I’m excited to be on a panel with some of the brightest marketing entrepreneurs in the Valley at the AZEC09 conference.

Catch up with me at 10:15a on November 12, 2009 for a panel on Shoestring Marketing, where we’ll be discussing ideas on how to market effectively on a small budget, marketing processes and approaches for startups, and upcoming online trends.

My fellow panelists are:

Chris Johnson, CEO for Terralever (Moderator)
Eva Voorhees, Owner, Tiny Advertising,
Ed Tankersley, Owner, Eight Trails

We hope to see you there.

A few months ago I was at a Seattle Mariners game, in Seattle.  I was visiting a friend who was getting married that weekend and we were meeting at the Silver Cloud Inn before the game (a hotel directly across from the stadium). The usual ticket scalpers were lining the stadium walls – either asking for tickets or holding them in their hands to show they indeed had tickets available if you didn’t have one.

There must have been at least 25-30 ticket scalpers.  Imagine the competition. Before we left, I ran upstairs to grab my jacket and as I waited for the elevator a man rushed passed me into the business center located just a few steps away from the elevators and the main entrance to the hotel.  Curious, I followed the man into the business center and sat down to fake a little “online lookup.”

I noticed this man had pulled up Craigslist and started to create an ad.  Sitting next to him, a pair of Seattle Mariners baseball tickets.

The point of this story? In business, often times we do the same things our competitors are doing, we use the same resources, at the same time, in the same place.  One by one we all line up next to each other for potential customers to determine what makes each one of us different or who has the kindest smile (best logo) and looks the friendliest (cheeky marketing speak).

It’s important to recognize that we can still use the same resources and advertise using the same channels, after all that is where are customers are.  But it doesn’t mean we can’t look at how to market ourselves and our message differently than the rest.

In this case, it seems obvious that you could sell the tickets on Craigslist to folks who are planning to attend the game but can’t find tickets (days, or even weeks before the game).  It also seems obvious that you would stand right in front of the stadium because customers know they will be able to purchase tickets from…a ticket scalper.  But, this man changed the game a bit – he used the same resource at a different time and utilized the resources around him.  Whether he sold the tickets or not, he was still utilizing the resources that were available to him – and at no cost to him.  Craigslist = Free.  Hotel Business Center = Free.

Key takeaways:

1. There are plenty of free Social Media tools out there like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube.  If every one of your competitors has access to the same tools and resources you do, how are you differentiating yourself? How can you utilize those tools differently – be it seasonal, deviating from a normal process, or other? Think strategy.

2. If you have created a Facebook page or Twitter account for your business are you just running with the herd? Have you just jumped on the bandwagon because every one else has? How can you use these resources and other resources outside of these to actually improve your bottom line?  Avoid the “me too” scenario or seek help from an outside consultant to introduce ideas on how to use these tools to your advantage.

3. Don’t forget the resources/tools that have worked in the past or the ones you haven’t really fine tuned that are working.  Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

4.  Don’t be so quick to jump on the next shiny object that sparkles.  Make sure you have a clear understanding and strategy in place before investing the time and labor costs associated with the upkeep, management, and maintenance.

A recent article in The Phoenix Business Journal said,
“One marketing sector that seems to be thriving is the Internet [in a down economy], as more companies realize the Web is the way of the future for communicating with customers and potential customers…Internet-based marketing and advertising often is a far cheaper way to generate new and repeat business than conventional advertising..” Read the full article.

While some small part of me has a bit of angst that a down economy (or recession) is what is causing more companies to move marketing dollars online, I also find this revelation among companies as a shining star in my future and in theirs. As a passionate Internet Marketer I have always thoroughly believed in the power of online marketing – if the strategy, management, and execution are all done well.

We have been fortunate to add new business and continue to grow our small yet powerful Internet Marketing company. In Q4 and into the first month of 2009 we have noticed several significant trends in the ways companies are doing business and shifting their marketing strategies which has made us successful in garnering new business.

Over the past six months we have seen the following:

• Companies are scrutinizing their budgets and their service providers. No surprise on the budget part, but the scrutinizing of service providers is. Companies are realizing that their service providers, with regard to online marketing, are saying they do it all but are falling short of providing results let alone showing any type of progress. They are realizing that online cannot be treated as traditional marketing – there are more mediums and channels to market online and each must be handled differently so it is important to have a service provider that understands the strengths and weaknesses of these disciplines.
• Many medium to large sized businesses are looking to smaller firms who specialize in online marketing, such as PPC strategy and management, SEO, and online media planning even email marketing strategies to focus on relationship marketing. Often times you’ll receive more intimate customer service and find that smaller specialty agencies provide better value and have a deeper understanding of your business resulting in a partnership and extension of your company versus “you are the client, we are the agency” mentality.
• Companies are realizing that Internet is playing a more significant role in their business and are taking more time to educate themselves on these tactics, whereas before companies would trust non-specialty agencies to run their online campaigns with no regard for measurement.
• Companies are making changes to their messaging that appeals to consumers needs today,, in a down economy versus delivering the same messaging and throwing more advertising dollars towards it. The right Internet Marketing firm can help uncover new trends with regard to keywords, visitor trends in searches, and behavior that will help guide this new messaging.

If you’re looking to get started or make a shift in online marketing service providers my first word of advice would be to outline your goals and objectives, know your budget, then understand what type of service provider you are looking for. Pick up the phone and contact a few local Phoenix internet marketing companies and start an initial conversation about your challenges, your objectives, and what you are looking to achieve.