Are You Sponsoring ‘Marketing Insanity’ In Your Business?

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." – Benjamin Franklin

Let me ask you a point blank question. When was the last time you took a cold hard look at your marketing to find out whether or not it’s really working?

This is an important question because whether or not you enjoy marketing your business, it is simply not a set it and forget it function. It needs to be regularly monitored and tweaked to ensure its effectiveness. Not doing so is what I call ‘marketing insanity’ – throwing marketing resources into the abyss with hopes of positive results. This typically spells disaster for a small business – realistically it can be looked at as a form of gambling. Now I don’t know about you but as a small business owner myself, I’m not willing to risk my livelihood on a gamble.

So if you haven’t done so in the last 3 months, now is as good a time as any to pull back the curtains so to speak and take a real close look at your marketing performance. This is a process that I call ‘reflection’ and it’s intended to be used as a catalyst for business improvement and growth.

Before we get started here though, I’d like for you to put on your ‘thick skin and honesty cap’ because with all due respect, this process simply will not yield the best results for you if you’re not willing to reveal the real truth regarding you business’s state of affairs – it simply can’t. You have to be willing to ask and honestly answer some real tough questions. But hey, if you can’t be honest with yourself then who can you be honest with?

So are you ready to get started? Great… well the process of reflection for our purposes here is twofold. First take a clear snapshot of the current state of affairs of your business and then second examine that snapshot in terms of what’s working and what’s not working. [Sounds easy enough, right? Well hold on a minute, while the process of reflection is simple, it can pack a punch in terms of the reality it reveals.]

Some questions to get you started in this process may be:

• Have you met or exceeded your revenue goals over the past month? Past quarter? Or, how about the past year?
• Which product or service lines are your top bread winners and why? Which are not meeting expectations and why?
• Have you built a significant and steady pipeline of prospects interested in what your business offers? If so, how did you do it?
• How many new clients have you picked up over the past month? Past quarter? Or, how about the past year?
• Which of your clients has been the best and most lucrative to work with? How can you attract more like them?
• Have you strengthened your credibility in the marketplace? How about your visibility?
• What marketing strategies and tactics did you use? Were they effective? Why or Why not?

Now as things get clearer for you and you make your determinations, don’t allow yourself to get emotionally attached to any specific marketing strategy or tactic, simply replace the things that are not working with others that might work. Additionally, know that it’s okay if things didn’t turn out exactly as planned – this is all part of the growing process. The past is the past, it’s over and done with and we can’t change that however, we can certainly guide the future by understanding the past and taking appropriate action in the present.

So in closing, I’d like to leave you with a very relevant quote from success expert Tony Robbins, “If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.” So do yourself a favor and take the time to reflect and just say no to ‘marketing insanity’.

© 2006 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Liked this article? Want to use it in your eZine, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).


Online entrepreneur Dean Mercado, "The Motivational Marketer", is creator of the acclaimed 'Pumped Up Networking' system geared to explode your business through professional relationships. To learn more about it and to sign up for his FREE eZine the 'Marketing Minute' – a weekly multimedia eZine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes, visit www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com.

Internet Marketing: Types of Web Sites – A Primer

If I was to ask you what was the first thing that you thought of when I said the words Internet marketing, what would you say? I bet there is good chance that you thought of “web sites” – and you wouldn’t be alone there. As a matter of fact, when most people think of Internet marketing, they think mostly and even in some cases solely of web sites.

Now there are several types of web sites available – essentially one can be created to fit just about any need. And what I’d like to share with you is a brief overview of what I believe are the most useful and popular types of web sites today.

“Brochure” Web Site
(e.g. www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com)
The most common web site out there is what I call the “Brochure” web site. This one just as it implies, simply acts as an online brochure for your business. Typically it will contain a “home page”, an “about us” page, a “products” or “services” page that describes what you do and a “contact us” page. Pretty much this is what most businesses create for themselves.

“Portal” Web Site
(e.g. www.yahoo.com or www.msn.com)
A “Portal” web site is best described as a web site featuring a suite of commonly used services, serving as a starting point and frequent gateway to the Web (Web portal) or a niche topic (vertical portal).

Some of the more popular Web portals such as Yahoo.com, AOL.com, or MSN.com offer a broad array of resources and services, such as email, forums, search engines, and on-line shopping malls.

A vertical portal is more like a themed web site containing a directory of links to commonly used products, services and/or information specific to the theme. This type of portal serves as a springboard or shortcut to web sites covering a specific topic or niche.

“eCommerce” Web Site
(e.g. www.amazon.com)
The main purpose of an “eCommerce” web site is to sell your merchandise over the Internet. A well designed “eCommerce” web site can explode your sales potential by availing you to a whole host of online shoppers – some of which cannot easily get to your physical location because they may not live near you, as well as others who simply prefer shopping online – And believe me, there are hordes of people who prefer shopping online. I should know; I’m one of them.

“Sales Letter” Web Site
(e.g. www.PumpedUpNetworking.com)
The main purpose of a “Sales Letter” web site is to get your audience to take one specific action whether that’s to buy the one product or service that this web site is promoting, or getting them to provide their information in exchange for something you will give them.

The key to these web sites is their single-minded focus. They provide all the necessary information that the visitor would need to make an educated, proper decision – which if the “Sales Letter” web site is written properly, just happens to be the one action the web site owner wants them to take.

“Membership” Web Site
(e.g. www.RealBusinessForum.com)
“Membership” web sites are what I consider the up and coming star of web site types. These web sites are generally subscription-based and require a login and password to enter and access the meat of what they offer.

Properly designed “Membership” web sites act as a gathering place for like-minded people providing access to whatever their virtual community desires.

For the “Membership” web site owner, it provides many benefits such as a new revenue stream for their business in terms of the membership subscription fees as well as access to an audience that’s interested in a specific type of product or service.


So in closing, understand that your web site or web sites do not need to fall cleanly into one type of web site – mine doesn’t. Allow yourself to be creative here and use whatever type or combination of types that best suits your need.


© 2006 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Liked this article? Want to use it in your eZine, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Online entrepreneur Dean Mercado, "The Motivational Marketer", is creator of the acclaimed 'Pumped Up Networking' system geared to explode your business through professional relationships.  To learn more about it and to sign up for his FREE eZine the 'Marketing Minute' – a weekly multimedia eZine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes, visit www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com.

How To Add Some Muscle To Your Marketing Using This Simple Yet Effective Technique

Well it’s holiday season once again and you know what? – There’s simply no better time than the present to leverage a few dollars from your marketing budget to deepen your key professional relationships.

Now what am I talking about? I’m talking about sending holiday greeting cards to those responsible for you being in business today – this could be your Clients, joint venture partners, key vendors, key affiliate partners, mentors, coaches, employees, or whoever you deem vital to your success. Heck you may even want to include a few of your key prospects in this as well.

While the concept of sending holiday greeting cards may on the surface seem mundane, it can serve as quite an effective marketing tactic if done correctly. And yes, I consider sending holiday cards as marketing. It’s more personal and authentic in nature than most traditional marketing however, it’s marketing nonetheless. And I strongly believe that the effectiveness of any marketing tactic or strategy is dependent on how you are showing up for each member of your target market. So in the case of holiday greeting cards, the effort and personalization you put forth are critical to its effectiveness.

Let me ask you… What would you rather receive from someone you have continually spent your hard earned money with? No card at all? The same pre-printed card that was probably sent to numerous others? A blanket email that was probably sent to everyone in their database? Or a good quality card that they obviously took the time to personalize by handwriting something specific to you?

I’m guessing this is a no-brainer. In my opinion none of the other options can replace a personalized handwritten greeting card. It simply does wonders for cultivating authentic relationships. It makes people feel special… like they matter… and you know what? They should matter to you and what would be so wrong with letting them know that they do?

Sending handwritten personalized holiday greeting cards can also play a pivotal role in differentiating you and your business from the competition! Despite what some may think, not all businesses send cards, let alone handwritten personalized ones. And regardless if your competition sends them out or not, this is a unique opportunity for you to connect on a more personal level with those most important to you.

Now I’ve heard every excuse in the book from people why they do not or cannot send holiday cards – probably the most common one is that they don’t have the time.

My response to that is to make the time, as those important to your success are worth it. If that’s simply impossible, then get some help – you could always hire a virtual assistant to help you make it happen. Or simpler yet, just do what you can by maybe scaling it down to only sending cards to your 5 most perfect Clients.

Yes there’s a good possibly that those important to your success won’t feel slighted by not receiving a card from you however why not take the opportunity to connect authentically?

So in closing here’s my challenge to you, this week send handwritten personalized holiday greeting cards to your 5 most perfect Clients – letting them know that you were thinking of them and that you wish them and their families well this holiday season. Remember be genuine, be authentic, and allow it to be personal.


© 2006 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Liked this article? Want to use it in your eZine, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Online entrepreneur Dean Mercado, "The Motivational Marketer", is creator of the acclaimed 'Pumped Up Networking' system geared to explode your business through professional relationships.  To learn more about it and to sign up for his FREE eZine the 'Marketing Minute' – a weekly multimedia eZine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes, visit www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com.