The SENSIBLE MARKETING Blog for Startups & Small Business http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz Attract prospects and convert them into customers -- without breaking the bank. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:06:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 en Lead gen secrets from a savvy investor http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/fear-not-think-like-a-savvy-investor-with-lead-generation/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/fear-not-think-like-a-savvy-investor-with-lead-generation/#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:02:50 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/fear-not-think-like-a-savvy-investor-with-lead-generation/ This morning I was talking to a marketing leader about his 2008 strategy and he brought up some concerns he had about the economy and its potential impact on him and others. Can you blame him? In years past, marketing…


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/fear-not-think-like-a-savvy-investor-with-lead-generation/feed/ Design It Well and They Will Click http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/design-it-and-they-will-click/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/design-it-and-they-will-click/#comments Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:50:40 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/design-it-and-they-will-click/ If you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for new ways to attract new customers–and maybe build closer relationships with your existing customers too. In a recent study, 54% of small businesses surveyed rated e-mail as the top online promotion mechanism to drive customers to their Web sites and storefronts. (Source: DMA Interactive) In my next […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/design-it-and-they-will-click/feed/ Getting Your Pages Indexed (Video) http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/getting-your-pages-indexed/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/getting-your-pages-indexed/#comments Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:43:28 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/getting-your-pages-indexed/ Learn about the importance of search indexing and uncover the secrets to getting your site’s pages indexed…quickly. Whether you have a blog, an enterprise website or a microsite/landing page–this video tutorial will help you get those pages indexed and drive the traffic!

(courtesy of SEOmoz)


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/getting-your-pages-indexed/feed/ Still Losing Money on AdWords? http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/search-marketing-soars-focus-on-landing-pages/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/search-marketing-soars-focus-on-landing-pages/#comments Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:56:44 +0000 Experts http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/search-marketing-soars-focus-on-landing-pages/ Losing Money on AdWords? Part II
Focus on Your Landing Pages
Now that you’ve focused on finding the right keywords, setting up your Adwords campaigns, and choosing your bids, it’s time to divert your attention toward landing pages. Internet marketers have proven that a change in landing pages, to accommodate your specific keyword groupings, can […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/search-marketing-soars-focus-on-landing-pages/feed/ Where’s the (email marketing) Data? http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/email-marketing-data/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/email-marketing-data/#comments Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:33:17 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/email-marketing-data/ A recent study by Forrester Research reports that 92% of marketers using permission-based e-mail use it for customer retention. Where are they getting permission? How do they know what to ask for? Why does e-mail work so well for retention? One word: data.


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/email-marketing-data/feed/ Link Building 101 http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/link-building-and-killer-seo-techniques/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/link-building-and-killer-seo-techniques/#comments Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:52:40 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/link-building-101-acquiring-links-from-new-websites/   I’ve never been a big believer in spending time acquiring links from new sites. With so many changes in link building over the last twelve months, my thinking is beginning to change. Here is a great post on the subject from Justilien Gaspard of Search Engine Watch.
We’ve all heard it — people […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/link-building-and-killer-seo-techniques/feed/ How to Lower Your Bounce Rate http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/how-to-lower-your-bounce-rate/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/how-to-lower-your-bounce-rate/#comments Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:30:05 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/how-to-lower-your-bounce-rate/ If you take the time to build a web site, you’d like most folks to stay on it for a while. Visitors who show up and leave 3 seconds later aren’t generally helpful. What concerns me with search advertising is the bounce rate for a landing page. If you can’t move your visitors beyond the […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/how-to-lower-your-bounce-rate/feed/ How to Hire an Online Marketing Manager http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/hiring-an-online-marketing-manager/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/hiring-an-online-marketing-manager/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:59:22 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/hiring-an-online-marketing-manager/ It was inevitable. Your quarterly e-newsletter is now monthly. A lone email promotion to “test the waters” has mushroomed into a weekly event. Your opt-in list is growing by leaps and bounds. Online marketing can no longer be left to your administrative assistant or a junior advertising staffer — it’s time to dedicate resources to […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/hiring-an-online-marketing-manager/feed/ How to Get Bloggers to Write About You http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/how-to-get-bloggers-to-write-about-you/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/how-to-get-bloggers-to-write-about-you/#comments Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:20:15 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/how-to-get-bloggers-to-write-about-you/ Getting blog coverage for your product or service is now just as (if not more) important than getting written about in traditional media. Blogs are now mainstream, as almost 80% of Internet users report having read a blog within the last year. Blogs are also influential, trusted sources of information for buyers, particularly in the […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/how-to-get-bloggers-to-write-about-you/feed/ Losing Money With Google AdWords? http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/stop-losing-money-with-google-adwords/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/stop-losing-money-with-google-adwords/#comments Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:42:15 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/stop-losing-money-with-google-adwords/ Your AdWords™ out of Gas? Stop losing money with Google AdWords. We can cut your PPC costs by 30% and increase conversions by 10%. We’ve done it before, see how. Let us help you and give you a no-obligation analysis of your PPC campaigns.


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/stop-losing-money-with-google-adwords/feed/ How to display pricing on my website http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/a-solution-to-displaying-pricing-on-my-website/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/a-solution-to-displaying-pricing-on-my-website/#comments Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:51:21 +0000 Sensible Marketing Guest Author http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/a-solution-to-displaying-pricing-on-my-website/ Over a year ago I did a series of posts discussing the value and issues in adding product pricing to your website. Part of the reason I went thru this exercise was to figure out a solution for my particular situation, where posting pricing is not feasible.
And with the database tools of my new site […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/a-solution-to-displaying-pricing-on-my-website/feed/ Don’t make me think or squint! http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/dont-make-me-think-and-dont-make-me-squint/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/dont-make-me-think-and-dont-make-me-squint/#comments Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:51:22 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/dont-make-me-think-and-dont-make-me-squint/ I get a few spam emails a day that must be from semi-targeted lists my email (and our generic sales@ email) are on. Most look like one-shot wonders by folks who have never spammed before.
The one I just got was self-centered, which is typical. So I tried to figure out in the email what their […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/dont-make-me-think-and-dont-make-me-squint/feed/ Podcast Series - Small Business Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/small-biz-podcast/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/small-biz-podcast/#comments Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:39:44 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/small-biz-podcast/ Marketing Podcast with John Assaraf - Mon, 21 Jul 2008Marketing podcast with John Assaraf (Click to listen, right click and Save As to download)

My guest on this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast is John Assaraf. You may recall the John was a central figure in the wildly popular - The Secret. John’s […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/small-biz-podcast/feed/ Starting an E-mail Newsletter http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/start-a-comany-newsletter/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/start-a-comany-newsletter/#comments Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:52:39 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/start-a-comany-newsletter/ These days, it seems like every company out there has an e-mail newsletter. It is easy to see why, since e-mail newsletters are a great way to start an open dialog between you and your customers. Easy-to-use, inexpensive and immediate, e-mail newsletters are the preferred method for almost half our business correspondence.

Starting an e-mail newsletter […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/start-a-comany-newsletter/feed/ B2B Marketing Fast Fixes http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/b2b-marketing-fixes/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/b2b-marketing-fixes/#comments Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:24:54 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/b2b-marketing-fixes/ The slowdown across some sectors of the economy is forcing B2B marketers to pull back on spending, yet continue to produce great results (or else). With that in mind, MarketingSherpa last week presented their Top 10 B-to-B Marketing FastFixes: How to Generate & Nurture More Qualified Leads. Here are the highlights from the webinar.
Revisit SEOTechnologies, […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/b2b-marketing-fixes/feed/ Optimizing webforms to generate more leads through your website http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/optimizing-webforms-to-generate-more-leads-through-your-website/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/optimizing-webforms-to-generate-more-leads-through-your-website/#comments Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:06:16 +0000 Sensible Marketing tag:feeds.feedburner.com://caa3f63a769d8fa683f7fb08f1551e4a After a talk on lead management, I spoke with several marketers from a company where one said, “We don’t need to qualify our leads because our web forms do the qualifying for us… then we send them to our sales…


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/optimizing-webforms-to-generate-more-leads-through-your-website/feed/ Microsoft AdCenter offers some help, free http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/microsoft-adcenter-offers-some-help-free/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/microsoft-adcenter-offers-some-help-free/#comments Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:51:21 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/microsoft-adcenter-offers-some-help-free/ I got this email last week (edited down):
At Microsoft adCenter, our goal is to help you attract more customers and maximize your search ROI while saving time. That’s why we’re offering you free one-on-one assistance from an adCenter representative. … An adCenter representative will be calling soon to discuss […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/microsoft-adcenter-offers-some-help-free/feed/ 10 Email Marketing Mistakes http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/10-email-marketing-mistakes-berelevant/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/10-email-marketing-mistakes-berelevant/#comments Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:03:37 +0000 Email Marketing Experts tag:typepad.com,2003:post-52557898 Loren McDonald lists 10 email marketing mistakes in his Email Insider column: Making it difficult to unsubscribe. No “welcome” message and/or waiting weeks to send the first message. Overmailing. Using a large single image as the core of your email. Not using alt tags. Relying on graphical links. Not having…


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/10-email-marketing-mistakes-berelevant/feed/ Best time to launch a website? http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/best-time-to-launch-a-website-its-in-the-stars/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/best-time-to-launch-a-website-its-in-the-stars/#comments Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:02:20 +0000 Sensible Marketing Guest Author http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/best-time-to-launch-a-website-its-in-the-stars/ I thought I was the only one who wasn’t sure when to launch my new website till I saw this post at The J-Walk Blog:
This guy posted a perfectly good question in the forum for the Organization for Professional Astrology. Seven months later, nobody has replied!
I’m reworking my own astrology website now while Mercury is […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/best-time-to-launch-a-website-its-in-the-stars/feed/ Increase Email Marketing Deliverability http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/top-20-ways-to-increase-email-deliverability/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/top-20-ways-to-increase-email-deliverability/#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:31:13 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/top-20-ways-to-increase-email-deliverability/ Ensure you are not operating an open relay.
Check to make sure that reverse DNS is working.
Inventory all from names and from addresses used by your organization.
Use a consistent from name and from address to allow for personal address book white-listing.
Perform an audit of all your domains AND sub-domains.
Determine your organization’s top 10 domains.
If you don’t […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/top-20-ways-to-increase-email-deliverability/feed/ How to Develop an SEO Keyword List http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/develop-an-seo-keyword-list/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/develop-an-seo-keyword-list/#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:22:27 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/develop-an-seo-keyword-list/ It’s critical, when starting work on a new website, to develop a list of the most productive keywords and phrases to work into the content and structure of the site. It can also be a useful exercise for existing sites from time to time; content changes, search patterns change, and a minor content and SEO […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/develop-an-seo-keyword-list/feed/ Google Trends: ThomasNet vs. GlobalSpec http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/google-trends-thomasnet-vs-globalspec/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/google-trends-thomasnet-vs-globalspec/#comments Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:12:21 +0000 Sensible Marketing Guest Author http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/google-trends-thomasnet-vs-globalspec/ UPDATED: See clarification about ‘Also visited’ below.
Just announced that Google Labs’ Website Trends tool can put graphs side-by-side. Hard numbers are not shown, which is probably smart on their part. And ‘tiny’ sites like companies in my industry don’t have enough traffic.
So why not compare ThomasNet and GlobalSpec? This data I limited to USA users, […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/google-trends-thomasnet-vs-globalspec/feed/ Sneak peak at new ThomasNet home page http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/sneak-peak-at-new-thomasnet-home-page/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/sneak-peak-at-new-thomasnet-home-page/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:51:22 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/sneak-peak-at-new-thomasnet-home-page/ I was digging thru my website traffic reports and noticed some referrals from beta.thomasnet.com. Of course I took a look and am sharing the link for the Thomas-watchers out there.

Overall, a nice visual improvement over the current www.thomasnet.com. I especially like the eye-saving and space-saving method of hiding sub-categories in the ‘Browse Categories’ block. Search […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/sneak-peak-at-new-thomasnet-home-page/feed/ Can Video Help Customers Find You? http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/can-video-help-customers-find-you/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/can-video-help-customers-find-you/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:56:45 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/can-video-help-customers-find-you/ Note:  INC Magazine interviewed me for this article on the emergence of video in search marketing and lead gen programs
Video can raise your search engine optimization prominence and bring in new customers — if you do it right.

How can a small company build visibility for a product or service in a big marketplace?  Uploading video to […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/can-video-help-customers-find-you/feed/ Email Marketing Design Tips http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/email-design-tips/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/email-design-tips/#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:00:52 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/email-design-tips/ Question: We want to reinforce our brand by conveying a consistent look and feel in our email creative. Do you have any suggestions or tips for layout, content or design for our messages?
Message layout plays an important role in the perception of your product, service and/or company. A properly constructed message can mean the difference […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/email-design-tips/feed/ The State of B2Blogosphere (2): Getting some signal http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/the-state-of-b2blogosphere-2-getting-some-signal/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/the-state-of-b2blogosphere-2-getting-some-signal/#comments Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:51:21 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/the-state-of-b2blogosphere-2-getting-some-signal/ I guess I titled this series wrong. I really want to talk about the B2Blogosphere. I’ve complained about the ‘noise’ drowning out the ’signal’. We need more ’signal’, but what counts?
Getting some ‘Signal’–here’s the kind of things that I like in a blog post:

Lists - Gotcha reading this post didn’t it?
Waffling - Its okay to […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/the-state-of-b2blogosphere-2-getting-some-signal/feed/ BtoB 2008 Lead Generation Guide http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/btob-2008-lead-generation-guide/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/btob-2008-lead-generation-guide/#comments Wed, 28 May 2008 14:34:25 +0000 Sensible Marketing tag:feeds.feedburner.com://4cd1d684bd7e6d05d55c575499552127 B2B Marketers are increasingly emphasizing lead generation and as a result, BtoB Magazine just published their inaugural BtoB 2008 Lead Generation Guide today. I highly recommend you check it out. It has a lot of studies, expert columns, market statistics…


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/btob-2008-lead-generation-guide/feed/ The Human Touch of Lead Nurturing/Marketing Automation http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/the-human-touch-of-lead-nurturingmarketing-automation/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/the-human-touch-of-lead-nurturingmarketing-automation/#comments Sun, 25 May 2008 21:12:00 +0000 Sensible Marketing tag:feeds.feedburner.com://82e79d2e3cce67b29bdd25d2ce0fed2f I participated in a webcast and podcast combo on the adding the human touch to marketing automation as part of the Marketing Mastery Series sponsored by Eloqua, MarketingExperiments and ON24. You can watch the webinar recording here. Because the webinar…


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/the-human-touch-of-lead-nurturingmarketing-automation/feed/ A Web Analytics Comparision http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/web-analytics-a-comparision/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/web-analytics-a-comparision/#comments Fri, 23 May 2008 19:03:27 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/web-analytics-a-comparision/ Web Analytics Q & A
How many people here used WebTrends or something similar up until a few years ago?

How many switched to, say, Google Analytics, Omniture or Urchin 6?

OK, last question: How many of you nearly got fired when your visitors, pageviews or other metrics inexplicably plunged?

Chances are you aren’t suffering from bad statistics. You’re […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/web-analytics-a-comparision/feed/ Put Your Videos & Presentations to Work! http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/put-videos-to-work/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/put-videos-to-work/#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 14:54:14 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/put-videos-to-work/ With the success of YouTube and dozens of other such sites, video should be a vital part your company’s social media marketing plan-if it’s not, keep reading.
In a recent survey of technology professionals and buyers, 72% of the respondents accessed online videos at least once a week. And, a majority of respondents are viewing online […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/put-videos-to-work/feed/ New Webiste SEO Checklist http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/search-engine-optimization-for-new-websites/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/search-engine-optimization-for-new-websites/#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 00:02:40 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/search-engine-optimization-for-new-websites/ Are you launching a new website?
There’s no better time to think about search engine optimization than prior to launching a new site. By giving consideration to your on-page optimization factors, you can increase your chances of achieving top organic search results.
To prepare your site for easy indexing, be sure to follow these basis guidelines:
1. Design […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/search-engine-optimization-for-new-websites/feed/ New AdWords Beta: Automatic Matching http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/new-adwords-beta-automatic-matching/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/new-adwords-beta-automatic-matching/#comments Sat, 17 May 2008 23:51:21 +0000 Sensible Marketing Guest Author http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/new-adwords-beta-automatic-matching/ Dear AdWords Advertiser,On May 20, 2008, a checkbox will appear on your campaigns’ ‘Edit Campaign Settings’ pages giving you access to an optional beta feature called ‘automatic matching.’ The feature will be enabled by default, although it won’t begin to affect your account until June 3, 2008.
…
Automatic matching shows your ads on relevant search queries […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/new-adwords-beta-automatic-matching/feed/ Book Review: Marketing That Matters http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/marketing-that-matters/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/marketing-that-matters/#comments Sat, 17 May 2008 16:23:25 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/marketing-that-matters/ In writing Marketing That Matters, authors Chip Conley and Eric Friedenwald-Fishman, not content merely to provide an above-average book on marketing strategy, instead wrote an impressive book on marketing strategy—with a point of view.
The book combines guidance on marketing strategy and tactics with a “socially responsible” orientation. The result is best described as an avocado […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/marketing-that-matters/feed/ Build Brand Awareness Through E-mail http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/brand-awareness-through-e-mail/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/brand-awareness-through-e-mail/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 18:04:33 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/brand-awareness-through-e-mail/ In my inbox this morning was an e-mail from Sara with a subject line “interesting opportunity.” I don’t know Sara so I should have hit delete, but as an e-mail marketer, I knew this e-mail would give me a good laugh.

The plain, unbranded e-mail had Spam written all over it.

Personalization consisted of “Dear {username}”
Inconsistent […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/brand-awareness-through-e-mail/feed/ Should lead generation ignore current customers? http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/should-lead-generation-ignore-current-customers/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/should-lead-generation-ignore-current-customers/#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 17:51:52 +0000 Sensible Marketing tag:feeds.feedburner.com://41761befaf5583bed9fc382fafe1e538 ”We know more about our prospects (leads) than we know about our current customers” was a shocking statement I heard from a client and it stuck with me. In fact, it’s the impetus for this post. When you have a…


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/should-lead-generation-ignore-current-customers/feed/ Care and Feeding of the Press http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/the-care-and-feeding-of-the-press/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/the-care-and-feeding-of-the-press/#comments Fri, 09 May 2008 14:33:04 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/the-care-and-feeding-of-the-press/ When working with the media, it is best to have a good understanding of how
they work. In addition, not being fully prepared for an interview can turn into a
public relations disaster for you and your company. This post will
provide you with information on the media — their roles, needs and expectations
- and guidelines on how […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/the-care-and-feeding-of-the-press/feed/ Describe Your Company in 60 Seconds http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/describe-in-60-seconds/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/describe-in-60-seconds/#comments Wed, 07 May 2008 16:28:59 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/describe-in-60-seconds/ Can you describe your company in a clear, compelling way in 60 seconds? Many people refer to this as an “elevator pitch”, because you of the hypothetical situation where you may be in an elevator with an investor and you have one uninterrupted minute to tell your story before he gets off the elevator at […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/describe-in-60-seconds/feed/ Web Analytics for B2B Lead Generation http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/web-analytics-for-b2b-lead-generation/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/web-analytics-for-b2b-lead-generation/#comments Mon, 05 May 2008 20:18:00 +0000 Sensible Marketing tag:feeds.feedburner.com://4b2b6f1e429b14303eec9f1ccf5feb13 In the complex sale, the length of the buying cycle makes the connection between on-the-web activity and the off-line decision to purchase much more difficult to trace. So the challenge is connecting our website data (analytics), with marketing data (inquiries…


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/web-analytics-for-b2b-lead-generation/feed/ Email Marketing - Outsource or In-House? http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/emarketing-inhouse-or-outsource/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/emarketing-inhouse-or-outsource/#comments Mon, 05 May 2008 15:29:02 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/emarketing-inhouse-or-outsource/ Congrats! You’ve decided to integrate e-mail marketing into your sales and marketing mix. Your next decision: How will you distribute the e-mail, maintain your database, manage and measure responses, report on results, and nurture your client relationships?
If your company has adequate IT resources, you may choose to evaluate available software to produce campaigns in-house. Or, […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/emarketing-inhouse-or-outsource/feed/ How to Select and Optimize Outsourced Teleprospecting Redux http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/how-to-select-and-optimize-outsourced-teleprospecting-redux/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/how-to-select-and-optimize-outsourced-teleprospecting-redux/#comments Fri, 02 May 2008 19:10:15 +0000 Guest Author tag:feeds.feedburner.com://cd83b66c7f9f6dab7e1a66f75f42312f If you’re too busy to listen to my podcast or simply prefer to reading over listening, Sridhar Ramanathan, whom I interviewed on how to select and optimize outsourced teleprospecting partnerships, posted his the talking points on his blog. Pacifica Group:…


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/how-to-select-and-optimize-outsourced-teleprospecting-redux/feed/ Viral Marketing Checklist http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/viral-marketing-checklist/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/viral-marketing-checklist/#comments Thu, 01 May 2008 19:46:19 +0000 Sensible Marketing Guest Author http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/viral-marketing-checklist/ Viral campaigns are unpredictable. As the market becomes saturated with more campaigns competing for attention, it is increasingly difficult for marketers to ensure a hit. However, careful planning means that you are ready when your campaign takes off. Careful planning also means that you have given the campaign the best chance of success.
1. Define the […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/viral-marketing-checklist/feed/ B2B Email Marketing Tough Love http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/b2b-email-marketing-tough-love/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/b2b-email-marketing-tough-love/#comments Thu, 01 May 2008 16:13:55 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/b2b-email-marketing-tough-love/ Tough love happens in B2B Email Marketing too. An often-overlooked conversation email marketers have is “should we get rid of this email, or why have we not eliminated this underperforming email with no synergy to our strategic goals?” Or maybe its time to consider adding new newsletters, promotional or just plain innovative email campaigns.To remove […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/b2b-email-marketing-tough-love/feed/ ITSMA: Elevating Demand in a Crowded World http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/itsma-elevating-demand-in-a-crowded-world/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/itsma-elevating-demand-in-a-crowded-world/#comments Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:54:22 +0000 Guest Author tag:feeds.feedburner.com://757b54201a00371bc00b9c1eb473cda1 Generating demand has become a top priority for most companies in today’s slower environment. The most successful programs are much more targeted than in past years and favor quality over quantity. You’re invited to join me at ITSMA’s (IT Services…


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/itsma-elevating-demand-in-a-crowded-world/feed/ ROMI? Is it a noodle? http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/romi-or-ramen/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/romi-or-ramen/#comments Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:38:27 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/romi-or-ramen/ ROMI? Is it a noodle? No, that RAMEN.
I had a long discussion with an old colleague who is at a new company and having trouble justifying her marketing budget to the board. In frustration she asked why can’t most executives get the value of marketing? I replied that most of them don’t even know what […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/romi-or-ramen/feed/ Let’s stop doing random acts of lead generation http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/lets-stop-doing-random-acts-of-lead-generation/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/lets-stop-doing-random-acts-of-lead-generation/#comments Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:52:22 +0000 Guest Author tag:feeds.feedburner.com://2054208c71c5a9ad4bad623439bd3ff2 I don’t know about you but I seldom meet a B2B marketer who has time to think. And it seems that the pressure keeps building as more of us seek to do more with less. That said, it’s vital for…


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/lets-stop-doing-random-acts-of-lead-generation/feed/ Connect with Customers & Prospects http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/connect-to-customers-with-email-marketing/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/connect-to-customers-with-email-marketing/#comments Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:55:54 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/connect-to-customers-with-email-marketing/ As an email marketer, the challenge is to rise above the clutter and create an email that recipients will read. It sounds simple right? Think again. There are many factors to consider when developing an email marketing strategy. To increase the open rate of your messages, consider the timing and frequency of your campaigns, and […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/connect-to-customers-with-email-marketing/feed/ Marketing Gimmicks Can Kill http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/cheap-marketing-gimmicks-at-helio/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/cheap-marketing-gimmicks-at-helio/#comments Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:32:31 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/cheap-marketing-gimmicks-at-helio/ Yesterday an email from Helio caught my eye since I’m considering switching cell phone providers. The email promotes one of their slick handsets, The Ocean, for just $99.00– a great price considering it is normally over $300! In case you didn’t know, Helio is a cell phone company–founded by serial entrepreneur Sky Dayton and backed […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/cheap-marketing-gimmicks-at-helio/feed/ 5 Facts about Social Networking Sites http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/five-facts-about-social-networking-sites/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/five-facts-about-social-networking-sites/#comments Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:17:37 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/five-facts-about-social-networking-sites/ I’ve been a long-time advocate of using social networking sites to promote your brand and your business. In case you haven’t heard the “Web 2.0″ revolution has already happened and if your business isn’t taking advantage of it, you’re missing out.  For example, guess what my #1 source of referral traffic for this blog is?  Business.com?  Google AdWords?  YellowPages.com?  Not even […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/five-facts-about-social-networking-sites/feed/ Trade Show Success: The Power of Asking Questions http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/trade-show-success-the-power-of-asking-questions/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/trade-show-success-the-power-of-asking-questions/#comments Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:50:43 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/trade-show-success-the-power-of-asking-questions/ Make no mistake — you’re in a rough spot. Exhibiting is a competitive environment. You’re vying for attendee’s attention, against companies that are larger, better-funded, with newer exhibits and cooler ideas than you’ve got. What this means is that anything you can do to differentiate yourself from the crowd is a “Very Good Thing.” Being […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/trade-show-success-the-power-of-asking-questions/feed/ Killer B2B Email Copywriting Techniques http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/killer-email-copywriting-tips/ http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/killer-email-copywriting-tips/#comments Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:01:07 +0000 Sensible Marketing http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/killer-email-copywriting-tips/ Let’s face it, in-boxes are being inundated with messages and the challenge to B2B e-mail marketers is growing. With the flow of e-mail long since passed “flood” status, marketers are struggling to rise above the clutter and “spam” just to get their messages delivered, much less, read.
So, what’s the secret to avoiding the trash bin […]


Ready to jumpstart your marketing and save money? Call Sensible Marketing today at +1-310-861-7572 or email michael@SensibleMarketing.biz]]> http://blog.sensiblemarketing.biz/killer-email-copywriting-tips/feed/