I wish life were more like Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Remember that show? It’s the one where three smart alecks watch a bad movie and make fun of it. I’ve watched a lot of it, and often I’ve wished I could talk back to life’s soundtrack without bystanders thinking I was crazy.

This cartoon came during a meeting (as they often did) when we in sales were being lambasted. Amid the motivational idioms and cliches was “sales have really gone south lately.” Immediately I wanted to say “somewhere down in Texas we think.”

My bank account was glad I refrained, and I squirreled the idea away for later.

* * * * *

About: Mark Anderson’s cartoons appear in publications including The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review. Anderson is the creator of the popular cartoon website, Andertoons.com, where he licenses his cartoons for presentations, newsletters and other projects. He blogs at Andertoons Cartoon blog.

From Small Business Trends

When Business Goes South on You

read the full article

And we have a winner! Brian Wallace of Nowsourcing won our random drawing. The brand new HP Officejet J4680 color printer with fax, scanner and copier — all in one — is beginning its journey to his office and should arrive there soon. Congratulations Brian.

Brian happened to have been a guest on my radio show a few months ago giving us a rundown about the social site, Plurk.  So it was an especially nice surprise to see his name (number, actually) brought up by the Randomizer tool.

You might be wondering about the status of the tips roundup document, so here it is: with the help of Grace, my virtual assistant, we picked roughly 80 of your tips to publish in our Get Outrageously Creative document. The document has been put together, carefully proofread, and is in the beauty salon getting its hair done right now. As soon as that is done, I will let you know so you can download it as a PDF, to save it conveniently or even print it off.

Many thanks also to our sponsor, HP, who made the giveaway possible. We appreciate your support.

From Small Business Trends

We Have a Winner in our Get Outrageously Creative Drawing

read the full article

These books and their authors are your competition. Yes, some of those almost two million books have one and the same author but that doesn’t change your odds all that much. You have a task ahead of you … so, let’s look at the small picture and talk about ways you can compete. Regardless of how your book came to be published, it is up to you, the author, to create the attention that will turn into sales.

The good news is that it has never been easier to get your book noticed by the right people. In fact, before you put fingers to keyboard, before you type “Chapter One” on that pristine blank page — you should begin your marketing. You should be promoting yourself and your book, via the web, even before the book is done.

Shel Israel, co-author with Robert Scoble, of Naked Conversations, is creating his newest book online with the help of Twitter friends and blog comments. He and Scoble did a similar thing with Naked Conversations, and it reached bestseller status. The key is to talk about the book, share your writing stories, ask for input, and get your readers involved. The more involved I am in the writing of your book, the more likely I am not only to buy it when it’s done, but to help promote it to others.

Let’s talk about The Top 10 Ways to Promote Your Book in 2009:

(1) Create a Blog Book Tour

Your book blog, named after your book — or after you, depending on what you’re branding — should be an invitation to connect with readers, other authors, and business professionals. As you visit their blogs and leave comments (linking back to your blog), also take time to build the relationship and identify possible review opportunities.

Choose blogs whose writers are consistent in their posting, who generate comments, and who are able to speak to your expertise when they write about you and your book. If you want help, tap into this Blog Book Tour site.

(2) Create a Book Video Trailer

This is much like a movie trailer. Dr. Susan Reid, one of my authors, created an outstanding book trailer to introduce people to her book. It’s short, it outlines what the book is about and it creates the right “expression” — supporting the books’ goal to help small business owners tap into their “Inner Samaurai.”

Use a webcam or a Flip video camera, add some background music, and read from your introduction. Although Dr. Reid did not narrate her video, I recommend you narrate yours. Readers want to connect with you and hearing your voice brings you closer to being a “real person” to them.

(3) Be Creative with Your Press Releases

Today’s press releases are more than announcements. They are Search Engine magnets. Choose a good firm that understands the value of attracting search engines, and write a killer headline. A killer headline grabs the reader’s attention.

When I wrote my book Dickless Marketing (about marketing to women online, leaving behind the old Dick and Jane world of the 20th century), I created this headline: “Look, Dick. See Jane. See Jane Dominate E-Commerce.” I got a call the same day to be on a local TV station. The headline got the reporter’s attention.  The body of the release, which revealed the title of the book, convinced her to have me on the show.

I covered two bases there – one was to be current and informative, the other was to be provocative.

(4) Find Local Sponsors to Buy Case Quantities of Your Book

With the economy forcing so many businesses to tighten their belts, this is a great time to be resourceful with your book. The price of a book (usually under $35) makes it a great giveaway for a bank or a business organization.

Banks are eager to attract more small business owners, and business organizations are always looking for qualified speakers – with books. Our local KeyBank supports women business owners and hosts a breakfast once a year, where they give away the speaker’s book after she speaks.

(5) Connect With Your Local News – Both TV and Radio

This form of marketing is not dead, as some would have you believe. The news editor is always looking for great stories about local people.

Send a letter, with an overview of your book and your press release, and a testimonial from someone of authority. Make it easy for the editor, tell her why covering your book will make a good noon news story. Take the 6 a.m. slot if that’s offered – a lot of people are up watching or listening to the news at 6 a.m.

(6) Speaking of Voices of Authority – Who do You Know That Can Offer a Testimonial?

Authors tend to leave this for last, thinking they need to have a preview copy of the book in hand before someone will grant them the privilege of a testimonial. This is patently untrue.

Tap into a former college professor, a CEO from a networking group, the author of a book you’ve enjoyed, or the founder of a popular website/social networking group. Let them know you’re writing the book and ask them if they would offer a testimonial.

Tap into your LinkedIn profile. Three degrees of separation can work in your favor. You do have a LinkedIn profile, don’t you? To learn how to use LinkedIn more effectively, visit Steve Tylock’s site: The LinkedIn Personal Trainer.

(7) Use Twitter

See what Guy Kawasaki, talking with Robert Scoble, says about Twitter in this video:   On Twitter, you can easily connect to thousands of people you might never meet otherwise. Be selective but friendly. Don’t over promote your book on Twitter – rather, be on the lookout for people who will promote you – by sharing the link to your blog or your book’s sales’ page. Make friends … friends help friends out.

(8) Be Remarkable

Marketer Seth Godin swears by this principle, and it’s true that standing out from the crowd has its benefits.

When I say be remarkable, I’m leaning more towards the Scott Ginsberg model. Scott is “that nametag guy” … he wears a nametag everywhere he goes (he even has one tattooed on his chest!). If you search online, using any search engine, for ‘that nametag guy’ you will get hundreds of thousands of hits and they are all about Scott.

What phrase will you claim in Google or Yahoo? My phrase is the name of my book, Dickless Marketing, although I often come up on the first page of a Google search for just my first name (today, I’m #9 out of 29,100,000).

(9) Become an Amazon Best Seller

Connect with experts who know how to do this. It involves a lot of work, a lot of connections, and a focus on results. Kathleen Gage has done it for others, more than once, and can do it for you, too. Invest in the tools to create the kind of attention and build the kind of mailing list that will continue to support you and your book for years to come.

(10) Utilize as Many Facets of Social Media as You Can

Yes, create a Facebook page. Yes, join SWOM (Society for Word of Mouth).

Yes, follow Marti Lawrence’s lead and create a page on Squidoo.  Her book, 7 Way You Screw Up Your Life, (Are you FUGGDUP? Forgetting, Underestimating, Gratifying, Grieving, Deceiving, Undermining and Procrastinating are some of the most common problems that cause your life to be screwed up. Is this scenario familiar?) displays her book cover, a compelling description, and an easy link to her buy page. Squidoo is free and worth the few minutes to create a page and a link to all the places we can purchase your book. Remember to add your blog and Squidoo page to your email signature.

The book industry is changing dramatically, in response to the social networking aspect of business life today. Authors are ever more qualified to be the marketers of their book, by understanding where their market hangs out and showing up now and then; online and offline. Joe Girard, recognized as the best salesperson ever, says it best: “The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs … one step at a time.”

Part of the Small Business Trends 2009 Trends Series.

* * * * *

About the Author: Yvonne DiVita, President of Windsor Media Enterprises, LLC: Books, Blogs and Beyond, is focused on consulting with businesses on how to effectively use new media tools. She blogs at LipSticking, with a focus on the women’s market.

From Small Business Trends

Top 10 Ways to Promote Your Business Book in 2009

read the full article

But on top of keeping the bad news bears at bay, we entrepreneurs have to hear about all the ill-conceived ideas-du-jour for getting us out of the recession.

First, there are the outlandish sums of money that everybody has their hands out for.  Everybody from big businesses to, apparently even some small business organizations, are asking for public welfare  er I mean, handouts bailouts.  Hey, I was all for the initial bailout because we had a crisis in our financial system and we needed to throw everything we had at it, like firefighters putting out a 4-alarm blaze.  Unfortunately,  there’s been little accountability as to where the money went, so the American public increasingly is showing less desire to throw more money at bailout money pits without knowing how the first batch is being used. 

And now we have our legislators suggesting huge fiscal stimulus packages.  Here’s a breakdown of the House stimulus package, courtesy of Catherine Rampell of the New York Times Economix blog:

No doubt some of the public expenditures would be valuable for the public good in the long run.  After all, you need to spend some public money to foster a civilized society. 

But no matter how worthy the projects, I have a hard time believing that spending billions of taxpayer money on the outlined projects is going to do much to help the financial situation of my small business and millions of others in the next 6 – 12 months.  I’m not the only “stimuskeptic.”

Say — I’ve got a radical idea for how to get out of this recession. 

(1) The way out is first, don’t panic — as much as we hate them recessions are normal. 

(2) Second, grease the wheels of commerce.  I suggest that we each take it on ourselves to keep buying. You can’t cut costs forever and grow.  Buy something – especially from another small business.  On the other side of the coin, sell — and sell some more.  Do your darnedest to sell your company’s products and services.  

Don’t get worn down by the bad news blaring everywhere.  Don’t look to public handouts.  Don’t expect the government to solve business problems.  Instead, focus on making your small chunk of commerce more vibrant, by buying and selling as much as possible.  That’s something you have control over, at least.

From Small Business Trends

A Radical Idea for Stimulating the Economy

read the full article

Sure, there are landmark changes every once in a while that almost everyone hears about; Google’s introduction of “universal search”, in May 2007, is one example.

But Google says they made more than 400 changes to the ranking algorithm last year. Who can keep up with that?!

Luckily, you don’t have to keep up with every detail. But there are some important SEO trends you should know about as we go further into 2009. I’ll break the list down into two sections — Strategy and Tactics and Industry/Big Picture Trends – and then turn it over to you at the end.

Industry/Big Picture Trends

1. Increased SEO Awareness

SEO used to be something akin to voodoo; the only people who understood it were the ones doing it. But now it seems everyone knows about SEO. (Heck, even Wal-Mart offers SEO services!) As more small business owners become aware of what SEO is and why you should be doing it, competition should increase and put a premium on smart decision-making when it comes to doing SEO in-house or hiring a consultant.

2. Moving SEO In-house

On that note, in-house SEO has never been more popular than it is now, and that trend should continue into 2009. The upcoming SMX West search marketing conference even has an entire day devoted to in-house SEO. Companies big and small are recognizing the need for and value of having dedicated staff to recommend and implement SEO strategies.

3. SEO Consultants and Firms Booked Up

Many of us who don’t work in-house have never been busier than we are now. Because of trend No. 1 above, small business owners are hunting far and wide for SEO help. Purely anecdotal evidence, but something that many fellow SEO friends are experiencing: I usually get 2-3 emails a month from small business owners looking to hire an SEO. Last week alone I received five. There’s big demand and a lot of SEOs will be booked up.

4. It’s Google’s World

Google has dominated the SEO landscape for years, and their lead over Yahoo and Live Search is only getting bigger. There are several companies that try to track market share, and their numbers differ. But they all agree that between 60-70% of searches happen at Google. That doesn’t mean you should put all your SEO eggs in Google’s basket, but it does mean if you’re not being found on Google, you’re not being found.

5. SEO Tools & Automation

Hoping to take advantage of the growing interest in SEO, and the difficulty in finding the right consultant, more companies and individuals are creating online tools that automate portions of an SEO analysis. While some of these tools offer helpful data at a basic level, what matters most is how you use the data they provide.

6. SEO Scams

The downside of increased interest in SEO is that many small business owners will continue to spend money making unethical scam artists rich. $99/month for 500 directory links? $200 for search engine submission services? Don’t do it. Read what several search industry leaders had to say about SEO scams, and make sure this is one trend you avoid in 2009.

Strategy & Tactical Trends

7. Content = Authority (Still)

Links are the currency of SEO, and content is what attracts the links you need to rank well. When you rank well, you have authority. If you run a service-based business, you must be giving away your knowledge and expertise in the form of articles, blog posts, or other unique content that will attract links. If you run a retail web site, this still applies. Follow Amazon’s lead; I think they’re the SEO-smartest retailer online.

8. Content Variety …

I mentioned Google’s universal search at the start of this article, and other search engines have also been providing blended results for some time. What this means is that the Google search results page is no longer a list of 10 web page links; it now includes videos, news articles, blog posts, images, and more. In turn, this means that SEO isn’t just about tweaking your web site; it’s about creating and optimizing whatever forms of content make sense for your business and industry.

9. … Especially Video

The numbers are astonishing. YouTube gets more searches than Yahoo. About 100 million people watched videos on YouTube in October, and the average viewer watched 92 videos that month. eMarketer just reported that video is the number one tactic that US marketers will be focusing on in 2009. If you’re not doing it, chances are your competition will be.

10. Personalized Search Results

Personalization of search results has been simmering for a couple years now, but has started going mainstream recently. Google is leading the way with things like SearchWiki and Preferred Sites. Plus, things like your location, your recent searches, and which datacenter your search gets sent to can also impact the 10 search results you see at any given moment. It will continue to become more unusual to see the same 10 results when you and a friend in another state do the same search.

This renders ranking reports borderline useless. In other words, it’s no longer about whether your business is ranking for a certain search term at, say #2 in Google. Traffic and conversions are what you should be tracking, not what number you rank at for a specified term.

11. Local Search and Mobile Search

Mobile search has been on the way for years, but it never arrived. Until now. Mobile search used to be as fun as root canal, but the growth of smartphones – fueled by the iPhone – means mobile search is more enjoyable, more productive, and more popular than ever before. If your business appeals to people who might be searching on the go, local SEO should be a high priority for you in 2009.

12. Value of Your Audience and Community

Social media (sites such as Facebook and Twitter) isn’t going anywhere. And more of your potential customers are using it to make connections. You should be, too. By being active in online communities, you can develop an audience (look at the 38,000 followers Zappos has on Twitter!). When you do it right, that audience will help you push out your content (see No. 7 above), link to your content on occasion, tell their friends about you, and become your de facto marketing department.

Few small businesses will suddenly find themselves with 38,000 Twitter followers, but don’t underestimate the value of connecting with even 25, 50, or 100 people in the right online community.

What Others Say

Speaking of community: While writing this article, I asked my audience of Twitter followers to share their thoughts on SEO Trends for 2009. Here’s what they said.

@jfaris

@midnighttango

@MikeTek (read this one from the bottom up!)

@SimonHeseltine

@FrankReed

@lucasng

@Matt_Siltala

@karriflatla

They’ve had their say. I’ve had mine. Your turn: What SEO trends do you expect to see in 2009?

* * * * *

About the Author: Matt McGee offers search marketing consulting and training to businesses of all sizes. He blogs at Small Business Search Marketing and HyperlocalBlogger.com. 

From Small Business Trends

SEO Trends for 2009

read the full article