FT Takeaways

As I have started to write these posts I have realized that at times I can get a bit long winded. To help the reader “cut to the chase” I am offering a Frank Thinking (FT) Takeaway that will summarize the post in as few words as possible.

Let me know your thoughts on this feature. My hope is that when you leave my blog you can feel like you took away some value in some way. Otherwise, why even do this, right?

FT Takeaways from the past

January 9, 2009 -SMB’s Social Media Reminder - Use LinkedIn

FT Takeaway: Social media is not just for techno geeks and people with no actual social interaction with others. It’s for business and the sooner the SMB’s of the world understand this and adapt to the new world order the better it will be for their bottom line.

January 4, 2009 - Getting Past the “A-HA!”

FT Takeaway: The initial excitement of the SMB regarding the potential that internet marketing and social media offers is exhilarating but the reality can seem daunting. Well, it’s not as long you go about it in a way that makes sense and leads to success rather than frustration.

January 2, 2009 - SMB’s Must be Willing to Learn the Basics of internet Marketing

FT Takeaway: SMB’s must educate themselves regarding the latest in internet marketing and social media opportunities. Not doing so is short sighted and can lead to bad choices that most of us can ill afford to make in today’s world.

November 21, 2008 - Search is About Basic Blocking and Tackling

FT Takeaway: Search marketing is about basic business communication rules more than anything else. Be direct, be concise and be informative and the Google’s of the world will reward you. Stop thinking and start doing.

November 19, 2008 - SMB’s Love Images - Too Bad the Search Engines Don’t

FT Takeaway: The search engines like Google and (what are those other ones?) don’t play well with images, flash and javascript on a web site. You must make decisions around design and business goals and objectives. Design should never trump revenue. Who woulda thunk?

November 18, 2008 - SMB’s and SEO Basics - Content Truly is King!

FT Takeaway: If you are faltering in the search engines and your site has limited, old or just plain bad content then you need to do something. You can whine all you want about not having rankings but they don’t happen magically AND they require real effort on your part.

November 17, 2008 - SMB’s - Solve Your Yellow Pages Problems Today!

FT Takeaway - Resist the ‘pitch and close’ approach of your Yellow Pages sales attack dogs. They are desperate and need you A LOT more than you need them. Use your marketing dollars wisely by spending on your web site and its presence in the search engines. You’ll thank me later.

November 14, 2008 - PubCon, SMB’s and Social Media

FT Takeaway: Social media is cheap but requires time, attention and commitment. It is something however that you must consider as an SMB. Your best competitors will so you measure the opportunity lost if you don’t even consider it.

November 10, 2008 - Online Reputation Happens to Everyone from Fortune 500 to SMB

FT Takeaway: Your reputation is being molded with every transaction you make. Your customers and prospects can make or break your online reputation at any time. Do whatever it takes to make this a good reputation day for your biz like US Airways did.

November 3, 2008 - It’s Time For Change!

FT Takeaway: Oh the time they are a-changin’ for sure. Get over it. Move on. We have to do business in the new world order regardless of circumstances. SMB’s need a fighter’s mentality more than ever. Change can be exciting or debilitating. You have more control than you think!

October 22, 2008 - SMB’s Listen Up: SEO Delivery is Broken so Watch Out!

FT Takeaway: Don’t execute on SEO or buy SEO services based on a monthly set of ‘deliverables’. You will not give or get the best value because SEO needs room to breathe. Rote ‘deliverables’ take the air out of these efforts and leave everyone short of breath.

October 20, 2008 - SMB Choice: Doomsday or Opportunity?

FT Takeaway: Time to fight. It’s your choice as a small / medium business in this economy to pack it in or start swinging. I am hearing more and more from those who like a good fight and it’s more fun to hang with those folks than the doomsday set.

October 15, 2008 - SMB Opportunity and Caution Abounds Regarding Internet Marketing Providers

FT Takeaway: Use extreme caution when choosing your search / internet marketing provider. The market will be filled with wanna bes. Make sure you consider three main ideas when looking at bringing on search help.

October 8, 2008-Top 5 Reasons for SMB’s Not to Blog

FT Takeaway – Business blogging will always make sense. Regardless of market conditions and the “Chicken Little” prognosticators your blog can still work for you. If you truly are of the belief that we are in an economic death spiral then it’s likely no one wants to hear your negativity. They just need to turn on the TV or read the newspapers for that.

October 6, 2008 - Search Marketing is the SMB’s Bailout!

FT Takeaway: Yes these are tough times. As an SMB marketer you have options. Search and internet marketing are the best you currently have. They are clean and efficient. They are measurable. They are available to all and they produce. You make the call.

September 19, 2008 - SMB’s, the Internet, Search Marketing and Survival

FT Takeaway: Yes, times are rough. Be a winner and do the right thing to weather the storm (like targeted efficient marketing programs like search marketing). Don’t play the blame game.

September 12, 2008 - If Google Reports It Then It Has to be True! Ooops, My Bad ……

FT Takeaway: Not everything you read is real and it can hurt you. Even though you may be a small / medium business,you are not shielded from bad information getting out into “cyberspace” and costing you money. SMB’s HAVE to be concerned with what is being said about them online. Online reputation monitoring is for everyone.

September 8, 2008 - Channel Advisor - SSDD?

FT Takeaway: 9 years is a long time to not turn a profit especially if your claim is a market leader of anything that is as big as e-commerce. Oh and $80 million is a lot of money! If you are employed by such a company….well let’s just say theresume needs to be “ready to go”.

August 26, 2008 - What a Difference a Week Makes

FT Takeaway: Bloggers need to be prepared for the times when either inspiration leaves them or life distracts them. While blogging is a great mental exercise and can be very helpful the old adage “Failing to plan is planning to fail” can hit hard. So plan a little and live a little more.

August 11, 2008 - It Costs Almost Nothing to Develop a Website and Optimize It So You Can Get Immediate Results! Honest!

FT Takeaway: Search engine optimization (SEO) for a new site takes considerable time and is not an easy process. It’s not rocket science either. The trouble is most SMB’s don’t have a realistic picture of the time and effort needed and an appropriate expectation of results.

August 5, 2008 - Airfares Skyrocket So What’s an SMB Owner to Do?

FT Takeaway: With the cost of business travel going through the roof it is critical that SMB’s find ways to maintain contact with clients and prospects that fills the void of less “face time”.

July 30, 2008 - Blog With The End In Mind

FT Takeaway: As with anything in business it is wise to begin with the end in mind. Blogging is no different. There are many elements to look at but if you have no target or mission for your blog you will do this in a vacuum and potentially waste valuable time and resources. If you know where you want to go with your blog you may find there is even greater reward in the end as well.

July 27, 2008 -Inc. Magazine Supplies A Great “How To” for SMB Search Marketing ….. If It 2005!

FT Takeaway: As always I will encourage the small to medium businesses to fully embrace search marketing. Be sure, however, to get the most current information through sources that can be trusted because they actually DO search marketing. Beware of stale How-To Lists!

July 25, 2005 - Small Business is Good. According To Whom?

FT Takeaway: At least there seems to be some optimism out there in the marketplace. Should you trust everything you read though?

July 21, 2008 - Small and Medium Business (SMB) Search Marketing - What’s The Deal?

FT Takeaway: Search marketing is something everyone knows about but many do not do. Small to medium businesses have special needs in this area and it appears as if they are not telling everyone what they are!

July 17, 2008 - Blogs Are Useless! Thanks for the Update ……….. I Guess

FT Takeaway: Although you may not like blogs or the idea of blogging, you should still consider doing one. The value is immeasurable since there are so many ways it can assist your marketing efforts.

July 14, 2008 - Face It Yahoo - You are NOT A Search Engine!

FT Takeaway: Greed, ego and avarice will take down any deal real quick. I have been told that every business is just 90 days away from extinction. I believe that now. Yahoo! needs to play in the new world order and do the next right thing: stop calling itself a search engine company!

July 13, 2008 - Care to Comment?

FT Takeaway – Blogging is best when it is a conversation of sorts. Just writing for the sake of writing has its limitations.

July 9, 2008 - If Forced to Choose It’s LinkedIn By a Landslide

FT Takeaway: Among the myriad of social networking options, LinkedIn does the best job of keeping things professional by far. The other social networking options work for their own reasons but when it comes to business LinkedIn is head and shoulders above the rest.

July 7, 2008 - SEO Tools In The Wrong Hands Could Lead To Disappointment

FT Takeaway: With all SEO tools there needs to be a level of discernment and knowledge that makes the tool effective. To rely on any tool’s output only is risky and not prudent. Take the sum of all parts then apply it with a strong dose of caution. Then experiment like crazy!

July 2, 2008 - Flash and Search Engines - Can’t We All Just Get Along?

FT Takeaway - While Flash is great for design it is still not search engine friendly. Just because Adobe and Google issue a press release doesn’t mean this issue is resolved, it just means there is a press release regarding the possibility of it being done in the near future. Reading between the lines, this whole thing sounds like bunk.

July 1, 2008 - Small Business To Do - Stop Talking and Start Doing

FT Takeaway – It’s time to “Put up or shut up”. Tough times call for real action which may require change. Do you have it in you to make it through?

June 23, 2008 - Social Media / Marketing / Networking or Whatever You Call It - Let the Writer Beware

FT Takeaway – Social media is still an unknown entity for small business. What is known, however, is that you leave a trail back to all things be they good or bad. Be careful how you use these mediums. Their bite may well be a lot worse than their bark.

June 15, 2008- Small Biz Online Reputation Monitoring (ORM) - Are You Aware of What is Being Said About You Today?

FT Takeaway - SMB Takeaway: No matter how small your business you could already have an online reputation. Hopefully, it’s positive but let’s be honest; very few people take the time to say something nice in a review. Most folks, however, can pump out a negative review in mere seconds and they feel like they are getting a measure of revenge. Make sure you know what is being said about you and your business online.

June 11, 2008 - Do I Actually Have An Online Reputation?

FT Takeaway – Reputations online are fragile at best. They can change rapidly. Be aware of what is being said about you and work to keep the opportunities for complaints to a minimum.

June 9, 2008 - Just Blog Already

FT Takeaway: It’s time to start blogging. The 21st century is waiting for you!

June 2, 2008 - SEMCheck Provides SEO Audits for Next to Nothing …..

FT Takeaway – To check your web site for search engine friendliness use SEMCheck. Save time and money. Get more out of life!

June 1, 2008 - Why Can’t We Ka-muhn-i-kate?

FT Takeaway – Don’t confuse information with communication. Passing information in an impersonal manner (most electronic forms of communication are very impersonal regardless of what the experts say) is just that, passing information only. Use some “old school” techniques like the phone to get things done quickly, efficiently and honestly. Sure sometimes it’s painful but there is always growth on the other side of pain.

May 25, 2008 - Blog? What Blog?

FT Takeaway: Embrace search marketing, get out of bad marketing deals ASAP, build lasting partnerships in your business and take the time to recognize the most important things in life.

May 10, 2008 - Link Baiting…It Could be For You

FT Takeaway: Link baiting is an interesting option to develop links for your website. It is certainly something that you should consider. If there is a controversial or hot topic in your industry and you have a definitive position think about how you can leverage that into some inbound links that will help you with the search engines.

May 3, 2008 - If Nothing Else ……Link, Link and Link Some More

FT Takeaway – SEO services will sound different from each provider you speak to. If there is not a vast majority of the time spent on acquiring quality inbound links for your site then you are dealing with just another “ho-hum” SEO agency / provider. A strong SEO provider knows that linking gets the results you desire from search so go with a provider where linking is the main message in their story.

April 27, 2008 - The Economy Stinks. Does Your Marketing Stink Too?

FT Takeaway: The economy is not getting better. This is no time to put your head in the sand or do as you always have done for success. This downturn will truly separate the winners from the losers. I suspect you want to be on the winning side so adapt to the new marketing economy now or let your competition roll you under the bus. It’s your call.

April 24, 2008 - Just Explain This $%#!&# SEO Thing …… Please!

FT Takeaway: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not what many folks would like you to believe. Exercise extreme caution when choosing a vendor and at a bare minimum read and understand Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. This will arm you with enough information to protect yourself from some of the ridiculous claims in the SEO marketplace. Consider these guidelines as your can of mace to keep the predators away long enough for you to get to safety.

April 22, 2008 - Is Your Business a David or a Goliath?

FT Takeaway: Small and medium businesses have to “pull the trigger” and get involved in internet marketing, regardless of what they are familiar with. On a local and national level the most aggressive internet / search marketers will literally steal market share from the traditional industry giants, regardless of the vertical. It’s your choice as to whether you and your business is a conquering David or a dead Goliath.

April 20, 2008 - OK, OK ….So It’s Not So Easy To Be A Blogger

FT Takeaway: Blogging is a great tool for small businesses to incorporate in the marketing mix. It requires a real dedication and strong planning to have success. Don’t start blogging unless you are committed to keeping it current. If you don’t, you could end up doing more damage than good.

April 13, 2008 - Business Foundation: Sand or Stone?

FT Takeaway: Your website is the foundation of your business. You can either build your company on a foundation of sand or stone. Choose the stone so that your website doesn’t allow the best parts of your business to get washed away in the tide of business.

April 9, 2008 - Yellow Page Advertising - Might as Well Light Your Ad Dollars on Fire

FT Takeaway: Utilize as many free Yellow Page directories online as possible because they are free and stop wasting your marketing dollars on the printed version. Put your money into search marketing so you can be where your future customers are looking for you, know exactly what you spent and know what it generated for your bottom line.

April 9, 2008 - Buying SEO Part 2 - Don’t Get Sold Find a Partner

FT Takeaway: Make sure that the sales process is consultative. Make sure you are doing most of the talking and thinking and not being directed toward some canned SEO delivery. Your business is unique and it demands that your SEO provider approach it as such.

April 5, 2008 - Blogging May Be Dangerous To Your Health

FT Takeaway: When you are blogging for the benefit of your business don’t overdo it. If you are spending an inordinate amount of time doing it then just dial it back a bit. There is great benefit to blogging but just like anything else, you can have too much of a good thing.

April 3, 2008 - SEO Pricing Demystified - Part 1

FT Takeaway: Don’t allow anyone to over simplify or over complicate SEO when talking about their service; both tactics are red flags. Don’t be afraid to “go with your gut” and size up the potential SEO provider based on the professionalism and knowledge of your sales contact.

April 1, 2008 - The Importance of Strong Site Search

FT Takeaway: Make sure your on site search function is giving the absolute best experience to your visitor so you can win their trust, learn their true needs and turn them into repeat customers.