McIntosh Marketing Blog

Over the last few years I have been asked for my marketing glossary several times.  Truth is, I don’t really have one.  I do have notes with definitions here and there but have never actually put them all in one place.  In fact, when I try to explain these marketing terms to someone, it seems to me that most of the time they think these terms don’t really exist!  It could be due to many of them sounding very similar to each other but trust me they have very different meanings.  I really felt the following keywords should be listed as they tend to be used most often and more commonly but for the full list with detailed definitions go to http://www.marketingterms.com/dictionary/

deep linking – linking to a web page other than a site’s home page.

description tag – an HTML tag used by Web page authors to provide a description for search engine listings.

impression – a single instance of an online advertisement being displayed.*

interactive agency – an agency offering a mix of Web design/development, Internet advertising/marketing, or E-Business/E-Commerce consulting.

keyword research – the search for keywords related to your Web site, and the analysis of which ones yield the highest return on investment (ROI).

search engine optimization – the process of choosing targeted keyword phrases related to a site, and ensuring that the site places well when those keyword phrases are part of a Web search.

By taking the time to learn these terms you will not only become more knowledgeable of Internet marketing but just by reading them you will start to understand more and more of what actually goes into your marketing.  I feel this list is pretty thorough list and can help even the beginning marketer to understand the terms of the online marketing world better.  Not only will you be able to learn more about the terms but once you start to understand them you will learn more about how marketing is actually done!

Let’s admit it, there are times that no words can describe something. This is a blogging nightmare, or for that matter, the ageless curse of the writer. As a blogger, consider adding video production to your skill sets. Or at least, befriend someone who does posses video making and editing abilities.

Maybe your next purchase should not be an iPad or new Mac, but a flip camera. Maybe you need to expand your horizons as a purveyor of original content, by being, well . . . . . original.

It is time to become a vlogger, while not losing your blogger essence. There may be a few times when you may have to become a vlogger. After you see this video, you will understand what I mean.

McIntosh Marketing has now initiated a marketing group for CPA’s on LinkedIn.

CPA’s and accountants have traditionally been lax in their online marketing efforts. McIntosh Marketing is taking efforts to educate the financial field, and their related industries, on how to attract more high-end clients through an effective educational format via their blog and an established social media program.

LinkedIn is a powerful format for B2B relations for CPA’s, accountants and EA’s in that they should take advantage of the vast resource to share their vision, passion and services through this vital social media channel.

Who would of thought that one of the people I would be helping would have a home based business, literally.

Pattie McDonald and her husband, a retired postmaster, rent their beautiful home for vacations nestled in the Ozark Mountains in Missouri. http://www.lakeozarksvacationrental.com/. Per Pattie, the vast majority of her new business comes from those who find her vacation rental in various online vacation directories, many of which come from those who live in neighboring Illinois. Directories are just one of many internet marketing tools that can be utilized as an inexpensive marketing tool for a home based business.

In discussing what Pattie needed, I could see that a lot of terminology was being thrown out at her, but no one really took the time to educate her on how to use additional internet marketing tools that are simple, and most often free. For instance, I told Pattie that she could geo-target her online marketing and advertising by doing something very similar with Craigslist.org. By posting her ad and link on the “vacation rentals” line in the HOUSING section of the Craigslist home page. http://www.craigslist.org.

I found out that Pattie had a new web site, but did not have a blog imbedded within it. Not only is a blog a great way to continue to build original content, so key for SEO purposes, but it is a great avenue to share news and your passion for something as beautiful as a vacation home in the Ozarks. Her blog now becomes a funnel for information about fishing, local activities, special prices, amenities and much more. To build your ranking on Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines, it is important to continue to build a continuing stream of relevant and consistent original content. And without question, blogging is one’s best bet to grow organically in search engines.

Pattie’s success will come about by simply doing the following:

• Continue to submit to vacation type directories.
• Geo-target her marketing by submitting ads with free online classifieds, such as Craigslist, Kijiji.com and Backpage.com.
• Get a blog installed within the web site. We recommend this is done on a WordPress format.
• Blog often; at least once a week. Ensure that your blogs contain original content.
• Ensure that your blogs on registered with top blog directories. http://blog.sponsoredreviews.com/?p=47
• Install your web site with more popular social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. Make sure your blog submits to these automatically.

Any home based business can use simple internet marketing tools, such as blogs, free online classifieds and social media to generate a huge amount of traffic and thus long-term profitability.

It is tough to talk to someone who is really smart and is who not really sharing their intelligence, insight and experience with those that are so desperate for what they have to offer those in need.

Very few professions are under marketed. Most industries and professions spend billions to convince you that you need to buy or join. As Seth Godin refers to it we now live in a world with, “Interruption Marketing.”  We try to get by in life, do well, solve our problems and hopefully gain some piece of mind. While on our way we get interrupted with radio ads, billboards, spam, pop ups, text messages and now advertisements on our mobile devices. It is endless and mind numbing.

But CPA’s are different. It is one field that is suffering from “Marketing Deficiency Syndrome.” (Please, do not take this as a serious diagnosis. I do not need some wacky psychiatrist now using my blog to invent some new disease.)

But it is true, the need for CPA’s and their services outweight their actual delivery. It is one of the few fields that is still stuck in old-fashioned think that is hampering its own expansion and profits. Do you realize how many businesses suffer from bad bookkeeping? Almost all. Do you know how many business people and entrepreneurs have tax problems, IRS suits and other messes that are not being confronted or resolved? It is in the tens of thousands.

I had lunch with a highly knowledgable CPA last week. A real smart business man who went on to tell me success after success of assisting the near hopeless with tax situations that would have stumped most others. As he was talking, I asked him if he had been blogging any of these successes. Not only was he not blogging, he was not sending these successes out even on email or through snail mail in a newsletter. He did not even know what a blog was.

A CPA’s best opportunity to demonstrate his acumen, other than face-to-face in person or on video, is through a blog.

This CPA was passionate and had no voice. He did not realize that for every one person he saved from IRAS purgatory, there were thousands in his area that were suffering from the same malady and malaise. His blog is the perfect venue to share his passion with the world, as well as educate the apathetic and worried. Done right, his blog could eventually reach tens of thousands and even get him into places he never dreamed of.

In that conversation he told me an old adage that has died along with the Dodo: “Hang out your shingle, let your reputation speak for itself and they will come.” Sorry, but a CPA firm is not the Field of Dreams. Those days are gone for the CPA who wants to rise above being a single practitioner and has a desire to rise above 70% of his industry counterparts. And he can do this through a well-written blog that is consistent and offers informative content.

Unique content is still king in online marketing. Search engines still love unique content, and the more useful content there is on your website, the more opportunities you give searchers to find your products and services. Here are some easy to follow online marketing tips concerning how to more effectively use original content:

• Record everything and transcribe it all into text. Interviews, training sessions with your staff, questions asked of you from your clients, surveys, conversations, product DVD’s, personal opinions, etc.
• Convert support emails into FAQ pages on your web site
• Turn PDF’s into HTML pages (although PDF files can rank on their own)
• Initiate and publish videos about everything your company does, stands for and problems that it solves.
• Successes and testimonials that you have achieved.
• Turn solved problems and unique experiences into blog postings and online articles.

We often here on what can be offered as unique?  Each story that you hear from a customer is unique, just like the individual themselves. What you may not realize is that the conversation that you are having in “real life” are the very conversations that people are having within the online world.

The nest time you ask yourself in frustration, “What unique content can I add to the online conversation?”, you simply need to step back and listen. Listen to what people are saying, how they are saying it and what language they are using to describe their problems, their hopes and their goals. As well, read articles in local papers and industry blogs. from these conversations all you have to do is feature your solutions, your own spin to the conversational mix and your views on how conditions could be changed or rectified.

Everyday, so many interesting stories are happening all around us. Everyday, we make observations on how we view things. This all can be rapidly turned into original content for your web site, your blog, press releases and online articles.

For those who are just starting out blogging, or want to start, you are not alone in your quest to find your voice, as well as reach out to a growing audience of blog followers.

No other single medium is more challenging and yet rewarding. To blog successfully one must be humble and to understand the rules, written and unwritten, as well as be persistent. There is no other easy way to become successful than to simply commit to the process and be consistent in one’s writing efforts.

WordPress is a free blog service that provides a ton of plugins, not to mention that it is fairly easy to learn and use. There are many videos available, as well as help here at McIntosh Marketing if you want to get your blog and web site designed to a top-notch level. WordPress is also very SEO friendly and has been growing more and more in popularity.

You just have to love how mainstream media is now utilizing online buzz to generate their own stories. Moreover, Ellen Degeneres recently demonstrated to all of us a powerful way to spin that buzz, even becoming a part of that craze.

It was just a matter of time before someone called Greyson Chance, a veritable overnight success on YouTube, due to his amazing cover of “Paparazzi” by international phenom, Lady Gaga. That really isn’t the story of this blog. While the young performer was featured on Ellen’s show, and even getting to speak via phone to Lady Gaga herself, the real success on the spin is how Ellen featured herself in the video while Greyson Chance did a shortened version on Ellen’s show.

Knowing that this video would as well go viral far above anything Ellen could ever dream of, Ellen and her producers made sure that Ellen stood next to Greyson Chance during his electrifying performance. Five hundred thousand hit later, and now Ellen is empowering her brand and relevance to the social media crowd.

Lesson: News is happening all around you in your industry, town and other circles of influence. With some creativity and some good taste, you could find yourself easily riding the wave of the success of another.

By now most people know what “blogging” is and are also taking advantage of the blog realm.  Whether it be personal advice blogs or more along the lines of business tips or ventures, people are now turning to blogs to answer their many questions online.  We all know the power of having a blog on your website for Blog Marketing, regardless of your business but what most people don’t understand is how to take blogging to the next step.

I like to think of blogging as another type of social networking.  I know most of you are thinking “Duh” right?  I am not just talking about blogging on your social networks or even offering to contribute blogs to other networks.  I am talking about the simple art of creating numerous back links by leaving valid comments on industry related blog sites.  This should be self explanatory but let me break it down.  First you can do some research and find some top ranking blogs in your business category, even if they are not exactly related with what you do or have to offer.  Actually take the time to read over some posts to make sure you feel the blog is a valid site for information.  This may be a personal preference but I don’t want my name or comments attached to any pour quality content on any site.  Also you don’t want to come across as a spammer by leaving links everywhere.

It is good to Bookmark or gather the feeds of the really good blogs you find, not only so you can keep your self relevant but also so you can build up your online presence.  Just like adding friends and following people but beyond just the social networking sites.  Always make sure the comments you leave are addressing informative parts of the post or anything you feel should be addressed.  That way everyone knows you are actually taking part in their blog and again, not spamming.  Make sure to either contribute useful information in your comment or mention specifically why the blog is going to be so useful to you and or to others.  Again this is just like building up trust with your new found internet friends in your social networks.

Where the benefit comes in?  Ok, well, as you can see the information above is already very beneficial as to how  you should properly be doing your blog commenting without looking like a spammer, which is very important.  Now how  you leave your links or site mentions is equally important.  Does this mean to skip over blogs that don’t allow links?  Not at all if you can work a way to drop your site name in your important blog comment.  This is also a time that you can get creative with anchor text, if you know how.  In most cases you can attach your link to your name.  If you decide to go this route then a good idea is to come up with or use a “nickname” that just so happens to have a keyword in it.

Now you should be getting the bigger picture of building your online presence through creative ways like blog commenting.  It is a great way to get back links and also a great way to get your name out.  Even if a link can’t be left, people will start seeing your name on many related blogs leaving useful information and comments.  In turn this can increase your followers and you can be sure that many will even subscribe to your blog or even befriend you on their social networks.

Now your really “blogging” your online presence!

Image by Beau de Noir

The key to organic internet marketing success is to do the right things right, and to do them consistently. Now this may seem to an oversimplification or even overused. But from our experience of speaking with over 300 companies in the last six months, we have found over 90% of businesses with web sites violating this simple mantra. Here are some things you must do to generate more success:

1. Put the keywords, no more than 8, in the Title tag.
2. Repeat the key words and/or phrases as least 3 or 4 times in the body of the blog, article or press release.
3. Make a keywords meta tag even though most engines ignore that now. Some use it, and so it’s worth it.
4. Write articles and have them submitted to over the 100 directories available.
5. Have at least 400 words in the body of the article, blog or press release.
6. Make sure that the title tags on subsequent pages use other keywords.
7. Get your blog listed with the over 300 directories available.
8. Post your blogs in your social media pages, linking them automatically through your RSS feed.
9. Comment on others blogs, allowing you to build relationships and links back to your web site and blog.
10. Always include your web site and social media pages on all email salutations that go out from your company.
11. Continue to educate yourself. Go to seminars, read books and subscribe to various blogs to learn how to become a better and more competent member of the web marketing community. “Knowledge is Power.”

These are simple actions that any small company can do, and over time, these actions will generate new relationships and ultimately new business.