McIntosh Marketing Blog

When times get tough, adjust. When markets take down turn, do niche marketing. This is what one Orange County small biz owner is doing to succeed and move forward in 2010.

As you can see in this article that appeared in The Orange County Register, Jow Chiodo or of JB Plastics in Santa Ana, CA is moving forward with what most small businesses do not do effectively and rapidly: Adjust.

When the environment changes, and a recession hits, many studies over the decades have shown that those companies that adjust, and heavily market where the profits lay, are the ones that survive the turbulent times and move forward. And eventually even expand substantially, as now there is less competition that take similar actions in their business plan or in the niche marketing.

Part of the adjustment is retooling your small business marketing plan and strategy. And that most definitely includes how to engage in effective online marketing.

Small business websites allow one to reach into niche markets for very low cost. This is done through blogging, video marketing and other guerrilla marketing online tactics that can reach highly specialized markets that are being under sold or simply outright ignored. The other benefit to utilizing these various internet marketing tools is that you can engage in these frequently and for low cost.

Picture courtesy of http://www.myfreewallpapers.net

Now this is a question that I hear over and over from client’s and co-workers alike.  Everyone wants to know if Affiliate Marketing is not only worth it but if it is really beneficial?  Or what the risks are of marketing for a company and then finding out their unethical?  Just like everything else, it really depends on what products your sign up for and how you market them.

One of the most important things you must do before deciding to market for a company is to inspect the website.  Take your time to check and make sure they have accurate contact information by calling them or looking them up in an online phone directory.  You can also take this time to verify their address.  If you notice the address varies with other listings online then this may be a flag that the business is not legitimate.  This is not always the case as others may be marketing this product as an affiliate as well but the corporate information, address and phone number should all match up regardless.

PAY ATTENTION!!!   You should always make sure their site offers details, images and a full description of the product or service that they are offering.  You are responsible for what you are promoting so it is very important that you educate yourself on the product or service prior to any affiliate marketing promotions.

Always check the sites disclosure on what the charges will be to the users/client’s.  This will show you that there is nothing the company is trying to hide and that it is not a scam.  If there is no disclosure on the site it may be a real good sign to take your business somewhere else.

Next you should search for their company name on Google.  This will show you how well they are ranking currently which can give you some insight on how easy or difficult it may be to market the product.  Like I said, this is just for insight and it may not be accurate for a product that is brand new.  Also at this time you can see what kind of feedback people are giving on the product prior to committing to selling it.  You can see if there are lot’s of customer complaints or satisfaction which can help you make your decision before investing any time or money into it.  You have to be realistic when using this tip to make a decision because many companies will have complaints, regardless of their legitimacy, so you may need to feel them out to see if the complaints are valid.

Allot goes into finding an legitimate affiliate with a good offer besides just how much they pay out.  Always make sure you feel 100% informed about your product so you are totally comfortable prior to selling it.  Confidence and believing in your product truly is the key to increasing your online sales and making your affiliate marketing really worth it!

With the changing face of B2B marketing in today’s economy, coupled with new options in social networking web sites, accountants will need to adapt and utilize new internet marketing tools in marketing accountant services that they offer.

The accounting industry has been slow to embrace social networking, but Andrew Leck, who is the head of ACCA UK, views accountants taking a proactive approach in these trouble economic times. In an online article of 17 May 2010, Mr. Leck stated:

“Accounting was not the root cause of the financial crisis, but it has an important role in supporting and advising businesses on how to find a way out of it. The financial crisis – and its aftermath – is not fundamentally a story about one country, or one sector. Instead, it has highlighted the interconnected nature of the world in which we live and do business. Moving forward is about creating the right environment for long-term business success, with appropriate strategies and plans based on sound analysis of opportunities for success, with the clear evaluation and mitigation of risk. And it is also about the contribution made by accountants and finance professionals to business.”

It is our view that this global situation creates a greater need for professional assistance from accountants.  This is a perfect opportunity to redefine the benefits and tools that only an accountant can offer to existing businesses, emerging businesses and opportunistic entrepreneurs. It is these very business professionals that today’s accountant with need to reach, marketing accounting services on the fastest communication line today: social networking web sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz and even Foursquare.

Every accountant needs to develop a simple marketing strategy that starts with a simple blog. We strongly suggest that this be done on a WordPress format. From there, setting up your blog to automatically feed your posts into the most common social networking web sites is a huge step to getting your voice heard and exepertise seen in front of the very people who are looking for bookkeeping, tax and accounting solutions.

McIntosh Marketing’s Chief Brand Officer, Edwin Dearborn, has authored a new white paper titled, Using Social Media to Effectively Market Your Brand, Developing A Common Sense Plan. It is being broadly issued for its first time. Here is the link: SEO White Paper

This white paper details how to develop a common sense plan for any business on how to use social media to effectively develop a powerful presence on the web. This white paper also provides key web marketing tips that any business can utilize and implement to become more comprehensive, effective and thus more profitable through internet marketing tools.

McIntosh Marketing alos offers a free web marketing analysis for any business.

You wouldn’t think that luxury entertainment and high-end marketing would be surviving, but it is in fact thriving.

And no one else proves that better than Lux5. http://www.lux5events.com/ In a world swirling in bad news on unemployment, recessions, bank repo’s and credit crunch, Lux5 has taken the ultimate high road to success.

Based in Orange County, CA, The Lux5 Group has become one of America’s premier live media providers,  focusing on luxury entertainment and high-end brand marketing. Lux5 stages ultra exclusive events that span from rare and exotic automobiles to million dollar yachts, haute couture fashion shows, VIP lounges to the most glamorous  brands from all over the world.

Since Lux5’s inception, this savvy group of marketing mavens has been setting the stage for spectacular venues around the nation and even across the globe. Lux5 have become specialist in creating a unique environment where luxury is put within reach of progressive individuals, and where high-end brands fuse fashion and glamour with modern lifestyle.

And like Lux5, the rest of the world of glamour and fashion, they too are recognizing the power and influence of web marketing tools and social media.

At the recent Reuters Global Luxury Summit, (http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-48980520100602) that has drawn international companies, is where senior executives from design houses and prestigious store chains brainstormed and networked about business trends and strategy. The Web interface may not have been the obvious alternative to traditional marketing channels, like magazines and television once upon a time, but it has evolved to become an inevitable solution.

If you had asked me two years ago, I would have said there is no way we are going to have any sort of evening clothes business online,” said Alexander Bolen, chief executive of U.S-based fashion house Oscar de la Renta according to Reuters.

Luxury firms are essentially riding the wave of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter where a loyal following creates interactivity with obvious benefits like word-of-mouth and statistics producing marketing results.

“The Internet is becoming more important—not so much to sell (products), but as a communication tool,” said Francesco Trapani in an interview with Reuters. Trapani is the chief executive of the Italian jewelry, watches and perfume group Bulgari, which is the world’s third-largest jeweler.

Face to face contact and tactile approach still has a role to play when it comes to the luxury goods market.

Imagine being in an industry that has more demand and need than is being fulfilled. This is the sad, but opportunistic story of the CPA. While so many businesses are being penalized by the IRS for bad accounting and tax handling, the lone CPA himself suffers for lack of new customers.

About seventy percent of CPA’s and accountants are single practitioners. Many of these CPA’s are never formally educated in marketing, advertising, much less SEO, blogging and other vital internet marketing tools. According to Sterling Management Systems http://www.sterling-management.com/ of Glendale, CA, these CPA’s are seen by other business professionals as the experts on how to manage a business. While accounting is most definitely an important factor in managing costs and profits, it is an after the fact analysis point.

What most is most deficient in a CPA’s acumen is how to generate leads, sales and higher levels of profits. And this is why they have been losing past clients while not adding enough. Their clients are dying from a lack of marketing “how-to” to stay afloat and even expand after the storm has subsided. Most of their clients are not even blogging from their existing web sites.

Another option is for the accounting world to partner up with the SEO and web design world, forming an allied partnership to help businesses do what needs to be done to not fall into the traps that so many businesses do. ANd believe me, there are many SEO guys out there that could utilize a new channel of business referrals, particularly from a trusted source – the CPA. When you consider the opportunity, having one place to keep your books and taxes IRS “bullet proof”, while also showing effective web marketing techniques is one powerful package of services.

While the partnership is ideal for both, universities and colleges will need to recognize the need to include in a CPA’s education the need to understand the basics of web marketing, blogging and basic marketing strategy.

Ask any business person, “What if you had infallible financial records and a profitable marketing plan?’, and I think you will see the opportunity that exists to two industries, both looking for more clients.

At no other time in Man’s history has there been such a challenge to make a better world. And at no other time has the playing field be leveled to such a degree to give a voice to those who want to make that change.

With the advent and proliferation of social media, those who want to bring about positive social influence have a powerful venue to find their voice, as well as access to an almost unlimited audience to hear their words of wisdom or dissent.

Imagine if Thomas Jefferson, Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. had access to this powerful medium. They would have not only embraced the technology, but the opportunity to reach tens of millions with their powerful message of social justice and equality.

If you are someone who is trying to bring about positive social influence, regardless of your cause or dream, you need to embrace social media, blogging and all internet marketing tools. One such example is The Route Out, http://www.therouteout.org/. They have come to realize that we need to have ethical leaders in order to get our country out of the many messes it now faces. At the core of our problems of our nation, The Route Out recognizes that we need leaders with integrity.  Using the non-religious book, The Way to Happiness, http://www.thewaytohappiness.org/ as their main text, they aim to bring about social reform at the very top with our Congressional leaders.

And the people at The Route Out are not alone. Hundreds of millions of people are members of social betterment, civic, political and religious organizations trying to bring about a better world. To truly be effective in delivering your message, you need to develop a comprehensive online marketing and social media strategy. And that strategy starts with a commitment to not only your cause, but equally to become a dedicated student, educating yourself on how to bring that message via your web site.

Suggestions: Read “The New Rules of Marketing & PR” by David Meerman Scott, subscribe to our blog, attend seminars on social media and internet marketing tools, read books and in general learn from those that are experiencing success.

If you are trying to change the world for the better, I salute you. Now take your commitment and as well become an educated denizen of internet marketing and social media.

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.