The Simple Way To Market Any Business

You’ve no doubt heard about the K.I.S.S. principle – “Keep it simple, Stupid.” Or as I like to say… “keep it simple, silly.”K.I.S.S. has been around the block a few times. In fact, it was a design principle noted by the US Navy in the 1960s.The phrase was coined by aircraft engineer Kelly Johnson. It’s nice to note that Johnson was the lead engineer at the Lockheed Skunk Works (creators of the Lockheed U-2 and SR-71 spy planes).Though the acronym has been used mostly by the US military, namely the U.S. Navy and United States Air Force, civilians, businesses and lots of other groups use it too.Heck, I bet you’ve used it a few times yourself.We all tend to over complicate things, including myself.But I prefer simple any day and twice on Sunday. When tackling any problem, my number one rule is to start with the simple basics first (is the power on? Is the lamp is plugged into the electrical outlet?)And you’d be amazed at how effective the simple way of doing things can be. After all, you can always complicate the hell out of things later, if you like.You’ll be pleased to learn “simple” also works in marketing your biz too! Truth be told, simple has taken me a long, long way in the marketing of my business.Let me explain… The Three Pillars Of Good MarketingOK. Let’s break this down into, you know, simple terms. You can easily and simply market any product or service if you examine the 3 pillars of marketing.But before I go into details, I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. While, I’d love to think that I’m a marketing and advertising whizz, truth be told, I’m scratching the surface here.What I have learned came from the true geniuses of the game. The guys who figured it out and have been in the marketing trenches for decades.With that said, what you’re about to learn came from marketing top-gun Dan Kennedy. I recommend that you get your hands on any books, programs or live events he puts on. It’s nothing less than pure gold.OK. On with the show. The pillars of good marketing are:MessageMarketMediaLet’s talk briefly about each one.Pillar 1. Message. This is the “what” you say to your prospects or clients. It’s the communication part of the equation of good marketing. If you get this wrong, then your efforts won’t necessarily fail but will suffer greatly in terms of results and sales.Keep in mind, even if you have a great message and you shoot it to the wrong market, it’s going to land upon deaf ears. And you’re wasting marketing bullets… time, money and other resources.Pillar 2. Market. The is the “who” you want to sell to. It’s the group of people most likely to be interested and willing buy your stuff. These are the prospects you are communicating with and who will receive your sales messages (sales letters, print ads, landing pages etc.)So, your mission is to match your message to the correct market using the correct media.As you know privacy is essentially dead these days. So, getting the names and addresses for nearly any target market is a fairly simple process.Mailing lists comes in all shapes and sizes today. If you know what market you want to go after, you’re likely to find a list. It’s just a matter of contacting a list broker and describing who you’re looking for.For example, If you are looking for people who are at least 7 feet tall, drive a BMW, live in South Carolina and subscribe to Psychology Today, you can get that list. It may not be a very large list, but nevertheless it still exists.Pillar 3. Media. This the delivery system. It’s the vehicle that your message rides in. Think: magazines, newspapers, newsletters, social media such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and list goes on forever it seems.The best way to select which media to use, starts with the market. Are you targeting folks over the age of 65? There’s a good chance they do not use social media as a primary medium.Yes, they very well may have a Facebook account, but this is not their main means of communicating or staying in touch with others.They do read the local paper and use their cell phone regularly. They probably listen to the radio and watch TV.But the only way to truly know is to ask your clients and prospects.How To Target Your MarketOne popular way that business owners use to target their market is by geographic.Using geographic marketing you choose your market based on a specific location, for example, businesses within a 10-mile radius. This is a very simple way to choose your targets but it’s like dropping flyers out of a plane and hoping one lands with the right person.Yes, a bit of an exaggeration but with a few simple tweaks, you can make your geographic marketing more effective. And you can do this by using…… Demographic targeting. Demographic targeting is selecting people by age, gender, how much money they have, whether they are conservative or liberal, or what religion they are, single or married and so on.Next, you have psychographics. Psychographics deals customer behavior, attitudes, interests and lifestyles. It’s useful when segmenting your market. This can be very powerful (and effective). Plus, it allows you to customize your marketing messages based on whatever market segment you are going after.Hey, you could combine all three. And many of the cloud based programs, such as Adobe Marketing Cloud, Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketing 360 and more do just that. You could also check some of the open source solutions.Again, you don’t have to get all “techie” just be sure you have details such as their contact info, and carefully track how much they spend, what they buy and how often. Simple with Excel.Of course, I could go way deep into this topic, but staying the “simple” approach, suffice to say keep good customer lists, learn what your prospects and clients want and become the “go-to” company that fills their needs.So, the next time you start a new marketing campaign, consider the ideas presented here. If you are tired of dumping big bucks down the advertising toilet and you’d like more profitable results, then I encourage you to give me a shout. Do you have questions about this article or would like to see a subject covered? Again, just shoot me a line. I’m always happy to help.Yours for higher response,Emette E. Massey

What is SEO Writing – A Simplified Explanation From an Experienced SEO Copywriter

If you’re interested in freelance writing and do any type of web surfing on this niche, you’ve probably run across job ads that read something like, “Looking for an SEO article writer to provide ongoing content for credit repair site. 350-400 words; ongoing weekly assignments.” This is an SEO writing job.As there seems to be a lot of work out there like this, many freelance writers who keep running across ads like this may go to their favorite search engine and start to do web searches on “seo writing, or “what is seo writing,” or “writing for seo,” or writing seo” in order to figure out exactly what this is.Here we’ll explain exactly what SEO copywriting is, and why it’s such a profitable freelance writing niche.SEO Writing DefinedFirst, SEO is the acronym for search engine optimization. Don’t let the big term throw you. All this means is that website owners do certain things to their web pages to make sure that search engines find them and deliver web surfers – like you – to their website when they conduct internet searches.
One of these things is filling their site with SEO content.SEO content is different from “regular” content in that some technical research and thought goes into the copy – before it is ever written. Mainly, keyword research is conducted.What Is Keyword Research and Why Is It Important in SEO WritingThe best way to explain keyword research is to give an example.Let’ say you own a website about credit repair. You offer credit repair services to consumers with bad credit. You have a website, but it’s not getting much traffic or bringing in much business. One of the things you can do is write informative content and put it on your website to drive more traffic. But, not just any informative content – SEO content.When/if you hire an SEO copywriter, one of the first things they’re going to do is find out which words and phrases web surfers are typing in to find the types of services you offer (credit repair, remember).Note: The words and phrases that web surfers type in to find stuff on the web are called keyword phrases. Remember this.Keyword Research ToolsSo, they’ll use a keyword research tool that will show them things like which keyword phrases prospects type in when they’re trying to find a businesses like yours. And, many times it’s not what you think, which is why keyword research tools are so popular.FYI, one of the easiest and best keyword research tools to use is Google’s Keyword AdWord Tool.
Once they find out what these keyword phrases are, they will write copy for your site that includes these phrases. This is what’s known as SEO content.And, the reason it’s so effective is that search engines don’t have to guess which sites might be relevant when a web surfer types in a keyword phrase. If your site’s copy has the right keywords in it, it’s easy for search engines to return your site as a relevant search result.This equals more traffic, which of course usually means more sales.And, this is why SEO writing is an exploding niche in freelance writing. Many search engine optimization (SEO) writers make $50,000 to $75,000 – or more – their first year. As every site on the web needs this type of content, it’s easy to see why this is so possible.If you’re interested in this kind of freelance writing, get SEO copywriting training. Usually it lasts about a week, and you can start making money almost right away — really. Most SEO writers say they land their first clients within the first few days once they start to market.

The Top 5 Types of Business Names

A great business name is sticky and flexible. Whether you hear it in a crowded room or say it yourself, it resonates and remains. So what are the naming strategies behind some of the greatest companies of all time? Apple was able to make people believe that the high-tech world of personal computing was friendly and inviting by choosing a common, every day name. Samsonite created an image of strength and durability that only Samson himself could uphold. BlackBerry used our sense of touch by associating the phone and its small keyboard buttons to the drupelets that form the blackberry fruit.There are a variety of different strategies that entrepreneurs use to create a memorable and unique name for a new business. Some strategies are more successful than others, yet they all seem to co-exist, making it important to review each type to get a feel for what is available. The dynamics behind choosing a business name are easy, but the final selection is one of the most important decisions you will make as a business owner. Your company name is the doorway to your product or service. It must be nothing short of spectacular.With that goal in mind, here are the top 5 most common business name types, with a few pros and cons of each. If you are in the process of considering a name for your new business or thinking of renaming your current business, you can refer to this as a guide to help you navigate the world of exceptional, extraordinary and mind-blowing business names.No. 1: The Real Word Business NameWe all recognize certain names in the English language because they have become household names. They refer to products or services we use everyday. Quaker, Shell and Twitter are familiar to us because they are real words, yet they have been given arbitrary meanings on account of being associated with very successful businesses. Sometimes new companies looking to capitalize on the familiarity of a word will choose to use a name that already exists as part of a new business name. These names are best described as Real Word business names.Amazon, Yelp and Adobe are more examples of highly successful businesses that began by employing simple, recognizable names that grew into multi-million dollar companies. In fact, most people today would probably tell you that “Amazon” is an online retailer before telling you that it is a female warrior or river. On the downside, real words are next to impossible to obtain the.com URL for and notoriously difficult to protect. Real word business names, while easy and convenient, are not necessarily recommended solutions, despite the powerful potential for recognition.No. 2: The Descriptive Business NameThere is no doubt that when consumers hear the name “Super Cuts” they envision that there is some cutting going on, and more than likely, it’s super. A Descriptive business name is one that essentially describes a product or service by identifying some ingredient, quality or characteristic of that product. While naming strategies that employ descriptors are easy to understand and informative, they are hardly unique, and far too common. At best, descriptive names are boring, lack appeal and in most cases, are not worthy of trademark protection.Yet, there are a few benefits to using a descriptive name to identify your business. For one, there is no ambiguity in “All Bran Cereal.” And from a marketing perspective, sometimes it’s not so bad to be direct. At their worst, descriptive names can cause consumers to associate the business with a lack of creativity and innovation. And unless you have an unusually large budget and the ability to quickly rise above the competition, a descriptive name is a tough bet.No. 3: The Compound Word Business NameHere is where it starts to get interesting. Many businesses have been very successful employing a combination of two common (or uncommon) words to make one new name and concept. Compound Word business names tend to be interesting and unique, particularly if new meanings can be created through the combination of words that are not typically used together.Compound word business names are generally easy for consumers to remember because of their uniqueness and memorability – think SalesForce and FireFox. In some respects, the right combination can also incite strong curiosity, which is always a good thing for business. With compound business names, the possibilities are endless as there is virtually no end to the number of winning combinations that can be created. It is tough to find any drawback to using a really good compound word for a business name, but if there is one, its length.Compound words have the tendency to carry more characters than other styles of business names. It may be tough, but resist using any compound name that exceeds ten characters. Keep it short and sweet and you can’t lose.No. 4: The Associated Word Business NameSometimes, business names resonate because they blend two or more words together, making it fun to think of two unrelated objects as one. “NetScape” is basically a blend of “net” and the word “landscape,” which denotes an Internet landscape, making for a perfect business name for an Internet web browser. Associated Word business names include all kinds of unique names that are simply blends of other words, words with prefixes or suffixes affixed, even misspellings of other common words.Associated words can be highly successful business names. Cisco (from San Francisco), Wikipedia (from encyclopedia) and Google (from “googol”) certainly did not have difficulty gaining credibility. These business names have strong underlying meanings and provide a much better back-story than other types of names. Associated words make great business names and can be quite successful if chosen carefully. However, getting it “right” can be tricky, and it’s easy to sound contrived or unnatural if you are not careful.No. 5: The Brandable or Generic Business NameWhen it comes to trademarking and ease of use, nothing comes close to the Brandable or Generic Business name. Brandable names are among the easiest business names to protect and one of the simplest and most effective ways to ensure uniqueness for the product or service you are offering. The biggest advantage to choosing a brandable name lies in its brandability. As consumers use and enjoy your product, your name develops a definition that describes what your company offers.Startups and even established businesses forever look for ways to build brand awareness. The right brandable name will successfully launch any branding campaign. Consumers recall your business name and along with it, your product. For every company, across all industries, this is a huge advantage, as it prevents external “noise” created by the associations people make with Descriptive and Associated style names. It’s surprising how many people have a negative opinion of a particular business name simply because it evokes negative feelings that stemmed from a past circumstance. A unique or “nonsense” name prevents this and gives your company an edge over the descriptive competition.Your business has a lot to gain, or lose, in your choice of name. Your business name is the gateway to your products and services and by default, your livelihood. When you are unsure where to begin, review these strategies and make an informed decision on a name that will resonate with your customers and excite curiosity. After all, you only have one business name, get it right and get peace of mind that comes from knowing you have made the right choice in a high performing, exceptional name that consumers will continually be drawn to.

How Are the IoT Enabled Solutions Helping Enterprise Customers?

The IoT (Internet of Things) has drastically changed the way businesses carry out their day-to-day activities. From the perspective of enterprises, IoT has enabled the use of latest digital technologies for the expansion of business and systematizing operations.
In the past few years, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of organizations that have adopted and implemented IoT solutions. The Internet of Things has brought numerous benefits to enterprises. Let’s investigate some of the most critical advantages.

• With the advent of IoT, businesses are now able to better plan and organize their daily operations. As a result, there is a marked reduction in downtime leading to lower operational cost and enhanced customer satisfaction. • Since IoT technologies goes in hand with other digital technologies, it become easier for enterprises to modernise and automate their operations and procedures using them. This has led to increased resource utilization, productivity, consistency, and business outcome. • A special mention needs to be made of the way IoT has benefited the manufacturing industry. Owing to IoT technologies plants in factories are enabled to fast track the production lines with improved quality. Staff working in a manufacturing unit can avoid repetitive and monotonous tasks, which are being effectively automated using IoT solutions. • Using IoT technologies, factories can monitor and track assets across supply chains easily. Therefore, instances like assets getting misplaced have reduced almost to nil. • There is now a consistent rise in the integration of IoT into the everyday operations of various enterprises. The technologies have allowed organizations to adopt a completely new approach toward data. Collecting user data and analysing in real time or near real-time has become simpler. Following this analysis, companies now have better understanding of their customer preferences. This has significantly enhanced the ability to launch products and services for their customer base consistently, quickly, and cost effectively. • The monitoring systems and sensors deployed on the premises greatly contribute to safety at the workplace. These advanced systems promptly give a warning when something goes wrong and hence can prevent possible mishaps. The operational team will have sufficient time to respond and initiate corrective measures. • No doubt, overall leveraging IoT technologies have significantly enhanced the delivery of various services – quickly as well with topmost quality. This has been traditionally as issue enterprises were struggling with. This is now changed for good! • With IoT solutions, there is excellent coordination and communication across the supply chain. This assures the consumer that they do not have to wait too long to get the product/ service they are expecting. As the business consistently ensures timely quality delivery, its reputation gets elevated in the market. • Enterprises who have deployed IoT technology in their business are way ahead of their counterparts who are laggards! This is also about offering services and products at reasonable prices quickly.