Authentic Greening of Your Business

Have you heard your fill on companies, facilities, homes, buildings and everything in between going green? Well don't expect it to go away anytime soon. With the shocking and 'inconvenient' truths coming out everyday about the dire need to address global warming, I welcome this shift in social responsibility and only hope our efforts manifest a solution before we reach an unstoppable tipping point.

The reasons for businesses going green are many: to gain competitive advantage, reduce operation costs, and increase efficiency and customer loyalty to name a few. But, like with any highly publicized trend, there are those who are in it more for the notoriety than the soul. The green movement is nothing new. The 60s, 70s and 80s all saw it fair share of products and organizations promoting themselves as green. Yet, what lacked during these times was honest regulation of what green really meant. Today, consumers are much more savvy when it comes to companies claiming eco-friendly operations and/or products. Thanks to the informational superhighway - anyone thinking of this eco-strategy best ensure that all aspects of their business plan meet present day expectations and requirements for such recognition.

To avoid false claims or 'greenwashing', companies should devote sufficient internal resources or seek out specialized assistance to properly adhere to industry guidelines and best practices. A qualified eco-consultant can perform a thorough audit of your business or product based on credibility, relevance, and messaging. But instead of just promoting your business as green, determine new cost savings, reduction in environmental impact or carbon footprint so your consumers can hold on to something more substantial and tangible. People want facts and figures to be convinced.

The Golden Egg of Internet Marketing

Understanding how the Internet alters the rules of marketing is a never ending process. New technology, changes in consumer behavior and savvy marketers continue to push the barriers in effort to connect with their customers in the most meaningful, memorable and measurable way possible.Traditional marketing’s monologue approach at delivering messages pushes customers through the ‘consideration’ process through one-way mass media.

The goal of Internet marketing isn’t just consideration or brand awareness. It’s engagement! You want your customers to get to know your organization, get involved with your products and understand its values and services. When customers like what they see and experience, the relationship deepens, leading to affinity. That’s engagement!

5 Web trends that will change Hotel Internet Marketing

5 Web trends that will change Hotel Internet Marketing

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Inbound Marketing

If you have any responsibility over your company's marketing efforts or better marketing expenses, then you most likely are living in a new world where budgets have been slashed and customers have gone scarce. Over the last decade, outbound marketing (advertising, TV, radio, online sponsorships, cold calling, trade shows, even email blast) has been the common approach for targeting audiences. But with a tidal wave of media being forced on customers and their attention spans, inbound marketing has taken root as consumer preference and continues to shift the way we seek information and decide on purchases.

Inbound marketing consists of media and mediums that consumers use and in turn, chose which messages and companies they wish to know more about. For example, instead of interrupting people with TV ads, videos are created and spread virally to only those engaged and willing to participate with the social media. Other examples of Inbound Marketing are: blogs, white papers, SEO, webinars, and RSS feeds.

Although inbound marketing should not necessarily replace outbound marketing, if not practiced as part of an overall marketing strategy, companies will lose out to competitors that embrace it. Social media is here to stay and with lower costs and better targeting than outbound, even the smallest player can compete with the biggest bully in the market.

Website Development - So what are you really paying for?

Many times I'm asked to help create, build, program and promote a new website. You can really get yourself into a pickle if you quote your time or worse someone else's without truly knowing everything that's needed for a specific project. Anyone shopping around looking to create their first site should understand the different elements that make up developing a website.

To keep it simple, I'll break it down into three stages. Each incurring their own expense. First the site needs to be designed. Next, it needs to be programmed. Third, it should promoted to become visible on search engines. In designing a site, one should plan out and define the precise objective for their website: information, organizational, entertaining and/or commercial.This will dictate the site content and act as a foundation for the overall design and navigation.

Programming a site carries a large range of options and possible scenarios. Again, planning is crucial so that every desired bell and whistle as well as functionality and user experience is confirmed prior to development. Adding new features and site capabilities as you program other pages is extremely inefficient for obvious reasons.

Although some may think marketing a site comes after the site is built, this is not suggested. SEO, internal and external link strategies, and online promotions should all be considered and implemented into the master plan of the site. Like any marketing project, research and planning allows for smooth development and more importantly, a functioning product that meets expectations.

Social Media: Use it or Lose it

The concept of using user-generated content in social applications surely isn't a new topic. But how not using it can result in damaging and devastating consequences rather is. The verdict is out that consumers from all types of industries are looking and listening to what other like-minded people have to say about a specific product or service. For example, a leading OTA (Online Travel Agency) states that 40-50% of vacation condo rentals come from referrals of friends and family. With social networks and content sharing bringing together consumers like never before, companies can't ignore the power of this new influential purchase channel.

Mission successful!

We've made it. Welcome to my new marketing blog.

How many times have you thought: what if...; someday I'm gonna...; you know what I'd like to do...? I once heard that those expressions are a warped perception of reality that give you temporary satisfaction that progress is in action.

Well I remember having those same thoughts and nothing feels better than to conquer them and accomplish what you seek. With all of that behind me, now I can start on this new adventure sharing and exploring new ideas in the world of marketing, social media and innovative technologies.

See you on the playing field!

Be sure to check out my new websites: http://www.toddscholl.com/ and http://www.thegravityhouse.com/