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!

Protecting Your Most Valuable Marketing Resources – Time and Money

Information Overload Pt II

In the previous article, and the videos attached to it, we dealt with focus and entrepreneurial success characteristics. We talked briefly about the various aspects of online marketing, to include Internet marketing and inbound marketing, and the cacophony of sound, both literally and figuratively, generated by online marketers.

I hope you had a chance to look at Internet and Inbound Marketing Success: Focus and Information Overload, and the videos attached. The article, and the videos associated with it, set the stage for the rest of this series.

I think if take the time, you will find that your time is well spent.

On to Internet and Inbound Marketing:
How to Deal Information Overload Pt II

One of the biggest challenges many of us face when beginning to make sense of the Internet generally, and inbound marketing in particular, is deciding just which expert to listen to and which resources to invest in.

The noise made by this guru and that expert is absolutely deafening and, because we don’t know who to listen to or what to invest in…we attempt to listen to everyone and jump from one program to the next in an attempt to get it just right and not miss something vital.

Incredibly, most of the inbound marketing experts we are listening to have never attempted the actual nuts and bolts of what they are teaching for any length of time…they are simply teaching others how to do it.

Yes, some have. But they quickly find out that, online anyway, it is better to teach than to do!

In other words, it is like the saying:

“Those who can’t or don’t do…teach; and those who teach…make more money!”

Sound a bit facetious?

It should!

I actually heard an Internet marketing guru say, and I am not sure he realized what he was saying at the time or not, I have the recording of it, that he realized early on he could make much more money teaching others how to make money online than he would ever make practicing the principals he was teaching himself.

Amazing!

It goes to show you 2 things:

1. There are a lot of “gurus” who have never actually practiced what they preach
   1. Marketers selling dog training courses who have never trained a dog
   2. Marketers selling courses to teach parrots to talk who have never taught a parrot to do anything and, like the dog trainer, may not even own one
   3. Marketers selling inbound marketing consulting courses who do not own and run inbound marketing consultancies and have no concept of what it is like to run and brick and mortar business
2. There is a lot more money in information products teaching others how to sell info products that there is in any of the subdisciplines most gurus point the masses towards
   1. There is a lot more money in selling info products dealing with how to be an affiliate marketer than there is being an affiliate marketer
   2. There is a lot more money selling apps for making Facebook pages than there is making Facebook pages

Picks and Shovels!

Sam Brannan taught us all a lesson during the California Gold Rush and savvy Internet marketing gurus haven’t missed a beat!

Brannan sold picks and shovels to the 49ers and made a million. The gold rushers, the 49ers, bought Brannon’s wares and got tired, broke, and hungry.

Today?

Internet marketers sell the picks and shovels of marketing.

You dig and they get rich!

Stop buying picks and shovels and start focusing on a few resources and make them pay.

How?

First, decide to follow one or two experts and then devour everything they teach you. If they refer to a resource, check it out…but remain skeptical and only purchase what you absolutely require.

Hopefully, you will choose wisely Grasshopper!

Ask yourself these questions before you invest your time or money any anything online:

• What’s in this for me?
  • Marketing Lesson: How does this benefit me and help me to grow my business?
• Who cares?
  • Marketing Lesson: Does this seem to be something that has worked for others?
• Can I validate the claims being made?
  • Marketing Lesson: Does the person offering the resource or the advice have a following and/or a track record?
• Why should I believe you?
  • Marketing Lesson: Malcolm Gladwell speaks of the adaptive unconscious in his book, Blink. Adaptive unconscious is the mental processes that works automatically and rapidly…based on relatively little information. In other words, intuition and gut instinct! In most cases, if you listen to your gut, it will guide you in the right direction.
  • Marketing Lesson: If you get a feeling deep in the pit of your stomach that says, “I just don’t know?” Walk away…fast!
• I’ve heard it all before!
  • Marketing Lesson: If you get the sense that they are spouting the same-old, same-old? Find a new teacher or think about investing in a different product.
    • This is particularly true in the inbound marketing sphere right now, with every Tom, Dick, and Jane selling their particular Ju-Ju for $997 or $1997 on how to corner the inbound marketing niche and make $5,000 to $10,000 per month starting Monday…and it’s Sunday night!
• Why in the world did I buy this product?
  • Marketing Lesson: If you get that feeling after investing your hard earned money in a course you should be all excited about…cancel! Today!
    • Yes, there is such a thing as buyer’s remorse. However, if you think the product doesn’t measure up or they are going to feed you bits and pieces over several weeks or months, it often means they don’t even have the product completed and you need to get out before the refund period lapses or you will be stuck with a subpar program and nothing to show for it!
• What else should I be doing now?
  • Marketing Lesson: If you are watching a video or reading an article and you are asking yourself what else you should be doing now, you need to:
    • Set it aside and come back to it when you have time to devote your complete attention to it.
    • Decide whether the message is relevant or not and move on.
      • Note: Keep in mind that not everything an expert is going to offer will resonate with you. I use the 3 strikes rule, unless it is really bad. I give an authority I am interested in 3 strikes. It they haven’t offered anything that floats my boat by strike 3…they’re out!
• Will this be a wise investment in terms of my time and money?
  • Marketing Lesson: If you can’t afford it in terms of money or can’t swing the time? Walk away! Offers are like the “gurus” making them…there will be another along later this week, next week, next month, and so on and so on and so on….
    • In fact, if you haven’t noticed it already, almost every big launch has a relauch and then a 2.0, a 3.0, and so on and so on and so on….
    • So, don’t sweat it if you can afford it…there will come a time when you will be able to. And then? You’ll probably be glad you didn’t buy it “back when,” because you will know enough by then to see it for what it is.
    • And 9 out of 10 times it is junk…or at the very least can be bought for much less or even found free with a little digging and a bit of Googling!
• Finally, ask yourself the following question: What makes you different?
  • Marketing Lesson: In other words, why should I listen to you? What makes you so special? And don’t worry about feelings! You are dealing with two of your most precious resources:
    • Time
    • Money
      • If either of these two resources is not well spent, and you can’t find a reason why the person asking for either is worth your time and money, because time is money? Walk away…Fast!

In Part III we will discuss the different coaching strategies and the various authority sites. We will also discuss the various Internet and inbound marketing resources; and, whether or not they are worth investing in or not. Finally, in Part IV, I will discuss some of the major implementation strategies I have used over the past two years, those I have discarded and those I still use…and why.

I hope you have found this interesting and useful.

If so, please leave a comment and share it with your friends via email and social media!

Thanks so much for taking the time and please don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter which starts off with the Inbound Marketing A through Z to be published September 7, 2010; and, it will be free of charge for subscribers.

Thanks again and please leave your feedback!

John Zajaros
The Ultimate Internet Image
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216-712-7004
Skype: johnzajaros1

Entrepreneurial Success Traits

The Importance of Focus

Internet and Inbound Marketing Success, the Entrepreneur, and Focus

I know, I know! I really couldn’t settle on a title…so I figured the next-best solution was the shotgun approach. I could tell you I’m testing it and all of that…but that would be bunk.

So, I’ll just tell it like it is…like I always do! Why change after 55 years?

Note: I will discuss this topic, and that of distraction and time management, in greater depth in The Ultimate Internet Image’s upcoming ebook, Inbound Marketing A through Z, scheduled to be released to our subscribers on September 7, 2010. You can find the details for it and the contest on the home page (link right above you). I would suggest entering the contest…the odds are fantastic right now and someone is going to win a nice little Apple iPod Touch and some other nice prizes!

So, check it out.

OK, done with the commercial!

I have added a couple of videos below.

The first is by David McCandless and his TED talk is entitled:

The beauty of data visualization

The second is by Gary Flake and is entitled:

Is Pivot a turning point for web exploration?

The latter is very exciting because it goes hand in hand with the recent discussion about TweetPivot in The Inbound Marketing Week in Review and in the follow up interview with Chris Arnold of TweetPivot. Chris is a great guy and you can follow him on Twitter at @GoodCoffeeCode

Phew! Lots of links…sorry…but they’re for a good cause!

The two videos mentioned above deal with information overload and focusing on information (data) in a very different way. I think if you take the time to watch them, and read the accompanying article below (of course!), you will find you have a better, perhaps somewhat different perspective than when you arrived.

At least that is my hope!

For now, I want to talk about focus as it relates to Internet marketing, inbound marketing, and online entrepreneurial endeavor.

Peter Baskerville states that:

“Entrepreneurs know better than most, the power generated by focus.”

I agree!

However, I would qualify it somewhat by stating that successful entreprenuers know how to focus. I would also suggest that a large part of that success comes from our ability to focus in spite of the many obstacles in our way; and, in particular, in spite of information overload.

I suggest that, in spite of the myriad distractions, changes, and hurdles that may confront us, thus obstructing our path, we as entrepreneurs are able to keep ourselves, and those working for and with us, focused on the ultimate result, either an immediate or long term goal; and, usually both.

The successful entrepreneur, complete with the obsessive tendencies we often display towards our passion, and in spite of many obstacles and distractions noted above, will maintain focus and get the job done.

It is important to distinguish between the word entrepreneur and the phrase successful entrepreneur.

Additionally, it is important to understand the characteristics that define entrepreneurial success. Understanding the distinctions between the two, and the characteristics that define success in this realm, we can begin to understand what defines a successful entrepreneurial endeavor.

Interestingly, there are a great many individuals referring to themselves as entrepreneurs.

In today’s world, it is easy to claim to be almost anything!

It takes minutes to set up a website or blog and be online today. I can do it in less than 5 minutes…tops.

In a moment a relative unknown can go toe-to-toe with a reputable firm, established and able to deliver on their promises…and no one is the wiser.

Whether in Internet marketing, inbound marketing, or some other niche specific online endeavor, people referring to themselves as entrepreneurs are everywhere. People calling themselves “gurus” are just as common. And I’ve discussed the latter until I’m blue in the face.

There are entrepreneurs and then there are Entrepreneurs; and, there are Gurus and then there are “gurus.”

For more on this you can read:

The Top 10 Guru Survey and the Truth About Internet Marketing Gurus

This is both exciting and worrisome. Exciting, because it allows a relative unknown to step up and do incredibly exciting things. Worrisome, because it also allows the bottom feeders to surface, grab their prey, and submerge never to be seen or heard from again.

Sadly, the latter muddies the waters for the former and makes it difficult for the legitimate entrepreneur to establish himself or herself.

However, there are a few young (meaning: new on the scene), successful Internet marketers, inbound marketing consultants, and/or online marketing specialists who have been able to break through and establish themselves as successful entrepreneurs, in spite of these obstacles, by remaining focused on their ultimate desire through service to others.

When all is said and done, there are very few truly successful entrepreneurs.

Why?

I think it comes down to several things but an essential characteristic or trait for successful entrepreneur is, as stated above, the ability to focus and remain so in spite of obstacles and distractions; and, information overload is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, distraction in the online world.

In other words, the ability to remain focused, to remove all obstacles and distractions from our path, is the key ingredient to success…and a real challenge for online marketers in any sphere.

Whether an entrepreneur is solely focused on Internet marketing (e.g., as an information marketer, affiliate marketer, or some other specialty) or is exploring some other sales and marketing niche (e.g., inbound marketing), the amount of information and the shear volume of noise is deafening.

Seth Godin referred to the subject of noise on his blog today:

The blizzard of noise (and the good news)

While Mr Godin was talking about noise and the online world, particularly in the context of the familiar versus the unfamiliar, it is a constant theme of his…and for good reason!

An Aside: It is interesting, and I have mentioned this before, how many times we will be thinking of something, writing about it or whatever, and suddenly it seems that several people are talking about the same thing. The fact is, they always were, it’s just that we weren’t looking in that direction, at the shooting stars, until now!

I wrote an article about this topic just the other day and you can find it at:

Shooting Stars, Abraham Lincoln, Prayer, The Beatles, and Commitment

Interestingly if you are pursuing an entrepreneurial endeavor as an inbound marketing consultant, there is always something appropriate, something interesting, and/or something useful. However, to avoid information overload, we must settle on what a few trusted sources and resources, what feels and fits best, and stick with them…remaining focused on our primary task above all else.

So, what are the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur as related to focus?

• The ability to remain focused in spite of setbacks
• The ability to remain focused in spite of distractions
• The ability to remain focused in spite of unforeseen changes (flexibility)
• The ability to maintain focus in our personal lives, because personal problems (i.e., family issues, health concerns, etc) are a major distraction and can and will undermine our entrepreneurial endeavor or endeavors
• The ability to keep others we depend on focused in order to get the job done; and thus meeting and exceeding goals and objectives, both personal and professional
• Passion – Passionate about our work, about others, about our family, and about life in general
• Concentration – Again to the point of obession but not to the point of myopia. Marketing myopia, discussed previously and again in our upcoming ebook release can be and often is the entrepreneurial kiss of death
• Prioritize Everything – Prioritize to the point of obsession! While making sure you have the small things taken care of, be aware of the ultimate prize. I suggest the video below: Rory Sutherland: Sweat the small stuff
• The ability to compartmentalize the various components of our lives and the task at hand…in the context of overall personal and business goals
• “Single-minded with an eye-constantly-on-the-prize” Peter Baskerville
• Entrepreneurs rarely, if ever quit (The Dip being the qualifier here - Seth Godin’s book is a must)

Ultimately, entrepreneurs must have the ability to focus, as if with blinders on, until the job is done. This is extremely difficult in today’s world. The Internet is a cacophony of sound, literally and figuratively; and, it is difficult, if not impossible, to remain focused to the exclusion of all unnecessary distraction.

One of an entrepreneur’s greatest assets is curiosity. Curiosity is also one of an entrepreneur’s greatest enemies!

It is an inquisitive mind that is always looking for the next-great opportunity, the next-best thing. However, if one is to succeed as an entrepreneur, it is imperative that we remain focused and as ourselves one thing. Yes, it is always important to keep an eye open for the next great opportunity…just so long as it is not a distraction.

Consequently, there is a constant balancing act going on between what may translate into something real and what must be done now…in order to accomplish the task at hand.

Ultimately, the question that must be asked and answered is this:

Will this get me closer to my main desire, the task that will take me that much closer to my ultimate goal?

If not?

Then you must walk away!

Why?

Because there is simply too much noise online today and if you are not working toward the completion of the task at hand?

You are walking away from it!

The former is crucial and the latter is self-defeating.

In order to succeed in today’s connected world, any of us, we must be able to tune-in in order to enhance our knowledge and learn what is necessary to go forward toward the completion of our task.

And, we must know when to tune out, to put the blinders on, and focus on our primary goal to the point of obsession.

“Unfocused energy dissipates whilst focused energy, like the sun’s rays, through a magnifying glass BURNS!” PB

I also like Marc Joyner’s analogy of the knife and the box.

I will save that for another time…or you can ask me in the comments below and I will be happy to explain. In either case, please leave a comment.

I have added the videos below for you. The videos are useful and quite appropriate, both narrowly and broadly speaking.

Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Please remember to subscribe!

John Zajaros
The Ultimate Internet Image
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216-712-7004
Skype: johnzajaros1

Note: Peter Baskerville is an Australian entrepreneur who likes to call himself “a New Venture Architect.” Peter recently discussed the traits and characteristics required for success as an entrepreneur in a Google Knol. The Knol was entitled: Characteristics of an Entrepreneur: The A to Z of the characteristics of an entrepreneur. You can access this Knol through the linked quote above.

David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization

“David McCandless turns complex data sets (like worldwide military spending, media buzz, Facebook status updates) into beautiful, simple diagrams that tease out unseen patterns and connections. Good design, he suggests, is the best way to navigate information glut — and it may just change the way we see the world.”

Gary Flake: Is Pivot a turning point for web exploration?

“Gary Flake demos Pivot, a new way to browse and arrange massive amounts of images and data online. Built on breakthrough Seadragon technology, it enables spectacular zooms in and out of web databases, and the discovery of patterns and links invisible in standard web browsing.”

Rory Sutherland: Sweat the small stuff

“It may seem that big problems require big solutions, but ad man Rory Sutherland says many flashy, expensive fixes are just obscuring better, simpler answers. To illustrate, he uses behavioral economics and hilarious examples.”

Building an Inbound Marketing Consultancy

If A is for Attitude then B is for Backbone!

In The Inbound Marketing Week in Review: What are the A, B, Cs of Inbound Marketing we spoke of the “A” letter resources, concepts, and ideas, those adding to our knowledge-base as we strive to build an inbound marketing consulting firm and serve our clients.

Naturally, many of the terms discussed can be applied to Internet marketing, online business across a variety of niches, MLM, and, of course, “offline” businesses, particularly as they seek to make the transition from outbound to inbound marketing and build an Internet image or online presence.

NOTE: We will continue to refine the list as we work toward September 1, 2010. Anyone who is a subscriber to the UII Newsletter and email list on or before August 31st will receive a free copy of the completed ebook on August 31, 2010. So subscribe today!

So, here are the B resources, concepts, and ideas, in part. Please leave your comments and ideas below. Have we left anything out? Can you add something to our list? Please feel free to offer your feedback and, if appropriate, we will attempt to include it in the final draft.

B – Backbone: Internet consulting, online business consulting, or inbound marketing consulting, whatever you choose to call it, is not only about knowing the Internet, it’s about being able to understand and relate to the “real world,” the offline business world…and sales.

Having a backbone is a must!

By that I mean, you must be able to take rejection. And, you must be able to say no yourself when it is necessary. Meaning, you must be wise enough to walk away from a sale and a big check when you know a prospective client is the wrong fit for you and your consulting business. That takes backbone, particularly when you are first starting out.

Additionally, asking for the kind of fees you will require, and deserve, will take backbone…at least until you have some experience and feel confident in your abilities. Interestingly, once you understand that you are, in fact, able to deliver a service few others can, that you are indeed an expert, it will no longer take backbone to ask for your fee. Your knowledge and service will convert either a nonexistent Internet image or one that is all but nonexistent into The Ultimate Internet Image. And there aren’t a lot of people or businesses that can do that.

While it is true that the more knowledgeable you become and the more experience you gain, the stronger your backbone will become, you must demand it of yourself from the get-go or you will be swamped with the wrong clients paying you far too little for your services…and you will be miserable.

Make sure you learn to say no and walk away from the wrong situation.

And, whether you listen to Malcolm Gladwell or Perry Marshall or Lee Milteer, they are all telling you one thing:

“Listen to you gut!”

And I would add:

“Use your backbone!”

B – Blogging for business is a necessity. I’ve heard some of the experts, even experts who blog themselves, call blogging for business “lame.”

Or, more accurately, they call business blogs lame.

Perhaps many are?

However, if you set up your inbound marketing clients’ blogs properly and fill them with quality content on a continuous basis, it will pay huge dividends in terms of interest, traffic, and sales for your clients.

Blogging is one of the most effective traffic and relationship building tools available online today. I would argue that the distinction between a website and a full-function blog will disappear in time, perhaps entirely within the next five years.

All you have to do is look through the Studiopress blog themes available or look at what some businesses have done with Thesis themes to understand that I am on the money here.

For inbound marketing purposes?

The blog is a better vehicle for traffic generation than a static website, particularly when starting out, for a myriad of reasons.

If a static page is required?

Many premium blog themes will accommodate you and your client. All-in-all, the blog is the way to go and the amount of traffic and page rank you can gain for your inbound marketing clients in a relatively short period of time makes this one a no-brainer. At the very least, if your client is set on their static website, as is? Integrate a blog immediately and link the two sites or integrate a blog into the exiting website. The boost in traffic and page rank will be significant and will convince your client to go along with other inbound marketing strategies as time goes on.

In today’s online world, if your client isn’t blogging, they might as well be rowing across the Atlantic with one arm.

They will never get where they are going without all the resources available to them…and that includes a professional looking blog!

B – Blogosphere is a term implying that all blogs are made up of a single universe, the blogosphere, and that they are all connected in one community. The blogosphere also refers to various interrelated blogs and their connections. It is an interesting concept and there seems to be at least some validity to it.

One example of the power of this phenomenon is when a video, article, or blog post goes “viral,” spreading across the Internet rapidly, seeming to take on a life of its own.

Interestingly, Jon Hoover recently mentioned how blogs and the blogging community were once like a small town and now the same community is more akin to a major city. I would argue the same is true of the blogosphere. What was once a relatively small and unique, interactive community has spilled over its boundaries and the new manifestation has very little in common with what once was.

The blogosphere of today is a universe apart from the blogosphere of a decade ago.

B – Brand Awareness is a reflection of how many consumers are aware of a particular brand. One of the most important purposes of an inbound marketing campaign is to enhance brand awareness, to increase the overall, positive response to a client’s product or constellation of products. Ultimately, brand awareness is measured using brand recall, brand recognition, top of mind awareness, and other metrics beyond the scope of this post.

However, on a related topic, it is important to realize that many of the sales that are currently being attributed to social media may be more a consequence or at least a reflection of brand awareness.

Two companies, one with brand recognition and one without, will have very different results given the very same social media marketing campaign. We will explore this relationship in greater detail as we go but it goes without saying that brand awareness is central to online success and inbound marketing is crucial for brand building and brand recognition…or whatever you want to call it.

B – Backlinks are also known as incoming links, inbound links, inward links, and inlinks. Backlinks are incoming links to a web page or website and are one of the most important factors in determining a website’s ranking. Backlinks are also a reflection of who is paying attention to a certain website or page within a certain website. Building incoming links can be one of the most challenging tasks for an inbound marketing firm because they take time and the creation of quality content…and a little bit of luck.

As important as the backlinks, perhaps more important, are the quality of the incoming links.

In other words, where the link is coming from is more important than the link itself. A link from a less than reputable site can have an adverse impact on ranking.

Links for sake of more links is gnerally a bad strategy.

B – Benefits: Sell the benefits.

Or, as an old mentor of mine used to say, and I have said time and time again to the people I mentor, coach, and train:

“Sell the sizzle, not the steak!”

If you are selling air conditioners in August?

Sell the feeling you get when you first walk into an air conditioned house after cutting the grass on a 90 degree day. Do not focus on the digital controls or the ease of operation.

Help your inbound marketing client picture a full dining room from 4:30pm until 7pm. Let your client hear the phone ringing off the hook for pizzas at a typically slow period of the day because of an email blast. Get them to see the new car, the kids in college, and all the rest of the benefits of your inbound marketing expertise.

Don’t tell your inbound marketing prospects about autoresponders, email marketing, and social media profiles…they could care less!

Sell them the sizzle and then they (and you) will have steak!

B – Blogger (blogspot) is Google’s free blogging platform and, while many feel it is not worth the time or the effort, nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, I have heard people say it doesn’t pay to utilize this platform. Significantly, Google allows anyone, and that includes inbound marketing firms, to build an unlimited number of blogs for an unlimited number of purposes. If you are not using this resource, you are missing out on a valuable inbound marketing tool. Do not simply build mirror sites but build blogs with content and then encourage others to link to them and through these blogs back to your clients’ primary site. Imagine one hub connected to another and another, all of them interconnected and pointing links and driving traffic back to your central hub. And, you can do it all for next to nothing!

B – Business Networking is a marketing method that has been around a lot longer than the Internet. Networks of like-minded business people come together to seek and share opportunities and ideas with one another.

There are several well-known online business networking sites, to include:

• ecademy
• LinkedIn
• Plaxo
• Xing
• Biznik
• XeeSM
• And a myriad of others (you can see how many by clicking all of the above links!)

Inbound marketing firms not only use these networking sites to build their consulting businesses but to build up their clients’ businesses as well.

Social media has transformed business networking.

Some of the most responsive social media sites online are business networking sites like ecademy and LinkedIn.

These sites and others should be an integral part of your inbound marketing strategy…not only your’s but your clients’ as well.

B – Brick and Mortar Businesses, what I often refer to as traditional brick and mortar businesses, are the primary focus of many inbound marketing consultancies because many brick and mortar businesses are having a difficult time making the transition from outbound marketing to inbound marketing. Many brick and mortar businesses have been sold a bill of goods and have been convinced that all they have to do it put up and website, maybe spend a bunch of money on SEO, and the rest will take care of itself.

The “If you build it, they will come!” days are over.

Interestingly, some marketers refer to brick and mortar businesses as “offline” businesses…but that is less than accurate, particularly in 2010.

Brick and mortar businesses are generally considered to be businesses with a physical address in the “real world” and not just an address in the virtual or online world…as “online” or Internet businesses do. When most people think of brick and mortar businesses they think of some sort of retail establishment or a service-oriented business, like a plumbing contractor or an HVAC contractor, any sort of a business with a physical address doing business face-to-face with customers, clients, or patients.

The Ultimate Internet Image serves brick and mortar businesses, assisting them in the transition from outbound advertising to an inbound marketing. UII creates an inbound marketing strategy tailored to the needs of their “offline” clients and appropriate for the individual client’s competitive business environment. It is crucial to understand both the Internet and the “offline” world if we, as inbound marketing consultants, are to properly serve our clients.

It takes empathy, understanding, knowledge, and experience to develop an inbound marketing strategy that works for our brick and mortar business clients!

Next, we will jump to the Cs of inbound marketing. Please add your thoughts and ideas below. I would love to hear from you and it will add immensely to the final product, an inbound marketing guide we can all share in.

Thank you and please comment below!

John Zajaros
The Ultimate Internet Image
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216-712-7004
Skype: johnzajaros1

Inbound Marketing A through Z: Beginning a Marketing Consultancy – Part III

Once you have come to know your prospective client and have agreed to go forward, making sure you will be able to work together for some time to come, it is time to get down to business!

Up until now the discussion has been about strategies and branding, unique selling propositions (unique selling point – USP) and video marketing, the power of the new media to build relationships and how inbound marketing is the best thing since sliced bread. You have no doubt discussed how, with the proper mix of inbound and outbound marketing strategies to include blogging and the use of social media, you will be able to enhance your new client’s Internet image, getting them to page one of the various search engine results pages (SERPs) for the keywords that will reach their target audience.

If you are really sharp, you have also discussed how you will, at the same time, use traditional marketing, now referred to as old media, outbound marketing strategies, to gain additional traction.

Please note: It is crucial to use what works.

Marketing is not an either-or proposition, as in inbound marketing or outbound advertising, it is about converting leads, prospects, and prospective patients into life-long customers, clients, and patients. The proper marketing strategy will yield an ongoing relationship that profits both sides of the equation for years to come.

When viewed as a comprehensive strategy, there is one goal:

To increase traffic to the website and through the door, literally or figuratively, converting traffic into leads, appointments, and sales; thus building a relationship before, during, and after the initial sale and, as stated, gaining a client for life.

How?

Well, whether you are reading this as a marketing consultant beginning to build your own inbound marketing consultancy or as a prospective marketing client, attempting to get an idea of what is in store for you if you take the next step and initiate a formal, inbound marketing consultation and competitive analysis, the process is fairly straightforward.

If you have been through the inbound marketing consultation, whether as the consultant or as a prospective client, you will know many things about your niche and your target market.

The information you need can be derived from the following resources:

• First, “Google” you’re your client’s business name and personal information, if relevant.
• Alexa Rank
  • Traffic Stats: Daily Traffic Rank Trend (up or down over 30 and 90 days)
  • Reach (percent of global Internet users who visit your site if your client has one)
  • Pageviews (percent of global pageviews)
  • Pageviews/User (daily pageviews per user)
  • Bounce % (the percentage of visits that consist of a single pageview)
  • Time in Site (daily time of site)
  • Search % (the percentage of visits that come from a search engine)
  • Search Analytics
    • Search Traffic
    • Top Queries from Search Traffic
    • Search Traffic on the Rise and Decline (based on keywords)
    • High Impact Search Queries (popular queries relevant to the client’s site)
  • Audience
    • Audience Demographics
    • Visitors by Country
  • And much more
• Quantcast
  • Daily, Weekly, Monthly Traffic
    • Per Person
    • Visits
    • Pageviews
    • Pageviews per Person
    • Visits per Person
    • Global Traffic Frequency
  • Geographic Data
    • Countries
    • States
  • Demographics
  • Business
    • Small
    • Medium
    • Large
    • Business Activity
• Google
  • Keywords (Free Adwords – External Keyword Tool)
    • Wonder Wheel
    • Current Trends
    • Video for Keywords
    • And much more!
  • Analytics
  • Page Rank
  • Ultimate SEO Tool
  • Google Rankings
• Market Samurai – In my opinion the best overall keyword tool available
  • Keyword Research
  • SEO Competition Research
    • Extremely useful analysis of page one competition, analyzing a myriad of factors
  • Page Rank Research
• SpyFu – In my opinion the best competitive analysis tool on the Internet
  • In Depth Keyword Research
  • In Depth Competitive Keyword Research
  • In Depth Competitive Comparison and Analysis
    • Includes competitors’ advertising trends, budgets, keywords purchased, and ads run over the past 12 months
      • Incredibly valuable tool
• KeywordSpy – Competitive research is on par with SpyFu and should be used together with SpyFu when possible
  • Excellent resource for tracking variables over time
  • Easy to use Mozilla plug-in
  • Amazingly powerful window into just what the competition is doing!
• Google, Yahoo, and Bing
  • Check for number of pages each of the Big 3 acknowledges
  • Check for number of links

If you have used most or all of the above, you are ready to create an inbound marketing strategy what will work. If you haven’t…what are you waiting for?

If I had to pick 3 tools and was contrained by budgetary concerns, the 3 I would choose are:

• Google (Beginning with this link)
• Market Samurai
• SpyFu

In that order!

If budget is not a concern, and it shouldn’t be by the time you begin servicing clients, all of the above mentioned resources are vital. Significantly, most are free.

Research completed, the first step is to create a social media profile. The social media profile should be comprehensive and across an array of niches but focusing primarily on social media sites relevant to your client’s audience.

Use the following socioal media hubs as a guide. There is a great deal of overlap but if you cover the four mentioned below your client will have excellent inititial coverage and you will have an easier time getting their message out.

• Ping.fm
  • Crucial – I use Ping.fm for all of my clients, daily. Use Ping.fm’s list of “networks,” setting up all of the networks available.
• OnlyWire
  • As important as Ping.fm and as easy to use – Again, set up all the “services” available.
• HelloTxt
  • Once again, a very useful hub – set up all the sites that link through HelloTxt.
• XeeSM
  • Like XeeSM a lot! XeeSM has a super array of apps and is very easy to use. The creators are very responsive and it fills out the four hubs I set up for every client.

If you have set up all four of the social media hubs above your client will have approximately 225 social media profiles and you will be able to control the daily message through the four hubs.

Not bad, huh?

The video sharing and article directories are next.

Video marketing is absolutely crucial for a number of reasons.

You have undoubtedly heard the saying:

Video is king!

Consequently, video is essential to new media, inbound marketing success. We live in the video age. Video will reach incredible numbers quickly and the shelf-life of well produced videos is worth the time and expense to do it right.

The best tool available to get you message out quickly and efficiently is TrafficGeyser (or Traffic Geyser). TrafficGeyser is a powerful resource, one you simply cannot do without. TrafficGeyser combined with something as inexpensive as a $200 Flip MinoHD and a decent tripod will get you started creating quality videos in no time.

TrafficGeyser offers a number of advantages when setting up your client’s inbound marketing strategy:

• TrafficGeyser allows you to set up multiple profiles for clients, thus allowing you to control all your clients’ campaigns from a single platform. At TrafficGeyser’s Platinum level you will have access to approximately 125 additional sites, including:
  • Social media sites
  • Social bookmarking sites
  • Article directories
  • Video sharing and video marketing sites
  • Podcast sites
  • Blogging sites
  • TrafficGeyser will then allow you to upload blog posts to all of the blogs you set up to reach through TG.
  • TrafficGeyser allows you to upload all your videos to the various video sharing sites, thus saving you hundreds of man-hours over the course of a year. Control all of your accounts through a single interface.
  • TrafficGeyser allows you to post articles to the various article directories with a click.
    • That’s right! You can set up your article directory memberships through TrafficGeyser and then upload them to the various directories from a single platform.
    • This feature allows you to set up all of your article directory profiles from one platform and then control them from your TG account. This is a real timesaver!
    • TrafficGeyser allows you to post to the various podcast sites.
    • TrafficGeyser allows you to set up RSS feeds.

By the time you have completed setting up the first four hubs (Ping, OnlyWire, HelloTxt, XeeSM) and your TrafficGeyser profile for your new client they will have approximately 350 new media marketing profiles across the Internet. With this kind of coverage, provided you create quality content, your client will see a significant bump in traffic, leads, prospects, appointments, and sales within 90 days and a huge jump in the first 12 months.

The secret is really no secret at all, it simply takes quality content delivered consistently over time. If your client already has a USP or you help them create one (upcoming blog post) and combine that with the right inbound marketing strategy using all the resources available to you and mentioned above, you will be a hit and your clients will love you!

The formula is simple:

Links + Longevity + Quality Content = Increased Traffic

A well-focused message will reach the proper target audience. If you develop a unique seeling proposition (USP) that captures your target market’s imagination and deliver quality content over time, you will have people linking to your site and it will increase in authority. Couple the above with a well-constructed video marketing, delivering first-rate, well-written articles to the various directories and you will own you niche in less than a year.

Consistent, quality content delivered over time equals inbound marketing success and guaranteed profitability using the new media.

Above, you have everything you need to get the ball rolling!

In the next article we will talk about site construction, blog versus static website, premium WordPress theme versus the freebies, and the various shopping carts available. We will then get into email marketing and the various providers. We will also consider a number of other resources and various factors to consider when building your client’s Ultimate Internet Image.

I will then go into detail concerning the various resources available to streamline submissions even further, how to upgrade your video equipment, including why and why not, and what audio program is the best and when to use it.

For now?

You have enough to get started, beginning to serve your clients well!

If you would like a comprehensive inbound marketing consultation, to include an assessment of your current marketing strategy, as well as a comprehensive competitive analysis, contact me today at The Ultimate Internet Image (see the number below).

Good luck!

John Zajaros
The Ultimate Internet Image
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216-712-7004
440-821-7018

Inbound Marketing A through Z: Beginning a Marketing Consultancy Part II

In yesterday’s article I discussed my inbound marketing consultancy, The Ultimate Internet Image, and also discussed the Offline Gold Rush, the race to inbound marketing consulting riches and those individuals exploiting this trend with hype and irresponsible claims:

“Step right up and make $5,000 to $10,000 per month with your eyes closed! Oh yeah, while standing on your head…Yeah, that’s the ticket!”

I think I mentioned something about prime oceanfront property in Arizona while I was at it?

And PT Barnum?

Well, once again:

”Step right up!”

Additionally, I discussed the awareness, empathy, and experience required to effectively advise and assist traditional offline businesses. The aforementioned awareness is an absolute necessity whether you are working with brick and mortar businesses (retail), professional practices, service-oriented businesses, and/or specialty shops.

Hopefully, I put the seriousness of the commitment we all make when we take on a new client in perspective? The relationship you have with an inbound marketing client, with any client, should indeed be viewed as a marriage!

Finally, the online and offline worlds were discussed as they relate to an overall marketing strategy, a marketing strategy that includes both inbound marketing and targeted, quantifiable outbound marketing under a single umbrella, and umbrella I refer to as a synergy of the two, hybrid marketing.

In this article I will discuss how The Ultimate Internet Image prepares for a comprehensive, inbound marketing consultation and competitive analysis. Interestingly, at The Ultimate Internet Image we focus first on an inbound marketing consultation, helping the prospective client understand new media marketing, and then, once the client is on board, work towards integrating the best outbound techniques into a hybrid marketing model tailored to the precise needs of the client.

In many instances, preparation for a marketing consultation and competitive analysis begins long before we receive the call from a business or professional practice (another kind of business) for an appointment. The preparation begins with targeting an audience, a target market we feel will be receptive to our message.

Significantly, the same methods we use to acquire clients, a hyrid approach to marketing, are often used to acquire clients for our clients. If it works for us, it will generally work for our clients, with a few variations and tweaks of course. So, we are aware of how many of the businesses and practices operate, at least generally, before we ever receive the call.

Once the call is made or email sent, an appointment is set. The initial marketing consultation is usually set a few days out. Interestingly, I grew up in the school that advocated the opposite, striking while the iron is hot, “porcupines in heat” and all of that (I will explain later).

However, we have found that a little extra time accomplishes a number of things:

• It eliminates the tire kickers. Remember, this is a long term relationship and we only want clients who take a long and broad view. If someone is in that big of a hurry to meet, while we will certainly do all in our power to accommodate them, warning bells begin to sound. Slow and easy wins the inbound marketing race, not pressure and hype, from either end.
• It allows for qualified appointments, appointments that allow the prospective client to do a little poking around. If they do, they invariably find out that we are the real deal and can do what we say we will do.
• It allows us to do all the research we need to do in order to understand their business inside and out.
• It allows us to crawl inside the niche and understand who the players are and how we are going to attack them. Yes, attack!
• It allows us to put all the data we collect into a binder so when we present our findings to our new client. As a result, they know we are serious and we do our homework. We do NOT use a canned presentation or “pitch book!” Every clients is unique, if we do our homework without a commitment and without being paid, how much more will we do for them once we are on board?
• It allows us to get beyond credentials, references, and business cards and on to how we can serve them as a marketing expert.
• It eliminates money as the deciding factor in almost every instance…or at least moves it way down on the list of objections and obstacles.
• It allows us to answer most objections before they ever come up!

Once we do our homework, homework that includes a myriad of factors, we meet with the prospective client. The inbound marketing consultation and competitive analysis, as stated in Part I, takes between and hour and a half and two hours on average and is the first of at least two meetings.

UII never closes on the first visit, there is too much in stake on both sides of the table.

In the inbound marketing consultation and competitive analysis we discuss the following:

• How the owner got into business or profession they are in, including where they went to school and where they live now.
• Did they grow up in the area?
• How long have they been in business?
• What is the biggest challenge they are currently facing?
• What is the issue they are currently and consistently grappling with that concerns them most?
• What have they tried to do about it?
• What marketing strategies are they currently employing?
  • Are they online?
  • Do they have a website?
  • Do they understand SEO?
  • Do they use social media?
  • Who writes their copy?
  • Are they using PPC (pay-per-click)?
  • What is their monthly ad spend?
  • Are they tracking the results?
  • If so, what are the metrics?
  • Do they use video?
  • If they use video, how?
  • Who produces their video for them?
  • Do they use audio?
  • Do they have a blog?
  • Do they have an online shopping cart?
  • How big is their email list?
  • Do they have an email list?
  • How often do they contact their clients, past and present?
  • Do they have an active referral system?
  • Do they know how they rank with Alexa?
  • How do they rank with Quantcast?
  • Do they use analytics?
  • Do they show up and page one of the various search engines?
  • For what keyword phrases?

And so on!

Interestingly, by the time we meet with a prospective client, by the time the questions above and many more like it are asked, we already know the answers.

The Ultimate Internet Image does a comprehensive analysis of not only the prospective client’s business or practice, their Internet Image, their online presence and effectiveness, we also do a complete analysis of the top ten competitors in the niche.

Significantly, with the tools at our disposal, we are almost always right on the money.

Pun intended!

Using the resources we either own or have memberships to, we will know what a prospective client’s PR is (Google’s Page Rank), how they rank with Alexa and Quantcast, what keywords they are paying for and how much they are spending per click, per day, and per month.

UII will also know what keywords a competitor is buying and which ones overlap with the ones our prospective client is focusing on. The Ultimate Internet Image will also know which keywords are competed for organically and how vulnerable the prospective client and their competitors are to being bumped down and/or off of page one.

We also have a complete list of the keywords and their frequency, every keyword phrase used, on the client’s site. All the data is assessed and quantified. We then do the same for each of the competitors.

Links and Longevity

Links and longevity are two of the most important factors in achieving a page one ranking for the various keywords of interest on the various search engine results pages (SERPS). The number of pages a website has will have a profound impact on its rank, provided the pages, as well as the website as a whole, are put together properly and have the proper focus (i.e., keywords, keyword density, overall construction, etc.).

Significantly, UII will also know how many pages our prospective client’s site has indexed with the various search engines. The Ultimate Internet Image will also know how many pages each of the competitors’ sites have. In other words, every page indexed with Google, Yahoo, and Bing will be accounted for and compared. We will also know how many incoming links each site has and where they originate.

This is, of course, the tip of the iceberg. However, it provides a window into just how complete an analysis is required if you are to understand a prospective client and their competitive niche.

This takes more than a $97 e-course or a $997 e-course, it takes everything mentioned in Part I, and above:

• Awareness
• Empathy
• Experience
• Preparation
• And so much more!

Ultimately, the decision of whether to create an inbound marketing consultancy is your’s. However, whether you are considering the creation of a comprehensive hybrid marketing firm or one that is more specialized, a consultancy dealing solely with inbound marketing, social media management, video marketing, or one of the many other niches within marketing, you must become a student of your craft, a student of not only one aspect of marketing but of the businesses you intend to serve.

Success in inbound marketing, in any aspect of marketing, is a Herculean task and one not to be taken lightly.

The Siren’s Call?

The $5,000 to $10,000 per month?

It is do-able!

However, you must over-deliver and you must become a student of marketing. Forget about The 4 Hour Workweek and that business about working 2-3 hours a day. If you are going to serve your clients to the best of your ability, you will have to put in the time…and the money!

As stated in Part I, when you take on a client you are taking on a trust, you are entering a long-term business relationship not unlike a marriage. So, once again, become a student of your business, inbound marketing, social media, whatever; and, their business. If you do so, you will serve your clients well and have a good shot of making it long-term; and, you will make a lot more than the amount advertised by the Internet marketing “gurus” attempting to cash in on the latest Gold Rush, the Offline Business Gold Rush.

Finally, Michael Gerber stated, in The E Myth Revisted, that 80% of all businesses fail in the first 5 years. He goes on to note that 80% of the remainging 20% fail in the second 5 years.

A sobering statistic!

You have the opportunity to help others make it through the transtitional periods, including the marketing shift currently underway; and, in the process become not only a lasting business in your own right but earn life-long clients, as well.

In Part III of Inbound Marketing A through Z: Beginning a Marketing Consultancy we will address many of the strategies we use at The Ultimate Internet Image to take clients from a 0 PR, often stuck there for years, and absent from page one of the various SERPS, and create for them a powerful and lasting online presence…The Ultimate Internet Image.

Contact us anytime for a comprehensive inbound marketing consultation and competitive analysis.

John Zajaros
The Ultimate Internet Image
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216-712-7004 (bus)
440-821-7018 (cell)

Blogging for Business: Relationship Marketing 101

Currently, blogging for business is a topic of much debate. Interestingly, some of the individuals labeling it as “lame” and “ineffective” use it daily to promote their various online, and offline, business ventures. One or two have actually made their fortunes blogging! So, how “lame” can blogging for business be?

Blogs are used by businesses big and small to enhance their brand and communicate with their clients and prospective clients on a daily or weekly basis. There can be little doubt that blogging for business is here to stay, perhaps not in its current incarnation, but the premise behind it and its applications are incredibly powerful, its relationship building capabilities such that, at least in this author’s opinion, the blog and blogging for business are here to stay. We will discuss blogging for business here and in future articles, as it is the central hub, the linchpin of a well-thought out, well-constructed inbound marketing strategy.

As stated above and previously, one of the most effective inbound marketing strategies available for businesses, online and offline, both in terms of cost of implementation and in overall return on investment (ROI), is blogging. Why has business blogging become so important as an inbound marketing strategy? There are a variety of reasons. Blogging is conversation, it’s personable, and it’s informative. Blogging is attractive for both online and offline (i.e., brick and mortar) businesses because consumers (i.e., customers, clients, and patients) feel they are being told a story rather than sold a product or service; and, no one wants to be “sold!”

Significantly, clients and prospective clients become part of the conversation by reading the blog posts and leaving their thoughts and feelings in the form of comments.

Who doesn’t like being asked their opinion?

And, what business owner wouldn’t pay big money to know what his target audience is thinking, as well as what they react to and why?

A blog is a great way to show the world your expertise, thus establishing authority and demonstrating your competence in the marketplace and to your target market. People like to do business with business people they know, like, and trust. Prospective clients are drawn to businesses and business people who are experts in their field. Demonstrating competence enhances your image and makes the prospective client feel confident about their decision to purchase from you…you, as the expert in your field.

When properly constructed and implemented, an effective business blogging strategy is an incredibly valuable asset. Blogging for business is crucial, whether the business is entirely online or a combination of both, as is the case with most brick and mortar businesses today.

When well organized and written, a blog conveys the ultimate Internet image, an image that announces:

“This business is well run, this is a business I can do business with!”

A well thought out, well constructed blog, combined with an effective overall inbound marketing strategy, conveys a message, an image if you will, that this business owner is knowledgeable and cares enough to seek feedback about products and/or services offered from his or her clients and prospective clients.

A wise business owner values feedback, realizing there is always room for improvement, both in sales and service. Why not ask for feedback from the very people who use the product or service day in and day out? A blog can accomplish this for a business, creating a link both valuable and, ultimately, profitable. The feedback a blog offers is an often over-looked advantage; and yet, it is an incredibly powerful resource.

Significantly, the proper blogging strategy will provide a window into the thinking of your client-base and create a vehicle you may then use to improve your products and/or service.

The feedback from your business blog will also provide ideas and strategies for new products and services. Interestingly, you may even be able to gain a competitive advantage by learning what your clients and prospective clients like and dislike about your competitors, their products and services. Perhaps it’s a product or service you don’t provide but should? Perhaps it’s something to do with price? The blog provides the vehicle, the opportunities are there; and, it is up to the individual business owner to take advantage of them. A well constructed inbound marketing strategy, one that has at its center a well-thought-out and appropriately implemented blogging strategy, will put your business on track to accomplish all of the above and more.

One last word about inbound marketing, blogs, and blogging for business: photographs, audio recordings, and short videos are worth their weight in gold.

If you aren’t the greatest writer, and don’t have the money in the budget to hire a good copywriter, also worth their weight in gold, a photograph or short video can help you tell your business’ story. With today’s technology, a photograph, audio, and/or video is easy to create and it’s often the first item to catch the attention of a visitor to your blog.

It’s worth taking some time each day to blog. Think of it as going out to talk to the man on the street. Think of it as time well spent. You will find it to be a great investment in time and effort, the ultimate in ROI.

What is The Ultimate Internet Image? The ultimate online presence entails merging Internet, “inbound” marketing know-how with a traditional, offline, “outbound” approach to advertising. In doing so UII has created a revolutionary approach to marketing and advertising tailor-made for the current, search-driven, new media business climate.

Facing and meeting today’s economic challenges head-on, and by rethinking your overall approach to business building and traffic generation, The Ultimate Internet Image will demonstrate, by way of results, why an inbound marketing strategy created by UII is the logical, next-step in establishing your business as a major force in your competitive niche, as well as in your community, online or offline.

Contact us for an in depth consultation, including a competitive analysis. UII will help your business or practice grow!

John Zajaros
216-712-7004 (bus)
440-821-7018 (mobile)

Internet Marketing Consulting: Inbound Marketing, New Marketing and the New Media
In Your Eyes: Becoming a Student of the Business Part I

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of interviewing a fine young man for a position I have created at The Ultimate Internet Image, a new inbound marketing consultancy focusing on the new marketing, at times as new media marketing, in Lakewood, Ohio just west of Cleveland.

This young man is a recent graduate of one of the finest small colleges in the Midwest and it was a real pleasure to spend time with him. If this young man is reflective of the caliber of the young men and women in that generation our world will be in good hands.

During our 2 1/2 hours together, we talked about everything from life and success to fear of failure and service.

We also talked about fear of success and getting out of your comfort zone in order to succeed!

I believe fear of success is at root of failure for many. Many people, in all walks of life, simply do not want to stretch, alter their lives (even for the better), and break free of inertia.

As the interview unfolded, and we began to speak more about the business, the nuts and bolts of an inbound marketing consulting business, and of excellence, responsibility, and service, we spoke of helping others get what they want; and, in doing so, guaranteeing our own success, personal and in business.

Then, he asked several very good questions:

“How do you consult for so many different kinds of businesses?”

Answer: By becoming a student the business and the businesses of our client’s competitors, focusing not only on the local economy but how the overall economy shapes and affects traffic, sales, and the bottom line.

In other words, we look at all aspects of the business, their competition, and their target market or audience.

Once accomplished, we develop the ultimate internet image…along with an offline identity. This means combining brand awareness with direct response marketing and relationship building.

Ultimately, we develop an effective, overall marketing strategy, one that incorporates inbound, new media marketing with targeted, quantifiable outbound advertising strategies with one goal:

Increase traffic, leads, prospects, patients, clients, members, sales, and overall profitability.

“What is it you do and how do you do it?”

Answer: See number one and below. Additionally, watch for Part II in this series.

“Don’t you have to know an awful lot about the business you are working with if you are going to effectively serve them?”

Answer: Yes! Not only will we see the business through the eyes of the owner, managers, and employees, we will also see the business, the competition, and the product, service, and/or practice through the eyes of the market, the target audience itself. By the time we are ready to begin developing a marketing strategy, we will know the business as well as anyone in the business (competitors) or interacting with the business (target market).

In other words, we will become students of the business, entrepreneurs by proxy, with one goal:

The Ultimate Internet Image will seek to develop the most effective new marketing strategy possible, online (inbound marketing) and offline (outbound advertising), in order to increase traffic, leads, prospects, patients, clients, members, sales, and overall profitability.

Of course there’s more!

But the questions he asked ceratinly got the ball rolling…it was a good start!

Not only were these smart questions, he was interviewing me at the same time I was interviewing him; and, they were questions I had hoped he would ask.

Smart!

I smiled and thought of a Peter Gabriel concert I had been to years before. The song “In Your Eyes” just popped into my head…that’s how my mind works at times.

Go figure!

In this case, the title would be more like:

“Through their Eyes!”

But what the heck!

After acknowledging the questions and providing a short answer to each, I told him how happy I was he had asked them; and then, I started to explain in greater depth.

“When we take on a client, regardless of the business, we bring to the table over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, and advertising,” more if you count the experience of everyone on our team.

I continued, “Much of my experience is based on creating and running brick and mortar businesses, from the ground up, often starting from scratch (i.e., on a shoestring budget…if that!).

“Significantly, most businesses share many of the same challenges, many of the same issues; and, this is the case whether we are dealing with a professional practice or a tree service, a tanning salon or a bed and breakfast, a pet store or a pizzeria.

“In each and every instance, one thing is certain…no clients, no business!

“It really comes down to that,” I explained. “No traffic, no leads, no prospective clients, no one through the door, and the doors will close. It is inevitable and it is a universal!”

“Without an effective marketing strategy, without targeted, direct response marketing, without the proper balance of effective outbound advertising and inbound marketing, and without sales, the company will go extinct. So many companies, big and small, are closing their doors every day across the country; and, in fact, around the world, due to lack of traffic.”

He nodded.

I went on to explain how frustrated I had been as a new business owner back in the mid to late 70s and early 80s, just starting out, building my first businesses. The challenges were myriad, much as they are today.

In the late 70s the economy was about to tank and the region of the country I was attempting to build a business in, the Midwest, was being transformed forever…right before my eyes…and not necessarily for the good!

The biggest challenge was in not only needing to know everything about my business…but being required to an advertising expert, as well. I had to deal with marketing my business in the most effective way possible. I could sell, that was a given, “igloos to Eskimos” and all of that. How best to market my business, how to advertise effectively, that was the real challenge!

How?

I stayed awake nights thinking about that word!

Consequently, not being able to track my results effectively because the only thing I knew how to do was mimic other, larger, more “successful” companies, I struggled daily with marketing and advertising. As my business grew, and as I began to network with other business owners, I found I was not alone, that we were all struggling and failing miserably to get the most bang for our buck.

Then, in the late 70s the economy took a nose dive, many local businesses took a nose dive right along with it…permanently! We started hearing about service economies, outsourcing, and The Rust Belt. The steel industry collapsed, the automobile industry gasped, and I built my business.

What else could I do? Failure was not an option!

My business did not collapse, we actually flourished. Significantly, our success was more about what we were offering and how happy our clients were with what we were providing. We had discovered Gary Halbert’s starving market and then fed them a diet of excellence.

The results were amazing!

Ultimately, we survived the recession. Interestingly, some would argue it was as bad as our current one, a matter of perspective and time, I suppose? We made it because our clients referred others to us…and the referrals referred clients to us!

Girard’s law of 250 in action!

We were providing excellence and our clients, the average one having a 250 person sphere of influence, told others.

And so on, and so on, and so on!

Kind of like the hair commercial. Talk about an effective ad campaign!

Unfortunately, or fortunately as it would later turn out, not being a “big dumb company” (read: Dan Kennedy and Frank Kern), I didn’t have an unlimited ad budget. I had limited funds and needed to know that the money I spent was being spent properly; and, that the return was not only trackable but the return on investment (ROI) justified the expenditure.

In other words, I had to become a student of not only advertising but of sales and marketing.

He raised his eyebrows and said, “Sales?”

I smiled again.

“Yes, sales!

“You see, whether you are a physician or a dentist, an accountant or a lawyer, a restaurant owner of a yoga instructor, you are ultimately a salesperson.”

We talked about this for a while. I asked him why so many new professional people and business owners joined the Chamber of Commerce, the Lions, the Jaycees, and other social and business networking organizations. I asked him how a new dentist grew a practice from zero to hundreds, particularly when he or she was new to the community and creating a brand new practice.

Then I asked him how many ads he had seen on television for attorneys lately!

He nodded and smiled.

Funny thing?

I can remember when an attorney would have rather been drawn and quartered than be seen advertising his services. Risking his reputation and perhaps more!

Now?

It is the norm!

“Does that mean they are doing it right?” I asked.

He frowned and then shook his head, “No!”

I smiled again!

“Bingo!”

In fact, most of the time, businesses are still advertising like it is 1964 and the Internet was never invented. Or, they are attempting to throw up a static website and then call it day, mission accomplished.

We know what happened the last time someone proclaimed mission accomplished when there was still work to do…right?

A Static Website?

A business owner might draw some nice pictures on the wall of a cave, perhaps in France or Germany, it might be more effective. Perhaps the media would think it novel and travel to see it. You might even be able to get an art major from the local college to do the drawing for you…outsourcing the development and design! Do a YouTube video!

With tens of thousands to tens, and even hundreds, of millions of web pages fighting for the first ten spots on Google’s page one for a given keyword phrase, does anyone really believe a free, static website will ever be found?

Having someone without a marketing background, and particularly someone without inbound, new marketing (new media marketing) knowledge develop your Internet image?

You might as well save the money, or send it to your favorite charity, it will do the world, and you, a lot more good. At least you can feel good about it and write off the charitable donation. Pay someone to “develop” a static website?

Ugh!

Well, I don’t want to beat this to death!

He nodded again. He was nodding and smiling. You could see all the lights going on, and staying on!

Shouting into the wind!

You see, years ago, before Al Gore invented the Internet and dinosaurs roamed our city streets, people would get the biggest yellow pages advertisement they could afford and then pay through the nose month after month because that was “the place to be.”

Then, you could buy newspaper advertisements, the bigger the better. The ads were either full page, before doing so took the cost of a second mortgage and your first born male child, or at least above the fold and to the right.

Radio has always been an enigma, almost impossible to track and expensive.

Television advertising, and especially a 30 minute block for an infomercial, particularly before Ted Turner changed the world with cable, was out of reach of the “average” small business owner. Television advertising was and remains effective for some, a waste for others, and exceedingly difficult to track for all.

So, back in ‘64, ‘74, even ’84, when you had a big promotion, spending a year’s wages for a weekend of outbound advertising, you did what you could.

You hoped a lot, said a few prayers, and even chanted manic mantras for hours in front of a mirror!

Oh, and don’t forget the rabbits foot!

The old jocks among us would wear the same socks all weekend…or wear their lucky tie! And don’t forget the same underwear!

Yes, jocks are a superstitious breed…as are most entrepreneurs!

Shouting into the wind!

The end result was what I call the “throw enough spaghetti against the wall and some of it will stick” model.

Or, shouting (or perhaps doing other things?) into the wind!

Ultimately, it was not unlike taking hundreds of dollars, putting on a blindfold, spinning around until dizzy, and then throwing a dart at a board full of advertising choices!

You might actually hit something useful every once in a while…maybe! Often? You missed…you hit nothing.

Or you hit the cat and your wife and kids wouldn’t talk to you for a week!

Outbound Advertising!

Outbound advertising or outbound marketing is a form of advertising. Outbound marketing is often viewed negatively, it is often intrusive, and, for most businesses, largely ineffective.

Commercials come on and you change the channel on the radio or you get up and use the restroom before the show comes back on.

As for your yellow pages?

Where is yours?

Most people can’t tell you where it is in their house, if they’ve even brought it in off the porch, because they don’t use it any more…they “Google” what they want!

Yes, the yellow pages can still be a useful tool, particularly as so many flee the phone book for greener pastures, less competition for attention. But you must know how to direct your message, your marketing, accordingly.

Yellow Pages
Newspaper Ads
Radio
Junk Mail
Billboards
Specialty Advertising
Etc.

It is all the same for many, shouting into the wind, unless of course you have the proper direct response, inbound marketing strategy; and, the right consultant to augment and direct it.

Even then, to become an expert, or even just very good at it, takes experience and deep pockets; and, particularly in this economy, most small businesspeople simply do not have a lot of either.

The end result?

You shout into the wind until hoarse, none of the spaghetti sticks or certainly not enough to justify the expenditure, your arms get tired from chucking spaghetti at the wall all day, every day, and then you run out of money.

Eventually, you ask for help or close your doors. Often ego, pride, or something else gets in the way, the owner waits too long, and by the time they ask for help it is too late.

All that’s left are the formalities.

“Is it that bad?” He asked.

“It is that bad!” I answered.

The real tragedy is that none of it has to happen. There is help available and it is cost effective…but they have to ask! Or, they at least need to be receptive enough to listen when someone approaches them and offers assistance.

“Heck! We offer a free consultation and competitive analysis. Do you realize how much can be learned in an hour or two? Think about how much we have covered here today!”

“Ah!” Back to sales!” He said and smiled.

I told you, this young man was sharp.

“Yes, and the biggest issue is that people are sales resistant, they just don’t want to be ‘sold’ anything!”

“So, how do you reach them?” he asked.

“Consistency and an unconventional approach! And, we don’t SELL anything…ever!

“We offer a service. We offer to serve once we know we can be of assistance, not before! We don’t even talk price until we know everything there is to know about the prospective client’s business, their competition, and their audience. If we can help and if we feel the client is a good match, meaning someone we can work with long term, then we talk.

“Never before!

“Interestingly, while people do not want to be sold anything, they usually don’t mind a suggestion, an offer of assistance, just as long as they don’t feel obligated.

Reciprocity

Reciprocity is a powerful force and many people just don’t want to be indebted to us or anyone else! Even when we offer something free, people will often refuse. It is an interesting reaction but it is another cultural universal, reciprocity.

“In fact, the most difficult sale to make is the initial consultation…and it’s free!

“For some people anyway.”

“For others?” He asked.

“Well, for some, as stated, you simply cannot give ‘stuff’ away, they are too far gone or defensive to be open and receptive to our message, or any message, and that’s fine.

“Ultimately, we can only help those who want help and they will only ask for our help once they know, like, and trust us.“

Know, Like, and Trust!

“In other words, we never sell anything…ever?” He restated rather than asking.

“Correct! We offer our services and through service we succeed too. Our company is an inbound marketing consultancy and it is solely about excellence. The sales will take care of themselves, ours and our clients’. Success and service are inextricably linked!”

As Zig Ziglar put it years ago, and others have said it in different ways since, and I am paraphrasing:

To get what we want we help others get what they want…first, last, always!

So, he said, “Success comes from helping others get what they want.”

“Yup, that’s it!” I agreed.

“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” Zig Ziglar

Success is constant and never ending improvement, CANI! Tony Robbins.

Success is based on action, selfless action in all things.

“If we seek only to serve, we will be more successful than you can imagine, now as we begin down this path together.

“Additionally, the journey we take is a journey of discovery, a challenging experience that will touch people in ways you can’t conceive of right now…but it’s coming…and it’s amazing!

“Ultimately, we serve others and their success is our success. If we do not help our clients succeed, we will fail right along with them, period!” I said.

In summing up this blog post, part one of two, the last point in the interview was this:

This is the foundation upon which this business is built…we take on a scared trust when we take on an inbound marketing consulting client.

I take on a scared trust when I take on an employee.

In both instances, in the case of the client and in that of the employee, they have said to me, to our company, The Ultimate Internet Image, I am putting my life in your hands. I am not only putting my financial life in your hands, I am placing the fate of my business in your hands. I am also placing the lives of my family, my spouse and my children, in your hands.

I think I know you.

I like you.

I am going to trust you with my life and I will trust you with the well being of those I cherish most, my family.

I take this charge very seriously!

It is humbling and the responsibility can be a lot to handle…but everyone that works for The Ultimate Internet Image will understand, must understand, what we are doing and the incredible responsibility we have, the sacred trust we hold.

After all, we are responsible for another individual’s life! In every respect, we owe them our best, we owe them excellence, and we owe them our undying gratitude for being allowed to serve!

It is through service we grow, it is through challenging others to do the same we become trusted…we become trusted friends. Once again, it is a sacred trust!

Marketing is now about a lot more than just the yodeling
[or shouting into the wind].
It’s about the entire package.
What you say as much as how you say it.
New marketing is our future. (pg. viii)
~ Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin

Character is the ultimate reflection of who you are,
more-so than reputation!
Character is who you actually are!
Reputation is only what other people say about you!
~ John Wooden

For more information about inbound marketing [new marketing – new media marketing] and The Ultimate Internet Image, call any time. I will always answer my phone or call you back as soon as I am able.

Note: We do not pick up the phone while with a client, ever! That is their time, as it will be for you…should you call or email us for more information.

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
The Ultimate Internet Image
CEO & Director of Marketing
440-821-7018
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com
excellencepaidforward@gmail.com (personal email address)

Vision, Taking Action, Inbound Marketing, and Page One

Over the past few months I have had the pleasure of working with several business people who all have one thing in common, a vision of their future! As many of you reading this already know, vision without implementation, without correct and focused action is useless. Knowing you want to reach a destination may get the ball rolling but without a plan of action, a map, all the vision is the world won’t even get you out of the driveway!

Interestingly, and sadly, many people have also lost their vision. The vision that once drove them daily, got them out of bed in the morning excited to great another day, has taken a back seat to the mundane, day-to-day struggle just to stay afloat in this economy.

And that is, as noted above, extremely sad!

In today’s advertising and marketing world, with its rapid transition from the old media, outbound approach to marketing, to new media, inbound marketing, many businesses simply do not have the time or the knowledge to implement the strategies necessary to stay current with the latest trends…much less get their face (i.e., their brand and their message) in front of as many prospective clients as possible.

The market has changed and what was once an outbound, market driven economy is now a consumer driven, search-based world.

Googling has become a verb. The buyer is now taking an active role in the process, seeking out merchandise, services, etc. It is no longer enough, if it ever really was, to stick your business’s name in front of enough people, knowing they will come. “If you build it, they will come” just doesn’t cut it any more.

In the current marketplace, it is necessary to:

• Be where prospective clients are searching for your services or merchandise
• Capture their attention
• Provide a reason for them to continue to focus on your message
• Provide them with an incentive so you can capture their contact information
• Build a relationship with that individual until they are ready to make a purchasing decision
• Continue to build a relationship after the transaction in order to create an ongoing relationship with your clients and hence increase your business’s overall profitability

Once you understand the dynamics of new media, inbound marketing, how do you apply the model to your business, whether a practice, a retail establishment, or service-based business?

The fact is, unless you want to spend several hours a day, for at least a year or two, educating yourself, you can’t. In today’s world, you simply can’t do it alone.

The world has changed and, if you want your business or practice to survive and flourish, you must change with it.

Change is never easy, we all resist change. Change is indeed frightening for many and the inertia we all feel is, at times, overwhelimg. Inertia is a powerful force in nature, and in business; and, once set in our ways, it is a difficult task to consider a new approach, something that may be intimidating, something we are not familiar (read: comfortable) with…but is essential if you are to survive and prosper.

Understand this, regardless of whether we are physicians or plumbers, accountants or exterminators, attornies or landscapers, woodworkers or photographers, we are all salesmen; and, we are all marketing a product. Be it ourselves or a specific product, we are all selling something!

Don’t like the idea of being a salesman?

Get over it! We are all marketing a product, a service…ourselves!

If you want to sell yourself, and, in the end, that is what we are doing, regardless of your business or profession, you must be where the buyers are and you must provide enough of a reason for the buyer to pick you out of a myraid of choices available to them.

With 360,000 competing web pages for the keyword phrase “how to stop sciatica,” how do you get to page one? For any keyword phrase that pays?

Pays?

By pays, I mean a keyword phrase people are searching for. By people searching, I mean your target audience, people searching for what you offer, be it a product or service; and, people ready, willing, and able to make a buying decision.

Because, and this is key, if you aren’t on page one, do you really think you have a shot?

Do you think people seek you out if you are on page 8 or 10? Or even on page 2, 3 or 4?

Almost never!

I talked to a new client the other day and he stated, rather emphatically as a matter of fact, that he never searched beyond page one! This is the rule, not the exception.

You have to be on the first page of Google, Yahoo, Bing, and yes, even Ask, for all the keywords important to your marketing message, if you are going to prosper in the consumer-driven, search-oriented world.

Period!

If you want to get the attention of your target marketing, your target audience, in today’s new media, inbound marketing world?

You must be where your prospective clients are actively searching, and that means you need to focus your message on yourtarget audience and on the keywords they are searching for…and more!

Now, most individuals, even most Internet marketing professionals, and even a few inbound marketing consultants, particularly those heavy into search engine optimization (SEO), will tell you that you can get to page one in one of two ways:

1. You can pay an incredible sum of money each and every month to be on page one via pay-per-click advertsing (PPC).
2. Or you can earn your way onto page one “organically” by way of SEO, meaning by way of links and longevity, and only after a long period of time, usually a year to a year and a half, and only after expending a lot of money to do so.

I call that a lose-lose!

Again, for most individuals and businesses to get to page one there are only two ways, pay a ton of money or spend a lot of time and money (i.e., SEO).

Remember this!

For every <em>day</em> you are not on page one, it is costing you a lot of money!

Why?

Because you aren’t where people (read: your target market) are searching for your products and services!

Millions and millions of people access the Internet daily from their computers and from other mobile devices; and, more are joining them every day. If you think you can survive with a weekly newspaper ad, an occasional radio spot, and a yellow pages listing?

Good luck!

Those days are long gone!

In today’s search-based, consumer-driven economy, you must be where the action is!

The action is on page one of the various search engines, Google getting the lion’s share.

The action is also in social media.

Your business or practice needs to have an Internet presence, an Internet image if you will, throughout social media. The various facets of Web 2.0 (social media, blogging, etc.), including a central hub (blog instead of just a static website), and pages on Facebook and Twitter, are crucial to your business’s long term viability, and profitability.

Additionally, you must aggressively build an image as an authority, an expert in your niche or specialty.

While building The Ultimate Internet Image, you must build a relationship with current and future clients, patients, and customers. Relationship marketing is not just a catchy phrase, it is a reality and it should be at the foundation of all you do, your entire focus should be relationship-based. We will discuss relationship marketing at length in a subsequent blog post.

Significantly, if social media has demonstrated anything, it is that people are ravenous for social connection, a relationship.

Provide it and win!

Once again, more on this in an upcoming post.

Ultimately, the transition from outbound advertising to an inbound approach to client acquisition does not have to be painful. In fact, the transition can be an exciting, exhilaratingly profitable experience, one that can and often does transform the way you do business…long term!

Inertia is a negative force, one counter-productive to success in business, any business; and in life, any life!

The Ultimate Internet Image specializes in assisting brick and mortar business owners make the transition to a highly effective, focused, inbound marketing strategy, one guaranteed to enhance lead production, sales, and overall profitability.

Inertia is powerful, what we do is more-so!

Contact us today for a no cost, inbound marketing consultation, as well as an overall competitive analysis.

John Zajaros
Director of Marketing
440-821-7018 (mobile)
216-712-6526 (office)
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com

Ultimately, the transition must be made or extinction will be your business’s reality. Like the dinosaurs happily grazing on grass, or eating each other for lunch, the end of outbound advertising is upon us. The transition to a new form of marketing, inbound marketing, has arrived and has, at least for the time being, transformed the landscape.

To use another evolutionary phrase here:

It is “survival of the fittest!”

Those who are willing to adapt will flourish; and, those unwilling to make the necessary transition will find they are facing the new reality head on.

The transition does not have to be painful, in fact it can be quite pleasant given the proper guidance and the implementation of the proper strategy. The days of outbound advertising being enough are over, inbound marketing and creating The Ultimate Internet Image will determine your evolutionary fitness and your ability to succeed long term.

It is up to you, extinction or adaptation.

The resources are within your grasp!

Unlike the dinosaurs who had nowhere to hide and no clue what was about to transpire, you have the knowledge and the wherewithal to alter the course and avoid an E.L.E!

The choice is yours!

For a free inbound marketing and comprehensive analysis, contact me anytime!