The Web places an astonishing, open-hearted abundance of marketing
tools and specialized resources at your fingertips.
So, which ones are worth YOUR time?
Our Top Ten Marketing Tools:
Free Internet Resources
For Consultants and Other Professionals
INTUITION, Instinct, Inner Knowing...
1 - "How To Think With Your Gut"
This article in Business 2.0 magazine illuminates our interview
with Jeannette Samanen on intuition, or instinct, that we featured
in a recent "Marketing Energizer."
Intuition is not just for sissies. The Business 2.0 article
reveals...
"...The most brilliant decisions tend to come from
the gut.
"While that observation is not new, it is now backed by
a growing body of research from economics, neurology,cognitive
psychology, and other fields. What the science suggests is that
intuition -- or instinct, or hunch, or "learning without
awareness," or whatever you want to call it -- is a real
form of knowledge.
It may be nonrational, ineffable, and not always easy to get
in touch with, but it can process more information on a more
sophisticated level than most of us ever dreamed."
How can you get in touch with your gut to take advantage of
this practical marketing tool? Find out in the "Archives"
in the November 01, 2002 issue of Business 2.0.
(If you missed our interview, "Intuition For Peak Performance:
5 Practical Steps You Can Take Now," click
here)
INSPIRATION And Motivation...
2 - "PowerQuotes" -- That Perfect Quote Always
At Your Beck And Call
When you're tired or "down," would you like a fast
emotional lift as close as your email?
Then, you're a candidate to subscribe to Kevin Eikenberry's
short, sweet daily ration of provocative "PowerQuotes."
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every
man has many--not on your past misfortunes, of which all men
have some."
-- Charles Dickens, Novelist
To subscribe or to snag that just-right quote from Kevin's archives...
3 - "Wake-up, Brain" -- Your Monday Morning Brain
Booster
Joyce Wycoff's Innovation Network Newsletter, "Wake-up,
Brain," never fails to challenge us with new insights
and angles. A recent issue explored curiosity and how we can
promote it among our family and co-workers.
"The important thing is not to stop questioning.
Curiosity has its own reason for existing"
-- Albert Einstein
You'll find the complete article in the archives at the
thinksmart
site...
While you're at the site, you can subscribe to "Wake-up,
Brain" there.
INSIGHTS Into Web Marketing...
4 - Free "Service Sellers Masters Course"
For do-it-yourselfers, Ken Evoy's free course spills the secrets
of selling your services on the web. We can't believe that anyone
would give away so much insiders' know-how free. The 10-day
e-mail course is packed with A-to-Z steps and expert how-to-do-it
guidance.
"Being a GREAT SERVICE SELLER is *NOT* about selling...
It's about PREselling."
Discover how to pre-sell in your free "Service Sellers
Masters Course." Just send the email request -- no subject
necessary -- to tsmsmarketenergy@sitesell.net
5 - "High Rankings" Without Tomfoolery
Jill Whalen's been doing it since 1995 -- search engine optimization.
That's a fancy phrase for all the techniques in her toolbox to
boost your web pages to the top of the search engines. And that's
an invaluable marketing tool if you have a web site!
And she does it the same way we get top rankings for our clients
-- without tomfoolery. No doorway pages, no hidden text, no tricky
code.
Her reliable techniques last and last. They don't vanish with
the latest hiccup at Google or Yahoo as they once again try to
outmaneuver the tricksters hogging top listings. Equally important,
she guides her readers and subscribers to produce a site that
provides value for their visitors.
What better example than her site! You'll discover solid, honest, do-it-yourself
guidance there...
Or sign up
for the weekly ezine "High Rankings"...
INFORMATION About Technology...
6 - "The Harrow Technology Report" -- Don't Blink
The is our top must-read to keep ahead of the technology curve.
We subscribed to Jeffrey Harrow's report when he was with Digital
then Compaq and now with his firm the Harrow Group.
Here's a snippet from his "ongoing journey towards understanding,
and profiting from, a world of exponential technological growth!"
The "Purple (Almost) Brain?"
How's that for a cryptic title? In the past few seconds your
brain has probably spent a fair amount of processing power trying
to figure out what I'm talking about. Which is -- that the day
seems to be getting uncomfortably close when computers WILL be
approaching the estimated computing power of the human brain.
In fact, according to some, that day will be in 2003!
This gets interesting, considering that IBM has recently been
awarded a $290-million contract to produce two "ASCI Purple"
supercomputers. When working together, they will operate at "500
trillion calculations per second, more than1.5-times the combined
processing power..." of the 500 fastest supercomputers in
the world today -- combined. And ASCI Purple will have 50 terabytes
of memory (half that of your brain.)
There's much, much more about computers and other subjects
in every weekly report from Jeffrey Harrow.
If you like this sort of thing (We do!), the fastest and easiest
method to sign up for the weekly newsletter is to
go to this Web page and follow its instructions...
INSIDER Know-How...
7- Paul Hartunian's "Million Dollar Publicity
Strategies"
Paul's an expert in the marketing tool that encompasses publicity.
To present the value of his free newsletter we can't do better
than this valuable nugget from a recent issue:
"When most people think about sending out press releases,
they typically think of printing out the release on 8-1/2 x 11"
paper and either mailing it or faxing it to the media.
"I have no idea why, but people rarely think of using
postcards in their publicity campaigns. They're cheap and easy
to use. But they have one other enormous benefit - they MUST
be read. It's not possible for someone to get a postcard and
not at least glance at it.
"How many times have you received an envelope and tossed
it in the trash without even opening it? But how many times have
you received a postcard and tossed it out without reading it
or at least glancing at it. Can't be done.
"The most obvious way to use postcards is to print your
full-sized release on 8-1/2 x 11" postcard paper. Printers
often call this paper vellum bristol.
"Pick a nice color vellum bristol and have your release
printed on one side. There is no perfect color, so don't obsess
about that. Any color but white is fine as long as the release
is easy to read.
"On the other side, just have your return address and
the name and address of the media person. Don't put anything
else. Don't put "teaser copy" like "Turn this
postcard over for an exciting story". It'll kill the power
of your postcard release.
If you wrote your release according to my formula, you won't
need anything else on the front. Your press release will speak
for itself. It'll look great. It'll be powerful. It'll jump right
off the page at the reporter.
"These large postcards do take some extra postage, but
I've found them to be very powerful and worth every penny.
There's more eye-popping information on Paul's site. While
there, sign up for his
free ezine "Million Dollar Publicity Strategies"...
8 - "7 Ways To Create Loyal And Responsive Subscribers"
As soon as we saw Paul Myers' article, we asked for permission
to put it on our web site for you. Paul, a splendid writer, excels
at building "empires" out of newsletter subscribers.
The articles about "7 things you can do, right now, to
develop and maintain the trust and feeling of connection that
will help to get your subscribers more active, involved, and
likely to buy."
Discover
all 7 tips here ...
9 - Ideas To Borrow From One Tremendously Successful Marketing
Maven
A great way to raise your marketing I.Q. is to study the inventive,
in-a-class-by-themselves practitioners.
Introducing...Alex Mandossian.
We heard him speak at a System II Web Marketing Conference
in September. Alex outclassed a classy roster of speakers.
Clearly, Alex has re-invented the process of nurturing prospect
relationships. Whatever you're now doing, it's not nearly enough.
And, remember, the marketing tools you glean from Alex are
as applicable in the print world as they are online.
Go to his site and sign
up for the download of the three free chapters from his "Market
With Post Cards" e-book...
Take note of everything he does from then on.
Not only will you get an extraordinary lesson, but you can
also get a free consultation that gives you a "Guerrilla
Marketing" Marketing Plan.
10 - Roger Prichard's Fountain Of Referrals
Roger is a sensational technology consultant and an effortless
marketer. Here's why...
Marketing is never a separate activity, but it arises from
and permeates every aspect of his work. His marketing strategy
and his consulting practice are one.
You didn't think we'd leave out the "Marketing Energizer"
as a valuable resource for marketing tools, did you?
When we look back on "The Marketing Energizer's"
career, way back to 1996 and our first issue -- this interview
with Roger Prichard -- we knew we were onto something. But we
couldn't look ahead and experience our amazement at its power
every time we return to that first issue.
Roger is a friend through our historic preservation work.
And our "inner knowing" urged us to forge ahead and
request that initial interview.
If you haven't read this "Referrals" article
recently, please re-read it now. It's that good!
Then, revisit it at least once a year. You'll get ideas to
generate more
referrals each time you encounter its wisdom.
It's called "Master The Art
of Attracting Referrals To Build Your Ideal Practice"
...
That's 10.
But you know how much we're committed to overdelivering. Besides,
it wasn't possible to stop at 10. We couldn't, for example, ignore
the brilliant, irrepressible Jerry Wilson.
11 - So Here's Jerry
We share three nuggets from our report on an all-day
session with marketing guru Jerry Wilson:
1. Great question from Jerry that leads to the "second
sale" and referrals:
"What can I do today to get this current client as a
client tomorrow...and forever?"
2. Spend money in the right place -- on the relationship.
3. Another of Jerry's Rules to Remember: "People don't
buy because they like you, rather they buy because they perceive
that you like them.
"Go for the emotional connection that comes from your
heart not your mind."
There's lots more. Discover
more of Jerry Wilson's marketing tools on his web site...
And if you haven't signed up for
"The Marketing Energizer, you'll get more practical marketing
tools, techniques, and ideas...
