March 21, 2010 by Dave Clough.

I created a video of a presentation that I did on Internet Marketing at Enterprise Bank in Acton, MA.  We had almost 30  people stuffed into a very small conference room.  I posted it on Vimeo because I could upload the whole thing, while  YouTube only allows 10 minute videos, so I’ll have to upload it in 4 or 5 pieces (I may still do that), and yes, the presentation is over 40 minutes with questions.

 I discussed how Social Media can help your page rank in Google.and how it can generate business is you have a landing page.  I also mentioned email marketing and other internet marketing strategies.  Take a look and let me know your thoughts by commenting.  I’d love the feedback.

I help small businesses get more clients using internet marketing strategies, because, as I say in the video, it allows you to compete with the big boys without needed to match their marketing budget.  This is because you can succeed with Social Media by only investing your time.  If you don’t understand how to do it, hire someone like me to show you how.  Once you know how to do it, stick with it and use social media regularly.

Dave Clough, mPowerAdvisors.com

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October 18, 2009 by Dave Clough.

I’ve gotten feedback from attorneys that they are not comfortable providing information to a broad base for marketing purposes.  The worry is that it will be viewed as advice, and then used in a different context than it was intended.  This could have negative repercussions.  But I believe this could be overcome with a little imagination, while still staying in the safe zone.

One piece that should not be questioned is a case study, which can demonstrate knowledge, expertise and experience of the attorney or attorneys involved.  It can also be a case that the attorney with which the attorney was not involved to show the attorneys attention to cases relevant to his specialty, or to inform her past, current and potential client base.

As I dig deeper into the safe marketing zone for lawyers, I will post more entries.  So check back soon or set up an RSS feed (by clicking the “Entries (RSS)” link in the bottom left “Meta” box.

Dave Clough – www.mpoweradvisors.com

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October 18, 2009 by Dave Clough.

People think of marketing as this big task with expensive branding and strategy, and graphic design, and brochures and folders with multiple pieces of literature with lots of graphics and ads in magazines and newspapers and yellow pages, etc, etc, etc.  I’d like to dispel that myth that this is all required.  I’ve seen many companies with almost non-existent marketing budgets produce some effective marketing.  It is effective because it accomplishes its goal; to fill the funnel with prospects and opportunities.

 I’m not saying that a company should start broadcasting its message without knowing who they are trying to attract.  That would be a waste of time, even if it costs almost no money.  Before anyone starts getting their message out, they should know at least two things: Who their target customer is, and What they are going to offer that customer.  Once the business entity knows these two things, it can start testing the message.  Now one just needs to know where to find the target customer.

Except for online ads, Electronic marketing costs almost nothing and is affordable on any budget.  If you have email addresses for customers, then I’d start with an eNewsletter.  If you do not have email addresses, then I’d get a website with a blog and start putting newsletter type content in that.  Someone can got to 1and1.com and pay around $5/mo and get a basic website (domain name for about $8/yr) with a blog.  It is easy and now you are in business.  From there, I’d get the social media engine going (some call all this Web 2.0). 

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May 2, 2009 by Dave Clough.

If one believes the small business confidence indicators that say we are at a 14 month high, maybe we have hit bottom.  If so, wouldn’t it be the right time to invest in your business?  Maybe now is the exact right time to look for opportunities  that will make your company stronger in the recovery.

Knowing a companies Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) is essential to success. Right now I’d like to focus on the opportunities because of the timing.  Other businessess may not have weathered the storm as well as you have, or they believe the economy will be stagnant for quite some time and are not sure they can hang on.  If one of these companies could help your business grow, now may be the perfect time.  Maybe it is a competitor or maybe a complementary or supplimental business that will make your company stronger in the recovery.

Those that are strong enough to survive this recession can thrive in the recovery with strategic forethought.  Contact me if you’d like to explore these posibilities in your business.

Dave Clough — www.mPowerAdvisors.com

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December 21, 2008 by Dave Clough.

In today’s economy, most businesses are not growing because their customer base is struggling.  Rather then throw up your hands and believe you just have to ride it out with everyone else, why not take this time to take a hard look at your business.   Think about who might be doing well in this economy and see it that segment could become another segment of your business. 

Companies that are doing well may not be hard to find.  Consider companies that are involved in foreclosures, reposession, or law suits.  Initially you may feel that you are acting like a vulture, but these companies may need what you offer to handle the volume, and the business world needs the fate of the weaker companies to be resolved before a steady rise can be sustained.  The results are likely inevitable, so if your company can help clean up the mess, why not participate?

 As a first step, do a SWOT (Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis to see where your strengths may line up with opportunites.  That might be the first area to consider if it aligns with your vision and values (if you don’t have a company vision and values, you need to get there because you are driving down the highway without directions).

So, first decide that you are not going to participate in this recession; second if you don’t have a vision or values, develop them; thirdly, look for opportunities that align with you strenghts, and lastly, make yourself known in that new segement through marketing (develop you USP, Unique Selling Proposition)and sales (call direct once you have your USP).  If you need help with any of this, mPower Advisors is well versed in all areas mentioned above.

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August 1, 2007 by Dave Clough.

Email marketing has many advantages:

1. It is very inexpensive to deliver
2. The customers can get to know you personally, building trust
3. You can tailor it better than any other direct mail piece
4. You can embed surveys to know your customers better
5. BEST OF ALL you can track all activity and conversions

These are some of the top benefits, and there are more.  A company can realize these benefits if done correctly.  I have one ecommerce client that sees an increase in sales of thousands due to each newsletter.  We know this because it is directly measurable with the email program and website analytics.  Can you say that of a postcard campaign?

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July 5, 2007 by Dave Clough.

I have many clients who only spent money on Yellow Pages ads before I got to them.  Many spend tens of thousands of dollars per year on phone book ads, but they don’t know the return on that investment.  My usual question when I find this out is, “How much do you spend marketing to your existing customer base?”  Many times the answer is $0.00!

I have found (and studies have shown) that it is more cost effective to get more business from your previous and current customers than it is to get business from people who don’t know you.  With that said, I do not advocate that you focus all your budget on your existing base.  It makes most sense to divide your budget evenly, but you will see much more money from past and current customers.

Your existing customer base either knows your contact info and what you do, or they know how to find it.  For these people, a basic ad in the yellow pages is sufficient.  The graphical ads in the yellow pages is really for new customers who have never heard of you.  Local internet campaigns are gaining traction and will become commonplace soon.  If your customers are more than local, you have to be found by Google to get new customers (more on that later).

For your existing base, I recommend direct mail…preferably an email newsletter.  If you don’t have email addresses, make a concious effort to get them from everyone going forward.  Until that time, use postcards and newsletters via US mail to mine your existing customer base for more business.

More on building an email list in a future blog…

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