Inbound Marketing and Social Media:

A Recipe for Success Online

Inbound marketing is successful when you view it in terms of a combination of permission marketing and search driven marketing. In other words, you want to be where your potential clients are….when your potential clients are searching for your services. If you are not, you will be ineffective and your inbound marketing strategy will fail.

Central  Hub: You must view your website in terms of a central hub. The idea is to drive as much traffic as possible to your hub by creating excitement, authority, and, above all, interesting content.

Video: We are in the video generation most online advertising and inbound marketing is driven by video. That is where the lion’s share of your clients will come from. An effective video campaign will send your business soaring, a lackluster video campaign will kill it!

Blogging for Business: Blogging is crucial! In fact, the static website of just a few pages is on its way out…if not dead already! The website that is primarily image-based, particularly when it comes to text, is worthless. You will derive ZERO SEO value from images alone. When a website full of images is crawled, it shows up as blank. A balance of text, images, and video is essential. Blogging also develops interest in your business and provides a line of communication between you and your clients that is invaluable. Blogging is essential for any business trying to grow and relate to their target market long term.

Viral Video and the Rest of the Online Guru Hocus Pocus: Forget about viral! Yes, that’s right…forget about it! If you intentionally set out to create a viral video or make some other sort of online media go viral, it will almost certainly fail! Focus on quality content that will interest your target market and get shared.

Note: I have videos and articles on websites around the world and very few, if any, would be considered viral. But they all get shared and it all translates into backlinks, subscribers, social media connections, clients, and friends.

Yes, friends!

Redirects: Redirects can be useful but if you are hoping to derive any SEO value from a super domain name that you are only using as a redirect to your not-so-great url, you are wasting your time, money…and a quality domain name too boot!

Articles: Articles accomplish several things at once. Articles establish you as an authority in your niche, they deliver backlinks to your main hub (although this is changing), and they drive traffic to your main hub. Even with the new shifts in Google’s algorithm, article marketing is still a crucial component of a solid inbound marketing strategy.

John Jones: Who is your target market? What does he look like? What are his interests? How does he dress? You must be able to SEE John Jones in order to relate to him…or Jane Jones for that matter!

Social Media: Social media is also essential! All of the components of an effective inbound marketing strategy must work together, in concert, if you are going to succeed. This is not an optional strategy, it is imperative if you want to compete in today’s market. Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook (both personal and a fan/business page), YouTube, Dailymotion, Break, Viddler, Foursquare, and others are the key to social media success. Ping.fm is the best way to reach most of the core social media sites in one blast, Hellotxt is another, and XeeSM.com is the third. If you integrate these social media hubs into your overall strategy it will make your job much easier.

Warning: Do not use social media as a vehicle to spam your followers or you will kill any suucess you may have otherwise achieved! Additionally, if you spam, all you will have following you are fellow spammers…and they will eventually unfollow you as well!

Additional Blogs: Google’s Blogger, Squidoo, HubPages, and others are also useful and can be tied directly into your social media hubs for constant updating! These should be included, as they are virtually effortless to maintain and they do end up on page one!

Keyword Research: Most keywords are insignificant. Many businesses beginning to explore inbound marketing focus on keywords that drive ZERO traffic to your website. The key is to know not only what terms are searched for, something Google does well, it is crucial that you know which keywords get the most CLICKS! Click through rate is crucial.

Google Analytics: Metrics are also key! You must know who is visiting your website and where they are coming from if you are to develop and intelligent and effective, long term inbound marketing strategy.

Testing: A/B testing is probably the simplest and most effective, at least when starting out. Long term strategies can be added from there.

Consistency: An inbound marketing strategy must be applied daily if it to work! Social media can be time intensive at first. The longer you do it, the easier it will become. Blogging must be done at least 3 times per week for best results. A video blog with adequate text to introduce and provide a synopsis of the video can make all the difference in terms of SEO value.

SEO: SEO or search engine optimization is a long term strategy! Yes, there are certain tweaks and some people believe Google provides a bit of a nod to new entities on the web…but that is debatable. Google is King Kong on the Internet right now and they are changing their algorithms constantly. The best strategy is one that is keyword rich and delivers superior content.

Video, Article, and Social Media Delivery Software and Memberships: There are several delivery systems in the form of membership sites and software that can be used to make you job easier. It is crucial to use these systems in order to reduce the amount of time you must spend on tedious projects…or get your employees in on it and have them do it. In the long run, your labor costs will kill you. It is best to use the membership sites available to you. We will review many of these as we progress.

Video Creation: There are several video sharing and video creation sites online. Animoto is simple and effective for creating short, interesting videos. Vimeo, Viddler, YouTube, Dailymotion, and several other video sharing sites will allow you to add your own logo and message for a fee. It is well worth it long term. While placing YouTube videos on your blog and website may be cost effective short term, long term you want to create your own identity without relying on YouTube. I have integrated my Flip MinoHD videos through Camtasia to Screencast. Others use Amazon’s video platform and still others Brightcove. Whatever the platform, make sure you learn all the ins and outs, so it remains trouble-free and cost effective!

In the next article I will discuss several sites I recommend you set up profiles on and how to do it for next to nothing and with little effort. Your profile should be keyword rich and your image a professional and/or easily identifiable one. In addition to Google’s Keyword Tool, I sincerely feel that Market Samurai is the class online at this time. Check it out for free & then upgrade if you like it!

I love it!

Discussion: We will discuss any questions or comments you may have and raise here. I hope this helps you as you begin, at once, to create your new and Ultimate Internet Image…or help others to get there!

I look forward to sharing ideas and/or working with you and believe we can position you to do great things in your niche as a brick and mortar business, an online business, or as an Internet, inbound marketing consultancy!

John Zajaros (Jack)
The Ultimate Internet Image
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
440-821-7018 (cell)
johnzajaros@gmail.com

Note: Just assume links are affiliate links and that way there can be no misunderstandings!

Outbound Marketing to Build an Inbound Marketing Consultancy

Inbound marketing, as you have no doubt heard over and over again, is primarily about developing permission, what Seth Godin calls Permission Marketing in his book by the same name. Permission is based on a relationship built over time and based on initial approval of something a “seller” is “selling,” a message or a product in one way, shape, or form.

But stay with me, I am going to use “sell” and “selling” and “seller” a lot…and for good reason.

Seller?

Selling?

Yes, seller and selling!

I understand that selling is about how we phrase our message and all the requisite terminology:

• Investment
• Proposal
• Purchase and Purchase Agreement
• Agreement
• Approval
• Suggest/Suggested
• And so on…

However, when we cut through all the sales training “stuff,” we are all selling something to someone and they are either buying it or not.

Every single one of us…simple as that!

• We are selling our services based on our knowledge, knowledge few others have by the way. We are selling our prospects on the notion that, as inbound marketing consultants, we are the only marketing consultants competent enough to take their Internet image to the next level.*
• Info marketers are selling information.
• MLM entreprenuers are selling an opportunity, usually based on the home-based business, residual income model.
• Retail businesses are selling widgets or cars or bagels or pet supplies or whatever.
• Service-oriented businesses are selling their ability to solve a problem by way of “specific knowledge” and also being able to access the parts and the trained labor force to accomplish that task.
• Professional people are selling themselves and their expertise in a given field, often based on years of training and hands-on experience.
• I cound go on and on into virtually any and every walk of life and sell you on the idea that we are all selling something, everyone from salesmen to waitresses to ministers to teachers to coaches to…..

You get the idea?

I don’t need to beat this to death.

First and foremost, we are selling ourselves!

Selling ourselves means getting out in front of the right audience; with just the right message; backed up by the right experience; and, at just the right time.

And that ain’t always easy!

Interestingly, in order to build an inbound marketing consultancy, you basically have two choices:

• One - You can develop permission over time by providing valuable information and allow your business to grow organically? Getting your brand anywhere and everywhere online and then hoping your messsage resonates with your target audience enough for them to act upon it.
• Two - You can go out and get it! Inbound and outbound marketing techniques? Heresy, you say!

In the case of inbound marketing strategies, you will be selling yourself by way of:

• Google Maps for the local search possibilities
• Blogging to connect and build relationships
• Article marketing to build authority, as well as for SEO and traffic
• Video marketing for a myraid of reasons beyond the scope of this article
• Social media because it is absolutely necessary in today’s online world, again for a myriad of reasons
• And the rest. And there is a lot of “the rest!”

As far as building your inbound marketing business, so you can serve others, you need to do everything you can to grow your business organically.

That goes without saying…or at least I hope it does!

Throw in some pay-per-click (PPC) for good measure and you are on your way.

Yes, there are a few people out there who have never created a website and, in spite of that, have done and continue to do quite well as inbound marketing consultants. And yes, if you apply inbound marketing strategies to your business it will flourish in time.

However, as I tell each and every client I acquire for The Ultimate Internet Image, inbound marketing is like farming.

Yes, there are some immediate results and they are exciting.

But immediate results should never be overstated or you will lose clients faster than you acqire them!

Back to Inbound Marketing and Farming

Most of inbound marketing is about working yourself to the bone, planting; and then, for a while, you may see nothing but bare ground; and finally, one day, you are standing 6 feet high in corn!

And that is exciting!

In the case of outbound marketing, the go out and get it side of the equation, and yes we do go out and get it in inbound marketing too, unless you have deep pockets, are independently wealthy, and/or have the patience of a saint, you are going to have enter the dark side, the outbound marketing side, and create business in order to have a business, keep the lights on at home, and do what you love.

Many of the strategies we sell as inbound marketing consultants are based on one thing, getting out in front of our target audience and then playing to that audience enough times so resonates with them.

Then, once we have an opportunity to serve our clients, we give them what they need, not necessarily what they want, to build their online image and relieve the pain!

The pain being anything from a terrible, 5-page static website to little traffic, and on to zero conversions. The pain most businesses are experiencing when it comes to their Internet image is, in and of itself, enough to fill an ebook.

For a great blog post that deals in part with the pain, go to Copyblogger’s Four Sales Page Elements That Get People To Buy Now…but wait until you are done here and have left a comment…OK?!

The Inbound Outbound Conundrum

As you build your inbound marketing consultancy, often from scratch, you have to get yourself in front of people who may:

• Not be online at all
• May have a website they never visit
• May have a website but think of it as an online billboard
• May not have a lot of time to spend online even if they do go online occassionally
• May not know there is something better, or know they have a problem, but don’t know the solution they seek is often a click away

In other words, one of three things are possible:

1)      They are oblivious to the whole “online thing.”

2)      They are aware but don’t really care, it simply isn’t a priority for them. This is usually because they are unaware of the power of the Internet, they lack information.

3)      They know they have a problem but don’t know how to solve it or where to find someone to solve it for them. Most business people never speak to a marketing consultant about their advertising or their Internet image, other than perhaps a webmaster (and even that is rare). And a webmaster is usually not the greatest source of marketing information.

Prospecting is the bane of almost every salesperson; and ultimately, as we have established above, we are all salepeople.

If you weren’t before…you know you are now!

In the next article in this series, out very soon, we will discuss how you bridge the gap between marketing methods and thus apply both outbound and inbound marketing strategies to build your inbound marketing consultancy and the ultimate Internet image for your consulting firm and your clients.

Please let me know what you think! Also, check out the contest rules on the home page and enter today!

The deadline has been extended to September 7, 2010 in order to accommodate Labor Day in the States.

The ebook alone will be worth it, Inbound Marketing A through Z, and you have a super chance of winning the prize package too!

Contact us anytime!

John Zajaros
The Ultimate Internet Image
Lakewood, Ohio
Skype: johnzajaros1
216-712-7004

PS, Check out our new blog at Ultimate Inbound Marketing for more inbound marketing related articles. audios, videos, and resources!

*Yes, there are a number of individuals out there calling themselves inbound marketing consultants who have never gone beyond purchasing an info product for $997 but they rarely get beyond square one. If you have real world experience, you are part of a very select enterprise. If you have gone so far as to purchase one of these products and are now stuck? Contact The Ultimate Internet Image and we will do our best to help you along…one colleague to another.

An Understanding of New Media, Inbound Marketing is
Crucial When Attempting to Create The Ultimate Internet Image!

New Media Marketing and/or Inbound Marketing

New Media Marketing is a fairly new label for a well-established concept, relationship/referral marketing.

New media marketing is simply relationship and referral marketing with a Web 2.0, viral twist.

New media marketing is engaged in by online and offline businesses attempting to develop an online community, a following, a congregation, an aggregation of loyal, even raving fans!

The business following, the congregation, thus allows for and even encourages loyal customers, or raving fans, to come together, share experiences, tell stories, and offer anecdotes about their relationship and experiences with the Internet business or traditional brick and mortar concern in question.

The sharing of information enhances the company’s brand and solidifies the relationship between client and business, thus providing the business with a steady stream of repeat customers. I like the label “clients” much better…for a myriad of reasons.

The Warm Market

The most expensive client to develop is the cold one, the client with no precious experience with the business engaged in a marketing campaign.

Interestingly, while the previous statement has been proven time and again, many businesses, in fact most businesses, pursue the cold call, the cold lead, instead of developing a relationship with and marketing to their warm market, the clients they have developed over the weeks, months, and even years leading up to the present advertising and marketing campaign…often at great cost, both in dollars and resources (also dollars).

The new media experience often includes blogs, forums, podcasts (a rapidly emerging and very exciting area for expression), social media platforms (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), and even certain extended mastermind groups (e.g., StomperNet, Infusionsoft, and others).

All of the aforementioned platforms, and a myriad of others, contribute to the viral effect created by the client’s positive experience and passed on….as they tell two people, and those two tell two people, and so on, and so on, and so on!

Just like the hair commercial: the viral effect of new media marketing!

Significantly, hundreds and often thousands will sing the praises of a business plugged in to and fully engaged in the new media, Web 2.0 experience. The new media marketing strategy, and the viral effect of such a marketing campaign, enhances the brand and creates opportunities for multiple sales over many weeks, months, and, again, years.

One of the best arguments for a business to engage in and develop a new media marketing strategy is the idea that outbound advertising, meaning intrusive, in-your-face, traditional advertising, has lost its influence on consumers. If in fact, it ever had much of one to begin with.

Evidence demonstrates conclusively that there has been a shift away from consumers simply accepting outbound advertising (i.e., newspaper, radio, Yellow Pages, junk mail, etc.) as something they must endure in order to make an intelligent purchasing decision.

Again, the data suggests that consumers are engaged in search driven buying behavior, they are taking an active role from beginning to end. Google has become a verb.

As in:

“To Google” or “I ‘Googled’ it the other day and then went out and bought the car I found online.”

Consumers are making buying decisions based on Internet research, “Googling,” and on referrals provided by followers, friends, and connections they have met online.

Interestingly, it has also been demonstrated rather conclusively that consumers are more inclined to take the word of a like-minded peer online, even if they have never actually met them, than to buy into the corporate-doublespeak, the outbound advertising spiel launched at them, often in invasive fashion, by traditional television ads (restroom breaks and trips to the fridge), radio (I change the channel, that’s why we have so many buttons! Right?), direct mail (making a comeback when done effectively but most is cat box filler), and newspaper advertising (expensive and impossible to track, also for the cats and even the bird cages). I hear newspapers are also good for cleaning windows.

New Media Marketing has a myriad of advantages over traditional, outbound advertising!

This trend will only continue over time, as millions find the Internet daily, hand-held connectivity is increasing exponentially, and the following trend continues:

*The Yellow Pages grows mold in the closet! (see the video)

*iPods, MP3 players, and CDs replace music on the radio!

*People get their news via the Internet…never to open a paper again! (except as liners and for windows!)

The fact is, there is still a place for outbound advertising but it will never be what it once was…the consumer would probably never allow it anyway!

To succeed offline, in a traditional brick and mortar business, or online as an affiliate, in an e-commerce “store” or in any number of other ways, new media marketing must be understood and implemented, particularly in this economy and with consumers growing wiser by the minute.

The combination of a down economy and an educated consumer means if a business, any business, isn’t fully committed and equally engaged in the new media marketing process…they may not make it! Or at the very least, the business will lose a lot of money, money they could have been making and spending to make more money.

The choice is an obvious one…or so one would think. Interestingly, people resist change, even business people, and even when the advice and service is quite affordable. It is human nature to resist change. It is also in the nature of most businesses to fail in the first 10 years…the decision seems a simple one…or is it?!

It is certainly the profitable one:

New Media Marketing works!

Contact me anytime for comments and questions…or just leave them here!

Prof John P J Zajaros Sr
216-712-6526
216-539-7412
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com

PS, For a no obligation inbound marketing consultation, including a new media strategy assessment and a complete competitive analysis, call me at either number above. Or email me for more information. Call 24/7 the machine is always on.

The Ultimate Internet Image Begins with The Ultimate Real World Relationship

I have been in business in one way or another for almost my entire adult life, since the age of 19. The power of relationship building, regardless of the setting, from the army to academia, has been the reason for my success and has defined who I am today.

Several wise men and women have all echoed the same sentiment:

Your Business Defines and is Defined by Who You Are as An Individual!

I would agree with the above and expand upon it:

We Are Defined By Our Commitments to Each Other and By How Well We Honor Them!

Interestingly, as a salesperson, I never worked well with others, my peers I mean.

Why?

To be perfectly frank about it, I was never a very good salesman!

What I have always been is a very good people-person!

I have never made a sale in my life, and yet I have made tens of thousands in a single month selling.

Why?

Because I do not sell anything, ever, I build a relationship and the sale takes care of itself!

The thing most salespeople miss, the quality I built a reputation and several businesses on, is the relationship!

The sale is the beginning of the relationship, not the end. In fact, everything flows from that initial transaction…the sale comes later.

Let me explain!

At times a sale is made because someone has a specific and immediate need.

The Process!

However, very often the sale is preceded by a process. The process is initiated by a connection of some sort, a feeling out process, if you will.

The Connection!

The connection is made and, if comfortable and determined to be mutually beneficial, it leads to a relationship.

The Relationship!

The relationship is built upon a connection, if the connection is found to be a good one, mutually beneficial to both parties, a relationship is formed.

Trust!

Trusting someone is a big step, difficult for many, impossible for some…and for good reason!

However, without trust, there will be no transaction…of any kind! The relationship is the first test in the process of developing trust.

Interestingly, the Internet has brought forth an amazing transformation, the world is indeed a smaller place. Social media is a window into our thirst for connections, for relationship building, and for friendship…but it entails trust!

Social media marketing, when misunderstood, is often a perversion of the relationship building process.

Social media marketing attempts to capitalize on the longing for connection and relationship building.

Interestingly, most fail to get the nuances of the milieu and pervert the relationship building process, failing miserably and claiming that social media marketing doesn’t work!

Social media marketing fails because the marketer is focused on the marketing and not on the relationship…the center, the linchpin of it all!

Social media is a mirror into the psyche of modern humans; and, it has yielded an interesting challenge:

Who can we trust? In fact, can we trust anyone?

It is a sad commentary on life when the most common phrase most people think of when they think of trust is:

“Don’t trust anyone!”

So, how do we develop trust? How do we break through the defenses in place?

Time and Effort = Results and Experience!

With time, patience, and effort, baby steps if you will, we achieve noticeable results and that experience allows trust to grow. The more time, the more effort, the more results…and our experience with an individual or company builds.

The Bond of Friendship!

With time and effort trust allows a bond to form and the bond builds and friendship is born!

Friendship may have many different forms but the process and the basis are the same:

Connection…Relationship…Time….Effort….Bond…Friendship…Sacred Trust!

To be perfectly honest with you, I’ve had very few clients in my life, fewer customers…I have had a lot of friends who I do business with!

You see, if a friend trusts you with their livelihood, you will honor that relationship with the best you have to offer!

If you provide the best, and take every relationship, marketing or otherwise, to heart, you will never fail.

If a friend trusts you with his or her business, they are demonstrating the ultimate form of trust.

Why?

Because their livelihood, in fact their well-being, and that of their loved ones, is in your hands!

Sacred Trust!

Ultimately, if you take this approach and internalize the mindset, you will never fail! In fact, you will have more business than you can possibly handle!

If you view every relationship as a sale, part of the marketing process and nothing more, you are doomed to repeated
failure.

Success and/or Failure is a Consequence of Mindset!

If you treat your customers as clients, your clients as friends, your friends with the same trust they place in you, and honor it, you will never go hungry for business or the real nourishment we all crave…

…the connection, built into a relationship, yielding trust, solidified by a bond, resulting in a lifelong friendship made stronger by the sacred trust conferred upon those we value enough to call…friend!

The money will take care of itself…always!

In fact, money will become an afterthought!

The real value, what defines us, will be the number of friendships we have forged over a lifetime.

Time and Effort

The satisfaction of helping others, the effort, combined with time, yielding a friendship and building into a sacred trust will yield success beyond measure:

Financial – Personal – Spiritual!

Treat your customers as clients, your clients as friends, and your friends as family…you will never know lasting failure!

Contact me anytime!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526 (24/7)
216-539-7412 (24/7)
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com
excellencepaidforward@gmail.com (for a personal response)

PS, For a free in depth consultation and competitive analysis contact me at the numbers above, I will return the request personally!

Inbound Marketing and The Ultimate Internet Image:
Traditional Brick and Mortar Business and Inbound Marketing Consulting

Recently, there has been a great deal of discussion about inbound marketing, search driven advertising, local search, consulting with local brick and mortar businesses; and, helping business people transition from traditional, outbound advertising to the new media, inbound marketing approach to lead generation, traffic building, and new customer and client acquisition. This seems like a tall order and it is…and it isn’t! I will explain below.

The Failure of Outbound Advertising

Traditional brick and mortar businesses have used what is now referred to as outbound advertising. Outbound marketing and/or advertising is intrusive (TV, Yellow Pages, radio, junk mail, etc.), driven by the business with the focus being customer acquisition by any means necessary. While this may seem like a bit of an exaggeration or at the very least a stretch, it’s quite accurate.

Businesses have been resorting to a “take no prisoners” approach to sales and marketing for decades and, until the dawn of the Internet, and particularly with the emergence of SEM or search engine marketing, things started to change…drastically and rapidly!

As businesses moved to the online business environment, they discovered several things almost immediately:

1) Prospective clients and/or customers were defining the search.

2) Traditional brick and mortar businesses seeking to engage their prospective target audience, their target market, had to adapt to this new and dynamic environment
or perish.

3) The companies able to adapt and get in front of their target market flourished.

4) Inbound marketing consulting emerged.

5) Inbound marketing consultancies serving traditional brick and mortar businesses with their online image, the Ultimate Internet Image if you will, offered a dynamic new form of advertising and marketing.

6) There was a huge disparity in competence among these inbound marketing consultancies, particularly those claiming to be SEO or search engine optimization specialists.

Enter the Inbound Marketing Consultant

In order to answer the need for Internet savvy, inbound marketing specialists many companies settled for less than qualified consultants, rather than taking the time to develop competence in house. The niche was there and if XYZ Inbound Marketing Consultancy didn’t fill it, ABG Internet Marketing and New Media Specialists would. Both companies are, of course, fictitious but you get the point, hope?

Consequently, in the rush to fill an ever expanding niche, a few inbound marketing consultancies failed to deliver. This failure gave an entire industry a black-eye. Sadly, a few unscrupulous SEO consultants simultaneously gouged their unsuspecting brick and mortar clients attempting to create a better online image of hundreds, often thousands of dollars in order to reap the short term windfall; the long term consequences be damned.

Fortunately, two things occurred:

1) The inbound marketing consulting landscape changed, it adapted and, consequently, flourished…exposing and pushing out most of the hacks and replacing them with competent and professional Internet and inbound marketing consultancies, companies in it for the long-term.

2) As with most things Internet, the consumers, in this case the traditional brick and mortar companies seeking the Ultimate Internet Image, and all the profits that go with such an online presence, got smart. With the emergence of greater competition, the consumer, the traditional brick and mortar business benefited in a big way!

Hiring Competent Consultants: Growing Pains

One of the greatest challenges facing new Internet companies focusing on inbound marketing was and remains to be how to hire and/or develop competent staff, marketing specialists capable of speaking the Internet/inbound marketing language. Additionally, these specialists need to have a working knowledge of the outbound strategies the companies and clients are engaged in.

Once again, the inbound marketing consultant needs to have a working knowledge of the traditional brick and mortar business environment, and the outbound advertising arena, as well.

I use arena for a reason, it has degenerated into something of a 3-ring circus, with no clear focus and little hope of competing in the new world of the Internet.

The Birth of an Inbound Marketing Consultant and Consultancy

One of the most common questions I receive from people considering a career as either an entrepreneur in a consultative role or as a sales and marketing specialist in the inbound marketing field is:

“How? How do I do it?”

Of course, the next statement is generally something like:

“I am not a salesman, never have been, and really can’t imagine myself being one. I hate selling!”

Interestingly but not surprisingly, the response is typical…and that’s a good thing!

What is crucial in inbound marketing is an understanding of consumer driven behavior, accessing target markets through an understanding of this behavior, an understanding of how the Internet works, and the ability to listen to prospective clients as they explain their motivation and their goals. Once the prospective client is understood, it then becomes a research driven task to build the Ultimate Internet Image for that client.

The No-Selling Sale!

Significantly, once a client understands that you have their interests at heart, and that you are competent, the sale takes care of itself. In fact, there is little selling to be done! The consultant presents and the traditional brick and mortar client accepts the vision of the consultant based on a relationship developed while engaged in the interview process.

There is much more to this and we will cover it is subsequent videos and articles but for now it is crucial to understand one thing:

It is impossible to fake competence long term!

The charlatan will be found out in short order and the inbound marketing firm that is focused on the client’s needs wants and desires will emerge, adapt over time, prosper, and, unfortunately, clean up the mess of the few who ruin it for those who completely understand this exciting and dynamic marketing milieu!

Call for information and a free outbound advertising consultation and inbound marketing assessment to achieve the Ultimate Internet Image.

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-539-7412
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com

PS, For an amazing overall program for developing an inbound marketing consultancy, one you can plug in and go with, a turn key operation, simply click here…the results will be the Ultimate Internet Image…for you and your new clients! Webinar and information good until Saturday 12-19-2009 at midnight, so don’t delay!

The Questions Every Business Must Ask Before, During, and After Each and Every Inbound Marketing Campaign

Many companies pay huge sums of money, either to search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN (Bing) for pay-per-click sponsored advertising or to SEO firms, to get to page one, the first page for various coveted keyword phrases responsible for generating leads, traffic, prospects, and ultimately, sales.

While both inbound marketing strategies may be effective, they are certainly not the most effective methods overall, both in terms of costs and/or results, for dealing with the marketing conundrum, the puzzle presented by Google and the other search engines.

The puzzle?

How does a business, either an online, Internet-based company or a traditional brick and mortar business, get the most exposure in the least amount of time and for the least amount of money?

In other words, how can a company optimize not only exposure, the ultimate Internet image and presence, but how can I do it in a cost effective manner?

How does a company optimize the ROI, return on investment?

These are the questions every company, online or offline, participating in online marketing or, as it is now referred to, inbound, new media marketing, needs to be able to understand and address. Unless a company can properly address these questions, these issues that cut to the heart of both short term and long term Internet marketing strategies and efforts, they are going about it in the wrong way.

As noted previously, there is a revolution underway, a transition within a transition. The Internet has forever altered how we spend money on sales and marketing campaigns. The shift is two-fold at its most fundamental level, and there are transitions within transitions, the state of Internet marketing, and thus the state of inbound marketing, is fluid, in a constant state of flux, evolving as knowledge of how to fully optimize the platform and its strategies are understood at a greater and deeper level.

The initial transition has occurred within and away from outbound advertising, the traditional in-your-face, intrusive advertising (e.g., Yellow Pages, television, radio, billboards, etc.), to a consumer oriented, search driven marketing strategy, later to be referred to as inbound or new media marketing. Within this transition several more have taken place. However, the most significant and interesting shift has been in the social media milieu because it is reshaping the Internet at a fundamental level. As the latter continues to occur, how we target and reach various segments of the Web 2.0, social media population is defining inbound marketing.

The use of social media and video marketing, along with the emergence of the blog, social bookmarking, and the mini or micro-blogging phenomenon have reshaped the strategies of companies big and small, both traditional brick and mortar companies moving online and emerging Internet marketing concerns across a variety of niches.

Ultimately, the transition is far from over, yet one thing is a certainty, the old media style of advertising, the outbound method of marketing is fading and the new media, inbound marketing approach to client and customer acquisition is here for the foreseeable future. The ROI may be incredible, given the proper strategy and an understanding of inbound marketing.

The next article in this series: The Use of Video and Social Media to Achieve High Levels of Search Engine Visability! will deal with how to integrate these two powerful models into your inbound marketing to create the Ultimate Internet Image long term!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
The Ultimate Internet Image – International
216-539-7412
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com

PS, Call for a free consultation and video marketing strategy workup.

Ultimate Internet Image: Inbound, Internet Marketing and a Page One Ranking Equals More Traditional Brick and Mortar Business

More leads and more traffic, particularly in todays economic climate are invaluable, they can quite literally mean the difference between making money and going under! Just as important as recognizing the need for more traffic and more leads, which in most cases is glaringly apparent, is to find the right Internet marketing consultancy, an Internet marketing company that understands traditional brick and mortar businesses and can help you make the transition into inbound, search driven Internet-based marketing, what some people are now referring to as new media marketing.

The need for more than a simple website should be apparent to anyone who has one. A website without traffic and consequently a website that does not in turn generate traffic to your business is a worthless as a menu in a restaurant without diners, an auto body shop without damaged automobiles or a car dealership without customers. The website is, in fact, only a first, rather tentative step into the world of inbound marketing.

To establish your brick and mortar business as a legitimate online presence takes creating the ultimate Internet image, hence the name of our company.

Without the proper Internet image, without the ultimate Internet inbound marketing formula, you have a website, and empty vehicle with little or no hope of moving up in the search engine rankings.

To move up in the search engine rankings, to establish your company online and achieve the ultimate Internet image, you must have a properly orchestrated inbound marketing strategy, one that incorporates search engine optimization, article marketing, video marketing, and the proper Web 2.0 strategy and image.

It is no longer enough to simply slap up a 2-5 page website and wait…the competition is to fierce, there are simply too many voices screaming for attention!

Ultimately, it is not the loudest Internet presence that wins the battle for more leads and more traffic online, it is the ultimate Internet image, it is the best presented package of a properly optimized website with a relationship building blog, along with the proper balance of article and video marketing, and all tied together in a cohesive strategy designed to increase search engine ranking and get your business to page one organically; that is, without the use of incredibly expensive, sponsored PPC or pay-per-click advertising.

Interestingly, clients know which ads are paid for and which ads are organic. Meaning, in the prospective clients’ eyes, the left-hand side, the organic listings, “earned” their ranking. Whether or not this is a valid consideration, consumers place more weight on an Internet presence on the left side of the page, an organic listing versus a sponsored link.

Meaning, if you are paying for advertising, in a subtle way it is counted against you. Strange but true!

So, where do we need to be? Yes, absolutely, to get more leads and more traffic, on page one and in the organic listings!

How do we get there? Well, some of this has been covered above and the remainder will be covered in the next few blog posts dealing with the Ultimate Internet Image, inbound and Internet marketing, and the generation of more leads and more traffic. All of this is designed to get you to page one and keep you there long term which will translate into more leads, more traffic, more business, and more profit!

For more information and a guaranteed page one listing contact:

John Zajaros
Director of Marketing
216-539-7412
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com

Launched in 2003, LinkedIn is a professional networking site with a membership of over 40 million and growing daily. While it is a form of social media, Web 2.0, LinkedIn serves a more definitive role as a relationship building tool and as a business networking community, one often under-utilized.

The networking platform has the same basic features as other Web 2.0 sites ¬– members create a profile, list their educational and employment experience, interests, upload a picture, post a link to their website or blog…the usual information. Interestingly, while immensely popular with business and professional people, many members are yet unaware of the full power of the networking platform, as well as the various capabilities and features of available to LinkedIn members.

Business Identity: Internet and Offline Image

In addition to the social aspects of LinkedIn, the site is regularly visited by those seeking confirmation of an individual’s credentials and reputation, not only within LinkedIn, but as an established entity in the business community. Lack of a LinkedIn profile may be quite costly and many who have yet to fully develop their LinkedIn identity may be missing a real opportunity for exposure and validation. LinkedIn is an excellent place to develop and enhance your online identity, your Internet image, per se.

LinkedIn’s Influence

LinkedIn’s power, once recognized and fully appreciated, is quite persuasive. LinkedIn is heavily trafficked not only by human resource personnel but by prospective clients and customers seeking additional information during the information gathering stages of a relationship. In fact, all 500 of the Fortune 500 companies are represented on LinkedIn. Social media and networking platform to be sure, but it is also a wonderful marketplace for those seeking employees and employment, including freelancers looking for new relationships and assignments.

LinkedIn’s Profile: Your Online Resume

The LinkedIn profile is your executive resume online and should be treated as such. The profile is the first impression, either a great one that states “I am someone to be taken seriously” or, conversely, “I am incomplete, look elsewhere!” For this reason, the profile should be as professional and as thorough as possible. When developing your online image, list your current or last held position, as well as past companies and affiliations. Set your profile to “Full View,” in order to make your information available for search engines to index, and customize your public profile’s URL to be your actual name, not some obscure nickname; in other words, brand yourself. This can all be quite easily accomplished through the “Accounts & Settings” tab under “Public Profile”. Including a link to your LinkedIn profile in your email signature, and also when you comment on blogs, are great ways to improve your connect-ability and your professional identity.

LinkedIn and Connections: The Power of the Network

Probably the most important aspect of a LinkedIn membership is the ability to make connections. Connections are to LinkedIn, what followers are to Twitter, and friends are to Facebook. Significantly, there is data to suggest that the “link” between connections on LinkedIn has a much greater and lasting effect, and affect, than either of the two aforementioned social media platforms.

LinkedIn’s Reach

LinkedIn members, those who are “linked-in,” build a contact network by inviting others, users and non-users, to become a part of their network. Members join a network by agreeing to “connect” and non-users may join, and take advantage of a wide array of benefits, depending on membership level, or create a public profile at no charge with limited access to the features of the paid membership. Your profile will also assist past and present associates, clients and partners in finding you. Features can assist members link-up with past employers and employees, various alumni groups, and other associations and groups. An individual’s network is then built based on connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know through 3 levels. Making connections in this fashion is designed to build trust among members, and has the potential to link you to tens of thousands of professionals. People are more likely to do business with or hire someone who comes recommended by another individual or company who they know and trust.

LinkedIn and the Power of the Group

If you would like to connect specifically with members based on interests, affiliations and goals, you can also join or create a LinkedIn Group. LinkedIn groups can be created by anyone for any purpose. The most popular groups are those with a networking focus, primarily networking with others in a specific area of expertise. After networking, professional education and information sharing are very popular group memberships. Basically, the possibilities are endless when it comes to group formation and affiliation, if two or more people come together, a group is formed.
LinkedIn’s “Advanced Search” feature can be a valuable tool whether you are seeking a new position, or want to assess the competition, research a perspective employer’s current workforce and turnover rate, or get to know more about the individual interests and accomplishments of those you may be considering working with. You can also use the “Advanced Search” to find people with similar education backgrounds and/or technical skills; and, to find out what companies they are currently employed by, or see who within your network may be initiating a new startup. The possibilities for using the LinkedIn search are myriad, it is a powerful information gathering tool when applied properly.

LinkedIn Answers: Ask and It Shall Be Answered!

The newest feature to be added to the site, “LinkedIn Answers,” allows you to ask for advice. Members can broadcast a business-related question and seek responses from both their network and the greater LinkedIn network. Let’s say you were looking for an accountant qualified in a certain area, or trying to gauge the appropriate salary range for a particular position, this would be an excellent forum from which to receive valuable responses.

Some other interesting statistics to consider when weighing the value of getting LinkedIn:

- People with twenty or more connections are over 30 times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity
- A company’s decision maker tends to be the more active user of the site
- The greater the number of connections the greater the likelihood of higher personal income

The Ultimate Internet Image and LinkedIn: Recommendations and Referrals

One of the most attractive features of a LinkedIn membership is the ability to give and receive recommendations. The recommendations are not only in the nature of peer reviews and recommendations but also recommendations from business clients, associates, colleagues, and employers. The LinkedIn recommendation, received in such a manner, is an invaluable tool not only in job-seeking but as an image and business building tool. The public nature and cumulative effect of such recommendations adds additional weight and value to the recommendation, not only enhancing one’s status and reputation within the LinkedIn community, but as a tool to be used by anyone seeking an objective evaluation of the individual’s credibility and competence, given by his or her peers.

LinkedIn: Do Not Be Caught Online Without It!

Overall, the LinkedIn membership is a vital asset for any business person, online or offline, interested in building a network for personal promotion and advancement, as well as for the promotion of business interests. LinkedIn membership is also a not-so-subtle message to anyone interested that an individual is at least established enough to have taken the time to build a relationship with his or her peers and to have been recognized as a colleague and a peer by those interested enough to make a connection with them. The connection, an active process of approval within the LinkedIn community, further validates the status of the individual members within the business community…or at least within the LinkedIn membership, which is basically one and the same. Ultimately, no serious marketer with an online presence should be without a LinkedIn membership and an active and engaging profile; thus assuring the Ultimate Internet Image!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr., CEO and Founder
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@johnzajaros.com
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com

The August Internet Marketing Quest Revealed Newsletter was a huge success!

September’s newsletter promises to be even better and will be out the week of September 14, 2009. It is my hope you will join me as we build our subscriber base. It is my intention to continue offering the newsletter as a free service, with an eye towards building a big subscriber case and creating a free and open forum for the exchange of ideas among subscribers.

Please join us and subscribe to the newsletter! The video will describe the upcoming edition more completely, I hope you enjoy it…and and it useful!

If you would like to see any issues covered in an upcoming newsletter, just leave a comment below and I will work to make it happen!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com