Zero to 2,000% in 30 seconds (Ok..30 days)

Technology and its impact on the online business space continue to move at a tremendous pace. There exists a plethora of strategies, technologies and approaches that businesses use to effect a positive change. However, in 2011 many of these strategies or their implementation still just do not work. For every 10 campaigns that work and success stories which are told, there are 100's which fall miserably.

The media does a good job of promoting those successes and so they should. However, for the multitude trying to replicate that success, it looks too easy. And there we have the problem. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but the growth and success of a business or project is a multi faceted beast. But yet for the purpose of promoting that business as a success, we normally only read about the most PR friendly aspect of that success.

Coming off the heels of a recently successful project launch, my team and I increased a websites visibility by over 2,000% in 30 days. This gave me more clarity as to why so many business models fail in this regard. Our success wasn't due to a single aspect of marketing, development or any other core element of that company. It was what I've been telling companies for years now, a 360 effort ensuring that all facets of the company were aligned towards its underlying objectives.

Let me put it another way. We wrapped technology around the vision of the strategic director who had clarity about where he wanted the company to go during its growth phase. We sometimes vitally forget that technology is the leverage not the driver. What do I mean? Many business owners and entrepreneurs seem to be under the impression that if they 'apply' a new strategy or the latest .com marketing idea, that change will come. Nah. It's been my experience that the tech strategy is only effective if it sits on top of a cohesive overall strategy to which it lends its value.

Let me give you a silly analogy. There's no point putting Lewis Hamilton into a run of the mill family car and expect high performance. So why would we expect any less in our business endeavours? Sounds obvious, but I see it all the time. It would seem that technology creates a disillusion some cling to in the hope that their woes will be wiped away. Nah.

So what's the point dear reader?

Businesses and their resulting marketing campaigns are as complex as the human beings they target. So; give them their due consideration. And if you're not able to, then get someone who can, or fail. No matter how many companies start up each day, there still exists a huge opportunity online no matter what business you're in...

...It just takes the right perspective to understand how you too can go from zero to 2,000% in 30 days

Savvy Corporate Interview w/ Julian Hall (Part 1)

How I got started as an entrepreneur, my book on social media and what I consider to be the top 3 skills to stay competitive in today's environment

Savvy Corporate Interview w/ Julian Hall (Part 2)

What is my greatest inspiration and the most impactful ideas around new media

To Give or Receive – That is the Question!

The old cliché asserts: “It’s better to give than receive”.  Agreed? Well you may or you may not but one thing’s for certain, when it comes to digital marketing it is an idiom you will have to embrace! At least when you are first starting out!

Think of the web in a similar vein to your local market, they are very similar! In any marketplace traders need to entice potential customers away from competing traders. Now this “enticing” is left to the creative genius of said trader, who should utilise any advantage they have in order to get sales. Price, charisma, special offers and of course being loud are all tools market traders can use to secure sales and repeat customers.

The web, like a lot of markets can be a confusing and chaotic place at the best of times. It’s therefore essential to have that unique selling point that can generate interest and/or lure customers away from competitors. What’s yours? No really...before you read on, work this out!

Microsoft’s Bing search engine, which was unveiled in summer 2009, has had a rough initiation into the online market; battling established heavyweights such as Yahoo and Google. Up until now Microsoft have been using clever tactics such as making Bing the default search engine on Internet Explorer and a reward programme which offered Amazon gift cards to Bing users, in order to gain a bigger stake in the search engine market share. And you may not have noticed but the Facebook web search is powered by guess who... Bing.

However, in launching their new search and map functionality service they really brought out the big guns in the form of legendary rap mogul Jay-Z and an excellent multi-platform marketing campaign. Bing, in an effort to target the younger demographic, concocted a campaign to coincide with the release of the artist’s memoirs Decoded. The campaign is set to release every page of the book in the days leading to its release. Pages will be placed in locations all over the world (locations are chosen by some link to the content of the page) on items not so typical to advertising campaigns. Bing has swapped traditional billboards and bus stops for cars, jackets and table cloths to name a few!

In tying the campaign directly into their website Bing crafted a nifty online treasure hunt; in which clues to the locations of pages were released on various Social Media platforms. Users would have to log into their Bing accounts and use their search and maps functionality to find pages, with the incentive of compiling a FREE digital copy! #Genius.

In online business, patience is a virtue, and giving that something special your target audience will enjoy, if done right will reap tremendous rewards. Invest in your target demographic and in turn they will be loyal, spread the word and (hopefully) bring a truckload of their peers with them!

And if you establish a relationship at all similar to my mum’s with her favourite fruit and veg salesmen you’ll be on to a winner!

It’s Not Who You Know, But Who Knows You...

Correct? Well yes if you are a business person in the 21^st century! Social media and networking has made it imperative that business owners make their presence felt on the web, as the amount of business attainable online increases.

However, overt sales and marketing pushes online are not the strategy to take in getting a buzz on the net! The trick is to build some sense of recognition or loyalty with web users, who will in turn share your content with others, while you sit back and watch! As the title says it is who ‘knows you!’..Chances are you will not know your customers, in the intimate fashion small business owners did in ye old country. Good use of social media should generate similar sentiments and relationships with customers though, hopefully even on a much larger scale!

The initial key is to ‘know’ your target audience! Once you have an understanding of what their values and interests are it is easy to provide content they will enjoy and share with their peers. Social networking is all about identification; ensure your target audience feel some affinity to your brand or business, talk to them and most importantly LISTEN.

A prime example of a company who have done well at this is online shoe retailer Zappos. Getting over 1/3 of their employees involved using @Zappos_[insert employee name] Twitter accounts they interact with the majority of their customer base on a one-to-one basis. Unsurprisingly 75% of the retailer’s sales are from repeat customers; while the Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s @Zappos Twitter account has amassed over 1.8 

million followers!

Do you even need a website to start selling online?

The connotation of the term ‘e-Commerce’ is that a retailer has launched their own website off which to trade. However, the set-up and launch of a website requires a fair bit of housekeeping...before you can get up and running and making money! Domain names, hosting, site design, and tests must all be sorted before your website can begin to reap the vast rewards available from successful online business.

Due to this an increasing number of entrepreneurs and start-up businesses are utilizing various social networks and online marketplaces in order to initially set up shop. This tactic is useful for start-ups in discovering the viability of their businesses and the nature of customers. 

There are several benefits of launching a business through another website, however as with other methods of e-Commerce, if this is a route you plan to go down in establishing your brand or service online, it requires sufficient planning. It is essential to extensively research the various platforms for business that are present on the web, determining which site is best suited to the needs of your potential business. Typical factors to consider when deciding on a site to use are your target demographic, product and payment options.

By far the most thriving e-marketplace and haven for small business is eBay and its potential for successful e-commerce is immense. The UK site attracts over 17.7 million unique visits per month, and the site has more than 90 million active users. Retailers are undoubtedly utilizing the exposure the site accommodates as at present over 30 million live listings can be found on the site. The site has shifted away from its auction house roots, with fixed price goods being sold by 160,000 registered businesses and over 100 high-street retailers.

Curwin Callender - Caribbean Senior Games Athletic Champion

We met Curwin at the Caribbean ICT Roadshow in Trinidad and Tobago earlier this year. The day after purchasing my book, "The 10 Secrets of Social Media Marketing" he wrote this song.



We bumped into him again this year in San Fernando, completely out of the blue!

This time he sprang this song on us..!



Don't you think he's a great character?!!

He's currently looking for sponsorship for a number of initiatives he's involved in.

If you'd like to contact Curwin to offer sponsorship for his various activites then email curwin_callender@msn.com

A message from Curwin:

"I reside in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.My active career was a Firefighter, where I was the only member of my batch to have reached the First Division. I also performed duties in the capacity as an Asst Chief Fire Officer.