Today I am trying to write a business plan for Marketplace-Solutions.com as we enter the world of website design. Over two years ago my father told me that he had figure out how to get his website found by Google, and I had no idea what it meant. Than a family friend asked him if he could apply this knowledge to get his cousins website found. Despite being an expert in Search Engine Optimization my father did not realize it was a field. After working together for 4 months, he taught me the field and together we created Help Get Your Website Found. com. We went from believing that we could just sell basic SEO packages to any customer and the customer would instantly be found by the search engines and everyone would be happy. After several variations of how to market and sell our services we have decided that we are going to be selling the website equivalent of Cadillacs which are ideal for any small business owner. My father has over 25 years of direct marketing experience and I am getting a degree in marketing and we understand how to make an attractive, effective, and lead building website. I am going through the past e-mails from my father for ideas about how to write the business model and it is in many ways like going through old yearbooks and being amazed about how much I have changed and how much I have learned. We see gradual changes on a day to day basis, but going back to the e-mails from even a few months ago this is a completely different business and through all of our changes we have continued to move forward to where we are selling premium Cadillacs.
Posted by Steve on Dec 23, 2009 in
Graphic Design,
Innovation,
Marketing Tips I just sat down with my designer, Sharon Dean, to discuss a new brochure that I am working on for MarketPlace-Solutions.com
I had someone write the copy. The copy was clear and concise and what I wanted, but Sharon couldn’t make anything work graphically. She wanted to “think outside the box.”
So I got my orange from Flexible Thinker and we started brainstorming.
I started with the idea of solutions, how can we make that graphic stand out?
Sharon started with the word “deliver” — from delivering Chinese food to delivering babies. The ideas were out there. “Yes & because”
We then started playing with ball — which is the start of the logo. I had never really considered it a ball, but that’s where she had started with it.
Well, it’s a red ball. Play ball. A ball smashing a window… all types of crazy ideas.
And then the obvious! It’s a red rubber ball. Let’s take a look at the words to “Red Rubber Ball.” I am thinking it’s a song by the Beatles on their album Revolver — but I am not a music scholar. By chance, I found an advertisement for the recently re-released Beatles albums.
We check on the lyrics. I guess it’s written by Cyrkle and performed by Simon & Garfunkel. The refrain is:
“And I think it’s goon be alright
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin’ sun is shinin’ like a red rubber ball.”
PERFECT! It just felt so right.
I’m excited to see what Sharon comes up with. Need to rewrite copy, but I have no doubt it will be a big success.
Posted by Daniel on Dec 1, 2009 in
Food for Thought,
Marketing Tips I recently had to do a paper about improving how students percieve Israel on American Campuses, here is my paper.
Executive Summary
Throughout campuses across the United States, Israel has been branded as a military bully that terrorizes their Palestinian neighbors. Israel is often portrayed as the aggressor in the Middle East, and anti-Israel groups are growing in numbers and in influence. Although there are several pro-Israel organizations that deal with college campuses and thousands of committed activists, the fact remains that Israel is still often perceived as the aggressor. In the virtual world that we now live in Israel is often demonized by images, YouTube videos, and blogs that portray them as a militaristic power that ignores the human rights of her Arab neighbors. In today’s world Israel finds itself in a great danger of losing the war of world’s public opinion.
My recommendation would be for Israeli Hasbara to raise awareness to the large number of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) that are actively helping the African refugees who are in Israel. Currently there are over 10,000 African refugees who have fled their war-torn countries in order to find a better life in Israel. In the US today there are groups across that are actively raising awareness of the human rights violations in Africa. These Save Africa groups are large in numbers and are seen as being leaders in human rights issues. With an effective Hasbara campaign that promotes the work that Israeli NGOs are doing, it will change public perception and Israel would be branded as a country deeply committed to human rights.
Context and Importance of the Problem
The problem for Israel is that they are seen as an uncompassionate militaristic power that denies basic human rights to the Arabs. The root of this problem is that Israel is losing the war in virtual world, and American supporters of Israel are forced to justify images that make Israel look like war hungry monsters.
Until recently Israel has paid little attention to how their own nation branding and how the rest of the world perceives them. This costly mistake has only increased the strength of detractor’s arguments and left Israel supports with very difficult images to explain.
On today’s college campuses the anti-Israel sentiment is growing stronger. There are a large number of professors are critical of Israel and its policies recently two of the most influential academics, John Mearshimer of University of Chicago and Stephen Walt of Harvard University, wrote a book titled “The Israel Lobby” where they claim that America being an ally of Israel is not in America’s best interest. There are numerous divestment campaigns from campuses ranging from Wayne State University to Duke University to UC Berkeley. Additionally, an anti-Israel group known as the Students for Justice in Palestine has over 40 chapters across the US.
The importance of Israel generating a positive public opinion on college campuses are far reaching. College campuses are where future leaders and policy makers are still forming their viewpoints on several key issues. At such an influential point in someone’s life it is of great importance of the pro-Israel community to help them shape their viewpoint of Israel, instead of trying to influence them once they are already in power.
Also, college campuses are a hotbed of political activism. College students organize rallies and protests that often make the front-page of the news. It is important for Israel for these people to view Israel in a positive light instead of the current situation where they often times carry signs that say “Stop Israeli Apartheid” or “End Israeli Occupation.”
Critique of Policy Options
On US Campuses today there are countless organizations, thousands of students, and millions of dollars which are dedicated to the mission of Hasbara. These student organizations are often times focused on explaining the role of the Middle East through the Israeli perspective, and justifying Israel’s use of force. The problem with this strategy is that they are still focusing on the conflict and they are ignoring all the work that Israel and Israelis do in the name of Tikkum Olom.
As a former student on an American campus that was active in Hasbara, I saw why this strategy was problematic firsthand. Although Israel may be the underdog in the real world battle front, it is extremely difficult to win this argument when one considers the role of the virtual world. In the words of the famous expression a picture is worth a thousand words, and when there is a widespread picture of a young Palestinian boy throwing a rock at an Israeli tank it becomes hard to make the case that Israel is the one fighting for self-survival. Hasbara campaigns would benefit from focusing on Israeli efforts of Tikkum Olom as opposed to trying to repaint the picture of the military conflict.
Another critique of the current Hasbara system in the US is that there are is little collaboration between the numerous organizations that are all committed to improving Israel’s public image. For example if a student wants to get politically active on their campus they should contact AIPAC in Washington, DC, if a student wants to do an event focusing on social aspects of Israel he should contact StandWithUs located in California, and if a student wants to learn how to articulate Israel’s point of view they should contact the David Project in Boston. With this current system most pro-Israel students involved in Hasbara are not even aware of all the groups that exist, and for the advocates that are aware of these different organizations they often times do not know which one would be the most useful to contact. If these groups were better coordinated they would be better at providing information and training for students who want to implement a Hasbara Campaign on their own campus.
Policy Recommendations
There are several different ways for the pro-Israel community on American campuses to improve the effectiveness of their Hasbara campaign by promoting the work of Israeli NGOs with African Refugees. One idea would be to bring a speaker to their campus who is an African Refugee that is currently living in Israel. This would presumably draw a large crowd of students who are concerned and committed to human rights and they wanted to hear first hand accounts of the horrors of the refugee’s region. The speaker would finish his speech by talking about the reasons he fled to Israel and how the Israeli people have worked with him to help him start a new life.
Another proposal would be for Hasbara groups to do campus-wide fund-raisers for the Israeli NGOs that work with the African refugees. This would be a good opportunity for students from all backgrounds to learn about the work that Israelis are doing with African refugees. Also by having students give money to the cause it will help them identify more with the Israeli NGOs and make them feel like they are taking on an active role in helping these refugees.
An effective Hasbara campaign that promoted the humanitarian work that Israelis would be categorized as Blue Ocean Strategy that used the tool of brotherhood. The horrors of the situation in Africa are well known, but until now no organization or country has been recognized as taking an active role in helping these people. In order to improve the public perception of Israel and the work that Israelis are doing to help the refugees we will promote the slogan of: Israel Where We Mean “Never Again.”
Recommended Sources for Additional Information
Websites for Pro-Israel Organizations in the United States
StandWithUs
David Project
AIPAC Campus Resources
Israel on Campus Coalition
Websites about NGOs for African Refugees in Israel
Fugee Fridays
Arab Refugee Development Center
Big Brother Big Sisters of Israel
Tags: African Refugees, IDC Herzliya, Israel, NGOs
I have been busy the last few days with new clients and learning new tricks about search engine optimization.
As an entrepreneur, I have to deal with so many issues. But I my business services are expanding from traditional direct mail to search engine optimization, e-mail marketing, and web design.
To keep up with the new stuff and everything going on with the Post Office, I sometimes feel stressed out. However, I also appreciate that I have job security as I continue to deal with new clients and their marketing challenges.
Everything is changing — and there is no way to keep on track. However, it beats working in a big corporation and then being let go without any skills that are applicable in today’s fast changing world.
A community is where they know your name and miss you when you are gone, according to Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of England.
I like that definition. It’s so personal. It’s a bit like the sitcom “Cheers.”
Is a real community the same as a virtual community? I have been struggling with that question recently.
I have been trying to build on online community for the sole purpose of helping my business grow. I started a blog and joined LinkedIN, though I have not touched Facebook or myspace.
From my perspective, the real advantage of online communities is that space and time are nonfactors. Anyone anyplace in the world can be in my virtual community. I can answer them at my leisure and get responses in my e-mail’s inbox.
If you believe the hype, being part of an online community seems like the fastest way to riches and success. Lots of friends. More business. But is it? What is the purpose of an online community and how can it benefit me?
I am still trying to decide if being active in online communities is for me. Will the more I read and post develop new friends and generate more business? Does the 8th grader featured in today’s Raleigh newspaper really have 1.4 million fans?
Or is being online a huge time sucking trap? It seems that the more online I am, the less time I have to actually run my business or to meet and talk with real people? It seems like I spend too much of my day in front of computer screen already.
I want to explore how a real community, according to my definition, works.
Let me tell you about myself. I am not a very sociable person. Doesn’t mean I don’t like people. It just means I can be content to stay at home and watch TV and not feel obligated to go to parties or other social events just to be doing something.
I am not particularly shy, but I don’t think I am an extrovert, either.
In my definition, my Toastmaster group is a community. People know my name here – and they know when I am not here. As a side benefit, I have developed business relations that have helped my bottom line.
But being a member of a community means accepting obligations – and I think that is the part that many people in today’s society fail to realize.
Paying my dues may make me a club member, but that is not the same as being a being a member of the Talkmaster community.
Having an e-mail address and a password may make me a member of LinkedIn, but is that the same as being in a community?
It’s the difference between involvement and commitment. I often tell the story of the breakfast of ham and eggs. The chicken is involved in the breakfast, but the pig was committed.
I am committed to Toastmasters, and especially this club. I understand that my obligation to this club means that I show up on a regular basis, do roles that are assigned to me and support others. In return, I get support for my efforts. I grow and my confidence to handle situations expands.
I am not so sure what my responsibilities and obligations are to my online community. Does my anonymity allow me a free pass? Is anything expected of me?
An ideal community nurtures trust. I trust all of you will make great speeches and have the capacity to learn and grow. You have faith that I will do a decent job – and even applaud me for my efforts!
Being a member of a community takes time and consistency. Everyone wants instant gratification, but it takes time to cultivate relationships. In an online community, it’s too easy to login and make comments – and then leave.
I believe that being a part of a real community is a key to health and happiness. My son, Daniel, took a course on happiness from the Harvard professor who wrote a book about it. It’s not about wealth. Instead, it’s about having an understanding of what makes you tick and the confidence in your own abilities. A good community builds that self-esteem that you have to earn.
The challenge is to be part of community where people share the same goals – and the goals are positive. My definition of a community also describes a criminal gang. And not every member of a community may share your goals. Bernie Madoff was certainly an outstanding member of the Jewish community – until he was found out to be running a huge Ponzi scheme.
So, I come back to my original question – can an online community replace a real community? It certainly can in expanding my horizons and contacts. Will it increase my business by being active? Possibly. Is it worth the time and effort? The jury, for me, is still out.
However, only a real community made up of actual people can help me in terms of personal growth and satisfaction. It takes effort and commitment, but it is certainly worth the effort.
Tags: competitive advantage, Toastmasters
I have been searching for a niche to target that needs a lot of direct mail and needs it quickly. As I was driving around on Monday, I realized the answer was shopping centers!
I’ve done mailings for mailing shopping centers and other retail stores in the past, including one of the local UPS Stores.
I treated myself as a direct mail client. First I researched the list and played with numbers. Do I want local? A region? By ZIP code? I finally settled on area codes and picked North Carolina — 919, 336, 252, 910 — and Myrtle Beach, 843, which seems to be most of South Carolina. Total of 510 names.
I wrote a letter and then gave it to my designer, Sharon Dean, who did a fantastic job of making it into a flyer.
Ran the envelopes twice through the machine so I could put a message in red, inserted and mailed them. Had it to the post office within 2 hours of starting. Since it’s very time sensitive, used first class postage.
Even put the information on my website!
Now waiting for some calls…Even one new customer would pay for the promotion. If it doesn’t work, didn’t cost me all that much.
Tags: competitive advantage, Direct mail marketing, increasing sales
This is my recent email I sent:
We have always been about more than simply providing direct mail services to our clients. It has been our goal for 20+ years to provide your business with AFFORDABLE SOLUTIONS to help find new customers, keep in touch with existing ones and increase your bottom line.
That is why we are changing our name from MarketPlace-Mail.com to MarketPlace-Solutions.com
More than simply a name change, we are adding to the services we offer to adapt to business needs today.
In addition to Direct Mail, we now offer a full range of online marketing solutions including:
* Website Design to ensure that you have a professional online presence that will promote your business effectively.
* Search Engine Optimization so that your business can easily be found on the web.
* Targeted HTML E-mail Campaigns sent to your existing customers to announce new products or special promotions.
* Low Cost Printing for your brochures, business cards and booklets. We offer quick turnaround time and high quality.
E-mail marketing can be very cost-effective for touching people you have already had some contact with. However, it’s a terrible prospecting tool. That’s the advantage of direct mail.
Posted by Daniel on Sep 2, 2009 in
Marketing Tips With my father launching Marketplace-Solutions.com he used a 301 redirect of our SEO site Help Get Your Website Found.com to now fall under the domain http://www.marketplace-solutions.com/seo/. At first we did not think it would affect our SEO Performance too drastically, but within one week we saw a site that had a PageRank of 3 go to a 0. After discussing the issue with my last night we realized that he would have to put off on going with a 301 redirect of the bread& butter operation Marketplace Mail. Even with a 301 redirect we are hesistant to make the change because of the feat r of the unknown. Although the Marketplace-Solutions.com site looks great and is SEO Friendly we decided we can not make the change until we are seeing the site start to generate significant leads through the Search Engines.
Tags: 301 Redirect, Marketplace-Solutions, PageRank, SEO, Website
Posted by Steve on Aug 28, 2009 in
Marketing Tips The Raleigh News & Observer did a front page story about the decline of mail. It was a very anti-mail article and I thought it deserved a response. I sent the following letter, which has not been published:
“Direct mail marketing is a cost-effective and measurable way for businesses to retain current customers and attract new one. Advertising mail works.
You neglected to mention the loss of jobs for graphic artists, marketing people, printers, mail houses and postal workers. In our area, over 350 well paying jobs were lost in Elm City as one large mailing house shut its doors after more than 30 years in operation.
The good news? Response rates are going up!”
I did not have to mention the decline of the newspaper and how much of the newsprint goes into landfills. With so many important stories being neglected, I really think the Raleigh paper did a disservice to their readers.
Posted by Steve on Jul 17, 2009 in
Marketing Tips I had a bid for a large state contract. It was a monthly printing and mailing contract that could run for 36 months. Very tempting piece of business.
I put together the pricing and thought how I could mark it up to make some money. You see, I would essentially be the broker for this contract — yet I would be the one responsible for paying the vendors and waiting for the check to arrive from the state.
I thought I could do it. Steady monthly income is always nice. But just as I was prepared to fill out the paperwork and submit my bid, I talked to Dan Blankenship, my counselor at the NC Small Business & Technology Center. Dan asked me if it I would make enough money to justify taking time away from other activities. What were the risks involved. I went with Dan to my banker and she assured me that I could get a loan for the time between when I paid out and when I got the income.
I decided against submitting the bid. I realized I had no control over the situation — and it was a very time sensitive document. There were much more lucrative and less demanding ways to make money.
I may not have got the bid anyway. I spent a few hours on the project, but winning or losing the bid was not a do or die situation.
Any lessons to be learned? Yes. Being in business is not just about handling money, but about making a profit. If I had won the bid, I would see myself taking in large amounts of money — and paying most of it out. The few dollars left as profit probably would not be profit if I factored in my time.
In small business, it’s hard not to jump at every opportunity. The challenge is to stay focused on core competencies and things that make money. I say this even as I expand my services from direct mail to web & search engine optimization.