Here is your Ranseen Marketing Debunker Newsletter for October 2008
Thinking 1st is Hard to Do
Did you hear about the company that put up a website a
few years ago and just let it go to H_LL during that time? Yeah, a typical business
story, but in this case the culprit was me, an online marketing guy, for
goodness sake! I was talking the talk but not
walking the walk. There was no good excuse for my not being an excellent online role model for my clients, prospects, and others. My internal
rationale was, well,
if I'm working on my own stuff, then I'm not making money for my family. BUT that really wasn't even close to true because if I'm doing the right
things with my website
content, search engine
marketing, and follow-up,
I'm going to make
a lot more money.
No, the root cause of this phenomenon is the difficulty in being able to sit down, think, read,
consider, analyze -- to be
introspective and
reflective about one's own stuff -- instead of just acting. Note that
this tendency seems to be even more rampant among marketing and advertising
businesses...that often do a frightfully bad job of marketing themselves.
It's a lot easier doing things, any things... even if
not that productive, in the name of action and being on the go, go, go. Multi-tasking
to the hilt. Staying busy for the sake of staying busy. Doing more, more, more is better, better, better. It's much, much
more difficult to take a step back, take the pedal off the metal, look in the mirror, and really examine one's one business -- FIRST.
And in hindsight, that's what I've doing with clients for
over seven years now: helping them think
about their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; think about
their business objectives, think about how committed they want to be to doing
it (marketing) online and offline, and following-up
like
demons. Then
help them get it done. Get them to think FIRST, then act...and then repeat
those on a reasonable cycle.
When I finally started to apply my brain again to
my own website
development
project and then actually acted on those ideas, the process was a LOT harder than doing the same thing for a client...but also a lot more
therapeutic, satisfying, and exhilarating. I feel good about my own thing again...and
that's what happens with customers
as well.
Wiping The Slate Clean
I decided to wipe the slate clean online: starting
with my company name, logo, and tagline. You may not have to go that far, but I
was tired of my former NoSpin Marketing name (cute for some but also indicative
of Bill O'Reilly's loony "no spin zone" thing to others...and not really a
well known brand anyway).
I changed my top line messages based on what I'd been learning
from prospects, customers and others (and will continue to do so). I kept a few
old
nuggets of good content , completely
redid others, and added new
content that I hope you'll find of valuenew
SEO initiatives...and there is much to keep improving over time. But now I can't wait to do
it because I have a
fresh, new place to start from again.
My former site, frankly, looked like crap after a few years
of laying fallow, and so I asked my top business partner, iDesign for a new logo, a
complete new
design
look, more site interactivity, an easier way for me to manage my own content,
etc. I think they did a terrific job, but
you be the judge and let me know. Yes, your web
design is very important...along with your
content. Sometimes to give you a sense of renewal...and a new beginning. Me, I
feel like I just took a long, hot shower and emerged 10 years younger. I'm
invigorated again!
PS. Unless you are continually tinkering with yours (which
is fine), most websites need to be blown up at least every 2-3 years (after you've
sorted out the wheat from the chaff).
Renewing as Ranseen Marketing
Check out the new
Ranseen Marketing site which includes lots of current information that can
help your online marketing IMMEDIATELY:
4 new White Papers in
Your
Library:
Ranseen
Marketing's SWOT Analysis Tips
Ranseen
Marketing's SWOT Analysis Worksheet
Ranseen
Marketing's SWOT Analysis Questions
Ranseen
Marketing's Top 10 Search Engine Marketing Myths
A Debunker
Newsletter per month (and see some of the oldies but goodies, too)
A Marketing
Tip per week. Sign up to get
yours.
..and more Resources,
Article
links, etc. over time
I can promise you this. I'll be tending my online garden a
lot better and talking with you a lot more again...I know that my new Ranseen Marketing website and
new online marketing is going to yield a lot more business online for me in
2009. Many thanks to my clients
and partners
who have helped make this an excellent 2008. Frankly, it's been a good business
year for me so far in 2008 in spite of the economic turmoil -- I am blessed -- and hope that you are doing well, too.
PS Also, many thanks
to Dr. David Foster of The
Gathering Franklin (I borrowed his framework of "Thinking, Acting, Feeling"
and applied it here).
Look forward to hearing from you,
Tom Ranseen
www.RanseenMarketing.com
