09NovInland Empire Businesses Get Serious

   

Business Success with Internet Marketing Consulting

   Over the past few months, business owners and entrepreneurs haven’t exactly had the enthusiasm of the media around them. However, here in the Inland Empire portion of the U.S., things have become increasingly bleak due to our unbelievable foreclosure rate.  In Rancho Cucamonga,  since we have so many homes that have been built within the last 5-7 years, we’ve seen a dramatic number of homes fall into foreclosure. It is because of this, our city is full of luxury homes that all sold for around $800,000+ that are currently sitting vacant.

      I recently walked through one foreclosed luxury home in Rancho Cucamonga (that previously sold for over $1.5 million just a year ago), and the previous homeowners had gone so far as to take anything and everything of value out of the house.  I’m not talking about just the appliances either. These desperate homeowners took out everything from the custom cabinetry to the little brass knobs that went on them. They took every single bathroom fixture in the home (out of all 7 bathrooms), including all faucets and knobs. They tore out all of the homes built-in ceiling speakers, they even went as far as to take some of the door hinges off of the doors, perhaps because they are made of metal that can be recycled. This beautiful  6 Bedroom, 6,000 square foot, $1.5 million dollar home sits pretty much gutted, on almost an 1/2 acre of mountain view property. Who would’ve thought?

 

       I guess it’s just a sign of the times. We’re hearing daily reports of layoffs, cutbacks, falling 401k’s, and of course foreclosures. This kind of economy is a true test of every business’s staying power.

     Just as the dot com boom and bust ending up weeding out all of the businesses that weren’t as solid, from the ones that would go on to make millions; we are now seeing another wave of economic trials that will seperate the strong from the weak. Now, more than ever, businesses need to start thinking outside of the box. Things that once worked great for your company’s marketing, may now hardly work at all. Your target demographic will shift their attention to other things during economic hardship, and your job is to figure out what that is. Not only being agile and flexible, but being quick is the key to this strategy.

     Many companies have found success in offering incentives and extras, to persuade their buyers that this purchase is the right thing for them, right now. This story posted in the Daily Bulletin is just that. Regarding offering incentives, the article states something very true!

“In fact, it might behoove some local dealerships to get the most creative bang for their marketing bucks if they want to stay alive over the next few years. “

     Depending on your industry, incentives don’t have to huge. Small gestures often make a big impact on new and frequent clients and customers. A thank-you card, a small box of chocolates, a gift certificate, and of course the discounted price. Ford Motor Co. is offering pick-up truck rebates worth up to $8,000, coupled with other discounts, to reel in customers.

“Manufacturers and dealer associations have begun using more “guerrilla marketing” tactics to combat slower sales, where marketing teams set up tents at malls and give away T-shirts, music and prizes to participants. You can generate traffic from that stuff, but it’s not going to sell you too many cars,” he said. “The consumers are a little cranky right now.”

    Shameless Plug: If you’re interested in getting serious with your business in these tough times, give us a call or shoot us an email! We’re always glad to help, even if it is just a free consultation…because we know how crazy it is out there right now. : ) 

- Your friendly neighborhood  (actually, national) Internet Business Consulting firm.

 

 

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09OctVoiceleaf Presents: FREE Internet Marketing Classes - VoiceLEARN

      Unless you live on a completely secluded island, you’re probably well aware of the current damage going on not only within the U.S. economy, but also the global economy. If you are a business owner or entrepreneur, you are also probably feeling the burn of skyrocketing operating costs, and are probably pulling back on your marketing, or considering such a measure to keep afloat during these tough times. We do have some advice… Don’t Let Hard Times Derail Your Marketing and Advertising! This is probably one of the worst possible things a business can do.

      You may be thinking… ‘How can I possibly keep up… AND keep marketing consistent without laying people off, or going out of business??.. You crazy person, you!” It is this exact sentiment that we’ve gathered from a good amount of our clientele over the past few months. You (the business owner), has spoken.. and Voiceleaf (us) has listened! We’ve got a great anouncement for our fellow business owners and marketing department heads!

     Voiceleaf Consulting will be launching a series of FREE classes and seminars to teach business owners and marketing heads how to manage and grow their online marketing efforts in a cost effective fashion.

These classes, which we have dubbed “VoiceLEARN” will include tons of tips, tricks, and priceless advice on how to grow your business, no matter how bad the economy decides to fall. You’ll be marketing when your competition is pulling back… smart! The VoiceLEARN classes will begin close to our headquarters here in Rancho Cucamonga, CA… and from there we’ll spread out to other great locations nationwide. And for those not able to physically attend, we’ll be offering these lessons as online courses, webinars, instructional videos, and mobile written material for the busiest of the busy.

     Why are we offering this…and for FREE?

Are we out of our minds? Just as we said… the economy is bad, and SMB’s (Small and Mid-sized businesses) are finding it tougher and tougher to keep their marketing and advertising working for them.  Business is literally the artery of America, and if we can do anything to help, we are more than happy to lend a hand! We want to equip SMB’s with the ability to develop their own online and offline marketing campaigns, in addition to the proper knowledge and judgment needed to carry out such a campaigns without having to spend thousands of dollars at once on employing a firm like us (although we’re always happy to help!). This is our way of saying “Thank You”, for making Voiceleaf a success… and an even bigger “Thank You” for letting us make YOUR Business a Success!

More information to come on sign ups and registration to VoiceLEARN. In the meantime, contact us directly for more information or to request a lesson topic!

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06AugGetting Cozy with Google Marketing

     It’s well known by now that when you need to market a product, service or awesome “something” on the internet, Google is almost always the first-point of contact. Google is THE search engine of search engines. If you know one thing about the internet, it’s generally that Google is king. Trailing not too far behind is Yahoo and Microsoft Live, but we’re not going to get into those guy’s strategies today. Right now, we’re noticing a huge trend. More and more business’s of all sizes are focusing on Google more than ever.  So let’s talk about Marketing On Google!

Google Marketing

      Often enough, you’ve heard someone referring to “Googling” someone or something that they don’t know a lot about. Although it may sound a bit like a twisted, or something of a perverted term; Googling someone or something is truly a sign of the times. If you don’t know a lot about why cats meow, you can Google it. If you want to know more about Warren Buffet or Bill Gates, you can Google them. Pretty much any little bit of information you don’t know, you’re able to find on Google through their trusty search engine.

      Professional Internet Marketers and Internet Business Consultants such as us are growing more and more aware of this phenemon, and are taking full advantage of it. We are doing a lot of research, fine-tuning, and often, spying… to see exactly what’s going on and what people are searching for. Although Google doesn’t release full details of their searchers, they do offer some very useful data on what people are searching for, in addition to Pay-per-click details and competition outlines.

    What makes Google THE search engine to target as an internet marketer? Well, first of all, since it is the largest, and most widely utilized search, we can always count on having better turn over when it comes to them indexing pages, links, ads, and so on. Since Google owns many companies on the internet that also act as services or social networks, this is also a big plus. Google also offers up-to-day search information and useful tips for marketers and Search Engine Optimization specialists on their blog.

7 Principles of Effective Google Marketing

     Google offers many great events, tutorials, and seminars for every marketer to learn how to effectively utilize their search engine, and even paid search services. That being said, here are some great resources to familiar yourself with Google’s famous Search Engine and Google Marketing!

and…. If you’re just not quite convinced that Google is the search engine to focus on. Perhaps we should take a look at their earnings for last quarter: Google’s 2008 Q2 Earnings  - and their current performance….. (make sure to view last year’s earnings! woah!) - Google Stock

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18JulHow to Find and All-Star Internet Business Consultant Pt. 2

         To view the first part of this series on How to Find an All-Star Internet Business Consultant, Click on the title!

       In the last article, I discussed all of the strategies your internet business consultant should know. Chances are, your internet business consultant will have one or two preferred areas of expertise. Depending on what these are, I’d take that as a big warning sign. Internet business is something of a giant black hole of a million strategies, ideas, and experimentation. I am a strong believer in a broad array of expertise when it comes to internet marketing, because what produces great results for one client, may not work at all for another client.

The Three Essential Traits to Seek in an Internet Business Consultant

Experience: This is a big one. There are plenty of newbie Internet Consultants and Web Strategy Gurus out there claiming to know how to get things done on the internet. The truth is, they may be able to get their local businesses some good results, and possibly even manage a Pay Per click Campaign in a satisfactory manner. However, experience is something that cannot be overlooked when seeking an internet business consulting service. Internet marketing is an especially touchy task, and if done incorrectly, your internet marketing campaign can leak a lot of money in the process of your newbie internet marketer’s learning process.

Knowledge: While this is an obvious one, many business owners aren’t sure what to look for as far as knowledge goes. If they knew about internet marketing and web strategy, they’d be doing it themselves, right? A great way to test the waters is to present scenarios and make sense of their answers. Ask them, “So how would I gain #1 rankings for a website like….” Or even a question about PPC methods and some of their favorite viral strategies. Perhaps bringing up past clients and some of the strategies used with them. Also know that because of Non-Disclosure agreements and strict guidelines, some consultants may not be able to give you exact details of campaigns, but should be able to provide some great instances of success. Do your homework and make sure their answers are valid.

The Willingness to Research: If you’re a lawyer and you’re looking for someone to market your services, this would be a perfect instance of a situation where your internet business consultant would have to spend a few hours (at least) researching your competition, and your industry. Trends, actions, and current standards are all factors they must take into consideration. They should be willing and ready to start conducting research on your industry as soon as the project begins.

   Often times, an internet business consultant, or someone known as an authority in their niche’ will have an ongoing blog, news site, or guest writing appearances on other blogs. This is a great way to gauge their experience, past client reactions, and even gain insight on who they are connected to within the industry.

   If you’re working with an internet business consulting and internet marketing company such as Voiceleaf, you could check Local listings on Google and Yahoo for past client feedback. We’ve found that many happy clients don’t leave reviews, but angry ones generally do. So don’t be discouraged by the lack of good reviews, but do be aware of negative reviews. Clients often have unrealistic expectations when it comes to internet marketing, so do give the company a chance to explain themselves if they do have a bad review or two. If they’ve got more than 5 bad reviews, this is a big red flag, and I’d advise against working with them if these reviews were seriously bad. (ie: client paid but never got their product or service, or client paid but never heard from their consultant again, and so on).

 

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