonny Mafia Fascinated with all things mafia … from movies to weapons.
Talking Story Rosa Say Hawaii, USA Management Management and leadership, Hawaiian style.
AENDirect Aen Tan Singapore Marketing Freelance art director’s view on creativity and advertising
Being Peter Kim Peter Kim Massachusetts, USA Marketing Personal insights from the depths of Forrester (note: this is his personal, not Forrester, blog).
BizandBuzz Gianandrea Facchini Rome, Italy Marketing Brand building and marketing from an Italian perspective
bizsolutionsplus Lewis Green Connecticut, USA Marketing A passionate and respected author, marketer and activist.
Blog Till You Drop! Laurence-Hélène UK Marketing Marketing, advertising, branding, blogging
Branding & Marketing Chris Brown Ohio, USA Marketing Designed for business professionals with an interest in branding and marketing.
Business Garden France Marketing French readers/speakers?
Buzz Canuck Sean Moffitt Toronto, Canada Word of Mouth Passionate exponent of word of mouth from Canada.
Buzzoodle Ron McDaniel Ohio, USA Word of mouth, Marketing Creating buzz with word of mouth marketing.
Christine Kane Christine Kane Marketing, Music A recording artist, Christine harnesses the power of community to reach her audience.
CKs Blog Christina Kerley New York, USA Marketing Clever strategies, the new best practices, and the smart marketers behind them.
Conversation Agent Valeria Maltoni Pennsylvania, USA Marketing Connecting ideas and people—how talk can change our lives
converstations Mike Sansone Des Moines, USA Marketing, blogging Known as the blogging yoda (for insight not looks), Mike is a conversation generator.
CrapHammer Sean Howard Canada Marketing Marketing using new media.
Customers Rock! Becky Carroll California, USA Marketing, Customer Experience Marketing the customer experience; its importance for businesses.
Diva Marketing Toby Bloomberg Atlanta, USA Marketing The Diva herself, aligning technology, marketing and branding for businesses.
Dmitry Linkov Dmitry Linkov Moscow, Russia Marketing, Business Everyday and business issues
Drew’s Marketing Minute Drew McLellan USA Marketing, Eclectic Where strategy and passion collide
eSoup Sharon Sarmiento Alabama, USA Marketing, Entrepreneurism Productivity, marketing, web media, small biz development and other stuff entrepreneurs ought to know.
Flooring the Consumer C. B. Whittemore New Jersey, USA Marketing, Customer Experience Improving the consumer experience, particularly in flooring (carpeting)
Get Shouty! Katie Chatfield Sydney, Australia Marketing, Planning Digital strategy and thoughts on blogging.
Golden Practices Michelle Golden Marketing Thoughts on marketing for professional services firms, including lawyers and CPAs.
Hee-Haw Marketing Paul McEnany Texas, USA Marketing There is no box. New media marketing strategy thrown together with a few cuss words and a dash of panache.
Hola! Oi! Hi! Katia Adams New York, USA Marketing, Multicultural Thoughts of a Brazilian newly arrived in the US with a marketer’s point of view.
Jeremy Latham’s Blog Jeremy Latham Vancouver, Canada Marketing A marketing-business oriented blog on website development.
John Wagner John Wagner Texas, USA Marketing News and views on marketing, advertising, media, PR and grass-roots communications
Kinetic Ideas Wendy Maynard Oregon, USA Marketing Marketing tips, ideas, strategies, and musings for small businesses.
Logic + Emotion David Armano Chicago, USA Marketing The
intersection of marketing, brand engagement and experience design. How
to turn your passive consumers into active brand participants.
Marketing Hipster Cord Silverstein Raleigh, USA Marketing Online oriented blog on marketing and web 2.0 tools.
Marketing Nirvana Mario Sundar USA Marketing How corporate marketers can leverage the web & social media for better results
Mindblob Luc Brussels, Belgium Marketing Using alien intelligence to follow the path of ideas as they come to life.
Multi-Cult Classics HighJive Marketing, Advertising Musings on Multiculturalism in the Ad Industry and Beyond.
Nick Rice Nick Rice Kentucky, USA Marketing, branding Marketing strategy combined with creative thinking and design.
On Influence & Automation Douglas A. Karr Indiana, USA Marketing A marketing and technology blog
OTOInsights Jeremi Karnell Marketing Corporate blog focusing on using technology to create and sustain customer conversations.
Pardon My French Eric Frenchman New Jersey, USA Marketing Online strategy and marketing with great case studies of real projects.
Pow! Right Between The Eyes! Andy Nulman Marketing The importance of surprise in business
Purple Wren Sandy Renshaw Iowa, USA Marketing Tools and techniques for communicating life through print and images.
Servant of Chaos Gavin Heaton Sydney, Australia Marketing Gavin’s rant on the world of branding and storytelling.
Shotgun Marketing Blog Chris Houchens Kentucky, USA Marketing Musings on marketing and related ideas.
Small Business Blogging Andy Wibbels Chicago, USA Marketing, Tech Using web media to market your business
Tell Ten Friends Jordan Behan Canada Marketing Marketing using new media to make connections.
The Branding Blog Martin Jelsema Marketing Branding principals, opinions and prejudices he’s developed
The Experience Curve Karl Long California, USA Marketing, Social Media Social media and marketing from an experiential point of view.
The Instigator Blog Ben Yoskovitz Montreal, Canada Marketing Entrepreneurial focus on marketing, ideas and building your business
The Marketing Minute Drew McLellan Iowa, USA Marketing Expert insight into marketing and branding. And Drew loves Disneyland.
The Viral Garden Mack Collier Alabama, USA Marketing Mr Community leads the way in using technology to create conversation.
Two Hat Marketing Steve Miller Washington, USA Marketing Views on targeted marketing.
Unconventional Thinking Mark Stevens New York, USA Marketing The art and science of growing businesses
Viaspire A biz blog—Viaspire Marketing Marketing and Communications consulting firm blog
Popcorn n Roses TC Kirkham and Kim Brown Massachusetts, USA Movies Movie industry blog with reviews and musings.
Current World news News “Breaking” news across a couple of categories. Small archive.
Choice at Your Fingertips News, Blogging News and tips for making money blogging. No archive.
Blogtrepreneur Adnan UK Online Money Making How to be an online entrepreneur and also build community!
Can I Make Big Money Online George Brian Manty Online Money Making Tips for making money online including research, design and blogging.
Dosh Dosh Maki Online Money Making Trying to source legitimate methods for making money online.
Internet Bazaar Guhan Mathivanan Online Making Money Tips and ideas for making money online.
Kumiko’s Cash Quest Kumiko Tokyo, Japan Online Money Making Trying to make money online and sharing the experience.
Million Dollar Experiment heads Down Under Rob St George New Zealand Online Money Making Can thinking positively make you a cool mill? Rob hopes so.
Money Spider England Online Money Making An experiment to see if can make money writing, plus some tips.
Quest to make money on the internet UK Online Money Making Currently up to £128, this site makes money by letting out its posting space.
Above Popular Mark Personal Motivated to make the world a better place.
Critical Fluff Jayniek Maryland, USA Personal Ranks various things in life with mulligans, crabapples, and pineapples.
Forged Euphoria Personal Some sponsored links.
OrbitNow! Troy Worman Florida, USA Personal Miscellaneous musings
The Sartorialist Photography, fashion Photos of fashion on the streets, geared to inspire designers.
Bullshitobserver Todd Anthony Politics Politics and commentary.
New Millenium PR Andrea Weckerle PR Bringing business, branding, marketing and PR together.
The New PR Ryan Anderson Ottawa, Canada PR Public relations in the online world.
Carpe Factum Timothy Johnson Project Management Blog that focuses on the things you need to do to accomplish things. Especially big things.
Work, in Plain English Penina S Finger Project Management A design and marketing focused blog on project management. Interesting mix!
turned out David Turner Illinois, USA Religion Minister blogging to connect everyone with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Evolution…not just a theory anymore Greg Laden Minnesota, USA Science, Religion Creation vs evolution, commentary and archaeology by an independent scholar.
SEO Blog SEO New site on SEO and use of blogs to improve rankings.
Flee the Cube ICesar California, USA Small Business Starting up a small business in web design.
Community Guy Jake McKee Dallas, USA Social Media Online and offline community building tips and tricks.
The Social Media Marketing Blog Scott Monty Boston, USA Social Media, Marketing Blogger with a maniacal passion for anything related to new media / social media.
A Free and Decent Blog Host Unfathomed_Psyche Tech Technology news focusing on blogs and blog software.
Billions With Zero Knowledge Austin Hill Canada Tech, Business Changing the world with little bits of knowledge
Connected Internet Everton Blair London, UK Tech All things to do with technology, mobile phones and gaming.
darrenbarefoot.com Darren Barefoot Canada Tech, marketing Tech news, writing and marketing
Deepak Deepak Tech Focuses on the technology of the Internet and loves Google.
MapleLeaf 2.0 Mark Evans Canada Tech Tech news stories relating to Canada
Scott Burkett’s Pothole on the Infobahn Scott Burkett Georgia, USA Tech Musings on technology, IT management, and online community.
Small Surfaces Gabriel White Tech Interaction design, user interface design, user experience, usability and social trends related to mobile devices.
TechBuzz Thilak Mangalore, India Tech Tech new and reviews written by 17 year old in India. Awesome.
Masey.com Rob Masefield Travel Design and photography blog.
Through the Lenses Jas Vancouver, Canada Travel, Photography Travel/photography blog includes stunning shots and photography tips.
Travel And Vacation On Blog Travel Lightweight travel guide/destination information on selected cities. Needs more.
The Best Guides to eCommerce with Favor Viral marketing Viral marketing tools, memes and SEO tips.
Web Metrics Guru Marshall Sponder Web analytics Web analytics, in particular for blogs
The Future of the Web Jesse Skinner Canada Web Development Use of new technologies for the web.
Social Media on the fly Mark Krupinski Florida, USA Web media, blogging Learning social media on the fly
Asyuu @ Forest Japan Japanese readers/speakers? Anyone?

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Buzz with Blogs, Interesting Buzz 

How to make a Video Show

December 19, 2008 | 1 Comment

Lots of people out there are still asking themselves, Should I blog? Shut up and start blogging - then think about the next steps. If you are still thinking about blogs you are just falling further and further behind the people that are doing it.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Branding, Interesting Buzz 

Traffic is not a Business System

December 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I want you to be more successful with your business via the web.  For that reason, lets forget about traffic for a little while.

WHAT!?! Website Traffic is EVERYTHING

Website Traffic is everything after you create a solid business system.  Do not mistake a website for a business system.

While many of you may think of me as an Internet Guru, the truth is that for 10 years I have been learning things the hard way, trial and error.  One thing that I have found is that myself, and many people I know, have focused on entirely the wrong things for too long.

(This is assuming you are not just trying to build advertising revenue, where traffic would be your main focus.)

The fact is, you need a system that catches leads and automates the system for your business outcome.  I spent years going through the various stages of investing in the web.

  1. Build a nice website and hope people find it.
  2. Realize people do not just find it, you have to promote it.
  3. Start doing search engine optimization
  4. Realize you need to build an email list
  5. Become a publisher and start writing regularly
  6. Start doing audio and video
  7. Start selling things people want to by instead of things I want to sell
  8. Automate the system to get results.

I am sure I have a ways to go.  While I have never invested in those guru packages, it probably would have been a good idea, considering how long it took me to learn the importance of building business systems, not traffic of fancy designs.  Many years ago we were correct about building expert sites with lots of content, but the monitization thing (kind of critical) took a long time to figure out.

So here is a suggestion.  If you have a great site that is not really producing sales, find something else that you can sell from the web.  It could be an affiliate product from clickbank or a mlm product, like iLearningGlobal.  Make sure it is not something that you need to actually do much to deliver.  Then start learning how to sell it profitably online.

When you start from scratch, it is much easier to focus on the outcome you want and not get lost in all the fluff of your existing business.  This is a great way to learn about Internet Marketing.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Internet Marketing, Marketing ROI 

eNewsletter - What not to do

December 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I just got an eNewsletter from someone.  Probably a subscriber to mine or someone I have met - I am not accusing her of SPAM.

However, if you really want to make someone unhappy, just sign them up for your Volume 1 Issue 1 eNewsletter and blast it off to them.

Look, this is just common sense.  I am not going to be happy to be automatically subscribed to something.  Nor are most people.  However, I would welcome a personal email inviting me to join the eNewsletter list and giving me the choice.  I know it is more work, but guess what, I just had to do work unsubscribing from the unwelcome subscription.

Do invite people to subscribe to your new newsletter with an email you write - DO NOT just add them to the subscription.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Internet Marketing 

Is Amazon Desperate?

December 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but I am getting way to many emails from Amazon in the past few weeks.  Obviously many retailers are hurting and after deleting several emails from Amazon today, I asked myself, “Is Amazon Desperate?”

I love email marketing and I do not mind getting emails.  However, there is a point where you start to loose people faster than the extra emails pay off.  I’d be curious to know if Amazon has had more people opt out of the lists this December.  Personally, I am just tired of people trying to sell me stuff.

If you are doing email marketing, are you noticing any changes?  As people try harder to sell and consumers cut back on purchasing, the amount of noise is going to go up, and if you are not careful, your list will shrink.  I read another eNewsletter this morning where the author said they’d dropped nearly 500 names in the last month.  She believed that it was more due to bounces because of people losing their jobs.  Makes sense.

If there is ever a time to put great quality into your email marketing, this is the time.  Your list in incredibly valuable, but if it starts shrinking more than growing, you will find that your business follows suit.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog, Internet Marketing, Sales 

Racing Symposium

December 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I spoke at the Racing Symposium last week in Tuscon, Arizona.  Below is the press release that they sent out after the event.  If you have never had a chance to go out and meet a group of people that are completely outside your normal group, it is a blast.  You should try it.

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Doug Reed

520 621-5660

dreed@ag.arizona.edu

December 12, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

FINAL DAY OF ARIZONA SYMPOSIUM COVERS REGULATION, INJURY ISSUES

The University of Arizona Symposium on Racing and Gaming concluded with several sessions on Thursday, including panels that covered issues related to regulation and equine injuries.

Speaking during the “Who’s Big Brother? Federal/State Regulation Alternatives” panel, American Horse Council President Jay Hickey Jr. said that the U.S. Congress has been looking at the racing industry since 1982.

“Back then, the general public wasn’t that concerned about the racing industry,” Hickey said. “Now, the public is tuned in, and generally it’s not very sympathetic to our industry. There is a large percentage of people who really don’t care whether or not our industry survives.

“But there also have been good things that the industry has done in the past 26 years,” he added. “For example, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association has been in the forefront to push for things like uniform rules, out-of-competition testing, and safety rails. All of these things show that the industry is taking these issues seriously.”

A frequent speaker at past Symposiums, Hickey also warned against the industry relying on federal regulation to deal with its issues.

“In my opinion, federal legislation is not the answer,” he stressed. “Solutions have to be based on research, and they have to be fair and logical. Our issues tend to be difficult and complex and don’t lend themselves to the federal legislative process.

“When you get into the congressional process, you can’t control it,” Hickey added. “When people think about federal legislation for horse racing, they think about what they want - and what they want might be supported by a majority of industry stakeholders. But once you get into Congress, you are subject to the whims of all 535 members - 435 in the House and 100 in the Senate - many of whom don’t understand the issues.”

During the “Safety and Welfare, Reporting and Prevention of Racing Injuries” session, University of California-Davis professor Dr. Sue Stover discussed the California Horse Racing Board’s post-mortem program, which began in 1991.

“The main goals of the program are to determine the nature and reasons for equine injuries, and then develop prevention strategies,” Stover said.

According to Stover, more than 4,000 horses have been necropsied during the past 17 years. She added that 79 percent of the injuries were of the musculo-skeletal variety.

“The vast majority of injuries occurred in the metacarpal and fetlock areas,” Stover said. “The fetlock region undergoes severe hyperextension during racing and training.

“With many injuries, there was evidence of pre-existing disease,” she added. “Knowing this means that we can prevent many injuries before they occur.”

University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program director Doug Reed reported that attendance at this year’s Symposium reached 667, a decrease of about 15 percent from last year.

Reed cited the global economic downturn as the main reason for the drop.

“What I heard from a lot of people is that either their company has cut their travel budgets, or that instead of sending three or four people they were just sending one,” Reed said. “The good news is that even though we had fewer people this year, attendance at the sessions were as strong - if not stronger - than it was last year. Attendees vote with their feet, and we monitor our attendance at the sessions very closely.”

Reed also said that there was a 10-percent drop in exhibitor participation.

“Companies who normally had exhibits either didn’t this year, or they opted for smaller booths,” he added.

Next year’s Symposium on Racing and Gaming is scheduled for December 7-10 at the Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Blog 

Does your website say you care?

December 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I have been giving a lot of thought to traditional websites, social media, blogs and all those other things that make up someone’s online entity.  There is a huge disconnect between people that get social media and people that say that their business has a website.

If you boil down why someone should do more than a business website, it comes down to one simple thing.  By participating in the social web you show you care.

  • A blog demonstrates your commitment to educate your audience.
  • Twitter shows you are interested in other people.
  • Video helps people get to know you.
  • Podcast shows show you want to have a conversation.
  • Social Bookmarking shows you want to share resources with others.

These are just some examples.  It is not the individual pieces that you chose, so much as it is the commitment to care about what is going on online, care about what people are saying and thinking and showing you care enough to participate as best you can.  I cannot remember the last time I visited a static (old style) website.  I don’t care about them, just like they do not care about me.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Branding, Internet Marketing