Building & Leveraging your Network

"I'd rather have 1 percent of the efforts of 100 people, than 100 percent of my own efforts."
- By J. Paul Getty (also attributed to John D. Rockefeller - either way, good reliable sources!)

Right-On-Target Marketing Done RIGHT!

Imagine if someone invited you to enter a darts tournament. There was BIG prize money available so this piqued your interest, even though you don't consider yourself a darts expert. You would certainly ask these questions:

1. What's the target?
2. What do I get if I hit it?
3. What does it cost to enter?

No brainer questions, right? 

Well I know many businesses that invest LOTS of money NOT knowing the answers to these basic questions which also apply to marketing. If done RIGHT, you will know the answers before you even get started.

1. What's the target? Knowing exactly what your target looks like helps you know what you are aiming at and your chances of hitting it. Also knowing the odds of hitting a bullseye, how many attempts you will need to make before you get a hit, and if there are any wins beside a bullseye.
2. What do I get if I hit it? Here's a definition of a bullseye in marketing: you acquire a new "ideal client". What's an "ideal client"? Well, it depends on your business but would be one that you can provide the maximum amount of service for with the most profit. You will want to know the "average lifetime value" of that client: how much they spend (on average) each year, how long (on average) they remain a client, how many new clients (on average) they refer. All clients might not be a "bullseye" but at least you will know what each "ideal client" will put in your pocket.
3. What does it cost to enter? Once you evaluate the return-on-investment, you know how much you might be willing to spend to enter the marketing game. We don't engage in marketing for the sport, we engage for the WIN. So know the RETURN so you will know how much to INVEST.

So let's look at an example and "do the math".

Let's say a bullseye is worth $1000. It costs $100 to get 10 darts. You are pretty good and can usually hit two bullseyes for every 10 tries. If you enter and do your "average" you would profit $2000+ for a $100 investment. Would you enter?

Here's the politically correct response: "Duh!" 

Truth be told, you could hit one out of 30 and still do well enough to justify the investment. 

Marketing works the SAME WAY. Understand your target, evaluate your odds, and do the math! If you need help for YOUR business, contact us at GetYourNetInGear.com for a FREE Digital Diagnostic (we focus on the Internet but will explore ALL forms for marketing options).

What is a Responsive Website and Why do I NEED one?

It is 2015 and most businesses understand the importance of a website in their marketing strategy and how cost effective is it in acquiring new customers. However, many have not yet converted to the mobilized platform. Right now, 25-30% of traffic to your website is likely mobile and most small business websites have not yet addressed this need.

On top of that, Google changed its search algorithm to "demote" website searched for on mobile devices because Google deems them less relevant. Watch this 6-minute video on what the difference is and why it is important.

In summary, here are the top 5 reasons to mobilize your website:

1. Your website visitors will like you better. They can now read your site more easily and find the information they are seeking. And stats generally indicate one out of four of your visitors are on a mobile device. 25% is a large amount of traffic to lose if you are not mobile-friendly.
2. You will like it better. The conversion rates (click to call, click to map, and page views) are higher than for the average "old school" website. I think because the action is so easy and so immediate: instant gratification!
3. You can exponentialize all your marketing material. Add a QR code to your signage, business cards, brochures, flyers, etc. It's the best use of a square inch in marketing and will direct visitors to your mobile-friendly website with a simple click!
4. It likely puts you ahead of your competition. Check out to see if their site is responsive. Likely not. Woody Allen said that to succeed you don't have to be light years ahead of your competition, only 43 seconds!
5. Google will like you better. Your ranking will not suffer because you've addressed Google's criteria that responsiveness is relevant!

To determine if your website is mobile-friendly:

1. Visit your website on your smartphone 
2. Visit this website to see your website on mobile: www.mobilephoneemulator.com
3. CLICK HERE to schedule your FREE Digital Diagnostic. 

We recommend #3 because we can provide you a solution! Conversion start at $350 for current clients and $550 for new clients. How many new clients out of the 25%+ that you salvage with a mobile friendly website would it take to have this conversion pay for itself? Let's do the math!!

Systems that can DRIVE your BUSINESS (so you don't have to!)

A Driving Force Coming to a Future Near You

Auto makers are building and testing cars that drive themselves. When they are perfected, IMAGINE how that would FREE up our* TIME!! It would be like having a personal chauffeur to take us where we need to go so we focus on other tasks (no texting and driving problems!)

Automaters are building SYSTEMS that can drive your BUSINESS!! IMAGINE how that would FREE up our* TIME!! It would be like having a personal assistant that would do all the humdrum tasks so we can focus on what is important and profitable!!

Size DOES Matter (for digital images at least!)

If you have ever waiting for images to render on a website or in an email, you know that can be frustrating (and frustration is NOT good for business). So make sure the visitors to YOUR website don't have that experience.

Where There's a Will, There's a Widget

I have been involved with computer technology for 40 years now (yikes!). As you can imagine, it has been both EXCITING to see how things have advanced and CHALLENGING to stay on top of things. I started my career as an Information Systems Specialist which simply means, I figure out how to get computers to do things so people can save time, make sales, and be more productive.

The Lowdown on Followup Systems

We used Google Hangouts for our webinar on Follow-Up Systems today. Google has made some changes that you want want to check it out for YOUR business.