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Not that I've neglected it but lately I've been giving a lot more thought to
personal branding where the Internet is involved.
We're in a brand new age. Impressions can be formed or associations drawn just by implication. In some cases a subliminal connection might be made
where there is none.
So, what happened that finally made me seize the moment and purchase my name as a domain? Aside from recommendations by various renowned Internet marketers, this initial step toward personal branding might have gained incentive when I searched my name and came up with an excerpt that read "scammer alert: Guillermo, Brandon" fairly early in the search results.
(It was a site referring to someone named "Guillermo" who lives/lived in "Brandon, Canada").
Or it could have been the reaction to results including sites marketing various movies of the erotic variety, listing "…Brandon, Guillermo,…" among the cast members (notice the commas…please).
The thing is, who would you complain to and what could you legitimately claim?
After all, there's no proof of malicious intent, it's just a series of coincidences. That's all.
The only way I could see to counterbalance this seeming conspiracy of fate is by
authoring my own profile and occupying the top rankings for my name as much as possible. As an online marketing consultant, if I did nothing, that would certainly not be a career enhancement.
There is another reason to want a personal brand: to be sure there's no confusion with others. Identical names are a reality that has only magnified with the growth of the Internet.
I believe personal branding will become a widespread choice. Even the famous are doing it. There's more on this subject at http://newcenturywork.com/blogs/personal-branding-essential.
It's about taking control.
As of this writing, there's been a few commercials by certain technology
companies offering small businesses a free website submitted to all the search
engines if they subscribe to a service plan.
I noticed the first one on a late night/afternoon infomercial, then several
weeks later a more nationally known brand presented their version. These ads
seem to suggest that assisting small business with online marketing is becoming mainstream.
What struck me was how, back in the spring of 2008 (when the trees were blooming and the birds singing) one of the Internet Marketing experts told us about this. And even he confessed that it was a ripe obvious opportunity he had until then overlooked.
In various blogs and forums I've since come across the occasional entry by
someone who mentioned helping small businesses get more customers through the Internet even earlier than the epiphany of that IM expert.
Recognizing opportunity is an awesome thing to me.
Perhaps this will serve as validation of Internet Marketing and what it can mean
for your business, or perhaps you prefer stats…
Based on a survey of 2000 people conducted by Gregg Stewart (15miles.com) and Gillian Heltai (comScore.com) the number of people searching online for data on businesses _first_ (i.e. not excluding offline search) increases as the age bracket gets younger, ranging from 56% for age 55+ to 81% for ages 18 to 34.
For an idea of what I mean take a look at this article:
http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/local-search-study-results-at-smx-east/3714/#ixzz1HizBs4uz
Highlights:
"Stewart and Heltai added that most consumers rely on multiple info sources."
"Only 14% of people who start at a search engine when looking for local businesses [end their search there]. Cell phones and social media are still small, but they’re growing as secondary sources of local info."
[...]
"69% say (more likely to use a company if you can find their info on a social
networking site.)"
Additional stats reported for how businesses are found on social media and the
importance of reviews and ratings
It has undoubtedly increased the credibility of IM experts like the one I mentioned. It's also a wake up call to learn more and continue gathering data from similar people studying the landscape, whether established expert or aspiring.
An earlier post in this blog ("What a Website Can Do") focused on several issues.
It expressed the necessity of businesses having their own website, particularly for
greater control of their brand. If a business concedes its internet presence to other sites, it might not be truly represented or favorably distinguished from the competition. It might even imply the wrong message.
It also dealt with one of the most critical areas in managing the image of your business: handling negative feedback or a negative review.
And if we thought there wasn't enough opportunity to confront this dilemma, we are
now reassured with the arrival of social media!
It's no longer just a matter of browsing to page 3 of a search result and stumbling across a listing in a directory; suggestions, "retweets", and "hash tag" topics are a few additional examples of the ways a business image is presented.
When you have a lot of separate things to monitor it only makes sense to group
them together somehow, if at all possible. For social networks like Twitter, a
twitter client or twitter app relieves the hassle of remembering logon credentials
and posting to every account. It is very likely that we have several accounts/belong
to several social networks.
So how can we juggle all of these connections?
Hootsuite is the answer. Hootsuite lets you engage up to 5 communities with the free plan and unlimited networks with the paid plans.
It simplifies including links with your posts and gives you more
precision in measuring the results of your communication, just one of a suite of
analytic tools.
The basic Hootsuite configuration gives you:
-
Account Ownership for up to 5 social network profiles
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Ability to schedule tweets and status updates
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Ability to auto-update from 2 RSS or Atom feeds
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30 days of link click-through statistics reporting
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Ow.ly link click-through analytics (including 30 day historical data)
Among many other features with the Hootsuite Pro package you can own
unlimited social network profiles:
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Unlimited social profiles
-
Auto-update from unlimited RSS/Atom feeds
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Maintain an unlimited historical
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Archive of link click-through statistics
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Integration of Google Analytics
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Integration of Facebook Insights
Hootsuite also has an Enterprise plan.
The Hootsuite mobile version is compatible with iPhone/iPad, Blackberry
and Android.
So, stop working harder at keeping up with your social communities! You have
many things to do; let Hootsuite help you to do them more efficiently.
And you know what efficiency can mean. Get the full story at Hootsuite.
[Note: I am an affiliate and will be compensated for referrals that purchase a plan]
[Subscribe to the DE mailing list at http://newcenturywork.com ]
Since I posted "A Wealth of Experience Not Granted" I learned of an
agency created in October 2010, called the Massachusetts Growth Capital
Corporation which provides short term capital to small business to stimulate job
creation. I received an invitation from the organization Smaller Business
Association of New England (SBANE) to hear the interim president of MGCC,
Charles T. Grigsby rollout the service, February 16, 2011.
Excerpt from the web site:
"The creation and $35 million capitalization of the MGCC was formed to serve as a one-stop resource for small businesses seeking capital and advice. By consolidating the Community Development Finance Corporation (CDFC) and The Economic Stabilization Trust (EST), two state entities previously responsible for debt and equity financing and business advice, businesses now have a centralized resource at the state-level that will be able to offer working capital, loan guarantees, grants and financial guidance — including one-on-one mentoring services."
So I found a bona fide sample of a source for grants to small business.
It also struck a chord since I had purchased a franchise in the Interface Financial Group back in 2006 particularly devoted to this objective (although there are slight but significant differences in the method of financing). I and my fellow franchisees were kind of ahead of our time!  I plan to constantly improve anticipation of needs.
It's nice to know that there's alternatives out there.
Another surprising (to me) aspect of this topic arose while speaking with other budding business owners. Some expressed reservations about certain sources of financing and the risk of losing control of their business — or worse, losing their business period!
This had a certain "Twilight Zone-ish" vibe to me, because I never imagined receipt of money would be perceived as anything but positive (at the least). One response by those experienced in this area was to look for investors who are more interested in the nature of the business and will offer constructive insight.
IFG focuses on purchasing invoices and having a limited role/being a "use as needed" strategy.
The model that has large appeal for me is using one business to finance another.
Passive income streams that complement each other fortifies this strategy. Several resources are here: eBooks("Cost Per Acquisition" / "Ebook Creation Made Easy") to membership advice forums ("How Many Ways"); the importance of having your own website and adding an autoresponder ("DE Starts Consulting").
You can gain insight from experiences such as the posts "When Partnerships Go Bad." and Private Label Rights. [I'll share them all and hopefully the "more challenging" ones will never prevent me from being able to do so.  ]
In order to make any progress in these efforts you need support for your web presence. Choosing a solid hosting company is a tremendous asset. You can see my recommendations on this in the next post, which I'm thinking of a clever title for now.
Promotion is as critical in your budget as the new toolbox, store or vehicle.
Make sure that capital grows.
[ Subscribe to the DE newsletter at http://newcenturywork.com ]
A few weeks ago a friend asked me to help him understand what he needed to
do to monetize a blog.
You may have noticed that DE blog is not "really monetized". I put that in
quotations because it's obvious in various posts there's an affiliate link or
two (all the more obvious in observance of FTC regulations) and pointers but
DE blog's main purpose is to open avenues of thought. Those links are
hopefully augmenting the concepts around them.
Besides that, I wanted to remain autonomous on DE blog.
When I looked into blogging more closely it started with another
experienced marketer who offered an entire course serially through weekly
emails; a slightly abridged version of an ebook titled "The Blogger's Bible."
There were all kinds of nuances to blogging I hadn't imagined.
Things like effective use of images.
Like blog and forum commenting (not including some of what I've
encountered), that also serve to increase page rank and drive traffic.
Linkbuilding…Social bookmarking…I swear, it's like an onion!
But then, that's the way everything that's new seems.
Then, as I got further into research I learned about different kinds of spamming…
Blogs are being found everywhere now. I thought this is an area I needed to
understand, and I learn best by doing. I put together a report that I hope
will help as a starting point for those looking to begin blogging and the
the various ways it might help your business.
You can get it free at
http://newcenturywork.com/complimentary/Monetizing_Blog.pdf
Once you've read it, done more research, or already have your own experience,
please share your insights here!
The other day I had what I call a "Tech Wake Up Call".
Out of the blue (literally) an error screen popped up in the course of booting, followed by a Windows XP "apology message." This, needless to say, was not helpful in charting my course.
Let it be clearly understood that one of my uppermost concerns is optimal system performance. Diligent system management does not just set the expectation of dependability and instantaneous response; it reinforces a sense of being justified in that expectation. (Yeah, I know.)
So, after going through several reboots and getting no closer to a login screen, (in fact the result became "no input signal for <monitor>, going to power-save mode" and monitor shutdown) I figured it was time to get out the XP installation CD.
Booting from the CD got a monitor display…of a number of files that appeared to be loading, and finally a "C" prompt. Well, it was an improvement. Not exactly Windows, but at least a door.
Using a spare laptop to get online I found:
- a lot of entries about this on the net (some real interesting hits on "signs video card is failing")
- more than a few symptoms that might lead you to think otherwise, but all associated with the video card
- the ever-present comment: "[the video card] is just bad so get a new one"
That last is the chiller because this video card is now obsolete (although as of 10/2010 I found 3 sources on eBay, certainly for this).
At the (literal) end of the day my problem was solved, so far, although I have no evidence that running CHKDSK /R and the recovery CD procedures deserve the credit other than a sudden normal reboot from the BIOS. (No log message saying "Baby, I'm back!")
As I retraced all my activity, from the massive security patches applied to the system earlier in the week, until that fateful "apology", I can only conclude that something I did while cleaning the system upset the delicate balance. (Make sure compressed air is used while system is off! Doesn't matter how many fans are going… It's not. A good. Idea!)
However, the underlying inescapable reality is that after five faithful years of service I have to replace my system (the ultimate upgrade?). Or at least consider it.
Well, you may be thinking, that is painfully obvious.
But I've read that it's common for businesses to [very] reluctantly part with what they are familiar with. This has been most evident in the migration from Windows XP to Windows 7.
I have never held the opinion that any software at any point in business operations should be the only alternative for carrying that business. I've even had the experience of supporting legacy software that was indispensable yet could not be re-created… (Thanks very much, got the T-shirt).
Yet, I am a little surprised to find I have developed an affinity with this machine. We've been through a lot together and it has been essential
in my growth. It is the first machine that I've used truly beyond the boundaries of my employment. I went back to school with it. I've explored everything from Hubble telescope photographs to more mundane fare.
It is also the first machine with the purpose of trying to build something that is mine.
The days of this being my primary PC are coming to a close and I have to say on the whole, I've been fortunate and thankful for this high quality assembly by PC's For Everyone.
One thing I will be on the lookout for is hardware monitoring software, any as trustworthy and as comprehensive as I can find. I've also taken a few other steps that will provide more options should I encounter this situation again.
Another take-away I've gained is it might help to get a spare video card with next purchase of a PC or within a year or two. That might "save the horse for want of a horseshoe nail." In any case it's a sound strategy to have a 3 to 5 year plan for replacing a computer system or enabling an overhaul that will yield the same results.
In a future entry I'll share some of my considerations in this area.
I'm about to assist a small business in another way: hopefully helping to attract customers through a musical performance. There is a great little diner in Dorchester MA, between Ashmont and Fields Corner, called Dot 2 Dot Cafe . (I also have some ideas for that website which the owner is considering.) Dot 2 Dot Cafe is a relatively new restaurant, having opened about two years ago as of the date of this post. My family discovered it this past summer. It's focus is primarily breakfast/brunch cuisine and was recently featured in an article in the Boston Phoenix (http://thephoenix.com/Boston/food/109989-dot2dot cafe/). The owner is a cordon bleu-trained chef. Normal hours of operation are in the morning until early afternoon. To increase awareness and broaden the perception of Dot 2 Dot as more than a breakfast diner (which it is in my opinion, given its modern decor, a couch among the tables and free wi-fi), events are held on certain evenings. On the last Friday of each month for example, there is an "open mic" night. There are other regularly scheduled events such as book club discussions and even something as unique as students performing excerpts from a play. The musical entertainment styles range from contemporary, to urban folk, to Motown soul; chart-toppers to original compositions. On November 12 2010, I'll be bringing a Jazz/Afro-Cuban perspective to this eclectic scene, with Larry Roland on bass, Pandelis Karayorgis on keyboard and myself on tumbadora (aka "congas"). We'll be doing some standards, some folkloric, and a surprise or two. Diverse Elements. If you're around, stop by and say hi!
Update 2/3/2011
The promotional flyer I designed for the event.bmp)
Years may go by and it can go unnoticed until it arrives: a rift develops between you and someone who partnered with you to build a business. But the assets of the business have been jointly managed. One of those critical assets is customer contact information.
If the owner of that data is clear, then the next question is how it will be
preserved/maintained, and continue to be accessed. If you lose it, the best case scenario is you have to start from scratch (which may be more daunting than it appears).
Having a backup is good insurance, yet it is only as good as the one most recent and if the contact info is sufficient. If you backup daily and can actually re-contact those listed, then you virtually have no worries. If not…let the suspense begin.
With a direct response website you improve your odds tremendously.
Direct response means building a list of contact name and email (at a minimum), and maintaining contact on a scheduled basis. No scrambling to protect your base.
It makes good sense to have an auto-responder when obtaining email to enable double opt-in and ensure compliance with the anti-SPAM laws. All this means is that you register with a service that will manage email and send a follow-up message that asks for confirmation when someone initially subscribes.
It also sends messages (maintaining contact) on schedule.
Auto-responder services take the work out of creating ways to make sure your subscriber is not some kind of bot, ways to present your opt-in widget, and assure a high deliverable rate for bona fide email addresses (working with all major Internet Service Providers) as no ordinary email responder can.
Once you have that list and how to unsubscribe clearly communicated, you get a stable and coherent database that can be transported and organized so much easier. For example, You could send an announcement to everyone on your list with a single click. Compare that to having to contact every single sender in your inbox. You don’t miss anyone, you don’t have to double-check if you’ve already notified someone, and you can spend more time growing your business.
The cost of having an auto-responder can be under 2.00/day (and several will allow you the first x number of subscribers for free, but be aware of the terms). If you have a larger concern you might use “contact management” or “email enterprise solutions” or customer relationship management (CRM) software. The investment is worth many times what you pay.
So this all brings us back to the point: carrying on a business when the
partnership dissolves, means having options. An auto-responder as part of a direct response website gives you options. One of the best auto-responders for small businesses is Aweber. Very easy to set up with plenty of help docs and videos. See my affiliate link http://www.aweber.com/?323092
May all partnerships past or present stay on good terms.
[I have an affiliate relationship and/or another material connection to the
providers of goods and services mentioned in this message and may be
compensated when you purchase from a provider. However, all affiliate sources have been verified to the best of my ability/experience as I value my reputation.]
Lately I’ve been giving a lot of thought to “salesmanship”. I am examining different perspectives of it including popular culture influences.
For example, I didn’t consider interviewing for a job as “selling”; I simply described and related my background and experience. Based on that I hoped it would be enough to convince the interviewer to hire me.
Perhaps selling was not in my consciousness due to a predefined idea of it. As a kid I saw (mainly in comedies and cartoons) the salesman as selling something door-to-door with the implication there was questionable need, like brushes, a “cure all” tonic, “hair restorer”; or used cars, and being rejected. They were characterized as fast/smooth talkers, not to be trusted.
Yet they were also portrayed having an indefatigable cheerfulness, (that, oddly enough, was satirized in itself).
As I got a little older I became aware of another approach: the “soft sell”, which in my opinion became more pronounced in the post-Civil Rights/Woodstock period. There was more advertising that echoed attitudes of the times to a greater degree and used a more spontaneous way to relate to the audience. As an example I’m thinking of the Alka-Seltzer commercial parody of a commercial (“Mama mia! That’s some spicy meatball!” Check the original from late 1960′s early 1970′s on Youtube).
Conventional advertising carried right alongside, including the famous “infomercial.”
I once tried concession stand selling in malls, where I called out to people to try a product (for free! That didn’t just happen with the rise of the internet) and demonstrated it on the spot. Most were nice even when declining the offer, some were outright hostile. It is a free country, after all.
Later I encountered an opportunity to sell term life insurance plans and advise prospects to “invest the rest”. (The investment was in the Magellan Fund which experienced phenomenal growth in the 1990′s.) One of the methods was cold-calling (telephoning people directly from a listing or phone book without getting to know them beforehand), a harsh introduction to that technique.
These type of experiences either thicken one’s hide or encourage looking for something else.
Yet, in a job that was not in public retail, when I explained a proposal or negotiated, or even as small a thing as training 1:1, I was in fact selling.
If you ever promised to be good for Santa to bring you presents, guess what?
So there’s definitely a benign side.
While writing this over the course of several months (I didn’t forget this topic as I had promised in an earlier post in the blog) I had the opportunity to hear Eben Pagan, a renowned internet marketer who recently launched a new coaching program.
Part of his philosophy is you can’t convince anyone of anything. You can only give them the right information so that they can convince themselves.
It’s about solving a problem/fulfilling their desire, not selling your expertise and yourself.
A quote from “Ebook Creation Made Easy” that resonates with me: “Nobody likes over-the-top selling or advertising. In fact no one likes sneaky, subtle advertising either.”
Now, I’m hearing about the role social gaming has in delivering marketing messages “unobtrusively and without annoying messages.” Is this a trend? Does this fall into the “subtle” category?
I’ve encountered a lot of contrasting viewpoints on effective marketing, and if there is one clear conclusion emerging it’s that one size does not fit all, but there’s no substitution for integrity. And some will not consider integrity synonymous with edginess. Then again, some are OK with that.
There’s obviously a lot to be said on this topic. Many people have written books with sufficient poundage/kilobytes (and perhaps weight) concerning this, and I will be a lifelong student.
You know how sometimes you think certain things are self-explanatory but you wind up having to explain them anyway?
To all the spammers, those only promoting their own products without relating to the topic, and mischief makers, please note: I’m trying to engage in an honest endeavor here. You are not welcome.
Any comments unrelated to the attached topic will be deleted. This is noted in the policy section under every comment post, which has been updated. Please read.
Other people might want to learn something from those of us who are genuine. They do not deserve to have to wade through deitritus to find it.
Any websites that I feel are “spammy” or rigged with any so-called “black-hat” techniques, I will edit/delete posts with pointers to them.
Any other types of deviations not specifically described here are also subject to this policy and will be addressed accordingly.
Allowing you to attach your website to your signature shows respect for your endeavors, please show respect for mine.
Thank you.
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