40 Marketing Fundamentals That Will Make You Successful in 2013

Don't You Want to do MORE Than Just SURVIVE in Your Business?

Without a doubt, most people today are doing everything they possibly can to keep up with the ever changing pace of business marketing.  But here's a chance to get some tips - not only for survival, but for success and growth in your business, through the use of marketing tools that are indispensable.

How do I know this to be true?

Randy Kirk, author, business owner and creator of several marketing blogs, including Google Places Help and Content Marketing for Google, has written several business books over the years, specifically for those in the small business arena, including Running A 21st-Century Small Business, which has many positive reviews here.  

After owning his own businesses for the last 40+ years, you will find his marketing tips invaluable.  

Starting Your Own Business? He's been there.

Need to Know What to Expect? He can tell you.

Feeling Like Your Business Needs a Change?  Trust his advice.

He is currently working on a new book on business marketing, which includes 40 chapters (or issues), divided up into sections, which are relevant to the issues we face on a daily basis, in terms of exceeding survival and moving forward to success.

He welcomes all feedback, comments, questions and challenges.  

Enjoy this rare opportunity!

The Top 10 Marketing Fundamentals According to the Serial Entrepreneur and Biz Book Author Randy Kirk

1.  Setting Goals Is The Number 1 Marketing Fundamental by a Landslide  

2.  Strategies Are What Make Goals Come Alive

3.  Tactics Are the Third Leg in an effective Business Plan  

4.  What is Profit - How Do I Make More of That?

5.  Cost of Goods and Overhead Can Make or Break You  

6.  Nothing Happens Until Something Is Sold 

7.  Customer Service and the Ultimate Question  

8.  Business Reputation Online and Off  

9.  Hire, Train, and Motivate the Best People 

10.  The Quality Decision   

10 Marketing Secrets: How Do You Establish An Image For Your Small Business? 

11.   The Niche Your Company Occupies


12.   The Branding of Your Company


13.   The Territory Your Company Seeks to Sell Into


14.   The Demographic of Your Client Base


15.   The Expression of Your Personality as Projected onto Your Company


16.   Your Logo, Colors, and Slogan and the Impression They Make


17.   The Street View of Your Business


18.   The Brands you Carry Effect Your Company Brand 


19.   Online Personality Commonly Doesn't Reflect Your Business


20.   The Way You Answer the Phone Is Part of Marketing

Marketing Secrets Tutorials - Logistics Review - Key Stuff You Need to Properly Market Your Company in 2012.

  

21.  Having enough money matters!  A lot.

22.  Suppliers are more important than customers

23.  Lost our lease is more common that you think.  Facilities

24.  Employees are a necessary evil OR your key to long term success

25.  Time is relentless, unyielding, precious. Count it

26.  You and your employees have limited time and energy.  Plan accordingly

27.  Your family is a logistical consideration.  Unhappy families kill businesses

28.  If You Ain't Got No Axe, You Cain't Cut No Wood

29.  Empty Wagon or Museum? - Inventory Control

30.  Small Business Visibility Has a Cost and a Benefit That Can be Measured

REFERRALS BEAT EVERY OTHER METHOD AS A SOURCE FOR NEW CLIENTS, AND EXCELLENT QUALITY CLIENTS AT THAT. 

With #31 in the series we now move to building on that foundation with specific approaches to delivering phone calls, foot traffic, and online activity.  The goal will be to go from the most effective for the most businesses to the least effective.  Effectiveness would be defined as those things which provide the highest return on investment of time, energy, and cold, hard cash.  

    32.    Creating Effective Word of Mouth (WOM) About Your Customer Service Edge

    33.    Experiential Marketing

    34.    Amazing Products and Services?  Grade Yours!     

    35.    Amazing Follow Up.  Are Your Customers Out of Sight, Out of Mind?

    36.    Stay in Touch to Create Maximum Word of Mouth

    37.    Equipping Your Clients to Recommend You Can Increase Word of Mouth

    38.    Find the Influencers in Your Community to Spread Word of Mouth

    39.    7 Ways to Thank Those Who Send You Business to Build WOM 

    40.    Do you Cultivate Customers, Clients, or Fans?

What new insights and tools did you take away from this amazing business marketing list?  Any ideas you'd like to share are greatly welcomed.

In case you missed it, check out 

Google Finally Rewards Quality Content Marketing - Writers Everywhere Must Celebrate!

9 Ways To Get 100+ Views on Your Blog Posts...NOW!

Feeling Discouraged About Your Lack of Blog Hits?

Unless you are really serious or really lucky about your blogging or video efforts, your posts and videos normally get about 5 - 25 views in the first weeks, and then maybe 125 over time.  You might have a hit now and again, but that is the norm...How can you change the equation, and start getting 100 hits in the short term and thousands over time?  You need to tease your effort on social media.                         -Content Marketing for Google-

Content Marketing for Google  correctly addresses the question all bloggers ask themselves:  

Is Anyone Actually Reading My Posts? 

The article goes on to explain how often times, we spend hours crafting a relevant article that we know is helpful to the audience we have in mind; we take the time to find a catchy picture to go with it, hoping it has provided just the right finishing touch.  Then we push the "publish" button, and cross our fingers - hoping that this will finally be the post to grab people!  

We wake up the next morning with great anticipation that someone (anyone!) has discovered how brilliantly we covered the topic that they needed that day.  We click on the "stats" button to see how many actually flocked to our site, and realize that the 4 visitors reported are actually our own pageviews from the day before.  

Is Blogging Really Worth It?

The simple answer is YES.  It is absolutely worth it.  This article explains that the problem is not with the blog post in and of itself, but how you are getting the word out to draw people in! Content Marketing for Google  lists 9 Social Media Methods to increase your blog page views:

1. Post your new content to Google+ even if you have nobody in your circles.
2. Post your new content to Twitter even if you have nobody following you (same principle).
3. Build up at least 100 connections on LinkedIn.  This is super simple to do, and you should do it anyway. (Article lists how to add 100 relevant connections.)
4. Post your Title and URL, plus a relevant picture to LinkedIn.  Like Google+ and Twitter, this might be as simple as posting your URL and the rest happens automatically.  LinkedIn allows for an automatic post to Twitter at the same time.  Use it.  Total time so far - 3 minutes.
5. Post to your company Facebook Page.  You may want to take an extra 2 minutes to give a little longer intro here; a bit more of a tease.  Or not.
6. You may have other social media efforts that you can take the same headlines and/or pictures and promote the blog on these as well.
7. Don't go down any rabbit trails unless that is what your employer wants you to do, or that is what you want to use your time for, BUT do spend an extra couple of minutes on your news streams and be a little social here and there.  +1's and likes and such are good for your reputation.  Even add a comment when you have something good to say.
8. Don't hesitate to repeat the promotion of your older posts.  You can tweet the same headline 10 times a day and no one will notice.  You can do LinkedIn twice a day.  Google+ 3 or 4 times a day.
9. If you find this is working for you, automate the entire process using HootSuite or a similar product.  With these automated systems you can cut the 20 minutes above to 5 minutes and accomplish way more.

What is working for you?

Please share what social media efforts and venues are enhancing your online exposure! Social media marketing can only be enhanced by learning from each other, what is actually working and what should be avoided at all costs.

In Case You Missed It:  Best Business Books: How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success.

Seven Simple Ways To Turn Blog Posts Into An Ebook (in just 5 weeks!)

Ebook Your Blog Content In No Time

Yes, it’s true!  Content Marketing for Google, a blog for business professionals looking to get picked up by Google, explains not only how easy it is to create an ebook, but goes on to provide logical steps to actually make it happen.

What makes this idea so appealing is that you’re already blogging about information you are passionate and excited about, and are writing to reach current and potential customers.  

Ask yourself: What is my main goal in having a blog?

For most people, blogging is not just about sharing random thoughts; well, if we're honest, we know there are many, many bloggers out there who really DO enjoy sharing their own random thoughts on life.  And that's fine. For them.  BUT - the assumption here is that if you’re even reading this post, then your goal is to share information that will ultimately give you more exposure, and ultimately lead to more business opportunities.  

Creating an ebook provides a great opportunity to take the posts you’ve already created (and will continue to create) and use it to get your name and information out in an inexpensive, yet tangible way.

The article goes on to describe in better detail how you need to look at the Google trends for what information people are looking for, in order to best match your content to what will be most sought out online.

Here are the main points, but you will want to read the details when you click here:

1. Decide on Your Topic and Make Sure Google Agrees
2. Start Blogging About the Topic of the Book
3. Edit All Aspects of What You Are Doing All the Time
4. By the Halfway Point, Begin to Organize
5. When You've Told Your Story, Stop!
6. Get a Professional Cover Made
7. Turn Your Completed Book in to Kindle

What if you haven’t even created a blog yet?  

The simple answer to this is that starting a blog is so simple that you will wonder why you haven’t done it sooner.  Blogger and WordPress seem to be the most popular and user-friendly.  

Shop Around

Take some time to go online and actually look at some blogs.  Observe their layouts, and the different aspects of content that they have chosen to focus on.  Write down what appeals to you aesthetically, and identify tools you can use to best appeal to your audience.

All in all, enjoy the process.  This is your opportunity to be as creative as you want to be.  

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