4 Ways to Get More Referrals
The vast majority of small businesses get most of their customers through referrals. Referrals are the leads that are most likely to close, and they are usually effectively free. So why are you not doing more to increase the number of referrals you get? The problem is...
3 Easy Ways to Start Web 2.0 Marketing
I talk to a lot of people who have heard that they need to do "Web 2.0 marketing" but have no idea what that involves or how they would begin doing it. Here are 3 simple starting points: 1. Go find 3 blogs that are relevant to your target market and start reading them...
Add One New Pillar to Your Marketing Parthenon
The concept of a marketing Parthenon originated with Jay Abraham, a brilliant marketing guru whose ideas have profoundly influenced many marketers and business leaders. Most companies get leads from one or two marketing strategies - techniques they have mastered and...
Read My Blog
Alex Mandossian, an Internet marketing guru, tried something interesting recently. He sent out an email to his list, which probably numbers in the 100,000+ range, and asked people to read his blog. First, he surveyed his list and asked whether people wanted 2...
How to Outsource Marketing Successfully
I did a 90-minute webinar yesterday for SoftwareCEO on How to Outsource Marketing Successfully. I'm pretty pleased with the way it went - I packed it with content that I've learned over the past 15 years spent on both sides of outsourcing - as a vendor that delivers...
Wondering What Web 2.0 Marketing Includes?
If you have been hearing a lot about Web 2.0 marketing, and are wondering what that means, take a look at this chart from MarketingSherpa. I don't agree that online news distribution is Web 2.0, but the rest of the items are: - Participating in professional or social...
Better Video Demos
Video is getting easier and less expensive to do - if you don't have videos on your website you really need to add some.My favorite uses for videos are:- Give a high-level view of what your software does and why people need it.- Have your CEO talk about what sets your...
If You Only Ever Read One Marketing Book
It should be Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini. Put just one of the 6 marketing techniques he describes in this book to work and you can double your results. He talks about: Reciprocation Commitment & Consistency Social Proof Liking...
How to do B2B Blogging or Twittering? Watch Marcus Tettmar.
I talk to a lot of CEOs who are thinking about blogging or Twittering, but are not sure how to get started. Here's someone who is doing it right... His name is Marcus Tettmar, and his company is MJT Net. They are clients of ours, but Marcus was blogging and Twittering...
Selling More Software in the U.S.
If you run a small software startup outside the U.S. and are looking to break into the U.S. market, here is a teleseminar just for you. Daksh Sharma, one of the top marketing bloggers in India, interviewed me for an hour and a half on December 17. We covered all kinds...
How to Allocate Marketing Funds
Continuing that last post... Of course you want to invest in lead gen. That goes without saying. But how much effort do you put into education and credibility? It depends on what your biggest marketing problem is... Which of these statements is closest to your...
Should your marketing focus on lead gen, education or credibility?
It's a trick question, of course. You need all three. Without lead gen you've got no prospects. But I don't think anyone will argue with me that lead gen is essential. It's the other two people forget about. Without those you don't have much chance of converting that...