May 6th, 2008 Bernie
Our blog is focused on providing tips, ideas, best practices and advice on Internet marketing. My hope is our readers benefit from this blog.
The Find and Convert blog has just been recognized by Junta42 with the #7 rank on its top 42 Content Marketing blogs, out of a total of 118 total content marketing blogs. Our blog is recognized for Internet marketing content.
The complete Junta42 listing of content marketing blog sites is here: http://www.junta42.com/top_42_content_marketing_blogs/.
The press release from Junta42 provides more detail including their criteria for selection.
While the recognition for good marketing content is cool, the best thing about this is the convenient access to so many other great content marketing blogs on one list!
I hope you get value from the complete list of content marketing blogs and the Find and Convert blog.
Tags: content marketing, internet marketing, Junta42
Posted in About Bernie Borges, General Marketing | 1 Comment »
February 6th, 2008 Bernie
Did you hear that marketing has been re-defined again?
In the 80s and 90s there was “relationship marketing,” and “one-to-one marketing.” The funny thing about the different words used to describe marketing is that they have always had one thing in common. All marketing (since the beginning) is about communicating to prospective customers over and over again (reach and frequency).
Regardless of how the communication takes place - advertisement, direct mail, phone call, email, website, search engine, seminar/webinar, trade shows - it’s always about communication.
Fast forward to today. Web 2.0 has reshaped the way many marketers think. In a world of Web 2.0 we have websites, blog sites, social media sites, podcasts, wikis, user generated content, etc. where communication takes place in a many-to-many way. In other words, we are having conversations! So, doesn’t it make sense to say that marketing is about conversations?!!!
Absolutely….Let’s look at some examples…I produce podcasts on web marketing topics. People (around the world) find my podcasts in iTunes and on the web through social media and they subscribe. Some of them engage me in conversations. My brand exposure improves and so does my business…
A software company executive visits Facebook to seek out and find groups on relevant topics. She joins select groups, engages in conversations on topics relevant to her industry and she learns things that help her make decisions about her marketing mix…
A consumer services company starts a blog about topics related to their service. These topics offer people tips and hard to find information which builds a community and loyalty. The blog visitors also visit their website. Their brand is strengthened and so is their business.
In each example shown here the common denominator was conversations. The new definition of marketing is indeed about having conversations with our customers and people they care about. The influence of the communities in social media is so powerful, we simply can not ignore it!
I marvel at how so many marketers say “I don’t have the time to blog or visit social networking sites and get engaged in these conversations.” I just hope all my competitors don’t have time for these conversations. As for me, I couldn’t fathom not having time for these conversations. I’ve seen enough proof.
Have you?
Tags: blog sites, Facebook, marketing, Podcasts, search engine, social media, Web 2.0, web marketing, wikis
Posted in General Marketing, Podcasts, Web 2.0 | No Comments »
December 19th, 2007 Bernie
B2B Marketing Budgets To Go Up In 2008 In Online, Events and Direct
Source: Center for Media Research
According to BtoB’s “2008 Marketing Priorities and Plans” survey, 60.1% of marketers plan to increase their overall marketing budgets next year predominantly in online, events and direct, despite the softness in the overall economy. 29.6% plan to keep budgets flat, and 10.3% plan budget decreases.
Last year, in the BtoB 2007 survey, 62.6% of respondents said they planned to increase their marketing budgets in 2007; 29.4% said budgets would be flat, and 8.0% said they planned to decrease their marketing budgets.
In 2008 the primary marketing goal is customer acquisition, cited by 62.4% of respondents, followed by:
Brand awareness (19.3%)
Customer retention (11.7%)
Other objectives (6.6%)
Among the online areas that will see increases next year are:
Web site development (cited by 74.0% of marketers)
E-mail (70.1%)
Search engine marketing (64.3%)
Video (39.5%)
Webcasting (39.1%)
Banners (36.4%)
Sponsorships (29.6%)
Social media (26.2%)
Read the full story here.
Posted in General Marketing, SEO, Web 2.0 | No Comments »
March 13th, 2007 Bernie
About 10 years ago I was fishing near Marco Island in south west Florida at a popular fishing location in the late spring. There were many other people fishing all around me. After just a short while I grew frustrated because everyone around me was catching Snook (a popular fish that runs abundantly during the spring/summer in Florida gulf waters) and I wasn’t catching any at all. I finally swallowed my pride and asked someone near me what they were doing differently. I could see most people were using the same bait I was using (live shrimp). The guy I asked very casually asked me if I had used sun block lotion that day and I answered that I had. He asked me if I had thoroughly washed my hands before handling the bait. I said I hadn’t. His look said it all. I then realized what I was doing wrong. The fish could smell the sun block lotion on the bait from my hands and they wouldn’t touch it. So, I washed my hands thoroughly and started catching fish and thanked my neighbor for his simple, yet profound advice.
I often wonder what if I had been alone at this location on that day. Since I wasn’t catching any fish, I’m sure I would have concluded that there were no fish there to catch on that day. I would have concluded there was no “opportunity” on that day. I would have left feeling not that I failed, but that there was nothing to gain that day (no fish to catch). When, in fact I would have failed. How wrong I would have been!!!
I was lucky because I was able to get feedback from the market (other anglers) that there was opportunity (fish) there. I was able to learn from the “market feedback” that opportunity was plentiful. I just needed to change my tactics to capture the opportunity I was missing. I just needed some market intelligence and I got it. What a lesson I learned that day (not about fishing)!
So, what if your business doesn’t find new opportunities from the web? What a tragic mistake it would be to assume there is no (or limited) opportunity from the web. Imagine if you received feedback from the market about the opportunities which exist for your business through web marketing strategies and in particular people who use search engines, blogs and social media platforms to look for products, services, ideas and expertise such as yours. How profound would it be to know the actual opportunities that exist, just as I saw with my own eyes the abundant availability of fish being caught that spring morning by people all around me. I still think about what a different (and wrong) conclusion I would have reached if I had been alone that day. And, I realize that many people make that same mistake in their business because they don’t see the opportunities available from the web. Is that a conclusion you have reached for the wrong reason?
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