Rent My Brain

Search Engine Optimization, Content Creation and Blog Development

Marketing Tips

by on

Marketing Tip: Don’t Insult Your Prospect

the birdThis morning I received a direct mail promotion addressed to me at my law firm from an ad rep at one of Atlanta’s largest media companies (they own Atlanta’s main daily newspaper, a several radio stations and a network TV station).  Proving once again that size and financial strength do not convey intelligence, the direct mail piece began as follows:

Mr. Jonathan Ginsberg:

A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client.  Let me suggest that this well-known adage pertains to legal marketing as well….

I don’t know what the rest of the letter said because I stopped reading.   If I was in the market for TV, radio or newspaper space, I don’t know that I would want to do business with an ad rep who managed to both insult me and to condescend to me in one sentence.

What does this bozo know about me or my business and who is he to tell me that I am a fool, or that I am such a simpleton that I cannot possibly succeed without his help?  I wonder (but I think I know) how much of his own money this fool has risked in an advertising campaign. [Read more…] about Marketing Tip: Don’t Insult Your Prospect

by on

Why “Content is King”

The Internet Marketing educator who has most influenced me is a gentleman named Ken McCarthy, who is well known for his work producing the System Seminars.  Back in 2004, I attended my first seminar, where Ken and several other speakers offered up a basic rule that underlies successful commerce on the Internet – namely that “content is king.”

  • Content is king because your clients/customers/site visitors expect that your site will educate them
  • Content is king because clear, thoughtful and education content functions as currency and your customers will trade their time and their business for that currency
  • Content is king because new content is constantly being added to the marketplace of ideas – if you put up a 10 page web site three years ago that has not been touched since, there is absolutely no reason that anyone will assign any value to that content
  • Content is king because very bright people working late at night are constantly devising new distribution channels for that content – Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Digg, etc.   Content is so valuable to the publishers that the owners of these distribution channels will host your content at no cost to you because they know that the public demands fresh content.
  • Content is king because the Internet is primarily an educational tool.
  • Content is king because clear and concise writing is rare.
  • Content is king because human beings yearn to learn and to connect and the Internet offers a place for both.
  • Content is king because the Internet is like a television with tens of millions of channels – and good content helps you get found.

by on

General Marketing Tips: Emerging Demographics to Know in the Current Economy

Men aged 18 to 24 have always been considered an ideal audience to market to. However, the times have rapidly changed since that target audience was conceived, and new demographics have emerged that are important to be aware of.

People’s actions differ depending on their economic situations. During the current economic crises, people handle their money differently. With less money to spend, marketing efforts must be directed to a new type of consumer. I am going to cover three new demographics that are important to understand for effective marketing strategies.

The Newly Frugal Person – These people are comfortable financially and have not lost their jobs or their homes. However, with all the news of endless financial disasters and the overwhelming depressed mood of the country, they are smarter with their spending. Rather than making purchases without thought, the newly frugal person examines their purchases closely. They will be attracted to goods that offer significant value and quality, rather than a short-term thrill. The newly frugal person is attracted to long-term, stable investments and wants to increase their savings to counteract the depressed mood of the current economy.

The Newly Cash Rich Person – This demographic differs between ages. The older of the newly cash rich have pulled their money from their investments and now have it to put somewhere secure, such as investment in real estate. The younger of the newly cash rich are people who have recently graduated from college, and while they know they should be saving money for their future, they want to spend a little for their enjoyment.

The New Entrepreneurial Person – A natural consequence of a recession is that people lose their jobs. Of these newly laid off people, some become entrepreneurs and establish bank accounts for their business, second phone lines, inventory, and spend more time meeting potential business partners and clients.

By understanding these three new demographics and what they are looking for, it is much easier to effectively target them. Broad audiences such as “men aged 18 to 24” will no longer work when financial circumstances play such a large role in consumer’s actions.

by on

Tips on local business marketing

One of the first and most important things you must have as a local business is a website – this is becoming ever more obvious these days. If you have a store or provide some kind of service locally, it’s incredibly important to be established on the internet.

For example, say a woman who works in Berkeley, California needs to make a copy of a key on her lunch break. She would do this by pulling up Google (or another popular search engine) and searching for “locksmith in Berkeley.” Google Maps would then show the business results that match her search in her neighborhood, where they are located, and links to their websites.

By searching in “Berkeley” the woman gets only results that are relevant to her. If she just searched for “locksmith” she would get millions of useless results from around the world that are of no help to her.

Local businesses do not need to compete with similar business worldwide, because their consumers are only in the same area as they are. Websites for locksmiths, chiropractors, flower shops, and local hardware stores only need to target their local market to have good rankings. Here are some tips to get top search engine rankings for your local market.

How to Use Keywords: If you depend on local business, using location-specific keywords throughout your site will help you get to the top of the search results in your target market area. The locksmith in Berkeley will want to include “Berkeley,” “San Francisco Bay Area,” etc. in order to get a larger audience, and also the exact neighborhood, street, and basically any term that local people may use when they make searches using location. I recommend making a directions page on your website that will use all of these location-specific keywords.

The use of location-specific keywords can even help businesses like law offices, chiropractors, dentists, you name it. Again, in such cases you will want to optimize your website with keywords such as “lawyers in Berkeley, CA,” and so on.

Show Contact Information: Make sure every page on your website includes your full street address and phone number with a local area code. This contact information not only gives search engines everything they need to pin point your location, but makes it easy for locals to find you as well. A technique I often use to make this happen is to simply put the address of my business in the footer or my website – which results in the address being seen on every page. This is because website footers often apply to every page of a website. Search engines definitely pick this kind of information up and it can contribute to your site being seen by Google as more legitimate.

Local Directories and Inbound Links: Search engines love it when you have links pointing to your website from other reliable sites. This is done by utilizing a number of techniques, including commenting on other blogs, using article marketing to market content related to your business, guest posting, and establishing relationships with other site owners who may agree to link to your site if you can provide something in return (perhaps a link from another one of your websites, for example). Local directories online – like Google’s local business center – are also a great way to satisfy this, and are also an easy way to publicize your site to local consumers.

by on

Building a marketing campaign based on emotional triggers

Throughout the history of marketing, a lot of highly successful marketing campaigns have been able to elicit an emotional response from consumers. This still holds true today, as companies try to produce an emotional response that will spring potential consumers into action. If you can successfully identify the emotional triggers that would connect you with your target audience, even you may be able to stimulate them into action to support your business/cause.

When consumers make the decision to purchase something, they typically feel something for the product or service and then act on those feelings. Just like a woman feeling attractive in her new dress or a man feeling confident in his new car, feelings are often the overruling factor in decision-making. Here are some common emotions that are seized upon in many marketing messages today. Perhaps you can seize on some of the following to connect with your target audience and stimulate them into action.

  • Fear is a common emotion used by insurance companies, video surveillance companies, etc. Your audience would be scared to not use your product or service. Ever seen the Brink’s Home Security commercials? These are a perfect example of this concept. Just search YouTube for “Brink’s Home Security commercial” and you will see what I mean.
  • Guilt is a common emotion that nonprofit organizations use by showing suffering animals or children that would evoke their audience’s sympathy. The Sarah McLachlan PETA commercial is a perfect example of this concept.
  • Trust is one of the most important emotions that will lead consumers to choose banks and credit cards with sayings like “no hidden fees.”
  • Value, as in getting a good deal, is always coveted by consumers. Companies can trigger this emotion by offering matching a better price on the same product.
  • Everyone wants to have a sense of belonging to a group. You can appeal to this emotion by marketing your product as offering a chance to be a part of a specific group.
  • Most people also have a natural sense competition in them, where they want to be better, or at least appear better, than their peers. This emotion is commonly used by companies that sell material goods such as cars, clothing, and jewelry. Similarly, consumers want to be trendsetters, and using celebrities is a good way to trigger the emotion.
  • Time-saving messages are important for today’s busier-than-ever consumers. If you’re selling a cooking tool, marketing it as a time-saving product will appeal to consumers who want to conserve their time.

This list could go on much longer, but I think these are some of the most valuable emotional triggers that can be utilized to create successful marketing messages today. No matter what the goal of your business or organization is, you can surely rely on some kind of emotional trigger to help elicit a response from your audience.

Skip to content