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Author: Dave

Web 2.0 Marketing – Your High Speed Connection

Back in the early days of the web it seemed that life was so  much simpler. There was dial up, one email account, simple search, AOL, Compuserve, Netscape and Yahoo. The search engines didn’t seem to change much and our business cruised along at a steady pace for 6 years. Was there more beneath the surface? Probably, but I didn’t care to participate and this was life as we knew it, so looking back I really enjoyed the ride. I learned a lot, made mistakes, and grew our business to the point of selling it in 2001.

Long gone is the day of only NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS and a few other local or independent stations on a black and white TV set. This is what I relate to with the early days of the web, HTML 1.0 and really ugly static pages.

Today’s world wide web or Web 2.0 is a much more complicated world.There’s a long list of channels and technology that seem to change and grow on a weekly basis. Google, Yahoo, Bing, Facebook, You Tube, Twitter, Pinterest, Digg, Yelp, Urbanspoon, Trip Advisor, Hundreds of Directories, Amazon, AOL, WordPress, Blogs, Forums, Tablets, Pads, High speed connections and the list just keeps on going.

So the big question is how do we continue to connect with our prospects, subscribers and customers with so many channels available to us? Well to start with I believe that you need to know your PSC more intimately than ever before. In order to connect and communicate you need to know the following:

  • What they like and don’t like?
  • Where they hang out?
  • How they like to be communicated to?
  • Why should they listen to and connect with you?
  • When they like to connect?
  • Who they already hang with?

Web 2.0 Marketing allows us to reach out and connect more so than ever before. All you need to do is take the time to search for the channels that your target market is attached to and reach out so the individuals know you’re there.

For some it’s still through organic search, others it’s paid search marketing, and yet for others it’s using social channels like Facebook, Google Plus and Pinterest.

But you need to focus and pinpoint which channels you are going to work on and in. This is a key to web 2.0 marketing and your ability to connect with people on a level that we have only sort of known in the real world of live networking.

My opinion is this…never has there been a time when one could create a niche and have sales within days and more new connections than ever before. Yes – when you know where the buyers are and what they want to buy…

All you need is the product, service or information they hunger for and a way to deliver it to them as fast as possible.

And by the way, there’s still one ancient channel that all users of the web still use at some point – Ye ole’ electronic mail. Yes, email is still alive believe it or not. But I’ll leave this subject and it’s long list of topics for another day and time.

Until then, do your research, dig deep and start connecting versus throwing mud up on the wall. And leave that old, antiquated outdated analog technology on the history shelf so you have something to talk about with the relatives at Thanksgiving.

To Your Web 2.0 Success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

 

 

How to Reach Your Target Market – Channel Selection

How does a small business owner connect with his or her target market and do it in a way that is professional, affordable and shows a return on marketing investment?

It’s not that complicated but many marketers make it more complicated than it has to be by throwing mud up on the wall and seeing what sticks.  Or they use old tactics that just aren’t very effective in this day of mass media where people are being bombarded with all kinds of messages and information. So you really need to know who your target market is and do your best to not throw mud up on the wall.

For one particular venture I tested and researched all kinds of advertising and social channels, but good ole’ networking still produced the best and fastest results.

Why you say? Well for one thing it put me in front of people who had immediate needs for what I offered and secondly it allowed me to outreach into their sphere of influence while having an advocate to back me up.

Now I’m not saying that networking is the end all to business development but it could have a major impact on your business if developed properly in an organized fashion.

Maybe you’re like so many small business owners and professionals who just don’t have a handle on driving new business on a consistent basis. They are handing out flyers at the local fair, sending postcards to purchased lists, buying pay-per-click ads on the search engines, utilizing social media channels and still buying yellow pages.

The results vary and can be really sketchy, especially if you don’t test.

So I suggest you ask yourself the question – Which channels work best for you? Which channels have you tested and seen results? Maybe you know and maybe you don’t?

What I’m saying is this – what are the best, most cost effective ways to attract your target audience and keep their attention?

During my years at the Tiny Store, both on and off the web, we tested many different forms of advertising and marketing (channels).

Here’s a short list (pre Internet days of 1995):

Direct Mail –( RSVP Postcard deck, Internal List, Valpak), Radio, Road signs, Yellow Pages, Magazine Advertorials, Newspaper, Home Shows, Tradeshows, Chamber of Commerce, Parades, Welcome Wagon

As you can see, up until 1995 and the year we jumped on the World Wide Web, we utilized the all kinds of offline media.

Yep, we threw a lot of buckaroonies into the old yellow books and even a black book. And no, it’s not what you’re thinking. This company published a black book instead of a yellow book.

Some things worked better than others but one thing is for certain…

One of best offline marketing methods was the regional home and remodeling shows. We started doing these in 1985 and for 16 years those events really paid off, to the point where 25% of all revenue was trackable to each specific event.

The Special Events provided us Four Benefits:

#1 Reinforced to the consumer who we were and what we had to offer.

#2 Got the wheels rolling even if the consumer wasn’t ready to purchase.

#3 Continued Presence at these events showed that we were not a fly by night company and each year had a compounding effect.

#4 Enabled us to connect with our Target Market.

Yes, #4 was the key – Our Target Market.

We were connecting with our target market and what better way than to be in front of this market year after year.

And this my friend, is what most small businesses should be working on with their marketing resources and very valuable time – Their target market.

So go find the channels (online and offline) that work best for your business or organization, and make every effort to attract and connect with people who want what you offer.

To your target marketing success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher 

Business Development Strategies – The BNI Way

Ever heard of BNI? Well up until last year, neither had I. Well at least I hadn’t paid enough attention to know what BNI is all about.

You see, BNI, also known as Business Networking International, is a global organization that functions on the basis of referrals, with the philosophy of Givers Gain.

Up until the Spring of 2012 I’d never heard of BNI.

I had been involved in networking groups before like LeTip and even co-founded a group in the early 1990’s which was located in the Seattle area called the Northern Network.

From different Chambers to Associations, I had my share of networking and needless to say the guard was up. Networking on a local level was not a new concept to me, but a group of very successful marketers, who I met at a conference, highly recommended BNI and this caught my attention.

So I decided to visit two different BNI chapters in my neck of the woods and one of them fit me better than the other.

Yes, there are chapters all over and in my case there were several to choose from that didn’t have a business like mine. You see each BNI chapter can only have one profession or business of it’s kind as a member. This way you are not competing with another company for the same business.

BNI is very unique, at least to this publisher and small business owner who has been around networking since the start of his first little enterprise many, many years ago.

BNI has been a real blessing and in my opinion the connections one can make are well worth the time and small investment.

Look, I’m not saying that you put all of your time into networking. I’m just saying that maybe it’s worth looking into and investigating if you are in the business development mode right now looking for new business development strategies that convert prospects into clients.

Because one to two new referrals could be what makes your week, month or even your year, depending on your business.

I mean we can go back and forth about business development strategies all day long.

There are lots of them out there and plenty of people to help you implement whichever one suits your particular business. Maybe your business development strategies or ‘strategy’ are working just fine and the cash register is overflowing, but you know you need a backup plan?

Maybe BNI could fit the bill and be a part of your business development strategy over the next couple of years? The only way you’ll know is to schedule the time to check it out and evaluate for yourself.

So if you are a small business or professional on the business development path and desire to connect with other like-minded people…

BNI might just be the ticket.

But you’ll never know until you take the next step and visit a chapter in your area.

Until next time,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

The Biz Dev Big One that Got Away – Business Development 301

When it comes to business development, one never really knows if a relationship is going to solidify to the point of transaction and possible long-term contractual obligation until the contract is signed and the check clears ye ole bank.

In all my years of developing new business it never ceases to amaze me how many people are out there with the hottest idea since electricity was invented.

More times than not new business development having to do with new ventures and projects have fallen through than come to fruition and developed into healthy repeat business. Yet, we as business development professionals continue onward an upward to the next project, whether it be large, small or somewhere in between.

Recently I was courting a venture that if it actually turned into a reality could have been one heck of a whopper or should I say really bigga macca.

This relationship was at the very early stages and I instinctively knew we needed a lot more information and research in order to make the right decisions, but I decided to share a few ideas to feed the fire. The only thing is that the ideas were like a few pieces of kindling and I didn’t share enough of them to get the fire started.

Then my gut kicked in several times before one of the meetings.  And then low and behold a curve ball was thrown and the entire development process was halted and terminated.

A sad, yet happy day this was for the publisher. Yes, I was literally jumping for joy.

Why, you ask?

Because this project freed the mind of yours truly to work on an internal ‘biz dev’ project that was already warmed up and ready to be put on the hot front burner.

And put it on the hot front burner we did!

My loyal reader, larger scale projects/ventures are often lofty dreams that have yet to become reality. And the small-scaled versions can be even worse because there’s usually less or no money. Today I look at them like looking at long-term investments, with cautious and conservative eyes and ears.

So when I’m approached to discuss and review either a small or large grandiose project (with no up front fundage), I usually decline, never to set foot in the requestors place of business or favorite beverage establishment.

Now even with all this said, I recently had one project that was so appealing, yet the project owner was only willing to pay us commissions versus any kind of retainer.

Almost every time I’ve come across these kind of offers, it really means that the prospective business or organization doesn’t have the necessary fundage to bring us on board, is uncertain about specific details or could be on his or her way out of business. Thus they desire to throw most of the advance work and risk on our shoulders.

Yes, this is almost always the case and rarely have I seen it otherwise and to our favor. So when the prospective owner or partner of the venture that is going to bring in gazillions to your coffers comes across your threshold, Here are Five Tips that you should consider:

1. Proceed with caution.  Big Yellow Sign. 😐

2. Turn on your note-taking device and open both thy ears. Remember, discover early and you’ll save yourself lots of wasted time and resources.

3. Close thy mouth and only open it when absolutely necessary to ask questions.

4. Protect thy time (your calendar) like a bank vault.

And finally number five…

If you, my reader, are going to take your precious time, energy and resources to develop business for any organization or business (whatever size it may be), then make sure that you have a secured agreement before ever stepping into action.

Because it has been my experience that people without fundage, very limited resources, or just desire to take as much as they can, are always looking for information and ideas to further their cause. And they especially love these ideas and information, when they are offered up on a plate without a fee attached.

So proceed with caution and a conservative stance as you walk through the streets of offers and prospective projects. Guard your time and resources and only part with these precious gems with those that pass the tests that you put before them.

To your success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

PS – Should ever the time come that you require some business development assistance or just need a good ole sounding board, the Small Biz Mechanic may be a good fit for you. But he’s not always available, so don’t be bummed out if you have to keep looking.

 

The Road to Successful Business Development 301A

Ever been in a situation where a prospective business owner or member of an organization paints such an awesome picture that you just know that it’s meant to be. It’s a business development dream. You know the picture I am referring to…

The one that is painted in such a way that makes it look like your share will be worth a gazillion trinkets, that you’d be a fool not to take on this endeavor. The road signs all pointed to this destination, yet you still feel like you’re at the wrong place and yet the picture is lit up like a Christmas tree!

In this follow up to my previous article, I want to point out that you need to be more cautious than ever when it comes to developing business for others.

Taking on projects or ventures that are only going to pay on the back end can be very risky and time consuming, especially if you are a sole-practitioner or have existing time constraints. Business development projects that are all back end based usually mean lots and lots of work and very little or no return.

Now this is not always the case, but more times than I can count on both hands I’ve seen these projects or ventures come our way only to leave after they don’t get what they want; usually one of the following:

A. The keys to unlock the revenue stream or some missing information that will help them put it all together.

B. Someone to work for FREE on the front end. You know, that someone to bring forth the JV partners, strategic alliances, primary revenue sources or new customers or clients.

It’s almost like a special radar alert that goes off now when a calling party brings forth their new venture, project or idea and just wants to get together to throw some ideas around and discuss the possibilities.

Yep…been there an done that more times than I want to admit.

Why – because I’m a believer in entrepreneurism. Call it a good sickness. I just want to help the new person live his or her dream and be able to get the venture off the ground or expand into new and uncharted territory.

The bottom line here is that your time is your most precious asset, and the amount of energy you put into any project can suck the life right out of your business if you’re not careful.

How do I know this? Because after 27 years of small business ventures including six startups, I’ve seen, been involved with and declined more than my fair share of “next big thing” projects and ventures. Enough so that I could write a book on the subject and have material left over for a second edition.

So with all that said…

Here are a few of Your Most Valuable Assets when it comes to your small business and the topic of business development:

A. Your Resources ( people, money, information, devices, machines, software)

B. Your Energy – (mind space – thoughts). This is also another subject for discussion as we only have so much energy in any given day.

C. Your Time – The 8 to 10 hours a day you have to work on and/or in your business.

D. Your Character – What you develop and take with you when you leave this Earth.

E. Your Salvation – What you take with you into eternity. (This is a whole other article series)

These assets married with the right biz dev project can possibly bring forth a lot of fulfilling times, experiences and revenue.

And so the next time you are approached with “The Next Big Trinket” or “Next Big Idea”, put up your guard, proceed with caution, and look at all the angles before taking any big steps.

Until next time…

Dave Krygier
Publisher
Clickandmortarblog.com 

The Knight, The Wrench, and The Visionary

The following is based on a true story…

Once upon a time there was a thriving, growing, family run kingdom that had seen almost four decades of steady growth.

This kingdom was located in an eastern land with its castle a huge structure that housed hundreds of serfs, maids, pawns and servants but very few knights and soldiers.

The King of this enterprise was ‘The Visionary’, who had a vision and with this vision he carried forth with his Queen to fulfill his dreams.

Together they grew, expanded and enjoyed what most kingdoms never experience…

 A unique Brand Loyalty like none other of its time.

At the peak of this growth, ‘The Knight’ was brought in to tend to a far away western land where the pastures and forests were green and the merchants were primed to grow and expand. His land was vast, covering thousands of square miles, taking days and days to travel end to end.

For the most part he was left alone and rarely visited by the ‘Old Guard’ from the castle.

The Visionary Passes

Then one day ‘The Visionary’ passed on and was no longer around to fulfill his role as the leader. It truly was a sad, sad day as many of the loyal people respected and loved The Visionary.  He had a gentle spirit with the ability to capture the hearts and minds of his subjects.

So the reins were passed on to the Queen and Prince and at first it seemed as though all was well. The Knight was hopeful that all would stay as it was. After all, the area he oversaw was far from the castle and world of mini-fiefdoms. So he enjoyed a freedom that most never experienced.  

He even met with one of the other Knights and they both agreed that the peace and prosperity would most likely last another five seasons.

Even though he was starting to get restless, he went about his business tending to the merchants and making sure the castle received it’s due.

Then one day the faces started changing at the castle as one by one the ‘Old Guard’ left for greener pastures and lands more abundant. And greener pastures and lands they each did find. 

Many of the seasoned veterans departed only to leave huge gaps and holes on the chess board at the castle.

The Wrench Arrives

And soon thereafter the departure of these few, ‘The Wrench’ arrived at the castle only to bring with him uncertainty and many questions.

His was a history of battles won and battles lost. A history some would not want to repeat.

His real strategy was hidden from view and his tactics were sly and close quartered.

A temper he had, that was experienced by most, as his outbursts laid out those in his path.

Upon meeting ‘The Wrench’ for the first time, The Knight realized that his days were numbered. He was assuredly going to have to make changes if he was to survive. So changes he started to make and none too soon.

And then the day came upon the kingdom at its remote outpost. Knights, Maidens and Merchants from near and far gathered for the semi-annual festival where The Queen, The Prince, and The Wrench held court.

The Wrench started to show his true colors as part of his plan was revealed to all the Knights and Maidens. Unrest and tension grew as each met with The Wrench and realized what was happening.

The Knight had seen this day coming many seasons ago and he had prepared for this day; a day that many had not been prepared for.

To be continued…

Publisher’s note: This post, The Knight, The Wrench, and The Visionary, is based on true story and is copyrighted by the publisher, Dave Krygier and ClickandMortarblog.com. Any unauthorized duplication, replication, in part or its entirety will not be tolerated and the publisher will pursue legal action.

 

Playing for Keeps with B The GoalKeeper

Soccer or Football(if you live anywhere outside of the US and Canada) still remains the most popular sport in the world and the goalkeeper position continues to gain popularity.

Goalkeeping in the world of youth soccer is quite interesting especially when you look at the girls side of the net.  It makes for interesting conversation when you are engaged with other parents, friends, family and business acquaintances.

Why? Because not many girls have a passion for diving on the hard ground, beating up their bodies, going through the specialty training and taking the hits to save a goal.

It’s funny when I look back at the last six years and how much our family has invested in both time and money in the sport of youth soccer. Recently, our family made a 14 hour trip to a goalkeeper clinic and it was a great experience for our keeper as she got to train with one of the best women’s goalkeepers in the world.

Last month a new niche soccer goalkeeper site opened its doors for those keepers looking for than just general information pertaining to the sport of soccer.

Enter B The Keeper

The new site, B The Keeper, is a niche website focused on the subject and topics related to soccer goalkeeping. You’ll find worldwide soccer news, featured articles on goalkeepers from around the globe, along with interviews, equipment reviews and general information related to the goalkeeper.

So if you are a shot stopper, are related to one, know one or want to be one… Send ’em on over to bthekeeper.com.

 

 

 

 

 

The Land of Email Marketing Strategies & Tactics

When it comes to email marketing strategies and tactics for small business, maybe it’s time we shed some light on the subject for those of you who are in the land of small business.

Ever seen an email message that landed in your inbox and you just knew it was going to be another advertisement with Sale! Sale! Sale! written all over it?

We all have and that’s why today’s topic is kicking off a series about email marketing and its direct correlation to direct response marketing. Now there’s more than enough articles and info products out there on the web about these two subjects, and even I have plenty of meat and potatoes right here at clickandmortarblog.com should you need some.

My point is this…

If you, the small business owner or manager is going to utilize email marketing in your business to build your customer base, then why don’t you test, use best practices and work towards connecting with your subscribers?

I know this takes time, effort, and planning and good copywriting. Yes – good copywriting is part of the equation when it comes to developing emails that get opened, read and clicked. Decent copywriting and creative can be the difference of an unopened email and one that gets thoroughly read and clicked.

More and more I see small business owners using email to ‘blast’ the people who have signed up or not signed up to their list. And the blasts they send are sale focused, not connection focused. 

This is not engaging, does not build credibility and is frankly very annoying.

The last thing a consumer or businessperson wants is another advertisement landing in his or her email inbox that screams sale! They already receive enough of these as it is and your pitch and shove doesn’t make them any happier or more eager to buy.

Soooo…. 

You, my small business friend, must look at the emails you create and send as more than just a digital version of a newspaper or magazine ad. These messages that are sent through cyberspace to the people whom have entrusted you with their email, are more than just advertisements.

These messages are relationship and bridge builders or at least the majority of them should be. Yes, you read that correctly. The majority of your email messages should be bridge builders and setups for a demolition crew!

The vast majority of the messages you send to your subscriber lists should be to build relationships, bridges, connections and if done properly – sales and long-term streams of revenue.

And with time-tested proven direct response tactics & strategies, you can make this happen in your email campaigns and even in your offline marketing. It makes no difference what business you are in; you can save yourself a lot of headaches and lost revenue by embracing direct response email marketing strategies and tactics that will work over the long haul.

So rest assured my small business friend, you too could attract, capture, connect and convert without screaming sale in every single email.

Look for more about how you can do this, right here at Clickandmortarblog.com (series to be continued) and through our friends at Smallbiz Mechanix.

Dave Krygier
Publisher 

How to Market a Restaurant that Could… Not!

It’s a really bad day when I hear about another small business that is going to close down and shut its doors to never open again; especially when it’s a fairly new restaurant in my own neck of the woods. The sad thing is that this restaurant I am referring to was one we were looking to work with, but the owner refused to get together with us to help him drive traffic and new business.

Over the past 6 to 9 months I’ve been watching the show Restaurant Impossible on the Food Network along with a few other shows with similar formats. What drew me to this show is the simple fact that these small businesses seem to be so close to going under, and then Chef Robert Irvine comes in in just a few days to save the establishment.

What’s been so intriguing about the RI show and the others that are similar to it is the simple fact that there are so many restaurants failing throughout the USA. It really blew my mind when I saw that there were four shows having to do with restaurants in trouble and then a local restaurant by our home went under along with a few others.

Should we have done something different in the ways of prospecting? Maybe so, but at this stage of the game, getting to a restaurant owner who thinks he has it all figured out is like attempting to break up pavement with a hammer.

Here are few steps you can take so you Know How to Market a Restaurant, Increase Sales and Avoid Losing Customers:

  1. Track your food costs.
  2. Create and Implement a Staff Manual. 
  3. Survey your Customers. It’s cheap and will open your eyes.
  4. Setup & Optimize Listings on Urban Spoon, Trip Advisor, Google and Yahoo. This is the short list.
  5. Market your Restaurant via Mobile. This means phones and tablets, so you’ll need an optimized site that is easily viewable and clickable.

Now even with these tips and suggestions we share with you here at Click and Mortar Blog and at Small Biz Mechanix, you still might get stuck or even very frustrated.

I mean even the Restaurant Impossible crew could come in and fix your place of food and beverage, and you still might fail or have continued trouble, if you don’t change your mindset, staff, food or marketing.

That’s right…

You, the owner or manager, need to start with your way of thinking and this takes work and time.

In one case, RI did their thing and supposedly fixed the ailing, failing restaurant but some thing didn’t gel or setup correctly and this establishment ended up with some bad reviews after the fact. This is really sad considering that the owner had a fresh start and lots of momentum created by a crew that knows how to set things straight.

So, I would recommend that you, Mr./Mrs./Miss Owner or Manager, review the tips above, look in the mirror and then get busy!

To your restaurant’s success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher 

PS:  BTW – if you really want to know how to market a restaurant and increase sales, connect with The Small Biz Mechanics and they’ll set you up. 🙂

Turn Up the Radio & Go Mobile

Back in 1987 I entered the world of radio as a young buck with zero broadcast experience. But I was able to go mobile with my EF Johnson car phone.  It was a whirlwind adventure as I learned about the broadcast medium that would be a part of my life until late 2004.

From promotions to commercials to jingles to business…I sure had a good time during those years. And I never worked as an employee for one station. I was always on the agency and client side of the equation.

Today radio is morphing into an online medium that is really proving itself in certain markets.

When you consider that listeners can download a mobile app and stay connected to any number of stations 24/7, it’s a wonderful way to attract and connect for a small business or organization. I mean, it’s become trackable due to the web and now you can measure, test and really see what works. So why not go mobile with your marketing by attracting and connecting with digital radio.

Before the mobile technology, we had to use phone numbers, tracking URL’s, online registration forms or actual physical paper to really get a good idea if a campaign was working. It was just so difficult to measure, even using these methods.

Now you can reach your audience 7 days a week, and if you really understand and implement direct response marketing you can see and track the results very fast. Plus you can even split test.

Now maybe I’m a little slow to the party and that’s probably the case but know that I really believe you as a business owner could possibly be attracting new customers, clients, patients or subscribers, sooner than later by utilizing online radio via mobile.

The radio of old is still a viable format for reaching certain audiences, but know that by combining the old with the new, you can target, reach and attract people to your offer like never before. It’s a growing online segment that is worth serious investigation and mark my words as the world of mobile continues to grow by leaps and bounds you will see the radio apps appearing on more and more mobile phones, pads and tablets.

Radio might still be an old medium to many traditionalists, but to this writer the future looks very bright as the digital age brings about the changes.

Yes, my loyal reader, the digital age is bringing about a change that you can either embrace or ignore. It’s that simple. You can be apart of this massive shift and attract new customers or sit on the sidelines and watch your competitors clean your clock.

So now is the time to go mobile and utilize digital radio. Turn it on, turn it up and you could see new business coming your way in a jiffy.

To your mobile marketing success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

PS – The Small Biz Mechanics have been busier than ever working on the latest mobile marketing solutions, plus they’ve been tuning up a few old fixer uppers. If your old clunker marketing needs an overhaul, they might be able to look under the hood and tweak a few things.