This leads me to my ultimate question:

Does “Going  Social” mean you have to broadcast every aspect of your life to the internet? Does it mean that you have to twitter or update every time you eat lunch, buy an mp3, or take a walk?

No! In fact, most people tend to be annoyed by these types of updates. Unless you’re a celebrity (the Hollywood kind), people really aren’t that interested in whether you’re talking your dog for a walk, eating dinner, or boarding a flight to Los Angeles airport. Updating, also known as lifestreaming, has becoming an integral part of social media. In actuality, most people aren’t looking for your life’s details, they’re looking for advice, a confidant, or simply a new friend they can meet for latte’s the next time they happen to be in your locale.

Being social really means  putting yourself out there. You should be in it to make friends first, and make business last. Social media users are getting smarter and smarter to even the softest marketing tactics, and they have voiced many times over that they want friends, not robots, sale posts, and business icons on their social sites.

If you don’t think people care much about “updates”, just look at Facebook’s controversial new homepage layout. It’s a lot like Twitter, right? Over the past few years, Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other prominent social media sites have integrated the “update” function into their layout. They have access to all of the stats that likely show how much users like this feature… especially if it’s now being utilized across all major social media websites.

And remember, “What Are You Doing” doesn’t only mean “what are you doing”.

It can mean:

• What advice do you have for your network today?
• What important lesson did you learn today?
• Did anything funny happen today?
• Is anyone in my area who wants to meet for lunch or coffee?
• I’m at a convention… anyone else here who wants to meet?
• How are you feeling, and why?
• Come across any good articles or funny photos you’d like to share?
• Ready to offer a helping hand to someone who perhaps need a Digg, Stumble, or other prop?
• Who can I help today? Let’s chat!
• What do you guys think of this product? I’m thinking of getting one…

Updates are so much more than trivial details. They are making friends, helping others, and a great opportunity to add value.

What is your favorite way to utilize site updates?

True Innovation and Business Success

This really made me think a lot about innovating in general. How many businesses do you see out there that are consistently trying to bring new into the world? New concepts, new ideas, new territory? Not too many, right? I mean, we all know Apple leads the way in this territory, simply because their type of innovation is generally the kind that most people can afford. Even I have an iPhone.  It was new, and it was very different. Truly an impressive piece of gadgetry.

Then we have the big money innovator companies like ultra high luxury car manufacturers, and amazingly high fashion clothing. These industries are in a consistent state of innovation. Last year’s product is hardly relevant today. Could you say the same about your business? If not, what if you could?

It would make you more money! It would be easier to market! HEY, it would be CHEAPER to market!

What if you took your concepts, and strived for innovation every time you re-marketed them? Consistent innovation where is generally isn’t called for… reminds me a lot of what Apple did. They changed a lot about technology in a relatively short amount of time. They made it trendy, colorful, and downright awesome at times. (and I’m not even a fangirl!)  They took a great product and made it more interesting. Gave it more appeal, and then charged quite a bit more money for it.

Innovating Makes Marketing Simpler

Imagine how tweaking a few of your products or services for the times can render better results when it comes to marketing? If your sales are down, perhaps you aren’t offering exactly what is being needed at that time. We fail and we learn. Tweaking a product or a service isn’t really admitting failure, it’s being strong, dedicated, and best of all; flexible. If you aren’t flexible, you’re losing out on a lot of money.

So go forth, grow your sales, make more money and sprinkle some innovation into your ideas!

Generally, when I ask clients (or even other online marketers for that matter), what their Return Conversion Rate is, the response I receive is “my returnuh huh?” It’s funny that no one seems to know what I’m talking about. This is actually one of the more important metrics in Internet Marketing, yet so few people know anything about it.  So that leads me to my obvious question of the day:

Do you know what your Return Conversion Rate is?

When properly tracked, your return conversion rate has tremendous potential to push and pull your company in greater ways than you realize. It speaks sweet nothings into your ear… sweet data. Data that is very important in understanding your company’s brand awareness factor, service, and even overall culture. Yes, it’s that important. It’s that big.

What is a Return Conversion Rate?

Simply put, it’s when a potential customer visits your site, then leaves without converting (or buying anything), but later on returns to convert (or buy something). This measurement also includes first-time visitors who return, as well as exiting customers who eventually return to convert again.

If you own, or have worked for an online retailer, you know that great lengths are made to keep track of visitors on your site, and where exactly they’re coming from. You also know that rarely does a person purchase from a website on their first visit.  The average conversion rate for most new and returning customers on e-commerce site’s is 2%.

Yes, that’s it. Just 2%.

If returning visitors are a prime demographic for selling, why aren’t most marketers focused on converting these priceless visitors? Well, it’s not the easiest, and it’s quite time consuming. Internet marketers are now (more than ever) needing to shift their focus onto Customer Retention strategies.

Give Them Incentive To Stay

Customer retention hasn’t ever been more difficult than it is now. During our tough economic times, people are eager to change their spending habits. They’re willing to do almost anything to save an extra buck, even if it means changing their monthly cosmetic purchase to another online store… or worse, going to their local drug store. Times are changing, and if you’re going to be successful in business, you’ve got to stay flexible.

Each business has a special way that it can retain it’s current customers. You may be thinking big things need to be offered, but surprisingly, you’ll come to find that the little things seem to work just as well. For instance, Zappos.com starting offering free shipping to help keep their client retention efforts in momentum mode, and they have succeeded greatly. 75% of their customers are returning shoppers. They can justify a purchase with free shipping, and it’s really working for them. They have built a whole brand around their retention efforts, and many growing businesses should really take note. I can’t think of a better company with more clarity in their retention efforts than Zappos.

Retarget, Rebrand, and ReAdvertise

It’s time to take notice of your user’s habits and behaviors. Target your advertisements on what the person has done in the past. Retargeting is the most powerful way to grow that precious Return Conversion Rate.  Retargeting is also one of the only forms of advertising that can work with any size of retailer or business. The beauty of converting warmer leads is that is costs less, which is also a plus during times when many advertisers and marketers and looking to cut costs all around.

If you found this article helpful, please Stumble, Twitter, Digg, and bookmark it!

Have you ever evaluated how trustworthy your brand, product, or service looks to an outsider?

If you happen to be in an industry where trust is already limited, then you’ve got your work cut out for you. Lawyers, investors, and network marketers rank among the lowest trusted in today’s society. Personally, I have an extremely hard time trusting Realtors. I can’t stand about 90% of them.  As a younger person who was recently looking for a home to buy, I can’t tell you how many times I caught the listing agent lying to me about things they had assumed I was uneducated about. This happened repeatedly. While not all Realtors are liars, those 10 that I came into contact with, happened to shape my views on how I perceived realtors as far as trust went.

Think about what it takes for you to really trust a person or an entire organization. What acts, displays, or gestures are you looking for when you’re initially deciding whether someone or something is trustworthy or not. We often perform our “trust” processes unconsciously, but if you really take a moment to brainstorm what factors make you trust, you’ll be gaining valuable insight on what you need to do to gain others trust.

Kurt Mortensen, the author of Maximum Influence and Persuasion IQ, defines the five C’s of trust as:

• Character
• Competence
• Confidence
• Credibility
• Congruence

* Does your personal brand or corporate identity emcompass these traits?

* How can we prove ourselves more trustworthy, without breaking the bank?

* How do you do it?

All comments and input are welcome! This is an open discussion after all!

So should one consider ruling out email marketing altogether?

Definitely Not!

It has many more pros than cons, which I will discuss in a later post. What I will tell you now, is that Email Marketing hasn’t lost it’s edge, and is still a great way to ramp up sales in any industry…if you know what you’re doing.

Here are 8 Powerful Email Marketing Techniques that I commonly refer to as the “Email’s Great 8″:

1. Longer Isn’t Always Better: The trick is to give readers actionable content – information they can use right away to solve a problem. You need to know what your readers’ problems are, so you can tell them how you or your company, service or product is going to solve these problems. Every email needs to give the reader something valuable and new. When you send out an email, put yourself in the readers shoes. Is it interesting? Is it going to better your life in any way?

2. Add Value: Focusing in on how to add value to your email newsletter or email marketing material is imperative. If you’re sending off emails with information on products, but not specific information on how it works, and what great things will happen if they have these products, you’re definitely not utilizing your email marketing to it’s fullest. I’ve seen many company’s whose email lists dwindle down by hundreds of people opting out, because they aren’t sending out useful content. Add more than just product displays and profiles. Include how-to articles, perhaps links to videos or articles of your product/service in action, and take any opportunity to show the reader that you’re not only looking to sell to them, but also help them in their everyday life.

3. Seperation is Key: Do you subscribe to your competitor’s newsletters and email marketing materials? If not, you are missing a great opportunity to not only research what’s working for them, but also to use that knowledge to stand out from the pack. If you’re doing exactly what they’re doing, someone who is signed up for your competitor’s newsletter and yours will likely opt of out one of these email lists. Don’t let it be yours. Be original, fun, and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box.

4. Welcome Letter Bliss: I am constantly seeing companies with great email lists that miss out on one crucial concept; the Welcome letter. When someone signs up for your newsletter, orders a product, or requests more information, this is really your opportunity to “wow” them with nice gestures…without being pushy. Coupons, useful content, free offerings, special clubs,  contests and other promotions are great for inclusion in a welcome letter. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to gain more sales, as well as to give them their first great experience as a customer with your company.

5. Create Email Titles Like a Ninja!: Have you ever clicked on an a Google search result, email, or blog post, simply because it sported a witty title? If you take a look around the internet at what’s getting tons of traffic, linkage, and buzz, chances are great that it has a great title. A great title instantly tells the user or reader what you, your product, or your service is going to do for them. Creating a sense of urgency is also great, without being pushy, of course. Aim to make your title catchy, realistic, but fun… all at once.

6. Create Community: Creating a sense of community around your email marketing campaign isn’t has tough as it sounds. Including simple elements like reader feedback, Q&A, or even a customer spotlight section gives the instant feeling of community around not only your overall brand, but your mailings as well. Take note from brands that you think have done a good job at incorporating it’s user/customer image into it’s online mailings.  People who are using your product or service will generally have a similar common goal. Run with this concept, and use this commonality to unite your brand’s loyalist clients into one rabid fan base for your company. Make them feel like it’s something special they are taking part in.

7. Brand it Baby!: A well-branded email marketing campaign is one of the most important factors in creating not only a useful newsletter, but also a memorable one. When opening your newsletter, you want to give your reader the feeling that they’re opening a present, with a shiny, new, and useful tool or toy inside.  Your brand should be one that really portrays the core culture of your business.  Some of my nominations for best in branding when it comes to email marketing are Apple, Monster.com,  and Smashbox.com.

8. Watch the Pros, and Learn: Set aside at least an hour, and skim through your old email marketing newsletters from other companies in your email inbox. What are some of your favorites? Why are they your favorite? What could they improve on? What caught your eye? What made you feel the email was worth continuing to receive? What will keep you from opting out of a retailer or service provider’s email newsletter list? Jot down your notes from your findings, and study it a while. You may be surprised at what you find. Ask friends and colleagues what they look for in email newsletters.  Always study what the big companies do, and don’t be afraid to take their innovation a step further!

With the internet’s landscape forever changing, and the average internet user becoming smarter and more keen to blatant advertising every minute, how does one foresee which of the vast array of internet marketing tactics will actually hit home with their audience?  You could follow the lead of the big guys implementing newer tactics, such as social media… but does it really work? What about Pay Per click advertising? Isn’t it expensive? I bet you’ve heard a friend of a friend talk about how they were able to get some notable amounts of traffic using YouTube or Video marketing.

If you’ve ever asked yourself  “How can I really leverage internet marketing, without doing something that just doesn’t work anymore”, then you’re going to highly benefit from this post. The rules have changed, and they keep changing, so I cannot say that these rules will be 100% relevant in a year, or even in 6 months. With the internet, you never know! However, right now, they are relevant, and they will help you educate yourself what your local Search Engine Marketing firm probably won’t tell you about utilizing the Internet in your marketing efforts.
The Rules Have Changed! The New Rules of Internet Marketing

• It’s all About Your Audience: Focus on your USER, not yourself, your product, or your service. Build genuine relationships with your users, and focus on them at all times. Your campaign should be focused around what your product or service can do for your user… not simply about how great your product is.
• Implementing most Blackhat SEO Methods will get you Banned: Most search engines are catching on very quickly, and a variety of blackhat SEO methods are now being recognized much faster than they used to be. Once you are black listed, it’s tough to come back from.
• Implement A system of Testing: The only constant on the internet is change. It is because of this that yourself, or your internet marketer needs to be split testing all campaigns in any given area at least once a month. This includes targeted keywords for relevance, SEO, PPC, and social media efforts.
• Researching your Market is a MUST: You may think you know all there is to know about your key demographic, or you may think that your key demographic is “everyone”, right? Wrong. Broad marketing efforts are far less effective unless your budget is close to unlimited. Each product or service should have it’s targeted niche. Aimless marketing efforts will lose you more money than they will earn. Find out who you’re really targeting or who’s really buying your product. You may be surprised to find that it’s not who you thought it was.
• You will Pay for More When Hiring an SEO, SEM, or Internet Marketing Consultant: Not too long ago, any guy with a laptop and internet connection could claim to be a “good” SEO expert, and charge a few hundred dollars per month to head an SEO campaign. In all honesty, I believe you get what you pay for, and in the Internet Marketing industry this couldn’t be more true. So many people come to me (everyday) having absolutely no idea what to budget for a consultant or an SEO. It is alright to pay a few thousand per month to someone who knows what they’re doing.  You wouldn’t believe how many clients I get who have been burned with very little or no results from past consultants and “gurus”. Why? Because they were looking for a deal.
• Connect using Social Media: If you’re not already utilizing social media, then you should. Why? Because you will gain priceless insight into your demographic. I could list 1000 other reasons, but your main objective is to listen, help, and build genuine relationships. Sales are secondary. Trust me, you’ll get it once you’re involved.
• Video Is In, so start Creating!: If you can make it a more interactive experience for your users, do it! Furniture companies can opt to create weekly video shows on decorating and interiors. Jewelry companies can create a series on fashion, or even creative marriage proposals happening live and in real-time. No matter what industry you are in, there is always a way to integrate video into your brand. In fact, it’s a wonderful way to effectively get your brand out, in a more visual and non-pushy way. Simply try to add value, as you would in any other social media situation, and you’ll do well.
• Really Listen : Dedicate time and resources to listening to your target audience. Who are they…really? What are their daily struggles? Complaints? Rants? Common web surfing habits? Find out everything you can about them and make sure to implement a way to organize all of your data from listening.
• Implement Metrics on Everything you Can Measure: Because of all of the new avenues of marketing the internet now provides, there must be a system of measurement in place to find out exactly which of these methods produces, and in what ways. Install an analytics program or service on your site, and keep close tabs on who is coming from where, and what those users from sites like Twitter are doing on your site.  This will enable you to focus more attention on what works, and less on what doesn’t produce as well.
• Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Blog: This is a big one. Effective and engaging content can lead to many potential and frequent users on a site. The best way to feature engaging content is to display in blog format somewhere on your own website. However, it’s not limited to just having a blog. Being featured on a well-known blog can render tons of highly targeted traffic to your own site in a very short amount of time.  Not only is this great marketing, it’s cost efficient. It’s also like having a friend tell 10,000 of their own friends that they recommend a service or product. Word of mouth marketing is still the most powerful and effective tool in the world of marketing…even on the internet.
• Spam Gets you Nowhere: In the older days of internet marketing, spamming forums, messages boards, (and other countless methods) could get you quick and effective first-page rankings within a week or two. Now, spamming simply annoys everyone, and takes away your credibility as a company or a professional. Spamming is no longer a way to get to the top. Don’t do it.
• They Know What You’re Up to! Time to Up Your Game: Many internet users are now much smarter than before. (Yes, I was shocked to learn this too!).    They’ve learned that the clever pop-up inviting them to play a free game of poker is really just an ad that will eventually ask for their credit card information. They know that the free offer on the side of the screen is simply just a ploy to get their home address.  It is because of this that many internet marketers are replying heavily on social tactics. In our age, marketing has got to be even more focused, targeted, and tested. As your demographic wisens up, you’ll have to polish up your marketing tactics…and it will be never-ending. Remember, testing is key. Don’t spend a ton of money on a campaign unless you’ve tested it and have proof that it works and converts for your business, not just your competitor’s.
• Impressive Branding Now Includes Having a Multi-Layered Presence: A notable brand should be featured well beyond the limits of it’s office walls or it’s company website. It should be talked about,  blogged about, Twittered about, IM’d about, and contain a viable and traceable trail of footprints that potential users can easily find when searching for information on your company. Your brand should be everywhere, and this mindset should be woven into every aspect of the internet marketing initiatives.
• Marketing Tools are Now a Must: Marketing tools that are frequently offered SAAS (or Software as a Service) are becoming essential tools in any Internet Marketer’s box of tricks.  It is nearly impossible to run a smooth internet marketing campaign without utilizing the tools of the trade.  These tools include analytics tools, CRM solutions, email management accounts, site performance tools, accounting tools, and much more. The good news is that many are offered at a variety of different price ranges to suite every budget. Some are even free and others offer free trials to help you gauge whether their service is a good match for your business.
• Utilize Social Search: If you ever wanted to know what a good amount of the internet was talking about at any given moment, most people know that you could easily head over to Twitter’s search feature to see immediate results on any keyword. You can even be updated on what people are talking about by signing up to Twitter trending clients offered via certain twitter accounts and utilities. Internet Marketers will realize how important these tools really are,  given the rapid nature in which life-streaming tools are growing.

If you found these rules helpful, please Stumble, Tweet, Digg, or share this article!

Can I Get Excited About Your Brand? Can You?

The unfortunate truth is that 1/3 of companies that exist today are nothing to really get excited about. They may produce their promised result, but there’s simply nothing infectious about the company’s brand or community. It always comes back to community, doesn’t it? So many of the internet’s top consultants talk about creating a community around your brand… and for good reason. I remember talking about this in a post called Increasing Sales in 5 Days Today’s tough economy makes effective once marketing methods of the past almost obsolete. Top marketers are now scrambling for newer tactics to “trial and error” other concepts on the newer more frugal marketplace.

If You’re Not Excited About Your Brand, Chances Are, Neither is Your Customer

Have you ever been awake late at night, flipping through the channels on your television, and you come across those mesmerizing infomercials? I’m not talking about the ho-hum infomercials of old. I’m talking about the full-on screaming, yelling, fun and excitement filled infomercials that you end up watching like 4 times, even though you know you aren’t going to buy that particular product or service? Do you notice a common trait among all of these infomercials? Each one doesn’t talk about how great the company is, or even how great the product is. The focus of these hard-hitting infomercials is always on what the product or service can do for the customer! The announcer or narrator is excited, and even sometimes yelling, because his product is doing great things for it’s customer.

I won’t lie… I’ve watched the infomercial with the hot girl who features a six-pack… and almost fell for her story of how she lost all of her post-baby weight, got taller, tanner, and sexier because she used her ab-roller everyday for 5 minutes. Her before picture features her with a sad and forced smile, looking pale, fat, and miserable. The newer, leaner, and better version of the new mom features an instant tan, longer/better styled hair, whiter teeth, and even a guy who appears out of nowhere because he wants a piece of this now-hot girl.  Oh, how I love infomercials! They are great at making the consumer feel that this one product… at this ONE time will solve all of their problems and make everything better in their life… if they just ‘BUY NOW’!

Time to Get Excited About What You Offer!!!!

It’s time to ask yourself an important question. This may be the most important question you’ll ever ask yourself as a business owner, or potential business owner…or eve as a marketer. Are you excited about your business? Your brand? Your marketing? Your clients? If not, why? If so, then are you excited enough?

Think about the passionate people at Apple…specifically Steve Jobs.  Steve Jobs is reknown for his keynotes because of his enthusiasm. You can tell that he thrives on delivering new products and concepts to eager mac lovers to revel at. His passion is infectious. Be the Steve Jobs of your industry. Create passion within your usership that derives from your own enthusiasm.

What keeps you from feeling your product or service is something to get excited about?

I firmly believe that every product or service has the potential to make it’s prospects enthusiastic buyers, and that’s really what it takes to sell in this market. A car is not just a car. It’s a mode of transportation. Kids experience their first life experiences, first beach trips, vital doctor visits, along with trips to visit precious families in these things. It’s more than a car, it’s a tool used to live life to it’s fullest. No longer are things just things. Objects are no longer just there for the sake of being there. Everything has a greater purpose, and tapping into those emotional experiences to elicit excitement in your consumer is the key to creating rabid fans of your brand.

How do you get lured into being a passionate user of a product or service? What are your experiences on this? Please feel free to chime in with your your opinions and experiences -  I am interested to hear your views on this one!

Without further ado, I give to thee: “5 Steps to a Smooth Running Business”

• Be more observant: The sheer number of business owners that aren’t taking a look at the big picture is really shocking to me. I’ve learned that entrepreneurs and business owners have a tendency to be stubborn. (This is a good trait, and a bad one). It is because of this, we often overlook the true health of our business. Perhaps we’re still in love with the whole idea of our business’s concept, that we often overlook little things that could go wrong. Some business owners just can’t bear see their idea failing, and sometimes they are quick to pass off little details that could be vital to their business’s success.
• Don’t Wing-it: No more working on the fly. It’s far easier to waste time during work time if it’s not planned out in advance.  It’s time to go back to that list of goals you’ve probably written somewhere and sit down with it for at least an hour. Each goal likely has a task that you need to be working on everyday to achieve it. Your staff should be in on these goals, or at least your management team. Having everyone on the same page of what needs to be achieved is essential. Don’t let your office’s daily tasks become aimless or ‘on the fly’. Sit down with your management team, and tell them exactly what is going down for the rest of the week. Be militant! Don’t let them divert from the task at hand. Organize work time into segments that are focused on each task, and make sure they stick to it. The results will speak for themselves.
• De-Flaw your Customer Relationship Management System: If your company is one that deals with clients, customers, or some type of database of contact information for the people who generate your business’s source of money, then you are in need of a CRM or a Customer Relationship Management system. Your CRM should be highly scalable, and should be easily modified by someone on your staff. Ask yourself these three questions: “How smooth is the data flow in my company”? Is my office organized in their dealings with our customers? Are my staff organized in each step of involvement they have in the sales/service process? If you had a negative response to any of these questions, your CRM needs to be updated or implemented. The end goal is a completely personalized central data flow that will inform everyone (including you) what’s really going on with each and every client, down to the tiniest detail. This step is imperative for our next step.
• Perform weekly Check-ups: To build your business up to the well-oiled machine that you’d like it to be, you need to be honest with yourself at least once a week on how healthy your business really is. Like a growing child, your business really does need a periodic check-up. In our current economy, this is more crucial than ever. To perform a four-point check-up on your business simply take a closer look at your marketing, accounting + expenses, profits +margins, along with customer service/support. Develop a weekly worksheet or template that each department head fills out (honestly), that details the important data from each department’s happenings that week. How’s the money, marketing and customer service? Did an employee upset a customer today? Discuss what happened and how to rectify it. A few dollars are missing? Find out where your staff went wrong, and make sure it doesn’t happen again, with more than just a few dollars.
• Build Burning Passion within your Team: If no one really cares about any of your business’s ultimate goals, none of the aforementioned steps will do anything to help your business run smoothly. Slacking and complaining generally comes from employees that don’t believe in the company they work for. As much as you’d like to think that all of your employees are really in it for the long-haul to see you succeed, you are very wrong… and possibly a bit delusional. (it’s okay, it happens to the best of us). The truth is that most employees are thinking about what they’re going to get out of their experience with your company. Are they getting more money? More vacation time? More perks, stocks, or benefits? Building passion isn’t at difficult as it may seem. Right out of college, kids line up at the front door to work at great companies like Google and Apple. Why is that? Well, Google, being the “cool” company that it is, has a game room, a gym, and all kinds of other crazy perks to keep their employees happy and motivated. Their theory that happier employees work better is likely true, considering they are one of the world’s largest and most successful entities.  So ask yourself… “What is a company that I admire, and how do they create passion within their team?” Chances are, you’ll find out some great ways to keep your staff motivated and happy.

- Colin Powell

“There are some defeats more triumphant than victories.”

- Michel de Montaigne

“Your premium brand had better be delivering something special, or it’s not going to get the business.”

- Warren Buffet

“Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don’t think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without the talking about the other”

- Bill Gates

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”

- Mark Twain

     Trying to entice new customers in this economy has never been an easy task, but the real proof of hardship was seen in the data that last Holiday season’s shoppers brought to internet retailer’s attention. According to a study done by ForSee Results, consumer satisfaction with online shopping fell 3.09% during the second week after Thanksgiving, compared to the same week in 2007 from 77.6 on a 100-point scale to 75.2. Larry Freed, ForeSee’s president and CEO says:

 “Maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction throughout the holiday shopping period will separate the companies who are able not only to survive 2008, but to thrive from those that will be closing their doors in January.”

The Consumer is Now Playing ‘Hard to Get’

     With analysts worrisome forecasts on the rise for the 2009 economical outlook, I am seeing more and more reason to start expanding the horizons when it comes to obtaining new customers and clients. With the dollar being held even tighter in the palms of your target demographics hands, you’re either already looking to make some changes in the way you pursue your sales, or you’re simply ignoring the fact that sales are more difficult to make, and are perhaps even thinking that things will eventually get better, and economic turmoil will soon pass. I’ve got some bad news for you if you’re in agreement with the latter statement… it’s not over, and 2009 is likely going to be a lot like was.

• Your consumer is now trying to buy as much as possible. When they finally decide to buy, it’s going to be a well-thought out purchase, that likely was deliberated for a month or two before the cash even hits the register.

The Domino Affect of Thinking Inside of the Box

     Many business owners are simply waiting too long to implement any type of new marketing efforts within their company. By the time they are on the phone with me, they’re frowning at the idea of implementing social media because the lead-to-sale time is “way too long” for them. They immediately suggest what they are familiar with. It’s this same last-minute fear that is dropping so many business’s like flies these days…. the fear to try something new. 

Doing More of What Isn’t Working Isn’t Going to Make Things Better!

     I can’t stress this point enough. For some businesses, the idea of implementing any indirect sales and marketing avenues are so far-fetched, they often giggle at the idea when it’s suggested in meetings and consultations. They often say how they’d hate to be on the same social network that teenagers, comedians, artists, perverts, and musicians frequent. They say it could hurt their companies credibility, and damage their “professional” persona and reputation. Some say it looks low-budget and shoddy.

     I say that NOT implementing these strategies could not only hurt their business, but quite likely take them out all together (I wouldn’t have said that a few years ago, but times are tough these days!). As for damaging their reputation, social media would actually render them a wide-spread and respected reputation, if used correctly.

     Apple, one of the most brilliantly branded companies in the world, has taken almost every perfect step to building a community around it’s brand. I believe that any company can effectively carry this out… and now is not the time to ponder, or wait around for something else to go wrong, or for sales to slip further downward. It’s time to take action.

He Who Holds the Money Makes the Rules

     And my, have the rules changed! For one, consumers are as demanding as ever, with their once-in-a-while, very calculated purchases. Not only do you have to build even more credibility, trust, and rapport, you also need to provide top-notch support, customer service, and an overall visable and respected brand/image. This is where social media fits in nice and snug. All of these things can be achieved using social media. Content, friends, followers, networks, articles and blogs all make up a giant flurry of buzz around your company. It delivers a powerful punch, and if used correctly, it far outweighs most paid marketing strategies out there.

      What are some of the ways you’ll be ramping up your social media efforts in 2009?