Atlanta's Marketing Center

Marketing Bootcamp by the AMA Soon!

We're always about education here.  And, truth be known, small businesses need education and training on marketing.

The American Marketing Association will be holding a 2-day Marketing Bootcamp this Thurs/Fri, January 29th and 30th.  Whether you're new to marketing, need a good refresher, or have team members who could use some insights on the latest strategies, I encourage you to look into this course.

Here are the details along with a link to learn more about it and sign up-

Location:
Georgia Tech Global Learning Center: 84 Fifth St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30308
1/29/2009 8:00AM - 1/30/2009 12:00PM

http://www.marketingpower.com/Calendar/Pages/2009MarketingBootCampAtlanta.aspx

Straight from the Small Business Experts' Lips..

You might be wondering how 2009 is going to be.  Should you be defensive? cautious? go on the offensive?  Well, John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing queried the industry's finest minds to finish the following sentence...and the results might just surprise you-

"2009 will be the year for small businesses to..."

Seth Godin, author of Tribes said . . Run/grow/compete like mad because the big bad companies that have been slowing you down are in such disarray. Seth Godin - Sqidoo page

Aaron Wall, author of SEOBook said. . .buy great domain names, as their perceived value drops due to an ad slowdown and browsers eating type in traffic.
Aaron Wall - Twitter ID

Alan Weiss, author of Million Dollar Consulting said . . . to assertively reinvent their relationships with customers and prospects, because you can’t grow by cutting back, can’t improve if you’re afraid, and can’t lead from the back.

John Battelle, founder of Federated Media said . . . get closer to its best customers, add value to their lives, and build new business from that value. Twitter ID

Andy Beal, author of Radically Transparent said . . . take their head out of the sand and start listening to the social media conversations customers, employees, and other stakeholders are having about their brand. Twitter ID

Tim Ferriss, author of the Four-Hour Workweek said . . . get advertising at 70-90% off. Recessions mean budget cuts for larger corporations, which means advertising cancellations, just as in 2001 and 2002. There will be fire sales on remnant advertising, whether print, TV, radio, or online. Twitter ID

Dan Pink, author of Whole New Mind said . . . think boldly and push frontiers while the big guys run scared and retreat to safety. Twitter ID

Tim Berry, founder of Palo Alto Software said . . . refocus on fundamentals: core strategy of identity, market, and focus, plus specific metrics and milestones, basic numbers, and planning as management, with review and revisions. Twitter ID

Bob Bly, author of Persuasive Presentations for Business said . . . prove their unique value to their customers and earn rather than expect repeat orders. Twitter ID

David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR said . . . stop spending $$ on marketing. Instead create interesting information people WANT to consume. - Twitter ID

Chris Brogan, publisher of ChrisBrogan.com said . . . demystify the business effects of social tools, and bring real projects to light. - Twitter ID

Bryan Eisenberg, co-author of Waiting for Your Cat to Bark said . . . stop waiting for a magic bullet and realize the magic comes from hard work they do. - Twitter ID

So what are your thoughts on 2009 for your business?

Internet Search Survey Results In

Microsoft Adcenter released the results of a survey recently looking at search marketing behaviors of 400 small business owners in the United States. The findings indicate that small businesses still have a long way to go when it comes to utilizing this valuable (and ever-increasingly relevant) tool.

Most have sites, but don't do anything to enhance their online presence. 90% of those surveyed have never even attempted a paid search campaign.

"Given today's current economic conditions, small-business owners need more effective ways to optimize their marketing dollars," said Brian Boland, director of adCenter at Microsoft Advertising. "By investing in paid search marketing, small businesses can track online sales and determine the return on investment for their campaigns, while at the same time boosting traffic and visibility for their Web sites."

Why are small business owners hesitant to jump on the paid search bandwagon?

- Nearly nine in 10 (89 percent) feared keywords "may become too expensive".

- Eighty-one percent questioned if paid search marketing is the best use of their marketing budgets...without much supporting or comparative information.

- One quarter of respondents believe paid search marketing is too complex.

- Twenty-one percent thought it would be too time consuming.

Of course free (also known as "organic") listings are just as important as a paid strategy, but again, small business owners are reticent to do the things necessary to be ranked highly.  This in spite of their general recognition of the importance the internet now plays in marketing products and services.

Still, many experts believe that small business owners will come around as education spreads on what it takes to succeed in these areas.  Interesting survey.  What are your thoughts on search engine marketing for your business?