(Photo by Jenny Starley)

It’s late Friday afternoon. A friend calls you to let you know your website is down. You scramble to check, and realize they’re right. You call your webmaster, only to find out they’re on vacation (and checking their emails sporadically). What do you do now?

If you’ve thought ahead, you might call another webmaster to pinch in. They’ll likely need access to your various usernames and passwords to investigate. If you don’t have this information at-hand, then you’re truly stuck.

Therefore, I suggest that as a minimum you maintain the following to help you WHEN you have a problem (not IF):

• List of user names and passwords for your business (web hosting, email, CMS accounts, PayPal, DropBox, FTP, banking, telephone, contact manager, internet provider, etc.). Print out a copy and put it a safety deposit box (in case of fire). Give an electronic copy to a trusted friend (if worried about privacy, perhaps encrypt the file – but make absolutely sure you remember the password).
• Backups of your databases (email, website, CRM). Ideally keep copies offsite. If you’re unsure how often to backup, determine your comfort level of having to recreate your business files at different time frames (1 day, 1 week, or 1 month).
• Backups of your computer disks. Again, offsite is important.
• A contact list for your support team (webmaster, accountant, lawyer, distributor, employees, and family).
• A contact list for your “back-up” support team (if your first tier aren’t available).

In some cases, you might consider backing up your data to “the cloud” – if you’re comfortable with the speed/security trade-off. Whatever backup solution you use, occasionally test restoring from the backup. We assume that the backup will work without fail, but it’s vital to ensure that your backup works.

Emergency planning isn’t sexy or fun. But it’s vital to ensure you business viability.

(Photo by easylocum)

If you’re like most service providers, you’ve been feeling ever-increasing competition: from overseas, from virtual assistants, from under-employed people, and from online service competitions (for logos, design work, software development, website creation, animation, etc.). So how can you compete – both short-term and long-term?

Your first reaction might be to drop your pricing. If they are charging $500, and you are currently charging $1000, shouldn’t you likewise cut your pricing to measure up favorably? If you do, you’re in a race to the bottom – where the only person who wins is your customer. Dropping your price sends the wrong signals: your offering is a commodity (anyone can do it), your previous pricing wasn’t fair (you gouged your previous customers), and you’re not in touch with the needs of your prospective customers. Short-term, it may ward off losing a few customers, but long-term you’re risking your business viability. You’re making less income, so either you need more clients to keep profitable – or you’ll need to cut corners in your offering (and risk losing your highly prized top-quality perception).

Instead, compete on value. Focus your marketing message on what significant benefit you provide that others can’t (or won’t). Perhaps it’s deeper knowledge of subject. Extra training you’ve had that gets results. Additional formats of your work (at no additional charge). Comfort in knowing that you speak “their language” and understand “their needs”. You may even choose to further distance yourself from the “low-cost” competition and raise your rates. If you position yourself as an expert, with a clear benefit to your clients (that they’re willing to pay for), you create more value for your business (and your customer).

Short-term, you may lose some of your bargain-hunting prospects to the low-cost leaders, but these people weren’t your long-term customers anyway. If you’re in business long enough, you’ll continue to have competition. Just make sure that you have a strategy to stand out from them.

(Photo by Abigail Elder)

The common low-cost marketing suggestions for business owners are: create a blog, create a Facebook page, and Tweet. But are your efforts working?

As a blogger, your likely goal is to attract new readers (and eventually clients). With over 42 million blogs and 329 million people reading blogs, your blog is a drop in the web surf. So how do your prospective clients find your blog?

It’s likely that the source of your readership is either from an online search or a mention by someone else (a link, a like, or a “shout out”). For an online search, do you know what your readers searched on to find your site? Do you know what your potential readers are searching for but wasn’t on your site? If not, you’re blogging in a vacuum, and hoping that somehow one of your blog articles will get a BIG mention by someone else.

To find what your prospects are searching for, you need web analytics on your website. If your needs are basic, then install (for free) Google Analytics on your website/blog. On a regular basis, visit your analytics account to better understand the volume of traffic you’re getting and what they’re searching for. If your top searches are in alignment with your business goals, continue blogging on the same topics, using the keywords that attracted your existing visitors.

If you’re not getting the traffic you’re looking for, then take a look at Google’s (free) Keyword Tool. You can use this tool to analyze your competitions’ websites, popular search terms, and even similar category searches. As a minimum, you want to ensure that your blog articles naturally include the phrases that people are searching for (if you include the phrases artificially, you’ll get more traffic, but fewer visitors will explore your site since they will realize you’re site is for search engines, and not people). If you include the “popular” search terms, then you’ll be in the same situation as your competition. What you really want is to stand out. Focus on long-tail terms – things that few people are searching for, but has little competition. This will be your niche – and where you’ll be able to distinguish yourself from the millions of other bloggers.

If you’re going to make the effort to increase your business, why not work smarter?

Bonus: Here’s an infographic that summarizes the state of blogging. Do you see yourself in the chart?

(Photo by Italian voice)

Of course you thank your clients after they’ve paid for your product or services. That’s business manners 101. But what other opportunities do you have to thank people in your business dealings?

Do you thank your clients months later (and not simply to drum up more business or referrals)?

Do you thank prospective clients for contacting you at the first “touch”?

Do you thank your employees for showing up, and trying, even if they don’t succeed initially?

Do you thank you banker and accountant for be trusted advisers?

Do you thank the phone company for providing you a reliable dial tone (even though you pay for the service)?

There are many religious traditions where you thank your god (or “the universe”) for providing what you need to live (and even, for providing challenges in your life). Being appreciative means simply that you don’t take things/people for granted, and realize that everyone has a choice who to associate with. The fact that people want to connect with you is a reason for thanks, no matter how obvious or simple this sounds.

So, consider also:

• Thanking people for not choosing to work with you (but still for reaching out).
• Thanking people who make you work harder (you have a chance to learn more about yourself and miscommunications).
• Thanking your competitors for making you stay focused.
• Thanking your detractors for caring enough about you to express their displeasure.
• Thanking your family for supporting you (even though “they’re family”).
• Thanking yourself for having the courage/strength/desire to continue to follow your passion.

The good life comes from appreciating the regular details, not the rare “wows”.

Thank you for reading my article.

In your business marketing, what time frame are you targeting? You’re likely thinking that the right answer is “now” (you want your audience to see the message now and take action immediately), but not all offerings have the same time frame.

Is your audience facing a burning problem now? Perhaps they’re facing a medical or financial crisis that’s taking all of their attention. Of they just woke up and suddenly realized that they have a problem that absolutely positively must be solved by the end of the day. The audience of now is the most ripe to take action immediately, since your solution removes the pain or worry from their life. It’s the quick-fix they desperately need.

But what if the problem is coming up, perhaps tomorrow or next year? Your audience isn’t nearly in the same rush to solve the problem. They have time to weigh their options, do lots of research, and in some cases simply hope the problem resolves itself without taking action. Your marketing message for an upcoming crisis is best framed by contrasting the picture of the world with and without the problem, so people can understand what the future may hold for them. You want people to proactively solve their problems sooner.

And what if the problem already happened, and people are still feeling the ramifications of it today (and perhaps into the future)? You need to instead give them a reason to fix the problem. But you must first realize that the unresolved problem may not be critical to their life. If it was, they’d likely have fixed it by now. You need to focus your message on the cost for continuing to delay the fix: nagging worry, upcoming fear, distraction, or missed opportunities.

While we all want our prospective customers to want what we’re selling now, for the most effective results, we need to work with their time frame.

(Photo by Mark Krynsky)

You’ve likely heard about some of the contests that the X Prize Foundation has sponsored: Ansari (build and launch a spacecraft capable of carrying three people to 100 kilometers above the earth’s surface, twice within two weeks), Progressive (build cars that achieved at least 100 MPGe in real world driving), and Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup (removal of test oil in a test environment with salt water). How can your business benefit from offering its own X Prize-like contest?

The key of the contest is that the winner get a sum of money to those that successfully complete an audacious challenge. No winner, no pay. Instead of paying people to solve these challenges, you invite public competition.  The goal is to remove your company’s risk – the risk is all in the hands of the competitors. The more the prize value, the more likely people will want to compete. The best part is if your stated goals aren’t met, then you keep your prize. But in any case, you’ll get a lot of free PR opportunities from both your competitors and the contest itself. You also get to learn from others what works (and doesn’t).

There’s a wealth of crowd-sourced online competitions for such things as graphics and logos. These likewise can provide you a similar experience to an X Prize.  However, the key difference is that these smaller competitions are based on appearance – not results. I don’t know of any competitions for logos where you pay only if the logo improves your business by a specific percentage. Therefore, be realistic in your goal-setting and be willing to toss the “prize” if it doesn’t truly pay off for your business.

If you’re thinking of creating your own contest, first determine the bottom-line value is to solving the problem. If you’d likely see a yearly increase of net income of $100,000, then offer a similarly large prize purse. What do you have to lose?

(Photo by Brent Moore)

Marketing is often viewed as (a sometimes necessary) evil: fear promotion + gullible customers = money. So, you want to be doubly-sure that your company’s marketing is truly making a bottom-line difference.

First: Make sure you have a great offering. It’s all-too-easy to craft a clever marketing campaign that makes what you’re selling sound incredible. But if it isn’t, people will quickly discover  your deception. Your short-term sales will turn into a long-term revolt against your business. If you’re not sure what you’re offering is great, test it. Give it away. Have extended free trials. Hire independent auditors to evaluate your product against your competition. Hire secret shoppers to audit the shopping experience. Post your home phone number for people to call you in case they’re unhappy. Ensure what you’ve selling is truly remarkable.

Second: Make sure you develop a fan club. It’s not sufficient to sell one thing to one person. You want to create a domino effect – one sale begets another. When someone purchases from you, ask the question, “How will this purchase fit into your (business) life?” You want to understand that if your software is part of a CRM system they’re developing, how it’s being used (and why). Or, the custom jewelry they’re buying is for a special movie gala they’re attending in the city. The more you know about your client’s needs, the more you can help them succeed. And nothing breeds fans like success.

Third: Share success. Remember, your offering isn’t about you. It’s about them. So, when one of your customers succeeds, get permission to tell their story. You’re not the star – they are. You’re in the supporting cast for their win.

If what you’re offering is poor, don’t waste your time (and your prospective customers’) trying to dress up the “pig”.

(Photo by LaserGuided)

After spending a lot of time memorizing your speech, the last thing you’ll probably think about is your speech’s pacing.

It’ll be hard for to remember that just because you know what you’re saying, your audience won’t likewise quickly understand your message and fall in love with you. When you start talking, you’ll likely get a big spike of adrenalin, which will naturally cause you to talk faster than you intended, and faster than your audience can process your words.

Your audience is also likely to perceive that a speaker whose words are racing as nervous, afraid, and insecure. They may try to keep up with the too-fast speech, and realize that it’s simply too hard. And then they’ll tune out your speech. Your hope for success has effectively landed on deaf ears.

When you start your speech, pretend the audience isn’t full of native English (or whatever language you’re speaking in) speakers. Speak slowly so they can understand what you’re saying, using words that are familiar to them. If you’re unsure if you have the right pacing, keep track of how many words per minute (wpm) you speak. If you speak consistently too slowly (under 120 wpm), your audience may think you’re stupid or are talking “down” to them.  So, use as your starting point 130 wpm.

Tip: Use your pacing to infuse your speech with passion.

(Photo by Christine Kirk)

Imagine…You just graduated from culinary school, poured your lifetime of savings into a new restaurant in your home town, and people start regularly coming in to enjoy a fantastic meal. But one day someone asks if you’ve seen a new review on Yelp that gives you a strongly negative review. How do you handle the negative publicity?

You’re probably curious to find out more about the negative experience someone had in hopes of solving a small problem before it turns bigger. Maybe your pride has been hurt. You might want to find out if “that guy” has a personal grudge (or is a competitor of yours’). You might even worry that others will read the review, and start crossing off your restaurant before they even give it a try for themselves.

If your offering is indeed “awful”, no amount of marketing will help change the perception (see Marketing: Lipstick On a Pig?). Fix the awful problem first, then attempt to change the perception.

But if you’re confident in your value and creative, you’d take the negative and turn it into a positive marketing opportunity. By highlighting your offering as “the worst” that one guy had cast this reviewer in the minority and tells your whole story simply (“It’s not us. It’s them.”).

If you don’t do something well, then state that upfront in your marketing. While conventional wisdom is to not showcase a weakness, by stating yours makes the rest of your marketing more believable. If you’re honest enough to say “don’t come to us for this“, then when you say, “We’re the best in that” makes your claim much stronger.

So if you’re lucky enough to be in business long enough to get negative reviews, focus on their value. Nothing spreads like bad news. Therefore, piggyback your positive message onto their negativity to achieve a memorable message for your own benefit.

(Photo by Dustin Ginetz)

Experts always advise that you need to create a long-term plan for your business and marketing. Clearly identify the big goal. Develop measurable milestones. Use appropriate tactics. This long-term plan becomes your bible. But is this approach likely to miss something BIG?

Developing long-term plans is a great exercise. It will help you understand what’s important for you and what isn’t. It’ll help highlight the resources you’re likely to need to achieve your goals. But the mistake people make is thinking that the long-term plan is then written in stone. These grand plans cannot account for changing market conditions, new technology, efficiencies in production, and fads.

This problem was first identified in software development, where teams often spend years developing complex software only to find out problems too late. In 2001, a group of people gathered to create the Manifesto for Agile Software Development (which has been since adopted by software testers, marketers, etc.):

“We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.”

The Agile manifesto basically says that if you create grand plans and marching forward confidently (without measuring the results as-you-go), you’re likely to become a dinosaur.

For your own marketing efforts, be willing to clearly state and then test your assumptions in smaller chunks. Your plan may be perfect, but you won’t be able to convince anyone else unless you have the data to show why you’re right. For example, before launching a new offering, test market it quickly/cheaply using pay-per-click ads for a short time period. If enough people click-through to find out more (and then request more information), then you know you have interest. Before you spend a lot of money on a fancy website, (split) test the home page.

Don’t become the best buggy whip manufacturer.