This Blog has a new name and a new home – it has now moved to http://AztecInternetMarketing.com
The new blog address will continue to provide quality Internet Marketing information, strategies and advice for small online businesses….
You can read all these existing posts, plus updates and further posts there!
See you there!
Kathryn Wilson
:)
There’s an interesting Internet Marketing trend and concept being born and practised by a few savvy Internet Marketers over the past few months and currently – something referred to as the ‘Social Tribe’. I call it ‘Partnership Marketing’* or ‘Shared Marketing’ - essentially it’s all about marketers grouping together to increase and multiply their online efforts (with a ’1+1=3′ synergy).
Now, we’re not talking here about Social Networking groups, such as those found on Facebook or LinkedIn, for example ‘Income Through Social Media’ (a Facebook group). These types of groups tend to be formed from a variety of people, some who are in the group to learn from others, some who want to increase their Personal Branding by sharing content with others, and many who want to promote their own products/services to other group members. These groups are often not the perfect online communities, because although there’s a sharing spirit amongst some, often there’s also competitive conflict within the groups.
What we are talking about with the ‘Social Tribe’ concept is a step further than Social Media groups - it’s an alliance of online marketers with similar values and ideas, who may be marketing very different products/services (ideally, to avoid competition), agreeing to partner up, usually via a group or membership website, and then helping each other market all their products/services together, and/or drive traffic to each other’s individual websites.
One of the most obvious platforms for ‘Partnership Marketing’ is Social Media, like Facebook and Twitter, because of their social/group and viral nature. An excellent example of utilizing Social Media in this way is Katie Freiling’s The Unified Tribe, which members join (for a monthly fee) and then promote each other’s websites/content and products/services via various Social Media, thus multiplying their Social Media reach and their individual website traffic. One of her tribe members has this to say about the benefits of this particular ’tribal marketing’ model (click the link).
Another good example of ‘Shared Marketing’ is shared blogging, for example the TribeMastermindFormula blog, which is co-written by a group of 6 Internet Marketers. Not only does this take the heat off one blog writer, because many are contributing; but the blog is always fresh and current, and will thus be more likely to get higher search engine rankings. Also the blog and each marketer’s content/products/services can be promoted multiple times on each of their own websites/social media platforms too. However, clearly it’s important that blogging partners must have established relationships with each other, because they need to trust each other, and that the shared blog’s posts will conform to the group’s value system and purpose.
Of course it’s also possible to have a shared online business and website, which each partner promotes separately via their own marketing channels, and together on the website. Although there are many examples of this, because it’s possibly one of the oldest business models, even on the Internet, there are variations to this model. For example, a loose partnership of professionals and online businesses who each market their own products/services from one website, but who have not formed an individual business entity. This works best if the products/services are related but not competing, so that visitors and clients get the impression, and have the convenience of, an all-in-one service from the website. An example of this is The Marketing Tribe – an alliance of marketing services professionals offering SEO, graphics, email marketing, etc - all under one roof, so to speak (although the individual companies/professionals might be spread geographically around the world, and might not even ever have met each other in person).
I think the ‘Social Tribe’ is an exciting marketing concept, in a world where there are more than 206,000,000 websites (according to Netcraft). Increasingly, to be seen and noticed on the Internet, innovative methods need to be employed, and what better than to use the power of groups to do so?
Read some more interesting stuff here about web marketing trends for 2010.
*’Partnership Marketing’ is an old-school marketing phrase, which refers to linking two brands together and marketing them together so that the returns are greater than their separate inputs. I think it’s a term, though, that applies well to the new ‘Social Tribe’ concept too.
Please note that I will no longer be updating this blog. Instead please visit the new home for this blog, http://AztecInternetMarketing.com - for all these articles, plus many more recent articles and updates. See you there! 
Pictures:
San Bushmen on sand photo courtesy of: http://www.chinafrontier.com/cmc2004.html
Social media friends and group members picture courtesy of: http://www.whatmakesthemclick.net/page/2/
San Bushmen around a fire photo courtesy of: http://www.goyamagata.com/gallery/people/bushman06E.html
When you’re a small online business, targeting your local markets and customers as part of your internet marketing strategy can give you a competitive advantage. As your business is on the Internet, you might not think about, or want to bother with, your local customers - as in theory, the web is global. You may already be segmenting your market regionally, but we are talking here about global versus local markets.
There are several good reasons and ways to promote yourself locally as well as globally, even if you’re selling only via your website. Here’s how and why:
as your website’s keywords. This will enable local people/companies to find you more easily via the search engines, if they’re looking for a local supplier of your products/services, even if they intend to buy online, for example: “pet products hertfordshire”. Sometimes customers simply prefer the reassurance of their supplier being nearby, in case of any problems, and this also means you can supplement your online marketing efforts with more personal interaction, such as phone calls or delivery of products, if relevant.
page of the SERP (search engine results pages)! A great way for your business/website link to get onto Google’s first page, without you having to do any other SEO (search engine optimization)! 
If you’re using social media for marketing, join local area groups/members. Simply search Facebook or Twitter for your local area, and all the groups/members with those words will be listed. Join or link to the relevant ones. Often these groups will have a community-oriented or local flavour to their posts, so promote your business/products/services and/or events you’re organizing in an ethical and informational way, as a way of adding to the buzz of what’s happening within your local community.The bottom line is, that whether you’re marketing globally via the internet or a small offline business, local customers need to know you’re in their local area. This can be a valuable source of both website traffic and paying customers, if you aim your marketing communications locally as well as globally. When customers know you’re based in the area, this can endear them to your business, and reassure them that you’re a real company, rather than one out there in cyberspace, seemingly run by computers not humans!
Please note that I will no longer be updating this blog. Visit me instead at the replacement for this blog, http://AztecInternetMarketing.com, for all these articles, plus many more recent articles and updates. See you there!
Picture acknowledgements:
Dogs dressed up: http://www.onlinepetsadvice.com/
Pet Playground Game screenshot: http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/5537/pet-playground/index.html
Decorated cat: http://happyzenpet.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/when-have-you-gone-too-far-decorating-your-pet/
While it’s highly likely that many small online businesses market themselves and their products/services via Social Media or Social Networking websites like Facebook or MySpace, it’s important that they also network with other businesses and professionals. There are plenty of Business to Business networking websites out there - some are general, for all types of professionals and businesses (for example LinkedIn.com and Xing.com), and some specialize in certain types of profession or business (for example BetterNetworker.com).
Typically these Business Networking sites enable users to build a profile, which is often fairly specific, with information to be completed about career history, type of organization, industry or field, when business started, website links, and so on.
Usually users can add Contacts/Connections (other users), as they might add Friends on Social Networking sites. Your added Contacts will generally be made up from a few target markets:
Business Networking sites also usually allow the creation of Groups, and this is often where the most dynamics between professionals occur. Within a Group, it’s possible to connect with others who are interested in your Group’s topic or purpose, for example, an SEO Group, or with others in the same industry/specialism as you, for example Network Marketers linked to a certain MLM company. If you’re the Group creator and administrator, this enables you to manage the content posted to the Group and ensure it’s relevant (for example, discussions), both in order to provide something interesting and relevant to Group members so that they receive added value from the Group and remain members, and incidentally, to boost your business/professional image and Personal Branding status.
Finally, quite often Business Networking sites also have other features whereby users can interact, such as on-site blogs/content-posting, training, discussions/forums, etc, depending on the particular specialism/industry they serve.
As a business owner, the benefits of you creating a Business Networking profile are many. Although this may be time-consuming to create and upkeep, it is highly recommended, because you will be able to:
than ordinary Social Media allows,It’s probably only necessary to join one general Business Networking site and/or one specialized one, depending on your industry, preferences, time and internet/technical skills. Here is a list of some Business Networking sites for small businesses, collated by SmallBizBee.com: http://smallbizbee.com/index/2010/02/02/ultimate-list-40-social-networking/
Please note that I will no longer be updating this blog. Visit me instead at the replacement for this blog, http://AztecInternetMarketing.com, for all these articles, plus many more recent articles and updates. See you there!
Image acknowledgements:
Two bees: http://licoricegirl.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html
Marvel Comics T-shirt: http://marvelcomicstshirtblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/marvel-comics-t-shirts-marvel-comics-t.html
Beatles Help album: http://www.beatlesbible.com/1965/08/13/us-lp-help/
Okay, so you’ve identified your online business and the products/services that you’ll be promoting. Maybe you have already created your own website as your ‘business home’ on the Internet, or perhaps you intend to promote your products/services from an Affiliate Company’s template website/link that comes with your affiliate package? You now need to start marketing and promoting, in order to draw website traffic and make money.
Now a lot of online businesses have only one website/space on the web, and once they’ve set it up, they then do little more except sit and wait for website visitors (and wonder why they have so few). It is much, much more likely you’ll be found in Search Engine searches or from Links, and thereby gain website visitors, if you do at least a few more things:
Don’t merely advertise your products/services with your website link, and expect to gain thousands of website visitors and customers this way. Bigger companies with established brands can afford to do this, as their brands are already entrenched and embraced in their consumers’ minds (even they don’t often resort to this).
But smaller companies and/or Internet Marketers first need to create something ‘special’ surrounding their products/services, in order to stand out from the masses of other Online Businesses doing the same thing or promoting similar products/services. They also need to develop their ‘Personal Branding’, something which gives them an added attraction, over and above other Online Businesses which have no personality and don’t offer any help, additional information, or real care and concern for their customers.
Present yourself (a real person) as the ‘front’ to your business, write personalized communications, and find out about your target market before you connect with them, so that you’re interacting with them in a way that is meaningful to them.Maintaining (or trying to get) your website’s position on the first page of a Google or other Search Engine Results Page (SERP), and keeping your brand/company and your Personal Brand in the forefront of your customers’ and potential customers’ minds means constant work. Placing relevant content and links, promoting yourself and your company, helping others and building relationships…. all of this is the business of Online Business.
To find out more about Social Media/Facebook marketing, including setting up your Facebook business profile, read here: http://www.kathrynrosewilson.com/2010/06/successful-facebook-marketing-social.html
To find out more about how to use Google Adwords/PPC advertising, especially on a small budget, read here: http://www.kathrynrosewilson.com/2010/03/google-pay-per-click-advertising.html
Read more detail about structuring your Internet Marketing campaign, including customers, strategies, advertising, budgeting, and monitoring here: http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/onlinebusiness/a/netcampaignpp.htm
Please note that I will no longer be updating this blog. Instead please visit the new home for this blog, http://AztecInternetMarketing.com - for all these articles, plus many more recent articles and updates. See you there!
Picture acknowledgements:
Facebook, one of the so-called ‘Social Media’ websites, is a very commonly used marketing platform for Internet Marketers, Affiliate Marketers and Network Marketers.
Sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and even social bookmarking sites like Digg, StumpleUpon and Delicious, have been coined “Social Media” because of the fact that ordinary people create the content for these sites (consumer-created content, or user-created content), rather than the traditionally created marketing and news content put out by large media companies (eg. newspapers, television and magazines) and other corporations.
They are also referred to as “Social Networking” sites, because of the connecting functionality – Contacts on these websites can interact with each other in various ways, often in real-time. They are popular with marketers because of the possibility of networking and communicating more closely with one’s potential or current customers – they are a real-time relationship-building tool.
But it is possible for Facebook Profiles/Pages/Groups to flop at building relationships and creating sales conversions – if certain common-sense guidelines aren’t followed.
So here are 5 Tips for effective Facebook Marketing, based on what successful Facebook-using Internet Marketers are doing (in brief):
Tip 1: Pump up your Facebook Profile!
Tip 2: Be human, not just a marketer!
Tip 3: Give, don’t take!
Tip 4: Be a mover and shaker!
Tip 5: Be there, don’t be square!
Read here for the details of these 5 tips for successful Facebook/Social Media Marketing.
Please note that I will no longer be updating this blog. Visit me instead at the replacement for this blog, http://AztecInternetMarketing.com, for all these articles, plus many more recent articles and updates. See you there!
Book Face picture acknowledgement: http://forums.myspace.com/t/4786190.aspx?fuseaction=forums.viewthread&SortOrder=1
Now I know it might be very unfashionable to say that personal marketing (or face-to-face marketing, or belly-to-belly marketing, or marketing involving actual contact between real people) is an important part of Network Marketing – but I believe that at least some of your Network Marketing activities have to involve personal marketing!
This is of course not entirely true if you belong to an online-only MLM/Network Marketing business opportunity.
So let’s qualify this – I’m talking here more about Network Marketing business opportunities involving trade of actual products, such as health or beauty products (which is a common product field for Network Marketing companies). Inevitably stock of this nature means some personal trading.
One issue is that of just starting out in Network Marketing. Picture a newly recruited rep that you are training/mentoring on the business: How will you train/mentor that person to start making their own contacts/sales/recruitments if they don’t speak to real people, and real people they know – at least to start 
with, in order to get up and running with some customers, some sales and some rep recruiting?
Now you need to know that I’m not only a strong advocate of Internet Marketing, but also an Internet Marketer and Internet Marketing trainer and consultant. So I believe strongly in the power of distance marketing across the internet…..
But, for Network Marketing, I still don’t think it will be easy or even entirely relevant for a new distributor/rep to start doing all their Network Marketing activities over the Internet. It takes time to establish an Internet presence, and time for them to build up the credibilty and SEO of their websites sufficiently enough for them and their websites to be found easily on the Internet. In the meantime they can be generating income and business on the ground.
So ultimately there must be a balance – some personal marketing interspersed with internet marketing, where relevant.
There are simply some things that are still better done face-to-face, and these are:
But the Internet can of course be a very powerful tool or medium which can significantly add to your Network Marketing efforts in the following ways:
Even with Internet Marketing, personalized and customized contact is better than sending out bulk generic messages which really do miss more than they hit. People like to deal with real people, even on the Internet, and you will need to find ways via your Internet Marketing messages, websites, articles, videos and posts to be real, to be individual, to stand out from the crowd, and to add personal value to others’ lives, even though you’ll probably never meet those people/strangers face-to-face.
Please note that I will no longer be updating this blog. Instead please visit the new home for this blog, http://AztecInternetMarketing.com, for all these articles, plus many more recent articles and updates. See you there!
Belly image acknowledgement: http://tos8.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/rubbing-belly-2-belly-2/
Man with items in jacket graphic acknowledgement: http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/tags/school+fundraising/default.aspx
Periodic Table of the Internet graphic acknowledgement: http://www.rsc-northwest.ac.uk/acl/eMagArchive/RSCeMags2007/July07/012eMagazine/internet_periodic_table.html
