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

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)

The Ultimate Internet Image Begins with The Ultimate Real World Relationship

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

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

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

I would agree with the above and expand upon it:

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

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

Why?

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

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

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

Why?

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

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

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

Let me explain!

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

The Process!

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

The Connection!

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

The Relationship!

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

Trust!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Don’t trust anyone!”

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

Time and Effort = Results and Experience!

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

The Bond of Friendship!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why?

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

Sacred Trust!

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

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

Success and/or Failure is a Consequence of Mindset!

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

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

The money will take care of itself…always!

In fact, money will become an afterthought!

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

Time and Effort

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

Financial – Personal – Spiritual!

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

Contact me anytime!

John

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

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

Inbound Marketing versus Outbound Advertising: The Proof is in the Video!

The transition from traditional old media outbound advertising to new media inbound marketing hasn’t always been smooth, easy or pretty, as is evidenced in this video.

The Ultimate Internet Image is about the transition from old media, outbound advertising to new media, inbound marketing. Outbound advertising is perishing and it is a slow and painful death, particularly for those businesses, offline and online investing large sums of money in a strategy that is no longer viable.

The video at The Ultimate Internet Image will demonstrate what I mean.

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
216-539-7412
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com

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

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

The Failure of Outbound Advertising

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

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

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

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

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

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

4) Inbound marketing consulting emerged.

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

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

Enter the Inbound Marketing Consultant

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

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

Fortunately, two things occurred:

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

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

Hiring Competent Consultants: Growing Pains

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

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

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

The Birth of an Inbound Marketing Consultant and Consultancy

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

“How? How do I do it?”

Of course, the next statement is generally something like:

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

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

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

The No-Selling Sale!

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

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

It is impossible to fake competence long term!

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

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

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

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

Traditional Brick and Mortar Business and Outbound Advertising Meets Internet Marketing and an Inbound Approach

*******
Old Media and New Media: Traditional Business Building and Lead Generation Meets Online Marketing and Relationship Building

TuffGuy and I took a walk this afternoon because it was so nice. The shame of it was I should have had some of the business people I mentor along because the lessons were profound and immediate. Not only were there examples of traditional brick and mortar traffic building strategies, there were also attempts to innovate.

Additionally, there are churches for sale and others being demolished! Grand Openings in the midst of it all!

I will expand upon the video in the morning…I hope you find it interesting!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
216-539-7412
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com

PS, For an amazing program designed to take your traditional business or your inbound marketing efforts to the next level…fast! Contact me if you have any questions or concerns at all!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information and a guaranteed page one listing contact:

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

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

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

Business Identity: Internet and Offline Image

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

LinkedIn’s Influence

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

LinkedIn’s Profile: Your Online Resume

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

LinkedIn and Connections: The Power of the Network

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

LinkedIn’s Reach

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

LinkedIn and the Power of the Group

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

LinkedIn Answers: Ask and It Shall Be Answered!

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

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

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

The Ultimate Internet Image and LinkedIn: Recommendations and Referrals

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

LinkedIn: Do Not Be Caught Online Without It!

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

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

You might wonder what churches, blogs, and Internet marketing have in common. In fact, I would be kind of surprised if you did! In order to explain myself, to explain the link between these three entities, I have to give you a little background. So here goes!

Every night, TuffGuy (my little Puggle) and I set out on a midnight stroll around Lakewood. Lakewood is a semi-urban community just west of Cleveland on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Interestingly, many people refer to this area as the “North Coast,” when in fact it is just the opposite. Perhaps that is a topic I can use in a future article, video or blog post? Who knows? But for now, suffice it to say, Lakewood is a medium-sized, semi-urban suburb just west of Cleveland.

So, every night as the clock strikes 12, this 54-year-old grandpa and his little dog, TuffGuy, set out to do what would have been impossible only a year before. By that I mean, a little over a year ago I was in a wheelchair, permanently catheterized, or so I thought, with little hope of making it to the end of my driveway, much less completing a 5 mile walk… little dog or no!

Interestingly, the walks have become one of the high points of my day, a time to reflect, think, plan, set goals, and create. Whether it is because of an increase in activity, with the resulting increase in oxygen and blood flow to the muscles and the brain, or simply more than my fair share of endorphins and enkephalins being dumped into my system, the walks have become a very productive part of my day, my mood at times bordering on euphoric.

Not only have I experienced more than my share of physical benefits, as the result of my increased activity, but the thoughts and observations experienced along the way yield a constant stream of new, and often very profitable ideas.

The other night, I noticed something about the churches I passed; and, I was immediately struck by the contrast in their appearances. Not only the contrast, but how the contrast seemed appropriate to me as a blogger, an Internet marketer, a marketer in general, and as an entrepreneur.

Let me explain!

We pass approximately 15 churches along our route, from the huge Roman Catholic Church they are trying to save with the incredibly ornate marble columns (another lesson), to the store-front Christian Church just beginning the long road towards a home of its own and a congregation.

The striking thing about the churches, and their respective appearances, is what the appearance says about its caretakers, without a word spoken…hallelujah or otherwise!

At the risk of sounding like ex-president Richard Nixon:

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear!”

This is not an article about religion, and it is certainly not in any way meant to disparage or diminish anyone’s personal beliefs, it is simply an article about observations made, and the associations along with them.

Okay, back to churches, blogs, and Internet marketing…and how they are related!

As stated above, the variation and the contrast in appearance from one church to the next is striking. Once noticed, my mind simply took the next step, the leap forward, and made the connection with blogs and Internet marketing. You see, the churches are very much like blogs, they are made up of congregations and they reflect the attention of their owners…or pastors.

One church:

Simple but immaculate, the sidewalks weeded, the hedges trimmed, the stone work well maintained, and the marquee out front updated.

The next church, less than 100 yards away:

In a sorry state, the contrast between the two immediately apparent, its woodwork peeling and in need of paint, the sidewalks cracked, weeds growing up between them, the marquee’s message dated and it’s letters mismatched.

The welcoming look of the former replaced by a less than welcoming, almost deserted look to the latter. This goes on block after block, church after church…not only in Lakewood but across the region, probably across the country and around the world.

The symbolization, the metaphor of blog for Internet church was striking, immediately apparent, at least to me!

Go with me for a moment, think about this!

A perfect vehicle used to take a “walk” through the Internet community, the figurative “Lakewood online,” with TuffGuy or your own little dog, is StumbleUpon!

Let’s stay consistent and type ”religion” in as the search term, or rather the “stumble” term we want to pursue. We can, in fact, do this for any term and come with a myriad of blogs, all related to our keyword, our search.

Once again, immediately apparent is how similar the trip down StumbleUpon Road, Anytown, USA is to the trip down Detroit Road, Lakewood, Ohio or NetSurfer Road, Anytown, USA or anywhere else…churches and all! Some…no, all…reflect the attention of their owners, some inviting and even welcoming, while others seem almost deserted, not really the place I want to hang my hat, much less do business with.

Hence the final component, the thing that pulls this all together. Whether as a church in the temporal realm, or a blog and/or a website on the Internet, appearances, and particularly first impressions are crucial if one is to survive as a community…much less as an Internet marketer. Even if you are simply creating a vehicle for individual expression, a hobby and little more, a blogger with no real interest in making a living, an audience would still be nice. If, like the churches in a general state of disarray, you are less than welcoming in your appearance, what hope do you have of ever attracting an audience? On the other hand if you are a well-groomed, well-maintained, even beautiful “church,” you will have little trouble attracting new “members” to your “congregation.”

The secret here?

If you can call it a secret?

Take care of the little things, the corners!

Take care of the corners, as an old business partner of mine used to say, and the middle will take care of itself!

If, like the churches along my walk, your blog or website is in a general state of disarray and/or disrepair?

If you have weeds growing up through the cracks (broken links going nowhere and outdated banners)?

If you have a marquee with a dated message (poor or dated content and a poorly designed SEO strategy)?

It is imperative you hire a “landscaper” or a “handy-man,” even if it is someone from the “congregation,” to make the necessary repairs.

You only have one chance to make a first impression, make it a good one and your congregation will grow…fail and you will fail right along with it!

See you on our walk through Lakewood…or Anytown…TuffGuy and I, that is!

John Zajaros
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com
excellencepaidforward@gmail.com (personal email)