Episode #73 – “Marketing Helps Me Make Decisions”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

BoomText Special Offer (Get a FREE 30 Day Trial and a 60 minute consultation)

Domain Typo Tool (Research common mis-typings)

GotBiz WebTV Network (The NEW Place for Unconventional Business Education)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

This is an exciting week for me, and hopefully you too. Why?

When was the last time you used a Yellow Book? Personally, I can’t remember. I dusted mine off the shelf for this episode, and I’d love to know if you’re like me, using online tools to search for local suppliers, rather than books like the Yellow Pages.

The question that’s raised is all about how to spy on competitors pay per click campaigns. It is possible, and I’ve got two web resources for you, one of which is free.

Many people mistype words when they type a domain name into a browser. This is for a number of reasons that I’ll explain, some of which might be surprising to you. Fortunately, there’s an excellent free tool that will tell you what the likely mistakes are for any domain name, even one you haven’t registered yet. This is really useful because you might want to register some of those mis-spelled names and register them, in order to forward the visitor to your website.

Finally, the show wraps up with a big marketing lesson from Dell, the computer company. Dell sent me an invitation to their ’signature event’ which caught my attention, and so I’ll explain why ‘event’ based marketing is so effective for ANY business. Yes, including yours.

Let me know your opinion about the show – simply write a comment below.

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.

Episode #72 – “The art of conversation is, like, kinda dead and stuff”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

BoomText Special Offer (Get a FREE 30 Day Trial and a 60 minute consultation)

How to Sell When Nobody’s Buying” (Groundbreaking new book by Dave Lakhani)

Integration Marketing (Watch the video and download the free guide)

Backpage (Alternative to Craigslist)

GotBiz WebTV Network (The NEW Place for Unconventional Business Education)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

This is an exciting week for me, and hopefully you too. Why?

GotBiz.tv has now launched – 9/9/09! This new network for entrepreneurs aims to educate entrepreneurs in an unconventional way and prove that business doesn’t have to be boring. With the erratic economy continuing to send jolts of fear and uncertainty throughout the business world, the launch of GotBiz.tv couldn’t have come at a better time. With its hours of fast, fun and free business training from a variety of well-known experts, always delivered in a spirit of optimism and good humor, GotBiz.tv is certain to become a valued source of information and inspiration for millions of entrepreneurs across the globe.

I like to read. A lot. Actually, I aim to consume 2 new business books each week. One of the best books I’ve read recently is “How to sell when nobody’s buying” by Dave Lakhani. If you’re in sales, you MUST read this ground-breaking book.

This week’s question is all about how to reassure nervous buyers on e-commerce websites. Watch the show to discover the answer.

d you know tha there’s a significant competitor to Craigslist in the USA? It has a slightly cleaner look and layout that Craigslist in my opinion. Check it out.

There’s a new part of the show – ’success stories’. I love hearing YOUR succes stories about how you implement the suggestions in the show, so keep ‘em coming. You can submit your results using the ‘ask andrew’ link at the top of the page, and you can win an incredible prize, something from my travels

Finally, the big lesson of the week, from Liberty Mutual. They teamed up with Home Depot in a very clever marketing strategy called ‘integration marketing’.

Let me know your opinion about the show – simply write a comment below.

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.

Episode #71 – “I Do Know It All… I Just Can’t Remember it All at Once”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

One Minute Coupon (Creates printable coupons for your website)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

Yep, many of the big airlines are still screwing their own business up with bad customers service, silly charges, and other nonsense. Long time viewer of the show, Meny Hoffman shares his experience about trying to upgrade on Continental. They wanted to charge him a $250 PENALTY for upgrading to a higher class of fare! The extra $1200 is apparently not good enough for greedy Continental Airlines.

United Airlines are still feeling the heat from Dave Carroll, who created the “United Breaks Guitars” video that’s been seen over 5 million times on YouTube already! Dave’s just released video #2, with a new song. It’s great!

Then there’s UPS who are still irritating me no end. They won’t deliver to our new studio address in Salt Lake City because the address isn’t in their computer! Yet USPS and Fedex have no problem. I HATE the “our computer says” type of excuse. Fix it! Computers don’t think for themseves, they do whatever humans tell ‘em to do!

This week’s question is all about the t-shirts I wear on the show. What’s the marketing signifcance? Watch the show to discover the answer.

You can now offer printable coupons on your website, thanks to OneMinteCoupons.com, I’l share that nifty click with you this week, it’s really useful.

I love hearing YOUR succes stories, so keep ‘em coming. You can submit your story using the ‘ask andrew’ link at the top of the page, and you can win an incredible prize, something from my travels

A few weeks ago, JetBlue offered an ‘all you can jet’ pass, valid for a month, and it was a major success. Think about how YOU can challenge the existing pricing model of your industry and offer something different, and better.

GotBiz.tv is officially launching 9-9-09, sign up for free updates and offes at GotBiz.tv. I’m excited to launch this new network for you, and all the shows will be free.

Let me know your opinion about the show – simply write a comment below.

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.

Episode #70 – “Apparently, Common Sense isn’t that Common”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

Outsourcing Webinar with John Jonas (replay)

PDF to Word (Converts PDF acrobat documents to editable Word or RTF formats)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

For all those people who can’t figure out how to wrap a towel around themselves, some bright spark has come up with the ‘wearable towel’ – the towel with arm openings! Whatever will they sell next? Is existing towel technology really that hard to figure out?! Check out the promo video in the show, and let me know if YOU would buy one.

There’s a profitable scam going around from “Domain Renewal Group”. They try to get you to renew your existing domains with them, even though you’ve never done business with them before. Watch out for that one!

GotBiz.tv is officially launching 9-9-09, and this week I show you the brand new trailer promoting GotBiz.tv. I’m excited to launch this new network for you, especially as all the shows will be free.

The outsourcing webinar with John Jonas is Wednesday August 26, at 9pm EST – you can view it by here: Outsourcing Webinar

The question this week is all about problem customers. What would you do in the situation described? Let me know by posting a comment below.

I’m impressed with PDFtoWord.com, a free online service that converts PDF files to editable Word or rich text format documents. Very cool.

There’s a new section of the show this week! It’s called ‘Success Stories’ and each week I’ll be featuring someone who has taken positive action from what they’ve learned from the show. You can win a cool prize from my travels – just submit your story using the ‘ask andrew’ link at the top of the page.

The BIG marketing lesson comes from Hyatt hotels who are using social media to engage with their customers – specifically in this example, it’s Twitter. See how you can use the same idea in your business. Look for creative ways to enagage with YOUR customers.

If you’d like to share YOUR favorite little known website, simply write a comment below!

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.

Episode #69 – “If You’re Interested in Time Travel: Meet Me Last Thursday”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

Outrageous Advertising Book (from Amazon)

The Most Successful Outrageous Salesletter (You can download it from here)

Blurb (Full Color Book Printing)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

What’s going on with taxi drivers? I was down in San Diego last weekend and on every trip I took around town, the taxi drivers decided on their own tip, by giving me back my change, LESS their tip! What’s up with that?!

This week’s ‘Ask Andrew’ question is all about web design from…a web designer. That’s okay. Many designers favor form over function, or marketing effectiveness. I’ll give my suggestions, including why you should NOT use flash in your web design if you want it to be found by the search engines.

The ‘nifty click’ resource is a company that enables you to create a bookstore quality book, with a minimum quantity of just one! Price varies according to how many you order, and the number of pages in the book.

The BIG marketing lesson comes from Jamba Juice, who have opened up a new market for themselves by offering a delivery service. Fax your order, and it can be delivered. The key lesson is widening out the way you do business.

If you’d like to share YOUR favorite little known website, simply write a comment below!

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.

Episode #68 – “I Listen to Bands that Don’t Even Exist Yet!”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

Paid for Life (San Diego Charity Seminar)

StockLayouts (Professionally designed marketing materials, ready to use)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

Went to Austin, Texas last week and that was quite an experience. In the Little Long Horn Saloon they play a game that I can only describe as bizarre (but fun).

I have some more outrageous business signs to show you from all over the world, even a few from righ here in the good ‘ol USA!

If you own a small business that serves local customers you’ll probably relate to this weeks question, which is all about how to promote your business in the area without spending a lot of money. Or no money

Now there’s no excuse for not having professional looking marketing materials. This week’s resource, StockLayouts is an amazing find for anyone that needs business cards, postcards, stationery, posters, etc as promotional tools in your business.

Finally, the BIG marketing lesson this week comes from a company called MasterPlans.com – it’s an advanced copywriting strategy that’s incredibly effective at persuading readers. Let me know what you think.

If you’d like to share YOUR favorite little known website, simply write a comment below!

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.

Episode #67 – “Windows: Just Another Pane”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

Paid for Life (San Diego Charity Seminar)

Mesh (Easily share files between computers)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

Great news from Disney!  One of their executives phoned me the other day.  They had watched the episode where I told you about the dining disaster at Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom, Florida.  You’ll discover what they told me and I think you’ll be as pleased as I was.

Thanks to Reuven who alerted me to an excellent video by marketing agency 22Squared.  Let me know what you think of it.

Our question comes from Louie Bernstein, who tells me that he’s needs more people to try his software, so it’s an issue of conversion.  I dissect his website and give some suggestions about how to improve the conversion.  You can apply the same principles to your website.

Microsoft Mesh is a relatively new service that’s currently free.  It allows you to easily transfer files between computers, say a desktop PC in the office with a laptop you use when you travel.  I used to use a service called ‘BeInSync’ which worked well until the company went out of business!  At least Microsoft aren’t going anywhere, so I feel good about using their service.  Actually, it’s very impressive.

The BIG marketing lesson is from the restaurant chain TGI Friday’s.  The way they promote their loyalty scheme is very impressive.  There’s 3 key points that I want you to take away to adapt in your business.  See if you can spot them.

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.

Episode #66 – “Global Warming: All the Cool Planets are Doing” It

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

Lifehacker (Great blog for busy business owners)

TubeMogul (Free video distribution)

Traffic Geyser (Premium service video distribution)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

I start this week’s show with an amusing exchange between one of those Nigerian scammers and an Australian guy, and it all happened on Skype.

Awhile back Business Week had an issue that featured ‘the pet economy’, which, it turns out is not just big, but HUGE business, and maybe that could include you too?

This week’s question is probably on your mind too – how do you promote your site better? See if the tips I give can be applied to your website.

I love Lifehacker. It’s a difficult to describe blog with an amazing array of useful content. At least, I think so. Let me know what YOU think of it.

The BIG marketing lesson is from M&M’s candies, or is that sweets as we say in Britain? It’s a marketing concept that most businesses can adopt.

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.

Episode #65 – “Let Me Drop Everything and Work on YOUR Problem ”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

AVG Anti-Virus Software (Get it – it’s free!)

Money From Social Media (Free guides about profiting from social media)

‘United Breaks Guitars’ (Full video on YouTube)

Top 20 Viral Videos (take a look at these for ideas and inspiration)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

Another packed show for you this week…

Have you heard about the ‘United Breaks Guitars’ video that’s gone viral online? I talk about that, and how United Airlines really dropped the ball. They now look like a bunch of fools in my opinion because they acted too late.

I’ll also announce the winner of the Magical Marketing Experience competition for 2009/10. I’m thrilled to give this tremendous prize to a very deserving winner. If you entered, it could be you…

The ‘ask andrew’ question is all about creating viral media. I’ll explain that although it’s impossible to design something that’s guaranteed to go viral, there are some principles you can learn and understand that will at least help you go in the right direction.

How about a nice new nifty click? When I buy a new computer there’s one important piece of software I install before I do anything else with it. Any idea what it is? Well, it’s free, and you can find out more in this episode.

The BIG marketing lesson is from Delta airlines. They’ve done something very different, and it’s a great idea that you can adapt to help your business.

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.

Episode #64 – “I Like to Think Outside the Quadrilateral Parallelogram ”

Websites and resources mentioned in the show:

Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)

Benefits of the Magical Mastermind Group (before entering the competition)

Roboform (hint use coupon code:NEVR1 for 20% off today) (Remembers your login details and passwords for websites)

NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)

Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)

Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)

A bumper show for you this week…

I talk about how AEG Live turned lemons into lemonade with the Michael Jackson concerts. They stood to lose more than 80 million dollars in ticket sales, (which, incidentally is more than I make in a month ) but they’ve quickly transformed their business in a dramatic way.  Last week, they collected more than 1.6 million names and email addresses of Michael Jackson fans – that is EXTREMELY valuable alone.

My magical mastermind experience has been finalized, and YOU now have an opportunity to be part of the group for the new season from July 2009 for the next 12 months (more details here)

THE COMPETITION

I explain how to enter the competition in this week’s video, and as a reminder here’s the 3 questions you need to answer:

1. What business are you in?

2. What marketing ideas have you learned and implemented from watching the show, and what have the results been?

3. Why are you a good candidate for the Magical Mastermind Experience over the next 12 months?

To enter, post your reply as a comment on this blog (scroll down this page).
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Carlos Menendez wrote and asked for tips about creating an effective TV commercial, so I’m happy to oblige with 4 essential components.

Ever get frustrated at trying to remember your login details and passwords for all the websites you visit?  Worry no longer because I have a very cool nifty click resource for you, and it’s free!

Lastly, DirecTV show us how to expand our business into other areas.  You might be surprised at who they’re attracting as clients for their satellite TV service…

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the QuickTime version.