I was walking past the elevators at our office building and heard an all too familiar phrase, “Congratulations, you’ve made it to the next level!” said one girl to another, each with official looking lanyards around their neck.   The girls are part of  “marketing” company located in our office complex that hires kids to essentially stalk people in shopping mall parking lots and off load fliers.  Walking Spammers.

Marketing is not forcing your stuff upon others. It’s not about stalking people in parking lots.  It’s connecting, it’s creating a relationship, it’s sharing a passion and a drive. Your web site can connect, your search engine optimization campaign can connect, your social media can connect, your blogging can connect.  The key: don’t force it upon others, pull them to you, endear them and earn their permission and trust to sell / market to them.

That is marketing.

If you like this blog, you may also like my company blog: http://www.ontargetwebsolutions.com.

My company spends a LOT of money on health insurance every month, a ridiculous amount in fact, but hey, everyone needs health insurance right? So, years after being frustrated with this company for ridiculous customer service and their uncanny ability to screw up paperwork at EVERY turn, they decided to thank me for my business.

I literally received a wadded up package / envelope in my USPS box with no name on the shoddy packaging.  I of course opened the odd shaped package out of curiosity and found 2 sheets of crunched up papers, a cheesy mouse pad that I’ll never use and the cheapest broken clicking pen I’ve ever seen, courtesy of my health insurance company.

Their message to me? Thanks for the thousands and thousands of dollars you’ve spent with us, please find a crappy 1 dollar mouse pad and a 2 cent pen that you will never use and end up throwing it away by the end of the day, it’s our way of saying thanks.

If you’re going to thank someone, do it right.  It would have been better if they had never sent anything at all.

Hate your boss? Ticked off at a new work policy? Is the HR guy a tool box? Here’s a quick tip: keep your negative comments about your co-workers, boss, manager, supervisor, etc., to yourself or OFF LINE.

Don’t think that your employer is not paying attention to your tweets, your facebook posts, etc.. In this ever changing world of communication, we need to all learn to think before we type that post or that tweet or post that resume online.

How do you know when your company is on the radar of competitors or so called competitors? When they find ways to shred you on their own web site.  I stumbled upon a small company offering Orlando Web Design today by accident while running some Bing searches.  I quickly discovered that this company was more busy taking pot shots at my company, and less busy informing prospects how their company could help them grow.

I was pissed for a while, but quickly got over it as one of my employees pointed out…” Who is this company? Never heard of them…”. Music to my ears.

Spend your time improving your own web site or improving the content of your clients, not taking cheap shots at who you think your competition is. You’ll get much farther, much faster.

As always, these are only my two cents.  Please feel free to add your perspective.

If there is one thing I’ve learned in business, it’s this: People value partnerships.  People want to know that you are looking out for their best interests, that you are ‘on it’ when they don’t have to be, that you will always make them look good.  I’ve also learned that not everyone else gets this simple principle.  I’ve had ditzy marketing assistants take full credit for all of our work and then watch as their boss questions what we (my company) has done, I’ve had marketing managers throw us under the bus to their CEO because they were too busy at the golf course working on their game and as a result sales are down.

Here’s the key to any business relationship.  It’s all about give and take.  As a company, we will go out on a limb for all of our clients, if they chose to not value that, then it’s simply not a good fit for my business. It may sound stupid to leave money on the table, but I can assure you, if your clients don’t value your dedication and your passion to help them grow, you’ve either NOT done a good job demonstrating your worth or they simply have their head up their ass.  If it’s the latter It’s not worth your time or energy. If it’s not the latter, it’s time to take your client to lunch and have a heart to heart.

I had a great friend back in College that had a one line statement stuck to his wall: it always caught my attention and to this day is something I truly believe in, it said: To Thine Own Self Be True.

The other day I was at a client’s conference room listening to a ‘marketing firm’ pitch the client on Internet Marketing and all of the wonderful things that this company can be doing for them…. I of course did some homework and discovered that this ‘marketing’ company is actually a printer. I have no doubt that they do amazing print work and can probably print business cards like nobody’s business.  They have been a printer in the Orlando community for several years, but, NOW, they are Internet marketers with a few days of experience with Facebook, E-Marketing, SEO, Web Design, etc.

The cream always rises to the top and if you’re playing in a market you shouldn’t be, it’s time to take a look at your core competency and commit to being the BEST at what your company does best.

The true beauty of Internet Marketing is that if you do it right, you are addressing a consumer need at the right place, at the right time by the right audience.  As elementary as it sounds, it is often NEVER achieved by some of the best companies online.  People have problems, you have solutions.  People use Google to solve those problems. Do your answers to their problems show up when they ask Google how to solve it?

One of the most fundamental differences between Internet Marketing and traditional forms of marketing is this: People will seek you out when they need you, when they need to spend money, when they have a problem that you can solve.  The key is of course to answer the problem with authority, with expertise and with relevancy.  Once you start solving problems, you start selling.

Quick Tip: Start that blog you’ve been prolonging and use it.  Start answering prospect issues with your blog by providing rich relevant and unique content composed for CONSUMERS not SEARCH ENGINES.  Address common issues that you’ve encountered over the years, i.e., how to solve irrigation problems in your yard, how to properly maintain a camera lens, etc. You have no doubt addressed many consumer issues in the past, now it’s time to share.

Need an Internet marketing partner for the journey? Call me: In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

If you like this marketing blog, be sure to check out my other blog at On Target Web Solutions.com

Why did you get into business? If I had to guess, it’s because you have a passion for what you do.  Whether it’s woodworking, air conditioning repair, fishing guide, etc., you love or loved what you do. When it comes to your web site, make certain that your passion is incorporated into your design, into your marketing and into your corporate story. Passion is contagious, people buy from people who are passionate about their product or service.  Here are a few tips to shine a spotlight on your passion:

* Your messaging should be passionate, choose your words wisely.
* Your web site photos should relate to other people, people love to see people LIKE them.
* Your blogging should be consistent with your passion. Be real and let your passion come through your writing. Don’t force it.
* Your social media presence should be real and again, consistent with your passion.

With so much competition online it’s mission critical that you stand out, it’s mission critical that the spark or love for what you do is carried through your web site and Internet marketing presence.

Need some other pointers on Internet Marketing? Give me a call today: In Orlando:  407-830-4550 or Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

Many people in business are afraid to share their expertise with the rest of the world. When I first opened On Target Web Solutions, I was timid, I was afraid of the unknown, I was afraid to put my name out there. After a few years under my belt and KNOWING that I know my stuff, everything has become much easier. This initial insecurity is quote common, but can cause several companies to stall and never progress.

People (prospects) seek experts.  They want the best, they want the authority figures, they want the ones that stand out from everyone else.  Your web site and your social media campaign are the perfect tool to set yourself up as the authority in your field online.  You’ve spent years in business, you know your stuff, now share it with the world.

Need help taking your company to the next level online? Call me. In Orlando: 407-830-4550 or Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

It’s supposed to feel like 115 degrees outside here in Orlando today.  That is hot. In fact, there will be NO grass cutting getting accomplished at my home this weekend it’s so damn hot.  All of this heat gets me thinking about the Winter, which of course leads me to think about Christmas.  While I count down and long for the days when the humidity breaks around here, I am very aware of how quickly time passes.  Christmas is coming.  It may be 5 months away, but NOW is the time to take a glance at your marketing plan.

Companies wait until the last minute to solidify their online marketing plan for Christmas and this can result in a huge hit in sales if your competition has been planning ahead.  Take the time THIS WEEK to get your Internet marketing house in order. Here are some tidbits to consider:

: Keywords: Do a keyword audit on your web site, where are you weak, where are you strong, do you need to supplement some product keywords with pay per click campaigns? Take the time to know what keywords folks are typing in and plan accordingly.

: On Site Alterations and product placement: It’s time to start teasing and unrolling the products that you wish to push online for Christmas. Get them in prominent places on your web site and start talking about them on Social Media applications such as Twitter and Facebook.

: ECommerce Considerations: Is your web store software up to date? Are your products all in the store and easy to find?  Is your security certificate still valid? Run a few test orders through and make sure that it is an easy seamless process.

Taking the time to plan your online strategy NOW can dramatically increase your sales when the Fat Man in a suit comes around.

Need some help getting your web site in order? Call my company: On Target Web Solutions at 407-830-4550 in Orlando or Nationwide: 866-998-6886.