Your consumers increasingly spend more and more time using the search engines to locate, products, services and information that you want to sell to them ! And unless you as a business owner strategically work to make sure that those who are searching for your products, services and information find YOUR details [and not that provided by your competitors] you are missing out on opportunities to bring clients into your marketing funnel.

It is a sad fact that most business owners focus solely on paid search – Google Adwords being the most widely known method of advertising your website. This is despite the fact that according to recent data

• 88 Percent Of Online Search $$££s Are Spent On Paid Advertising
• 85 Percent OF Searchers Click On Organic Results

If only business owners could understand and grasp the fact that Search Engine Marketing presents a really unique Opportunity to connect with potential customers – they would divert some of their Paid Advertising Budget and dedicate it to attracting Search Engine Customers.

This leads us on to how marketing and the ongoing development of business strategies have changed over time. This leaves business owners with a decision to make, spend the time learning about all of the complexities of pushing the marketing message of their company out to the internet or, bring in outside consultants [such as Stephen C Campbell Consulting] to look at their top level business strategies first, and from thereon look to be able to develop an internet strategy that will incorporate the [more traditional non internet] existing business strategies with what must be done online.

As it stands at the time of writing we are seeing a shift from the dominance of online Search Engine Optimization to that of the ‘votes that any company receives in terms of online reputation and reviews based on the comments and feedback given to the company online by its previous and existing clientele.

We are also seeing a major shift towards mobile, that is to say – the number of people accessing the internet from mobile devices will overtake that of the desktop very soon. So how does the business owner cope with just these two [major] shifts ?? With all that there is to learn in the world of Mobile Apps development and Mobile Optimized Website design, the standard business would have to diver their attention from their core competencies.

At times a company can afford to hire an expert which works at times but very often leaves the company at a disadvantage as this person becomes locked into industry specific activities and modes of operation.

As we run in house strategic level business training in the fields of :-

• Business To Business Branding
• Channel Marketing
• Internet Strategy Development [how to incorporate with existing strategies]

… we have seen our service business grow as more and more companies need the internet marketing based benefits such as

• Search Engine Optimization
• Reputation Management and Marketing
• Mobile Websites Design
• Text Message Marketing
• Mobile Apps for Business

… to propel their operations forward. We see the growth in the future of acting as the marketing arm of businesses as we have the inhouse expertise of the core services as well as the know how of blending the online activities with what needs to be done on the internet.

It is what we consider to be exciting times when it comes to our own company’s marketing strategy development as well as what we see when working to build the businesses of the organizations that we partner with.

Looking to make more use of the internet in your business ? do you have a website that was implemented by a designer and you have not yet seen any real changes in your business in terms of …

• Lead Generation
• Online Reputation Management
• Customer Satisfaction Rating

…. then feel free to get in touch with us so we can have a conversation to see how/where we can work with you to help your business grow.

To your marketing strategy development success.

Stephen C Campbell

The point to make is that as you can imagine, the reasons why people will call law firms vary widely and more and more people are calling law firms from their Smart Phones & Mobile Devices. Now, if you ask the question regarding what the core competency of Legal Companies are it is of course in the legal expertise which they charge for. It is not about keeping up to date with the latest movements and updates when it comes to marketing on the internet which includes the strategic use of Mobile Websites and Apps.

With the vast majority of the legal firms websites that we survey not having a mobile optimized website the first step is to make contact and to get a mobile optimized website designed and developed. Generally speaking we advise clients to use their Mobile Website for bringing in new customers and clients into their marketing funnel, when we go on to develop and App this is typically used to connect with and keep in touch with those who have developed an ongoing relationship with the law firms.

The specific functionality of the mobile website and app for the legal profession will of course vary based on the actual service offering of the law firm. This is where our Marketing Consulting expertise comes into play as we consult with our clients before we design and develop any Mobile Website or App. This is to stress the point that we are Marketing Strategy Consultant and the use of the mobile website and app are an extension of the marketing strategy of the company we are dealing with.

In summary, this is about Marketing Strategy Development and challenging those who have been given marketing development opportunities within the law firm [typically they will not be marketing professionals] to embrace this particular marketing channel upon which they can use to expand and promote their business.

To learn more about mobile marketing in the legal sector click on the link and contact us so we can begin working together, get the free report or read more of the excellent mobile marketing content that is provided there.

To your mobile marketing success,

Stephen C Campbell

Now we have to deal with Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Mobile Optimized Websites as well as the widespread use of Mobile Apps. The point being that to be successful, long standing business strategies need to be modified accordingly or said another way, the online strategies that are developed need to be done so by incorporating more traditional [offline] strategies into every activity that takes place on the internet.

We like to stress the point that it is not about ranking a video on YouTube, or even ranking a website in Google, or about how many tweets that are put out. This is how we differentiate our services to clients when it comes to working with them to develop their go to market online strategies. It all starts by understanding their core business strategies, i.e. their :-

• Channel Marketing Strategies
• Branding Activities
• Distribution Channels
• Market Segmentation
• Category Marketing Choices
• Lifetime Client Value
• Unique Value Proposition

… and the list can go on and on, the point is that using the internet does not mean that these core business fundamentals change. This is why we caution businesses that even if they do not work with us, they need to vet carefully who they work with.

The person or company who is the best technically may not be the best at making sure that your business’ marketing strategy is appropriately conveyed via online internet activities in relation to your business.

So in conclusion : your business’ strategy may well need to be modified accordingly to ensure that the internet is incorporated, you as the business owner do not need to know everything about how this is done but you need to make sure that whoever you use understands marketing fundamentals as well as the ins and outs of how to incorporate the internet in the go to market strategies of any corporation.

This is our specialty which we look to continue to develop, any question, comments or thoughts, feel free to get in touch.

To your business success,

-Stephen C Campbell

People talk – whether they are unhappy or happy with your business – and talk spreads like wildfire on the world-wide web.  It’s not effective to stay impartial, “take the high road,” or turn the other cheek when it comes to handling things others say about you on the Internet.  As a matter of fact, being anything less than proactive about your online reputation can be downright dangerous to your business, as you can guarantee that if you don’t create your online reputation, someone else will . . . and that power could be very destructive in the wrong hands.  The first step to protecting your online reputation is monitoring it.  Here are five ways to monitor your online reputation:

How Sociable.  Register each of your social networking accounts with this program and it will tell you how relevant your pages are in relation to your competition, and then use that information to improve your online reputation.

Hootsuite.  This is a Twitter dashboard that you can also link to your LinkedIn and Facebook accounts in order to manage all three social media networks from one interface.  Hootsuite helps you to identify when people talk about your business, what they are saying, and how they are reacting to your posts.

Social Oomph.  This free Twitter monitor allows you to type in keywords, and then returns you real-time information about Tweets on those keywords.  If you want to know what is being said about your business, for example, you can type in your business name (as well as other keyword terms used to describe your business product or service), and find out if there is either positive or negative news spreading about it.

Addict-o-Matic.  Simply plug in the terms you are interested in monitoring, and this application searches all the major web entities (Google, Yahoo, WordPress, etc.) and delivers a news-feed to you of everything it finds based on your terms.

Google Alerts.  Use this handy tool to search for terms that are related to your business, and then to see how often others are searching for the same terms.  For example, you can type in your business name and have Google email you a daily or weekly report on how many people searched for your business.

With all of the things that you have to do in your business, managing your online reputation that may not be on your priority list. To learn more about how you can use business reviews to enhance your business credentials download the free reputation management report over at http://www.bestbusinessreviews.co.uk/ today.

The Internet is the first place people look when they need to find information on any product or service, with the use of mobile devices and smartphones the internet has truly become an integral part of our daily lives – this is why we created the Reputation Management Marketing Solution for Businesses.

To give you an idea about how powerful Internet usage is amongst consumers, here are a few statistics:

• Almost 250 million searches for products and businesses are performed per day on Google alone.
• DM News reported that 35% of all Internet searches are local.
• comScore reported that 90% of local commercial searches result in offline bricks and mortar purchases.
• Online marketing is expected to be 15% of all media advertisement spending in 2013. It’s currently approximately 7.6%.

With billions of LOCAL searches being performed online each month, the Internet has officially surpassed the printed Yellow Pages book, newspapers, and other traditional marketing methods when it comes to overall effectiveness.

Online marketing has even gone beyond the computer… mobile phone Internet usage is also growing at astonishing rates, which we will discuss in more detail later in this report.

The global connection created by the Internet has changed the way the world communicates, gathers information, and markets its products and services.

While the technology is fascinating, this global connection has also created problems for some local business owners.

As the Internet is to be positioned as a key component of any company’s marketing strategy Apps for Businesses have become something that is almost a must have so that clients can have your business’ information at their fingertips. This is of course one reason why we (as a part of our consulting and Mobile Website development) have decided to develop Apps for Businesses.

Apps for local businesses are needed because customers almost have an expectation that your company will have Internet visibility, also with the ever increasing use of Mobile Marketing and of the App Store as promoted by Apple along with the Android Apps store, the marketplace have been accustomed to using Apps for all kinds of purposes. With that in mind, this plays straight into the strategy of the business owner i.e. give the marketplace what they are accustomed to, give them an App so that they can download be able to have constant access to your company’s news and information from their mobile device.

At a recent networking event when speaking a business owner who by his own admission if well versed in the technology of his business (but not in the marketing) I spoke of the three pillars that I use when thinking about, explaining and developing a marketing or business strategy. They are :-

• Product/Service categories
• Channels To Market
• Market Segmentation

… that is to say, we work on defining the category of the market that the Product or Service fits into, we then work on the marketing Channels. When it comes to channels we consider the channel that we use to deliver the product or service to the marketplace and secondly the channels that we use to push the message to the marker place through. And finally, we have to ensure that our preferred market segments are at the end of the channels that we use. That is the essence of the framework that I work through when refining and developing a marketing strategy.

Now, let’s assume we are you are selling massage therapy services [as one of my previous clients were]. For sure the channel for delivering the service would be in the therapist’s salon but they business owner will have many options in terms of channel marketing for delivering the branding message and services of the business to the market place at large. They can use direct mail, blogging, mobile, articles, newspapers, radio and more to deliver their message to the target market.

Next, we need to ensure that our product/service is positioned appropriately in terms of location, offering and pricing – a particular segment of the market may wish to pay say $15/hour for a massage but other high end clients may be perfectly happy to pay $100/hour if they see the value in what it is that you have to offer. The question is – which market segment is it that you will choose to target ? If this discussion we have covered the market segments and the category of the market that we wish to be positioned in.

So there you have it – an insight into my methodology for developing marketing strategies whether working with $multi billion clients in China [Swatch Group] or with a wedding reception services business such as http://www.lowcostchaircovers.co.uk/ that I consulted for last year.

In summary we want to be thinking of Channels, Market Segments and Product/Service categories.

To your marketing strategy development success,

Let me know if you wish to engage with myself and the team to assist you in your business.

-Success,

-Stephen C Campbell

One of these trends is the astounding use of mobile devices (smart phones, iPads, tablet computers & other mobile devices) by the population at large. Of course it could be pointed out that this is mainly for personal & social purposes; however – the business person must also consider those business purchasers looking for information (as we consider business to business marketing) and; those end user clients who are out searching for news and information using their mobile devices. Given the small screen size, it is becoming critical not to present searchers with a full blow website but with the reduced options given by your business mobile website.

One of the things to point out is that for those searching for news and information using their mobile devices is that they probably are not looking to read essays on your company, latest press releases and full length biographies concerning your business’ executive staff.

More to the point is that they wish to contact your company and find out where you are located. Granted, in some cases it may be that internet searchers are looking for detailed information but for the purpose of the mobile website – I am of the opinion that ‘less is more’. That is to say – when it comes to the options given on a mobile website, present the user with contact details and location information as a basis and; give them the option to access the full blow business wesbite as well.

As a business strategy consultant I am pointing out the fact that the options presented in your mobile marketing business website should be a subset of your ongoing business strategy (not an afterthought or something passed on to someone in the company who has some technical information & knowhow !).

What we call a ‘tap to call’ mobile marketing wesbite will be sufficient for the majority of businesses; this would in most cases have location map details included allowing the searcher to easily contact your company (and will have the option to access your full website).

Managers and business leaders – please do not relegate the decision making regarding the mobile business website that your company must have down to the technical staff. Bring the decision and strategy direction up to the business level discussions where revenue generation is being considered and how the company can bring more customers into the marketing funnel.

Mobile marketing business strategy is included as a full session in my consulting and training work – if you’d like to engage with a consultant with an international perspective and experience in working with multiple blue chip organisations, feel free to get in touch in order to discuss your business and internet [including mobile] marketing strategy today.

To your business success,

-Stephen C Campbell

Having worked with and consulted for organizations such as Swatch Group China, Black & Decker, Iveco Trucks & Genworth Financial our business discussions centre defining markets, segmentation, branding, products, services and utimately revenue generation. Where the internet comes into play is how being used as a channel to market – that is either to :-

• be used for communicating the message of the company
• be used for delivering the product / service to the end user client

… of course, depending on the product or service offering the internet may be used for both of the above. If you are selling lathes or ball bearings then the internet will fit into your strategy for the purpose of promotion and communication of your message.

The internet is a very ‘big place’ and potential clients can be found

• in forums
• in vertical directories
• via white papers
• via podcasting
• through organic search
• via paid search
• through video content
• social media

… and the list could go on and on !! The question to be answered is – where do we find your potential clients on the internet – and how do we best service them in terms of delivering quality, relevant content [as opposed to spamming people after you've gotten them to "like" your Facebook page !!]. I say this tongue in cheek but, the point still remains that many organizations are doing themselves a misservice by relegating the internet marketing activities [in some cases] to those who have the most technical understanding.

To further drive the point home – the industrial purchaser looking for specifications on sopecific building materials, lubricating liquids, ball bearings, metals or such product – where do they have to go to find out about your products ??  If you are expecting them to visit your website then maybe you need to revisit your internet strategy as the internet is a bit bigger than your website !! Revisit the list above and determine whether or not they will find you in these internet locations.

I say – bring internet marketing into the boardroom, executive level managers – this is not just about social media. When you are looking to hire someone to assist with your internet strategies, have a business level strategy discussion that does not include the internet. As about

• market segmentation
• business to business marketing
• branding fundamentals
• new product introduction
• price elasticity
• channel marketing

… and if your [potential] consultant can engage with you at this level, and she has a firm grasp of the internet, she will most likely be able to assist you in using the internet in your business.

If you would like to discuss internet marketing consulting in your organization – feel free to get in touch.

To your internet marketing strategy success.

-Stephen C Campbell