HomeHomehttp://tobymarshall.com/home/2010-03-12T02:50:47ZSquarespaceMultimedia in Small Business Marketing—focus on the low hanging fruithttp://tobymarshall.com/home/2010/3/8/multimedia-in-small-business-marketingfocus-on-the-low-hangi.htmlToby Marshall2010-03-08T05:08:06Z2010-03-08T05:08:06ZThe low-hanging fruit: clearly visible, the most obvious and easy to obtain. The most appealing, convenient fruit for those in a hurry and who want to expend little effort. Why try to grab something that is out of reach and difficult to get your hands on?

Apply this analogy to your marketing—fast results are what most people need. So why does Multimedia deliver that? Think about it, we all like watching films and enjoy being entertained, right? Well, small businesses are using multimedia and video marketing to channel these 'wants' and 'needs', leading people to their product. Multimedia marketing places your business in the low-hanging fruit position – clients will find it both simple and quick to access. Did I mention that this strategy also boosts your website traffic? Not bad!

Multimedia is an innovative way for companies to reach out to their niche markets, taking them to the next level. Things like video and audio streaming, as well as corporate, promotional and web videos, each play an essential part in this marketing game. This allows small businesses to get their brands recognised, even more so than before. The four good reasons to go through the trouble of making a video are:

            1.         You can show your client how to use your product/s

            2.         Extend your client base

            3.         Entertain your customer

            4.         Provide something your competitors don’t

That’s all well and good in theory, but how do small business markets use multimedia? They are using multimedia devices like product demonstrations, seminars in the form of podcasts, webcasts and webinars, then upload them on to their websites. This strengthens their online advertising and attracts website traffic. Small businesses can easily use multimedia through video sharing and streaming programs like Vimeo, YouTube and Livecast to both target specific markets and build brand identity.

Small businesses are using multimedia as a platform to reach their target markets. So, if you want to reach more of your small business market through online advertising, get tech savvy and take a lesson in multimedia and video marketing.

]]>Can personal branding double your income? Maybe, it certainly won't hurt it!http://tobymarshall.com/home/2010/2/25/can-personal-branding-double-your-income-maybe-it-certainly.htmlToby Marshall2010-02-26T04:49:44Z2010-02-26T04:49:44ZPersonal Branding for professionals: Capture the space for your name in your field. It DOES matter. People believe that those they see regularly online are likely to have more expertise than those they don't see. What else could they possibly think? 

Unless of course your profile online is self-serving, and all you do is spam by putting out updates and comments on your business specifically aimed at selling your services. If it's all about an incessent sales pitch, people will just turn you off. Disconnect. Unfollow.

With just one click.

LinkedIn will get you there, especially if it's connected to a blog. And now is the best time to act because so few of your colleagues have, it's easy to capture the high ground. Stake a claim on the best land. Build a business with a defendable advantage - but watch for the next big change that will be coming shortly. And sooner than the last Social Media Tsunami that swept through.

]]>The Solution to Spam (or at least a big nail in the pond scum's coffins)?http://tobymarshall.com/home/2010/2/19/the-solution-to-spam-or-at-least-a-big-nail-in-the-pond-scum.htmlToby Marshall2010-02-20T00:20:05Z2010-02-20T00:20:05ZBotoxed websites and your company's marketinghttp://tobymarshall.com/home/2010/2/10/botoxed-websites-and-your-companys-marketing.htmlToby Marshall2010-02-10T05:49:27Z2010-02-10T05:49:27ZAdvertising small businesses with AdWords: The six simple stepshttp://tobymarshall.com/home/2010/1/18/advertising-small-businesses-with-adwords-the-six-simple-ste.htmlToby Marshall2010-01-18T10:00:23Z2010-01-18T10:00:23ZWhen using AdWords, make sure you use the following simple, easy, fool proof and ‘sure-fire’ techniques to create your ads. You will reap the benefits:


1. Include keywords in your ad
2. Include phrases that relate to your keywords
3. Be as specific as you can (e.g. specify the city or region you serve)
4. Stand apart through benefits, not through tricks and gimmicks
5. Think of your URL as part of the ad
6. Use common words, plain and simple words

]]>Social Networking in business: not just what you did this weekendhttp://tobymarshall.com/home/2010/1/14/social-networking-in-business-not-just-what-you-did-this-wee.htmlToby Marshall2010-01-14T10:00:40Z2010-01-14T10:00:40ZThink of Social Networking as like owning your own electronic newspaper. Your own electronic niche ‘newspaper’. A paper where you do all the jobs.

]]>Social networking "effective" connectionshttp://tobymarshall.com/home/2010/1/11/social-networking-effective-connections.htmlToby Marshall2010-01-11T15:05:23Z2010-01-11T15:05:23ZOne of the things that drives me up the wall with Social Networking is people connecting with people they have nothing in common with, just to get raw numbers of followers up. Unless you’re a Social Networking counsultant, open ended connections won’t do anything for you. Conversion rates are almost zero.

Too many people are connecting for connections sake and this shows that they don’t know what they’re doing.

]]>The big con: making money while you sleephttp://tobymarshall.com/home/2010/1/11/the-big-con-making-money-while-you-sleep.htmlToby Marshall2010-01-11T11:07:32Z2010-01-11T11:07:32ZThe four hour work week

 

Tim Ferriss, in his book The Four-Hour Work Week, talks about “mini-retirements” and I loved Ferriss’s book, there are a number of great ideas inside. Except one thing – what I see as the Big Con at the centre of it. It is the same con that is sold at the ‘Internet Secrets, 2 Day workshops where you will learn how to make a million dollars a year while you sleep’. And yes, a few years ago, I was hoodwinked by one (or two) of these.

]]>The Tragedy of the Commonshttp://tobymarshall.com/home/2010/1/8/the-tragedy-of-the-commons.htmlToby Marshall2010-01-08T12:38:50Z2010-01-08T12:38:50ZRecently I found an interesting article discussing the pitfalls of buying an audience and their potential  conversion rates and immediately thought about The Tragedy of the Commons. The analogy applies on many levels for B2B and B2C marketing out on the internet.

]]>Google AdWords quality score – What?!http://tobymarshall.com/home/2010/1/7/google-adwords-quality-score-what.htmlToby Marshall2010-01-07T10:00:32Z2010-01-07T10:00:32ZHigh score from Google means your small business marketing just got a lot cheaper. Bad score and it's very hard to recover!

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