Fountains of Marketing

From a visual and aesthetic view, a fountain possesses grace, beauty and artistic appeal.
Viewing your business as a fountain implies you are all over the place without any specific focus. First you go this direction and then reverse ninety degrees. Even though there are many different approaches to the same business, attempting to pursue each separate direction simultaneously spells disaster. Successful business ventures require focus.

Apply this concept to marketing your business. Dabbling in pay per click, Google or Yahoo becomes a fast way to spend tremendous amounts of money. Google advertising requires concentrated analysis and focus. Your keywords must match the copy in your ad as well as the web site to which they lead. Most internet patrons possess a lightening quick “delete” button as well as a “rapid fire” back button reflex. Unless you are leading the clicker in precisely the path they desire and expect you are instantly history. You are ejected faster than an umpire ousting an argumentative player from a ball game. “You’re outta here.”

Not only does the internet patron reject you, but so does Google. Google changes their algorithms every four to six weeks. Since the FTC landed solidly on Google’s case in about October of 2008, they have been warning web site owners on a regular basis. This “slapping” procedure by Google has intensified to epic proportions throughout 2009. Unless the keywords tie perfectly to the ad and to the web site, Google unceremoniously ejects the web site. A slap is minor; Google simply suspends web sites now. No appeal, no discussion, no traffic, you are gone.

The multidirectional fountain approach may have worked in early 2008 and previously, but not any more. Keep it tight and consistent or forget it, you are off of Google.

Take a hint from Google; they are teaching a solid lesson. Learn one form of marketing. Become an absolute consummate expert at pay per click and give the internet searcher exactly what they desire and expect to see. Follow exactly the same theme from beginning to end. Google is sophisticated and precise. The learning curve becomes more extensive and more expensive for Google because you are aiming your marketing arrows at a moving target. Dabbling with Google becomes a rapid way to lose money. Learn it or don’t do it. Dabbling in Google is like dating a harem; sooner or later you are in big trouble.

Google represents only one form of marketing. If you currently have a less generous marketing budget, consider articles, blogs, press releases, social network sites and video. Once again each of these requires focus. Spreading your time, energy and marketing dollars by dabbling in several forms of marketing simultaneously yields more expense and frustration than positive results.

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Linked In, Direct Matches, Digg, Delicious and Squidoo are only a few of the plethora of social networking websites. Each of his has their own special niche. Each requires a slightly different technique in order to maximize the potential. The one element in common is that they are social networking sites. Attempting to approach them as a bull in a crystal factory and immediately hammer people with your business opportunity will also trigger the rapid fire back button or the lightening strike of the “delete” button. They are social sites. Once a rapport has been established and interest generated, mentioning your business opportunity becomes acceptable and perhaps even welcomed. Skill and patience are necessities with social sites. Another good news aspect of social sites is the low to zero cost.

Google and Web 2.0, social networking sites, present opposite ends of the expense spectrum. Just like the fountain sprays water in 180 or 360 degrees, so marketing falls into each stream of the display. The secret is to pick one stream and perfect your skill before moving on to another stream of water from the fountain. Focus and concentrate.

Fountains represent lovely visual appeal but utilizing that approach as a new marketer yields financial disaster.

For additional tips on marketing and specific focus on each method, join me at www.Elaine4Success.com.

Good, Fast and Cheap

As a rule of purchasing anything, reality dictates that we will only receive two of the three of these at any one time. If you want it fast and you want top quality, you are not likely to also receive the lowest price. By the same token if you want something at a very very low cost, you will either sacrifice quality or the speed of receiving the goods or services.

This rule holds true in the home based business industry as well. Wise business decisions require quality and an investment of time, energy and money.

Life and business do not deliver legality and ethics as a “get rich quick” scheme. A company with integrity and products of extreme value to the marketplace will absolutely require some time, effort and investment to achieve significant short range and long range goals. You made a commitment to yourself, to your sponsor and to WMI when you purchased the products and enrolled in the business opportunity. That was not a five minute or 5 day or even 5 week commitment. Starting a business means giving your all for as long as it takes to be successful.

Make a conscious decision about the 2 you value most in each area of your choices. How much you invest depends on your current financial situation, your belief in yourself and the opportunity and how much you choose to earn. Choosing goals which make you stretch and grow will increase your financial situation. Many of us stretched George (George Washington and the one dollar bill) until he flinched in pain. We were so far out of our comfort zone but we believed in the company and ourselves. Big thinkers go for the gusto; they push the envelope. Big goals require massive action. Great achievements were never accomplished by snuggling in to the comfort zone and hiding there.

“Perseverance is not a long race, it is many short races one after another” states Walter Elliot. Big achievers (big shots) are little shots who just kept on shooting. In the home based business industry as in life, the one who keeps learning, growing and persisting sets the standard for the true success story. Influence with integrity.

As important as personal development is to the home based business industry, so is marketing. Once again the law of good, fast and cheap comes into focus. The best and most effective marketing will absolutely require either time or money and probably both. Once again you can’t place one ad and quit. Persevere and learn all of the fine points of whichever marketing venue you choose. Develop your skill. Become a master marketer. Invest in yourself and your business. Refining marketing will require being good and spending the time to learn. Free leads, cheap leads, may be worth exactly what you pay for them. That is if you do not invest your time or your money, those free leads will probably be of little or no value.

Baby boomers may remember song lyrics that said “I want you, I need you but I am never going to love you” “Two out of 3 ain’t bad.” In business, personal development, marketing and ever so many other aspects of life that rule still holds true. Choose the two which create the greatest value for you in each situation.

Sometimes a decision needs to be made quickly rather than “getting ready to get ready.” If you are making a “reversible” decision, fast is preferable. You may choose fast and cheap. For instance, getting some text up on a web site. Get it up and start marketing. You can tweak the words or layout a bit later and improve the quality. Get moving. Take action.

Another example is calling prospects or applicants. Call them. Don’t wait until you are polished and smooth and know all of the answers. Take action and start dialing. If you make a mistake, so what. In that case, fast is absolutely preferable. Don’t wait to be good. They may even feel good about the fact that you are new and rough around the edges of the script. They will know they do not have to be perfect either to get started.

Evaluate the situation and select the best two out of three. Remember “2 out of 3 ain’t bad.” Out of good, fast and cheap, you will most likely only receive two, not all three.