Ideas for Business

"Mommy, why did Sony give you those cameras and send you to San Diego?" asked my son Nathan.

"Because I'm an Influential Blogger,"  I replied.

"No you're not!" Nathan said. (My kid thinks I'm an idiot. Great.)

"Yes, I am an Influential Blogger. The folks at Sony even said so. Hey Nathan, do you know what influential even means?" I asked.

"Uh, no." he said.

I love Nathan but he's a typical eight-year-old boy - a smart ass who means well, but unfortunately can't find his own rear end with two hands. In this he bears a strange resemblance to the people who pitch their products to me. They're clueless when it comes to intelligently marketing products to women, and downright pathetic when it comes to pitching to mommy bloggers.

There are exceptions of course, like several of the book publicists, PR firms, and companies I work with regularly. They know I'm busy, spell my name right, and actually take the time to read my blogs before they pitch to me. I like working with them because they send me good stuff that I'm interested in reviewing or writing about.

Well, I'm going to have to add RocketXL and Sony to that list. Like my colleague Charlie Kondek at MS&L said in his post, BlogHer Business: It's Not About You, It's About Them:

...in approaching bloggers, it's not about you, the agency, the brand, the company, it's about them, the blogger, the customer. Talk to these bloggers...the way you'd talk to your customers.

The Sony Mommy Blogger Event

And boy did Sony and Rocket get it right during the Sony Mommy Blogger Event. Fourteen of us mommy bloggers were flown to San Diego to stay at La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. We were wined and dined and hung out with Sony executives. We got complimentary massages and chocolate. We stayed in gorgeous rooms with the most comfortable beds on the planet. (I lucked out and got a suite with a name, not a room number, and a TV in the bathroom.) For me, it was also a trip down memory lane. My father loved dining at La Valencia and the Mediterranean Room was the scene of many family dinners.

O.K. food, booze, and relaxation. Fine. But it was exciting to meet other bloggers. There's nothing like having a conversation without having to explain what a blog is...or an RSS feed, Twitter, or why companies go to mom bloggers to market to other moms. I was finally among my peeps. Oh joy.

Sony's Mom Friendly Products

Sony gave us all a Sony Cybershot DSCW170, a Sony Alpha DSLRA350 Digital SLR Camera, and the Sony HDR-SR11 10MP 60GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder. I also got a pink child's headset for my daughter, Lucie and a blue one for Nathan. It's anyone's guess how Sony knew both kids had recently broken their headsets when playing with their Leapsters.

We also had group lessons from photography expert Me Ra Koh. I learned more from Me Ra in a few hours than I ever learned in all the photography classes I took in high school and college. I think it's because like all of us at the event, she's a mom and understands how difficult it is to get your gorgeous kids to look half way normal in a photograph.

Now if she could only show me how to make Nathan stop making faces when I try to take a picture. Sigh.

Their Pitch and Our Response

As I expected, Andrea at RocketXL was going to wrap the event up with a pitch of sorts, explaining what they're doing to connect companies with bloggers and how they're marketing to moms.

That's when it became our time to talk and their time to listen. The folks at Rocket didn't mind that we took over because we were all on the same page. They know we want good information and products that make our lives easier as moms. They know we don't want to get mass emails where our names are spelled wrong. (Use the same font, too, dammit.)

Instead, bloggers want to build relationships with publicists, PR firms and companies where our feedback is welcomed. We know we're a valuable part of the marketing mix, and we want to be treated accordingly. (Buy some ad space, you guys.)

It also means if they want us to run a contest, they need to do the fulfillment. Companies should also offer good stuff to our readers, like $100 gift cards, not a box of juice. Why should we take the time to give them buzz and bear all the expenses?

And please take the time to read our blogs to find out what write about, o.k.?

Drinking the Sony Kool-Aid

As I was riding the elevator with Erika of Plain Jane Mom on my way to the check out desk, we were discussing how we were getting all our new toys home. She said she was only going to ship the boxes, cords, and manuals in the big box Sony provided. Instead, Erika decided to take her cameras with her on the plane so she could keep using them.

Then I realized that I missed my Sony Alpha SLR! I was jonesing for a camera? How weird is that? I guess Sony had me hook, line and sinker. (Or should I say F-stop, flash and LCD screen?)

I love my new cameras. My sweet, blue Cybershot goes everywhere with me. In fact, I love them so much I dropped $50 on camera cases this afternoon at Staples, which is about $45 more than I spent on the kids today.

So if you see a lady busy snapping pictures of her two dopey kids - or her food - stop by and say, "Hey, Sony Mom!" That's me.

"Mommy, why did Sony give you those cameras and send you to San Diego?" asked my son Nathan.

"Because I'm an Influential Blogger,"  I replied.

"No you're not!" Nathan said. (My kid thinks I'm an idiot. Great.)

"Yes, I am an Influential Blogger. The folks at Sony even said so. Hey Nathan, do you know what influential even means?" I asked.

"Uh, no." he said.

I love Nathan but he's a typical eight-year-old boy - a smart ass who means well, but unfortunately can't find his own rear end with two hands. In this he bears a strange resemblance to the people who pitch their products to me. They're clueless when it comes to intelligently marketing products to women, and downright pathetic when it comes to pitching to mommy bloggers.

There are exceptions of course, like several of the book publicists, PR firms, and companies I work with regularly. They know I'm busy, spell my name right, and actually take the time to read my blogs before they pitch to me. I like working with them because they send me good stuff that I'm interested in reviewing or writing about.

Well, I'm going to have to add RocketXL and Sony to that list. Like my colleague Charlie Kondek at MS&L said in his post, BlogHer Business: It's Not About You, It's About Them:

...in approaching bloggers, it's not about you, the agency, the brand, the company, it's about them, the blogger, the customer. Talk to these bloggers...the way you'd talk to your customers.

The Sony Mommy Blogger Event

And boy did Sony and Rocket get it right during the Sony Mommy Blogger Event. Fourteen of us mommy bloggers were flown to San Diego to stay at La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. We were wined and dined and hung out with Sony executives. We got complimentary massages and chocolate. We stayed in gorgeous rooms with the most comfortable beds on the planet. (I lucked out and got a suite with a name, not a room number, and a TV in the bathroom.) For me, it was also a trip down memory lane. My father loved dining at La Valencia and the Mediterranean Room was the scene of many family dinners.

O.K. food, booze, and relaxation. Fine. But it was exciting to meet other bloggers. There's nothing like having a conversation without having to explain what a blog is...or an RSS feed, Twitter, or why companies go to mom bloggers to market to other moms. I was finally among my peeps. Oh joy.

Sony's Mom Friendly Products

Sony gave us all a Sony Cybershot DSCW170, a Sony Alpha DSLRA350 Digital SLR Camera, and the Sony HDR-SR11 10MP 60GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder. I also got a pink child's headset for my daughter, Lucie and a blue one for Nathan. It's anyone's guess how Sony knew both kids had recently broken their headsets when playing with their Leapsters.

We also had group lessons from photography expert Me Ra Koh. I learned more from Me Ra in a few hours than I ever learned in all the photography classes I took in high school and college. I think it's because like all of us at the event, she's a mom and understands how difficult it is to get your gorgeous kids to look half way normal in a photograph.

Now if she could only show me how to make Nathan stop making faces when I try to take a picture. Sigh.

Their Pitch and Our Response

As I expected, Andrea at RocketXL was going to wrap the event up with a pitch of sorts, explaining what they're doing to connect companies with bloggers and how they're marketing to moms.

That's when it became our time to talk and their time to listen. The folks at Rocket didn't mind that we took over because we were all on the same page. They know we want good information and products that make our lives easier as moms. They know we don't want to get mass emails where our names are spelled wrong. (Use the same font, too, dammit.)

Instead, bloggers want to build relationships with publicists, PR firms and companies where our feedback is welcomed. We know we're a valuable part of the marketing mix, and we want to be treated accordingly. (Buy some ad space, you guys.)

It also means if they want us to run a contest, they need to do the fulfillment. Companies should also offer good stuff to our readers, like $100 gift cards, not a box of juice. Why should we take the time to give them buzz and bear all the expenses?

And please take the time to read our blogs to find out what write about, o.k.?

Drinking the Sony Kool-Aid

As I was riding the elevator with Erika of Plain Jane Mom on my way to the check out desk, we were discussing how we were getting all our new toys home. She said she was only going to ship the boxes, cords, and manuals in the big box Sony provided. Instead, Erika decided to take her cameras with her on the plane so she could keep using them.

Then I realized that I missed my Sony Alpha SLR! I was jonesing for a camera? How weird is that? I guess Sony had me hook, line and sinker. (Or should I say F-stop, flash and LCD screen?)

I love my new cameras. My sweet, blue Cybershot goes everywhere with me. In fact, I love them so much I dropped $50 on camera cases this afternoon at Staples, which is about $45 more than I spent on the kids today.

So if you see a lady busy snapping pictures of her two dopey kids - or her food - stop by and say, "Hey, Sony Mom!" That's me.

PPC, or pay per click, isn´t always an instant success. In fact, there are several areas where you can end up in trouble with PPC and small businesses, with their smaller advertising budgets, are more likely to face these issues. Here are just a few of the most common ones.

PPC Problem #1: Lots of clicks, no sales.

There are two things that could be going on here. One, your landing page may need revising and two, it´s possible that your ad isn´t clear enough. If people think you mean one thing and really you mean another, they´ll click, realize their mistake and leave. This costs you money, so make sure that you are very clear in your ad copy. Likewise, if your landing page isn´t convincing or doesn´t offer what the ad promises, people will leave.

PPC Problem #2: No clicks.

When you aren´t getting any clicks at all, you might need to rethink your ad copy. It might help to hire a professional copywriter to do the ad for you. And, make sure it´s being shown on relevant pages. Sometimes PPC ads end up appearing on random sites that have nothing to do with their real topic, so check that your keywords are clear.

PPC Problem #3: Super high rates for your chosen keywords.

It´s not always a good idea to get that first place with the best keywords. Try using different, less popular keywords, long-tail keywords, etc. You might be surprised to find that you can get just as many hits from much less money spent on several lower traffic keywords. Experiment and determine which is best for you.

Obviously these aren´t all the issues you could face with PPC, but they are quite common. It really helps to make sure you look for a solution long before these issues become a big problem, or you could end up spending all your advertising budget on things that don´t work!

Caroline
Small Business Mavericks
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One of the most entertaining keynote presentations at the Web 2.0 Expo by far was delivered by Forbes journalist, Dan Lyons. It’s a 15 minute long story of how Dan came to start the Fake Steve Jobs blog, it’s success and lessons learned. He also makes fun of EVERYONE. Enjoy:

Sponsored By: TopRank Internet Marketing Services SEO, Social Media, Online PR and Email Marketing

Video Fake Steve Jobs Keynote - Web 2.0 Expo was orgionally published at http://www.TopRankBlog.com

Internet marketing isn´t all about hype and spammy emails. In fact, you´ll probably have much better luck if you don´t use the same tactics as many internet marketers. That being said, internet marketing can be a great way to market your small business when you are ready to move on from fliers and newspaper ads.

Internet marketing of your business can be a bit confusing when you are first starting out, so here are some tips and tricks.

• Make lots of friends. Making connections online can really help you. Joint ventures are an excellent way to market a business in conjunction with someone else.
• Start an email list. Without this, you´re losing a huge percentage of your potential business.
• Jump on opportunities for publicity. Don´t be afraid to accept if someone asks you to do a guest post for their blog or if they want you to do an interview. Even if you´re nervous, accept, since this can be an incredible opportunity for your business.

You don´t need to have a lot of advertising bucks to start with internet marketing. It´s pretty much guaranteed to grow your business and you´ll find that it really isn´t as scary as you thought.

Caroline
Small Business Mavericks
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