SMB Internet Marketing, SEO, Social Media Insights | Raleigh, NC | Frank Thinking

Twitter gets a ton of press these days and for good reason. There are a lot of people using it (or is there?). The future of the service apparently may rest in its ability to provide a live search function that everyone salivates over and apparently can make even Google flinch a little.

Well, maybe it’s time to slow down just a little bit with the talk of it being a Twitter World and we’re just allowed to play in it. The search numbers are in and it tells the real story. Check out my story at Marketing Pilgrim about Twitter, search and reality.

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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

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I just spent the past two days at the Inbound Marketing Summit in Dallas and heard a lot of great information. The summit is put on by Chris Brogan’s New Marketing Labs and is two full days of presentations covering all aspects of Internet marketing to some degree with a sharper focus on social media. Regardless of your skill level there is value here and even if you don’t read another paragraph I suggest you seriously consider the next event in Boston in September.

The first person I met was Merilee Elliott from Chicago. Merilee does interior design and has for some time. She admittedly knew nothing about Internet marketing but she knew marketing. Despite her marketing knowledge she was in Dallas on her time ready to learn because she knew there was more. Oh and she had the stones to put herself in a place where she had to admit that she was a novice and trust that it would be a good thing. That can’t be coached. You either have that one or you don’t.

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For those of you who have read my stuff in the past you know that there is a patriotic streak in me. It’s not the usual “Proud American” puffery that tends to tick off those on the outside looking in. It’s very personal for me. If you are interested in a quick personal story I encourage you to read on. If you are here for Internet marketing thoughts I’ll get back to that next time. I need to write this for Memorial Day weekend and you’ll see why shortly.

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If you are a small or medium business (SMB) owner or marketer you are at a crossroads. Regarding Internet marketing I can just about guarantee that one or more of the following apply to you and your efforts right at this very minute.

• You don’t know exactly how much you are spending on Internet marketing
• You haven’t worked out the ROI (return on investment) numbers of your efforts
• You are frustrated with your Internet marketing service provider
• You get several calls a week with people saying they will get you top 10 results
• You plan on spending the same amount of money in the Yellow Pages when your contract is up
• You are interested in social media but don’t ‘get it’ and think it looks like a lot of work
• You are spread thin with your marketing money and marketing talent

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Back on December 15, 2008 I stated the following boldly to my tens of readers.

1. To write fewer words but convey more meaning

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There is nothing more important to a small or medium business owner than control. It is one of the main reasons why they are in business for themselves. As a result even the people that they hire like more control because they are often called upon to do more than their job description. The trouble is that it impossible to have control over everything. Of course, add in something as wide ranging and wide open as Internet marketing and the concept of control seems to be unattainable thus making Internet marketing more of a sore spot than a bright spot.

All of that makes sense but the reality is that with some prior planning and strategy (which, yes, means an investment in time and money) there can be great progress made rather quickly in Internet marketing, blogging and social media efforts. These efforts are likely to result in more activity which may fall to the bottom line. Most importantly, however, if you take the time to plan out your Internet marketing activities you can actually have a true measure of control.

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I know what’s on my mind. In fact by posting over at Marketing Pilgrim, Biznology and my new blog at my decidedly far from complete FT Internet Marketing site through HubSpot I am finding out that it’s easy to get a little tired of hearing / seeing myself think.

I suppose that could be seen as a pretty large red flag but it’s not. All it is really is admission that I am human and I need a break. I also need other people. I have cut back on social media activities quite a bit but I am reconsidering that tactic. I am working on some eBook ideas and also building out my business. One of the things that can happen though is that there can be a sense of isolation that happens be it real or perceived.

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The other night I was working after the kids went to bed and things quieted down. I had the TV on in the background and heard something that caught my attention. It was an ad for the Army. It was simple and effective. After thinking about it I Googled the term ‘army creed’ and there it was. Now here it is.

I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

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