In order to be efficient in your marketing efforts, it's important for you to realize what will work and what is being left by the side of the road. Now, having said that please understand that demographics are important.  They may dictate your specific marketing methods. For examples, a senior market or an ethnic neighborhood.

This year five marketing methods and trends should be watched with a close eye. Many changes have taken place over the last few years and 2012 will not be different. Trends and methods to watch:
Mobile Marketing.

A report done by CTIA Wireless Association reported that over 250 million Americans have mobile phones.  Mobile apps will continue to be developed and along with smartphones, tablet PCs will be a part of our lives.

We will see more location based services, mobile gaming, applications, and event-based mobile marketing. New technology from Apple's iPhone, iPad, and Google are ubiquitous. It won't stop. 2012 will continue to showcase mobile innovations throughout the year. We will see new devices, faster speeds, and as well as integrated technologies. If you are a wanting to  find new ways to market, mobile will one of them. Time to board the bus.
 

ZZ Top was coming to the area. Having seen ZZ Top in California the previous June, I knew first hand that their concerts were well worth attending. What do you know?, I wasn't the only one with that point of view.

Dallas buzzed with the news, and it quickly became clear that the only way to ensure a decent ticket was to be waiting at the box office when it opened the following week.

So I got together with my friends and, after a considerable amount of discussion, we determined that we should be in line the day before. We divided up the coverage and took a shift out on the hotter 'n hades sidewalk.

But it was worth it. When the next day rolled around, we had seats to one of the hottest shows of the year.

Let's think about it. I rearranged my busy schedule, drove to Austin; I stood outside for two hours in the blazing heat; I paid a lot of money for the ticket, (at the time). And, I couldn't have been happier. I felt fortunate for the opportunity.

And my point? If you ask me, ZZ Top is the model for all of us who sell a professional service.

We don't want to do work we hate with people we don't like. We don't want to feel pressed to constantly defend our fees. We don't want to cross our fingers, hoping someone will pick us out of the pile of people who offer the same services we offer.

No. We want to be ZZ Top.

We want clients waiting in line for the doors to open; rearranging their schedules to see us; and bragging to their friends that they scored a ticket to see our show.

So what do you do? Here are some things to mull over:
Only do work that you're exceptionally good at. I know it's tempting to take anything you can get, especially when you need the money. But that blurs your focus and the mediocre result waters down your reputation.

Ever met anyone who attended a lousy ZZ Top show? Me neither. That's because they don't perform other genres they might get away with in the name of earning a little more money. They do what they do, well.
Don't copy your peers. It's fine to check out the competition, but if you mimic them, all you do is blend in, not stand out.

We want to stand out. We want to set up our respective practices in a way that if we don't do the work, there's no alternative that’s reasonable. ZZ Top doesn't have an understudy ...  you get them, or there's no show.

Prospective clients who see you as the only option are less inclined to shop around, less inclined to negotiate the price and nearly always happier in the end.
Trade in the 'employee' mindset. Most people in most jobs know that if they leave, there are 100 others who can step in and do the work. That's for those who receive a weekly paycheck.

However, if you expect someone to wait in the hot sun and be happy before and after they write a check, you need to believe in yourself. People who hire you are not doing you a favor - they're exchanging their money for the value that only you can provide.

So stop talking, writing and behaving like an out of work employee hoping for the next break. Be the world class rock star and the prospects will start believing it too.
 

Well, it’s that time of year again. It’s time for reflecting; reflecting on why I have so much unorganized data on my computer. You know, it’s something that you’ll get around to doing as soon as… Well I guess ‘as soon as’ is here.

Why do we do this? We have online backup programs, backup drives, thumb/zip drives, DVDs, and CDs. We have all manner of hardware on which we can store data. It just never seems to get there. Thus the New Year’s Resolution – This year I am going to create a backup on a regular basis. I don’t want to be like my co-worker who lost all of their important emails and pictures.

Since I am self-employed it is very important  that I keep up with my data. What needs to be archived? Software programs don’t need to be. If a software program was lost or corrupted, you could reinstall it fairly easily. However, all of the files that you’ve created and/or modified should be regularly backed up. For many businesses, this includes everything from accounting files through email.

You can simplify your archiving by keeping all the files that will need to be archived in a couple of Folders. All you have to do is back up the folders. Once you've selected the critical data to be archived, it's a simple matter to install a backup program or Drag-and-Drop the folders to an external drive to archive the data regularly.

Don't run the risk of losing your data. The best defense against a disaster is regular data archiving. By creating a backup system and schedule, you ensure that your business will be able to weather any storm it faces.

Happy Holidays!

Everywhere you turn on the Internet you will find videos. Some are informational, some funny, some of them showcase a product. What is going on behind this phenomenon? Why are there so many videos being produced, or is this my imagination?

I could ask you about a few things you could do on a video and you would immediately tick them off on your fingers. If you are looking for a way to humanize your brand, use a video. How nice would it be to have your clients talking about their wonderful experience on video.

What else could you do? How Tos of the real estate transaction? Interview someone while talking about the economic trend? Meet your vendors?

If these videos are under ten minutes, then you probably won’t lose your viewers. Make sure the lighting is good and the microphone as well. We don’t want the user to have to turn the volume up to 11 just to hear you. They probably won’t and will move on.

Back to the question of the number of new videos being seen. We know that videos are a marketing effort. We know that they provide a human side to your business. We know that they are easily visible on YouTube. Vimeo is also used. Videos deliver a verbal and visual message. And, videos help with SEO (search engine optimization).

Now who is telling me that the making of videos is too difficult?  With all of the new digital toys?

Really.