All-In-One Marketing: How To Reach Your Audience Anywhere

There are so many different ways to stay connected with our target market that finding the best way to communicate with prospects effectively can be a challenge. Due to the complexity of multiple communication preferences (social media, direct mail, advertising, etc.), identifying and engaging prospects and customers individually, is your best opportunity for cutting through the clutter.

To be an effective communicator, you really need to start with the premise that it’s nearly impossible to reach 100% of your target audience using a single tool. There are so many different ways to communicate (ex: like email or text) that understanding and identifying each person’s preferred method of communication is paramount. If you’re currently using only using one method of communication with customers or prospects, chances are your response rates are really low.

Improving your communication begins by asking how to communicate with your entire audience, without being overwhelmed with multiple services, different forms of media, learning several different complex programs, or having all customer data stored throughout multiple systems? Marketing technology has evolved to address this issue and make multi-model communication manageable.

Just as the SCOOP Marketing Forum is a centralized hub for online marketers, centralized hubs for outbound marketing are multi-channel marketing platforms. There are quite a few of them out there that are pretty good. With platforms like this, business owners can send "quick blasts" to all the people on their distribution lists using different media.

It seems that mobile marketing and social media marketing are quickly becoming the channel of choice for marketing in this generation. In fact, I saw a poll the other day on Linked In that stated e-mail is the most popular medium for people between the ages of 30-40, while social media is the preferred channel for young adults between 20-30. SMS comes close behind between the same age group of 20-30. Some people are also saying that e-mail is slowly declining in favor of social media and mobile messaging, however I believe that e-mail is a different beast on its own.

Multi Channel Marketing tools from companies like UZmarketing combine the power of mobile text, email, IM, voice, and social media in to one interface. Most of these platforms are able to seamlessly orchestrate an entire marketing campaign through all popular modes of communication. These platforms allow business owners and decision makers who have little time, staff, or knowledge to compose marketing campaigns that are as sophisticated as some of the campaigns major corporations use.

The best part of using a tool to integrate many different modes of communication is effective customer management. By having clear insight into what has been communicated and to whom, you stand a much better chance of enriching your dialog with customers and even prospects. Using platforms that integrate the latest means of reaching your audience with the latest technology are vital given each user’s preference for sending and receiving messages.

This is an area that is of great interest to me. If you have a platform you use to manage your communications across different platforms, please let Marketing Blog readers know about it. With better tools we can improve your relationship with our target market and elevate the “user experience” associated with our brands.

How to Install a WordPress Blog

This past week I tried to install WordPress on a new domain via a "quick install" feature on Godaddy.com. Guess what?  It didn't work.  The good news is that with some back and forth with Godaddy support, I finally got the real instructions.  If you're struggling to install WordPress on a new domain, follow these instructions.

Installing WordPress using Go Daddy Hosting Connection is the easiest way to get WordPress up and running on your domain if it works (it didn't for me).

However, you can install it manually into your shared hosting account using the following instructions.

To accomplish this, you will need the following items:

-A compatible hosting account which supports PHP and MySQL

-Your FTP account login information. This includes the FTP User Name and Password for your hosting account.

-A MySQL Database for WordPress and the Database information.

-The latest version of WordPress which you can download from Wordpress.org

NOTE:This article assumes you already have a compatible hosting account and your FTP login information. If this is not the case, obtain these items and then return to the article.

The next step is to create a MySQL Database for WordPress.  No one ever told be this about installing WordPress but trust me - this is what gets your installation actually working.  Follow these specific instructions and you'll be up and running in not time.

-Log in to your Account Manager 

-Click Web Hosting.

-Next to the hosting account you want to use, click Launch.

-In the Databases section of the Hosting Control Center, click the MySQL icon.

-Click Create New Database.

-Enter a description, WordPress for instance.

-Enter a user name and password.

-Specify your MySQL version.

-Specify whether you want to allow Direct Database Access.

NOTE: Direct Database Access is a less secure way to manage your hosted databases which most users do not require. If you do not need to access your database remotely, then you should not enable Direct Database Access. For more information, see Why Connect Remotely to Shared Hosting Databases.

Verify your MySQL database settings. If everything looks OK, click OK. It may take a few minutes to create your database. Click your browser's Refresh button to check if your database is ready.

Once you have set up a database for your account, you can find your host name information by clicking the Pencil icon next to the name of your database. Note the following items, as they will be needed later in the install process:

1. Host Name
2. Database Name
3. Database User Name

Now, you need to download the latest version of WordPress from their servers. This can be found at WordPress.org.

-Install WordPress

Unzip the file from WordPress, and then upload the contents of the WordPress folder to your hosting account using an FTP client. This directory can be stored anywhere in your account, in this example it will be in the root (http://www.coolexample.com).  NOTE: Do not upload the wordpress folder itself, only its contents.

Begin the WordPress installation by going to http://www.coolexample.com/wp-admin/install.php.

-Click Create a Configuration File.

Click Let's go!

Complete the following fields, and then click Submit:

1. Database Name — Enter your database's name.
2. User Name — Enter your database's name.
3. Password — Enter your database's password.
4. Database Host — Enter your database's Host Name.
5. Table Prefix — Do not modify this field, unless you want to run multiple WordPress installations.

Click Run the install.

Complete the on-screen fields for your blog's details, and then click Install WordPress.

That's it! Your WordPress blog is now installed. For assistance in the set up and maintenance of your blog, see the Getting Started with WordPress page at WordPress.org.  Also, be sure to search online for help from people who are experiencing the same issues you might be having with WordPress as a full site or blog.  Happy blogging!

For help with additional blog resources visit blogdash.

Staying Focused: Marketing Made Simple

Staying focused in a social world is becoming more and more complex every day. It's not uncommon to be inundated with tweets, facebook posts, IM's and other communications throughout the day. Although I feel that I've done a reasonably good job of managing these "updates", I have to admit that it's quite distracting.

Those who are successful with online marketing or marketing in general have learned to focus. I've been working towards improving my focus each day and reminding myself that I'm in control of my schedule. I know this is easier said than done. That said I wanted to share my strategies for staying focused on your most important marketing projects and getting them done.

Here are my tips and strategies for staying focused, being productive, and getting results.

1. Write down all of the goals and tasks you have. I never realized how exhausting it can be to keep a mental list of everything you need to do in your head. For a long time I've been in the habit of writing my goals and tasks down every day. Although my goals don't change daily, my tasks do.  The great Earl Nightingale once said that, "you can't manage time, only tasks." And he was right.  Each day, write down the top 3 - 6 things that you must complete to move you in the direction of your goals and don't go to sleep until you've accomplished them.

2.  Turn off the noise.  You don't have to unplug completely from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Pinterest, but you should schedule time each day to login and interact.  When you establish times to engage, you'll be much less reactive and more in control of your time.

3.  Every day, spend a few minutes prioritizing.  If you've created a list of tasks, you're half way there.  The second step is to prioritize your list.  Start with the tasks that take the least amount of time to complete.  Are there a couple of tasks that you can knock out in a few minutes?  If so, get them done.  You'll feel a great sense of accomplishment and have a shorter list to work from.

4.  Team up with others to complete your goals.  Staying focus can be easier when you share the burden.  Be open to working with others and holding your partners accountable for specific goals and outcomes.  not only does this ensure completion of given tasks that others are responsible for but can help you stay motivated and on track.

These are just some of the ways that I stay focused on my marketing projects.  What are some of the techniques you use?  Do you have your own incentives to complete a campaign?  What other techniques do you use?  Share your strategies with other readers of the Marketing Blog!

The Latest Craze in Social: Buying Twitter Followers

While SEO and article marketing are finally taking shape on the Internet as a viable means to approach online marketing, another effective method to look into is social media marketing. With the huge surge of social media networks these days, it is undeniable that it has a great influence on people, on the web and as well as reality. What greater influence is there than the ability to instill social proof and credibility in an instant?

From a marketing standpoint, a small-medium business owner, corporation, or blogger, requires the help of social media to escalate to the next level of doing great business. One outstanding social media network that functions as the virtual market place to showcase products and promotions quickly is Twitter. Within three years, it has become the number one platform that the world favors to disseminate information quickly as possible.

If you haven't started your own account or profile on Twitter, you should get engaged as soon as possible.  Not only can you develop a following but you can reach others in your niche or social environment.  If you're an experienced Tweeter, you know how powerful Twitter can be for interacting with others and supporting your marketing goals.  As your audience builds, so does your online influence.

Which is why, people are now quick to build and buy followers on Twitter. Today, having Twitter Followers is a valuable asset for any marketing campaign. Here are some reasons why marketing specialists are drawn to Twitter and why having Twitter Followers is all the rage.

1. Building Awareness
Twitter has the uncanny ability to build awareness through tweets from other people. Whether they are from strangers or friends, it is the ability to disseminate awareness quickly in one 140 character tweet.

2. Social Proof And Credibility
It may seem irrelevant to some users, but marketing specialists are now quick to use this platform as a means to garner as much attention as possible for its product. In Twitter, having a large social following is relevant to people online because it enforces the credibility and image of a company. Studies have shown that humans are genuinely curious and having a large following encourages their curiosity.

3. The Audience For Sales Conversions
If you serve a certain niche of products, what better way to attract the right audience than getting the right followers on Twitter to follow your account? Getting Twitter followers to follow your account can get the right people who are interested in your product and can increase your chances of making sales conversions. With the right interaction, these Twitter followers can help spread your tweet further down to their own networks.

This is merely a tactical step to achieve a successful marketing strategy in no time. Twitter also offers the real time interaction between the company and its consumers to secure a long-term relationship. If you are having a hard time getting Twitter followers on your own, then why not consider all of your options.  Whether you chose to develop campaigns that aggressively recruit Twitter followers or purchase followers from credible sources, growing your list of followers is paramount.

About
Buy Real Followers is a company under Buy Real Marketing, a wholly owned company by Clicking Labs, Inc. The company specializes in Web 2.0 Business Applications, Web Traffic, SEO Tools and Social Media Marketing. Learn more to buy followers on Twitter.  Each product specifically addresses a need within the web marketing arena. The scope of their marketing services includes the following networks: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Vimeo, Tumblr, Google Plus and SEO for web properties.  Buy followers on Twitter