How to Utterly Fail at Lead Generation

Any marketer with a solid idea in mind and with the know-how on how to put that plan into action will be able to execute an effective lead generation campaign. On the opposite end, a marketer that has no idea on what he/she is doing and doesn't even know where to begin will utterly fail at lead generation.

When it comes to doing marketing, we want to succeed at what we are doing. Failure would, of course, cost the company we are working for a lot more than we think it will. Many missed opportunities simply translate to a lot of missed sales. And well, missed sales means that you have missed to get yourself an increase in your revenue.

In running a lead generation campaign, we want to know all the right steps so that we don't get anything done wrong. However, this post isn't going to teach you about how to succeed at generating leads, rather it's going to teach you about how you can fail at it so you can avoid making mistakes when running your campaign.

Are you ready to learn how to fail? Let's get it on then!

Make sure to call every company you can.

When it comes to lead generation, B2B telemarketing is one of the most widely used approaches. So if you want to fail at performing lead generation, it is recommended that you call every single company you can. It doesn't matter what industry you're from, just keep calling whoever you can reach!

Your company has a target industry that you should be marketing your products and services to. Focusing your attempts on your target industry will maximize your chances of generating good leads. But that doesn't really matter when you want to fail at generating leads now, does it?

DNC list'? What DNC list?

As stated in the previous point, telemarketing is often used when it comes to lead generation. So if you're making use of the phone to get leads, you of course know of the existence of the DNC (Do Not Call) list. This list contains records of companies that do not want to receive calls from telemarketers. Making sure to follow this list is how you can make sure to stay out of trouble.

Well that's not a problem if you want to run your company into legal issues. Simply say to yourself 'what DNC list?', acting as if you have never even heard about the existence of companies who do not want you to call them.

Ignore interested prospects.

When you have a prospect that you have contacted and seems interested in your company, you would normally follow-up with them at a later time to see if they can become a lead or not. As such, generating business to business leads is all about making sure to follow-up with your interested prospects.

But since we want to fail here, we should instead do the opposite of giving those interested in what we do our attention; we shall ignore them! An interested prospect will most likely become a lead for your company, but you should not care about their level of interest or pay attention to them if you want your campaign to hit rock bottom.

So, what do you think about our tips on how to utterly fail your lead generation campaign? Do you think you can be a better failure? If you can, share your thoughts with us on what you think kills a lead generation campaign!

Online Reputation Management: Defending Your Company from Google Defamation

Have you ever conducted a Google search for your own name? For most of us, the answer to that question is affirmative. Call it curiosity, or call it a matter of ego, but we all want to know what kind of information is out there about us and what people are saying about us on the Web.

It's not just our own names, either'it's also our brands. When you own a business, you pour an awful lot of time and energy into it; it becomes your baby. You care about what people say and don't want anyone to badmouth it.

This is not a matter of vanity. Actually, it is an extremely important aspect of B2B marketing in the 'Age of Google'. What a search engine reveals about your company matters immensely. In fact, it could prove utterly make-or-break.

Why Online Reputation Matters

Why does it matter so much? Simply put, consumers are turning more and more to the Internet as a way of informing and validating their purchasing decisions. They consult online reviews before committing to spend money on any products or services'and they keep their eyes open for any potential online complaints or negative BBB listingsl.

If an online search turns up only positive information about your brand, that is great news. Sadly, not all business owners can say that all of their brand's related content is positive. Negative reviews and unwanted listings can come from any number of sources'real consumers, business rivals, and frustrated employees'and their veracity matters very little. If your brand name is associated with negative online listings, you can bet that it will lead to decreased sales, lost customers, and overall embarrassment.

That's why so many companies are investing in the practice known as online reputation management'an endeavor that essentially entails seeking to control the first ten Google search listings for a given brand.

Why The First Ten?

Why do reputation management campaigns typically center on the first page of Google search results'the first ten listings, and no more? Consider that it would be impossible to prevent people from posting negative reviews about a company; consider also, that it is impossible to have existing listings removed. The best approach is to control the damage by managing your brand's online reputation as effectively as possible.

Studies have shown that the best way to do this is by focusing on that first page of Google. Most online search engine users'90%, in fact'never click beyond that initial page of results. As such, a negative listing on Google page 1 is a very big deal. However, a negative listing on, say page 3 is a virtual non-issue because so few people will ever see.

If you want to control the way your business is presented on the Internet, then the answer is simple enough: Control the first ten Google listings. Of course, this is easier said than done, but there are a few tried-and-true techniques that any company can use to their advantage.

Controlling Google Page 1

It all begins with monitoring. Regularly Googling your brand is a good way to stay up-to-date on what people are saying about it. Setting up Google alerts can also prove helpful.

From there, work on building up your online assets. Think about it this way: your goal is to control the first page, which means controlling at least ten online assets. The trick is finding ten online assets that you can use to populate the first page.

Start with exact-match domain names. These might include YourBrand.com, .org, and .net. These exact-match listings will yield the best results in terms of search engine rankings. Additionally, seek out social media accounts'again, registering for account names that match your company identity.

Remember that some social networks are better than others, in terms of ranking well on Google. Facebook and Twitter are both beneficial, but the best social media platform for obtaining Google ranking success is, believe it or not, LinkedIn. Another good one is WordPress, a much higher-ranking platform than Tumblr or Blogger.

These assets can ultimately be used to form a sort of defensive wall, insulating you from online attack and negative reviews. For this strategy to work however, content creation is key. It's important to regularly develop content that will populate these online assets, thus keeping them highly ranked within Google.

To control the first ten Google search listings concerning your brand, is to control your company's very online reputation'which means that, in the Age of Google, these tactics simply cannot be neglected if you wish for your business to succeed.

The Past, Present, and Future of Brochure Marketing

If you were asked which traditional marketing tool is still present and strong nowadays, what would be the first thing that will come in your mind? You might start off with flyers, business cards, posters, but how about brochures? These creative prints presented in various folding have been around for years and is worth the recognition when it comes to top advertising tools.

Maybe right now you're thinking if you should really spend your time learning on why brochures are a boom in the marketing world. But if you'll just look around you, you're sure to find one being kept in your place. So why is it like that? To fully understand the power that brochures have in marketing, let's take a quick trip on its past, present, and future.

How It All Started

Let's take a step back and look at the history of printing just to get a glimpse on where brochures entered the scene.

In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg started his printing press which can be the mark of the commercial printing done nowadays. However, the Ancient Chinese already started using inks on wooden blocks as a form of printing even before Gutenberg had his machine. From thereon, businesses found their way of communicating with a larger target market. You can say that at this point, brochures have been born as a part of the printed advertisements ' but maybe without the decorative folding yet.

Where It Is Now

With the role being played by brochures aside from promotions, people have become more attached to it. You can always find one on every store and even institutions since these are also used for educational purposes.

If that's not enough, some research made shows that 75% of people who notice brochures think that these are useful for information resource. Also, 63% of the respondents agree that these prints help them learn about the activities of a certain area when the tools are displayed on stands. Now, these figures definitely say something on how brochures are being perceived by consumers at present.

What Will Happen Next

Even when there are various forms of advertising being done, you cannot immediately say that brochure marketing would disappear just like that. As you've noticed, it's somehow strong in attracting the attention of the people, plus it also provides the right information and educates them.

It's not just all about marketing at this point. The effect that brochures leave on people does not only include their choice for purchasing but even the idea of learning something new.

So now that you've gotten a clear picture on what awaits brochure marketing, you might already be convinced that this strategy is worth the investment. Just remember the factors that would make the prints work best for you. These are design, printing, and distribution. Learn how to properly mix these parts and you can get the most out of your brochures for sure.

This article is an original contribution by Roxanne Reyes.

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4 Things Your Ecommerce Business Needs To Survive Cyber Monday

Ecommerce Cyber Monday Preparation

Cyber Monday is only a few days away and making sure your business is ready for it is essential to success. Shoppers will spend an estimated $1.25 billion this year on Cyber Monday and as a good business owner you want to get as much of that business as you can handle. So here are 4 essential last minute tips to make sure the day goes smoothly and you make a lot of money.

1. Final Social Push: You have probably been running ads, writing content and running as much PPC advertising possible this month. Now it is time to utilize your social media outlets and reach out to your followers one last time. Let them know what you are planning to offer and how they can get the deal. Reward your social followers with an additional discount if they share your deals via Facebook or Twitter. As they claim your offers give them the chance to brag about your business and the great deal that they got.

2. Check you Sever and Host: So this may not be as fun or exciting as doing a last minute social advertising push but it is equally as important. Your site should be experiencing a lot of traffic and you want to make sure your system is prepared to handle it. With a bullet proof setup you will be able to stick to the sales and not worry about the technical aspects of the day. DO NOT overlook the importance of being technically ready for this huge shopping holiday.

3. Customer Service: Ensure that your customer service team is ready and you have extra staff. You do not want to loose sales because you cannot get back to your customers fast enough. Prep your team for the day and reward them afterwards for a job well done.

4. Build anticipation: Anticipation is priceless and building it with your customers is a great way to have a big sale. You want them checking our site often to see when the deals go live! See how Dell is building anticipation about their Cyber Monday deals here.

These last minute preparations are going to set you business apart from your competition and ensure you have as successful of a holiday as possible. Do you have tips you want to share? Please let us know with a comment.

This article is an original contribution by Brian Jensen.

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3 Things Executives Can Do To Be More Quoted In The News

Executives without media training rarely know when to shut up. When they talk to the press it is all to common for executives to keep talking without an off switch. Just filling the empty air with useless and uninteresting details; effectively hiding the real story. The story they wanted to get out.

I Can't Stop Talking

This verbal Niagara is a dead giveaway of someone not properly prepared by taking media training. Usually because of their own hubris and egos, 'I'm too busy. I don't have the time. Besides, I know how to talk.'

This has very real and painful consequences for them and their company. The reporter now has to sift through a lot of flotsam to find anything worth quoting in their coverage. The executive's real message will likely be lost in the word salad they produce from just winging it, if they get quoted at all.

Or worse, their words will be out of context. Whose fault is that most often? Having personally trained dozens of senior executives to talk successfully with the press, executives who glibly pass on taking training have no one to blame but themselves. Watching executives flame out, who have actively disregarded my protestation on training, is not nearly as heartwarming as you would think. It is just painful and sad.

Quotability Expert

Kare Anderson is is a noted adviser who works with executives to help them get their names and words picked up and repeated by the media. She has a lot of experience, too. She's an Emmy-winning former NBC and Wall Street Journal reporter who now speaks and consults on how to communicate-to-connect and be frequently-quoted. As well, she is a columnist for Forbes, Huffington Post and Harvard Business Review.

While it takes practice with a professional, Kare says it comes down to understanding a few basic principles and applying them smartly.

Elements Of The Prefect Quote

1. Don't talk in generalizations or start with background. Avoid starting with generic or vague comments, or extraneous information.
2. Make it relevant to the person you are speaking with.
3. Start with a fact or question. Use a specific detail that proves the general conclusion.

A.I.R.

Kare calls this A.I.R.

• Make it Actionable.
• Have Interestingness.
• Be Relevant.

Watch The Video Here

Interviewed: Kare Anderson, @KareAnderson Forbes Columnist Author, Speaker, Trainer Kare's website on Quotability Kare's blog on Connectivity

How Customers Want to Be Contacted: Debunking Common Marketing Myths ' Part 3 of 4

The majority of CEOs and entrepreneurs still think that yesterday's aggressive, cold-calling, hard-sell methods are still working. The truth is, using these tactics is more likely to irritate and repel your customer than to make them want to buy from you. How do customers want to be contacted? We answer this question in Part 3 of our 4-part series debunking common marketing and selling myths. If you arrived late to the party, here are Part 1 (How Customers Decide to Buy) and Part 2 (How Customers Choose a Product).

You just sat down to dinner. Your phone rings. You answer it, and a motor-mouth, angry-sounding recorded voice starts yelling in your ear, telling you that 'you have been chosen,' or that 'your credit rating may be in danger,' or that '[So-and-So Candidate] has an urgent message for you!' Click. Back to dinner.

Who on earth are they selling to? Forrest Gump? Someone who will patiently wait through the entire message, and then innocently give his credit card information to a call-out-of-the-blue telemarketer? It's hard to believe there are people that gullible left in the world.

Most people find these pre-recorded, loud-mouth calls to be irritating, intrusive, and unconvincing. The chances of anyone responding positively to this kind of in-your-face approach are very slim indeed. But even the less-intrusive cold calls are not welcome, according to the customers I interview for my clients. They are all saying that they do not want to be contacted this way, and that they will even avoid doing business with any company that does contact them using these outdated methods.

Many marketers would prefer to use less intrusive, more sophisticated methods to contact customers, which is good. But whatever method they use, they always want the method to result in a fuller pipeline and higher conversions. That is the whole point of what they do, after all.

Too bad your customer doesn't care about your pipeline. The customer is only interested in whatever the customer is interested in, and ignores everything else. He doesn't mind being contacted, but it better be relevant. That means, at the very least, that you better know what they're interested in.

How do you find this out? You ask them, via phone conversations, as I describe in my book, Roadmap to Revenue. The best questions for finding out what interests them is to ask, 'What are your biggest challenges right now?' And, 'What are your goals?' If you ask them properly, they will tell you what they're struggling with, which tells you what they will want to hear about. Ask this of your customers, whose challenges are similar to your prospective customers.

What if you're trying to introduce a new product to a new market? Then you need to find prospective customers and ask them the same questions. Their answers won't be as helpful, because they haven't actually gone through the buying process with you, but you will still be further from 'guessing' and closer to 'knowing' than you would have been if you had not asked.

You'll also need to know where they would expect to find this information. 'What sources do you depend on for information?' is the right question to ask. 'Do you use social channels at all? Do you subscribe to any newsletters or participate in any groups?' 'If we had new information on that subject, would you like to hear about it? What would be the best way?'

Answers to these questions will ensure that you don't waste a lot of time, energy, or resources on off-target content and channels. You will be contacting them in the manner they prefer, with information they will find interesting. You will also contact them as frequently as they prefer, so that they continue to look forward to your content, are not irritated by too many messages, and so you don't look desperate.

How often you contact them depends partly on the nature of the industry you're in. For example, companies selling to marketing people assume that marketers are constantly searching for new methods, and are eager to see what others in their profession are doing. Daily, meaty-but-short contact would not be unwelcome. On the other hand, a design engineer would become irritated by daily contact; it would be more appropriate to send something once a month.

When you send the information or post it, it's best to be as un-salesy as possible. The subject line should describe exactly what they will find in the email or article, and the content should be instructional or educational, not a pitch.

People pay attention to things that matter to them. If you think you know what matters to them, you'll be doing what everyone else does ' irritating them with useless information. If you find out what matters to them specifically, you will be able to make sure your content addresses those concerns, in a relevant way.

Ask your current customers the questions I describe in Roadmap to Revenue, in chapter 3, and you will know exactly how to proceed.

Next article in this series:

How Customers Want to Be Treated: Debunking Common Marketing Myths ' Part 4 of 4

As a buyer, you know precisely how you want to be treated. As a seller, you're guessing how buyers want to be treated ' and your assumptions are surely getting you into trouble. Here's how customers want to be treated ' and how to make sure you're meeting those expectations. I will post the last article in this series Wednesday night, November 28.

Why Google's Penguin Update Makes Content Marketing King

How content marketing is crucial if you want to work with Google to make sure your website gets seen by your customers.

What's the brand equivalent of dying a slow and agonising death, alone in the wilderness, deprived of food, water and the most fundamental survival needs? I'm not sure, and I sure as hell don't want to find out. But I can tell you how you end up there: by relying on antiquated SEO techniques from a dying industry.

Google Penguin, a webspam algorithm designed to (you guessed it) prevent spam, was released in April this year. It's the latest move in the war between Google and those sites that try to game its algorithm. No more trumping up rankings or breaching Google's quality guidelines. If you mess with the Mountain View mafia, your rankings will be dropped. Fast.

Google updates its algorithms all the time and it can be hell trying to keep up. But it's important for anyone who wants their business or brand to receive more attention to understand what the changes mean for them ' and how they can spin it to their advantage.

Traditionally the SEO industry has been ruled by people wearing black hats (who use underhanded techniques to game the system) andwhite hats (who utilise a human-focused strategy, using keywords, back-linking and link building). I'm here to tell you about a third hat, a technicoloured dream hat that will not only improve your brand's Google results, but its overall image as well.

It's called content marketing. We're smack bang in the middle of a (potentially seismic, as far as the SEO industry is concerned) cultural shift, from (sometimes dodgy) SEO practices to well-written, well-researched custom content and brand storytelling. And you need to be informed. My work as the head of strategy at Edge means I'm familiar with the content creation process. From its earliest stages to completion, I see the potential effective content marketing has to lift any brand's status.

Jasmine Henry summed up the most relevant definitions on the Inbound Marketing Blog and you know what they say: if it ain't broke'

Sure, there are a load of other tricky steps you can take to improve your standing with Google, but nothing beats ditching the tired black and white hats for something with a bit more style. Take a look at some of the success stories over at Edge.

In a perfect world your business would be #1 on Google and every other search engine out there, right? But of course the reality is slightly different. Paradigms are changing, and if you continue to rely solely on traditional Google SEO techniques like stuffing your content with keywords or fancy internal linking strategies, you're going to be screwed.

Google is actively coming for your site, and you'll find your ranking falling before you know it, which we all know can spell doom for any brand today.

Richard Parker is the head of digital at strategic content agency Edge, where he has experience working with leading brands including Woolworths, St George and Foxtel. He previously spent 12 years in the UK, first at Story Worldwide then as the co-owner and strategic director of marketing agency Better Things.

This article is an original contribution by Edge.

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