Because I like to talk about the little guy, the SMB, I had to point out that Google is paying attention to the SMB as well. At least that’s what it kinda looks like.

Google has started its small business blog but they have committed the cardinal sin of new blogs. You see, if you are a small business owner and you learn that Google is blogging to help you understand more about the opportunities online for an SMB you would expect something spectacular, right?

Well, not so much. There are just 2 posts and plenty of links to things elsewhere. That’s it. You would figure that Google would have read enough to know that you don’t tell the world that you have a new blog and then show just 2 posts (with one being the intro of the blog which is news but it’s not exactly ‘content’ for the SMB). I recommend at least 20 entries be there before you tell the world about your blog otherwise you run the sever risk of people being underwhelmed.

I am really curious to see what Google does to populate this blog or will this go the way of Wave and other things that Google tried but didn’t really give a rip about?

I am smarting today. I have not written a post here at Frank Thinking for over two weeks which is a violation of nearly every rule I tell people to ‘obey’ if they are to be successful with a blog.
To review:

• Have a plan. Have posts ready to go so updates occur a minimum of twice a week
• Make the time to write. Stop making excuses.
• Pay attention to specific keywords that can be of benefit to your efforts and use them in your posts
• Comment on other blogs and forums and generate interest
• Through honesty and consistency build a community no matter how large or small

Sounds straightforward enough right? Well, other than your own conscience there are usually few ways (than of course analytics and comments) to measure how you are doing with a blog. Last year I threw the Frank Thinking blog’s hat in the ring by being part of AdAge’s Power 150 ranking of marketing blogs. This is a system that AdAge has put together to rank, as you may have guessed, the top 150 Marketing blogs in the world but they have about 900 plus that they monitor.

Long story short, my best showing was about 340. Not bad in my opinion considering the competition. There were wild fluctuations of scores occasionally but I was feeling pretty good about my steady climb. Then the other day I did my usual vanity check in and was told in so many words that I was not paying attention to the blog. I dropped 300 (not a typo) spots to the 640 range. I immediately checked to see if the blogs I usually monitor like Marketing Pilgrim, Biznology and Danny Brown ( I am keeping an eye on you, Mr. Brown ) had experienced similar ‘adjustments’, which can happen from time to time. Well, to my horror that was not the case. I had just been smacked down by AdAge.

Why? How could they do this to me? What was the reason? I didn’t need to look far. My last post was almost 2 weeks ago and my consistency of posting was way off from my height. Essentially, AdAge said that if I wasn’t going to pay attention neither were they. Hard to hear but something that I couldn’t argue and won’t. The truth is the truth.

So the result is this post and a rededication to the blog despite more and more activity with my business and life in general. If I care at all I have to make the effort. It’s pretty simple really, just like most things in Internet marketing and life. Just look at the facts, and many times the truth about a situation will be painfully obvious. At this point, I can either; argue the truth, deny the truth or face the truth. It’s how we decide to act on that truth that will make the difference. Well, I know the truth about my blog. It is painfully obvious. Now let’s see what I do about it.

I hope you can excuse while I spend a little time with my blog. I want to make sure it recognizes me because I have not been around much lately. In fact, if it could I bet it would call DBFS (Division of Blog Family Services) and file a claim against me for neglect. I have my reasons why I haven’t been paying attention like I should but if I was my client, I wouldn’t stand for them. Bottom line is that I guess this blog hasn’t been a priority this week.

Client work, business development, presentations and writing for other blogs like Marketing Pilgrim and Biznology can be time consuming. Oh yes, those pesky kids like some time as well. Ooops, I better not forget the Mrs. either. Feel sorry for me yet? I didn’t think so and if you do then I would ask that you toughen up a bit.

Blogs don’t work when they are neglected. People come back and hope to find a new post if they are not using their RSS readers properly (guilty as charged most days) If there’s nothing new then their level of interest wanes quickly. If your RSS feed is not fed then you look lame compared to the other blogs that sit in peoples’ readers. Nothing worse than a blog slacker.

So how do I heal myself on this one?

• Prepare a blog schedule – Have something in place that can trigger a blog post to be written on any day when there is not something naturally coming to the forefront

• Grow post savings – If I was really doing this right I would have some a few posts that are general in nature “in the can” and ready to go at a moment’s notice. When I’m uninspired or just out of ideas I can go to plan B and then move on to something else.

• Be committed – I don’t mind being honest here because I don’t lie well. I have not completely committed to this endeavor. I run hot and cold on posts so the dedication has to be brought under the microscope for real examination.

• Open up the conversation – I am considering having folks post here so I can offer readers more

If you are interested in writing and sharing your views here at Frank Thinking I would like to hear from you. The rules will be few and the pay will be non-existent. Maybe we just get to know each other better. That would be cool.
FT Takeaway – Be dedicated to your blog. It’s obvious when you are not.

Holy cow. This week has been a drag.

Seemingly, every piece of electronics I own crapped out this week. I am writing on my ThinkPad that was taken out by a virus. It is repaired but I have decided to go Mac. It’s my way of keeping the economy going. I spent a lot of down time that I am unaccustomed to because of the need to get things back to ‘normal’. It was a weird week.

What really suffered though was my blog. This is just my second post of the week and it feels like I haven’t written here in months. Very odd. So here is a quick list for you to consider which may or may not be about Internet marketing:

• Be sure you back up everything you do. I had my computer for nearly two years but just started backing up about a month ago. Thank God I did. Otherwise, I would have been up a creek without a paddle.

• Think about what you can do for your business if you did not have access to a computer. Just think about it for a minute then write down your options. You’d be surprised what you can accomplish.

• Don’t get discouraged. Times are tough so circumstances look worse than ever in the context of the economy etc etc. It’s easy to get down but it’s better to stay upbeat.

• Do something every day that moves your business forward regardless of how small it may seem. If you stumble and fall make sure you fall forward.

• Pay attention to your life away from work. Give thanks for the people in your life and make sure you spend time with people in person rather than on a screen

• Relax. Who by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

FT Takeaway: Bad week requires a different perspective and serious injection of hope. Find it, hold on to it and depend on it. Where does your hope come from?

Want to hear a great Internet marketing story? It has a very happy ending. Well, let’s not get ahead of the story.

You see it’s like this. We live in a world where everyone LOVES to talk and write about social media. They talk about how cool it is. They talk about the fun people they meet and have “relationships” with. They then tell you that it is the coolest thing in the world to have so many friends and to be so popular. Isn’t that great?!

Sure I guess but I rarely hear about any of the chumminess turning into business. I’m sure it happens but to what degree I don’t know. Check this story out though because it results in …….. a sale! Please excuse the vague references to the client. I swear this really happened. You can trust me. Remember, I’m Frank .

It goes like this. A start-up company is trying to figure out how to get momentum on the sales side. They have created a great product that solves real world problems for organizations. If you want the details please let me know and I would be glad to tell you. Anyway, they decide to old school the sales efforts. Phone calls from lists and trade shows are given a shot. They start their SEO efforts but they want business now to help them look more attractive to the investment community.

At that point they decide to use Twitter. Using tools like Twollo and Power Twitter they find people who have similar interests and needs that their product can meet. They come across an industry blogger who does a review of their great product which leads to inquiries that ends in a ……drum roll please …… SALE!

What didn’t happen were cheap automated pitches or direct “Hi, how are you? I sell this. How many do you want?” Nope. They just found people of like mind, discovered their needs and helped them solve their problem. Now there is a renewed excitement about their sales efforts. There is also the realization that there are people out there looking for their solution that aren’t on a list and actually want to talk with people. It works. Try it.

FT Takeaway – Twitter and other social media should be considered revenue generating tools. Relationships are nice but can they pay your bills? You must be in it in a genuine way and you must look to solve people’s problems. That’s when it works. If you are a phony you will be found out so save us all the hassle and go make a cold call.

With layoffs happening at a rapid rate and no industry being insulated from the turmoil there are going to be a lot more people hanging out their shingle of “consultant” for any number of things. Many people take the opportunity to venture into something more entrepreneurial when they have been unceremoniously dumped by their employer. It makes sense.

This phenomenon is both good and bad. The good news is that there is a lot of knowledge in the marketplace that used to be restricted by their corporate boundaries. The bad news is that knowledge doesn’t always translate into effective business for either the consultant or the buyer of the service. What is the worst case scenario is that people look to reinvent themselves and venture into areas that they are interested but have no real experience in then label themselves as an expert. Caveat emptor has never been more real.

Internet marketing consultants are now growing like a fungus in the wake of these economic times. Here are some thoughts for business owners to consider when making the decision to enlist the help of an ‘expert’.

• Use your gut. While this sounds a bit amateurish I tend to recommend this technique before the usual ask for references routine. My years of experience have shown me that references are usually so ‘canned’ that they have little value. In addition, anyone can say they worked on anyone’s Internet marketing campaign and there is no way to prove it. You are a business person for a reason and you can tell if someone is a good fit or not. Honestly, there may be greater benefit in working with someone who has less ‘expertise’ but stronger people skills and a willingness to show flexibility. In other words, this is someone who is interested in serving you rather than delivering to you.

• Do only what you can handle. Lots of consultants want to make you try everything that they can ‘provide’ using the theory that if you throw enough up against the wall something will stick. This will lead to frustration and will not benefit your business in the long run. Look at what fits your style and your industry and concentrate there. Have success first then experiment if you wish.

• Be optimistic but be realistic. There are simply no guarantees in Internet marketing. There are best practices and opportunity but being in it doesn’t always mean you are going to win it. Life is that way and so is Internet marketing. Silver bullets and magic potions aren’t real so don’t get sold one.

• Be willing to spend. Sure you want to do it cheap. I would suggest you look to do it effectively. You can spend $500 and get no results or spend $2,500 and see a sharp increase in sales and profit. I have found that if you want to be real cheap your results will tend to be real thin.

As always there is more. Would love to hear your thoughts.

FT Takeaway: Internet marketing consultants are multiplying rapidly due to the current economic conditions. Be sure you use some old fashioned common sense and intuition when choosing a provider for these valuable services. Stay real and don’t get sold a bill of goods that cannot be delivered on.

The latest series of Internet marketing seminars from Frank Reed of Frank Thinking, Inc will be offered at the Morrisville, NC Chamber of Commerce on March 18th, March 25th and April 1st. Reserve your spot today!

These free seminars are offered in a relaxed environment (bring your lunch with you please!) and are designed to help any business better understand the disciplines of search engine optimization (SEO) on March 18, blog marketing on March 25 and social media marketing on April 1. All sessions begin promptly at noon and run for about 1 hour.

Each session will give attendees the most current foundational knowledge in each of these important areas so they can:

• Make more informed decisions about what is right for their business

• Understand what vendors may be saying and what to look for to protect their interests

• Takeaways that can be applied to their business immediately

• Opportunity for Q & A to talk about specific needs for their business

These seminars are offered to all members and prospective members of the Morrisville Chamber as a service to help them do better business in the Internet economy. The Morrisville Chamber is located in the modern White Ventures Building in Morrisville, NC.

If you would like more information please click here for details or e-mail me at freed@frankthinking.com

We look forward to seeing you at these great free seminars!