1. You can create your market.
2. Email is a powerful marketing tool.
3. Your competition can create business for you.

Check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN78dChZss4

Now, when you read that opening paragraph, you probably had one of two thoughts:
A) Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. I’ve heard that before.    Or. . .
B) Nate, you are exactly right. You nailed it right on the head.

The truth is, if your thoughts were somewhere along the lines of  response “A”, you either haven’t been in business very long, or you probably won’t be. If your thoughts were along the lines of response “B”, you probably have a steady flow of clients or customers.

In a day 0f instant gratification from a consumer point of view, business owners often seek after instant gratification from the service provider point of view, anxious to move on to the next customer without really meeting the needs of their current clients. The service provider is going after the instant gratification of a happy client when, the truth is, that client may have expected more.

Take care of your clients, my friends. It’s quick becoming a lost virtue. Those who do are poised for success!

Most website owners would like to think that’s the way it works. They play their website like the lottery. . . throw some money in, get a site, and hope the world falls in love with it making the owner insanely rich.

If that’s how you’re going to play the game, save your money for Las Vegas. You probably have a better chance of winning there than online.

Successful websites that generate leads and make money for the owner are planned out meticulously and strategically positioned for success. I know what you’re thinking. . . how?

Well, I used to buy run down houses, renovate, them and resell them. My mentor taught me the secret trick to fix anything. He would say, “How you do you fix a leaking roof? It’s easy! Write a check.”  ”How do you fix a broken foundation? It’s easy. Write a check!”  ”How you to get rid of scary mold? It’s easy! Write a check.”

When he used to say things like that, I would think to myself, “Oh man, I can’t keep writing checks for stuff like that.” But the truth was I had to, and it was was well worth it. I was running a business, and my job was to run the business, not to try and fix the leaking toilets. And the truth is, paying to get things done was always a fraction of what I though it would actually cost.

What’s my point you ask? We’re not fixing houses.

The point is, when you take your business online, treat it like a business and get the right people working on your team. If not, while you’re trying to figure out how to get a video to show up on your website, your wise competitor has already hired the right guy to do it for him, and he can now spend his time where  it matters most, helping his customers and filling orders.

Social Media can be a powerful tool in your marketing bag of tricks, and it’s FREE! What is social media?  Think of yourself sitting at a little table in a café sipping a hot chocolate with . . . hundreds of millions of people! What would you say? How would you say it? How would you get people to listen to you?

In this workshop you will learn the basics of how to use Facebook and Twitter and how to use them to promote your business. This is not an advanced social media workshop.

In this workshop I will start at ground zero with the basics of using Facebook and Twitter, and then demonstrate how to use it to grow your business. You will learn the essential fundamentals of social media for your business.

Here are some of the questions you will get answered:

What is social media, Twitter, and Facebook? *How much time does it take to use social media?

Can I automate my social media marketing? *What privacy issues are there with social networking?

How can I brand my Twitter background for my business? *Can I advertise on Facebook and Twitter?

How can I find customers using Twitter and Facebook? *How do you share photos on Twitter? What are the demographics of most social media users? What’s the difference between a Facebook Group and Fan Page? How do I create a Facebook page for my business?

I am going to pack in as much as possible in two hours! Come learn the lingo and the how-to of promoting your business through social media.

This workshop has been on our most wanted list for months, so please register early.  If there are specific questions you want to make sure get answered at the workshop,  go to www.nateburgoyne.com/hwbcmedia and let me know.

I invite you to come early to network with other business owners and entrepreneurs, and to get your website and online marketing questions answered. Check in begins at 5:00 PM and the workshop begins at 5:30 PM.

Register today online at  hwbc.org.

If online registration is still open, there are still seats available. Get yours quick. We anticipate this workshop to sell out early.

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

And for additional Questions and Answers about it, visit http://ftc.gov/multimedia/video/business/endorsement-guides.shtm

As a gift through the holidays this year, Google has subsidized WiFi internet access at various airports across the country to help promote the new Google Chrome browser of which I, personally, am a fan. How much are they subsidizing the internet access? Well, it’s Free. I’m telling you, Google it taking over the internet world.

Well, Bing and Yahoo! have answered back. Bing has been keeping up with the Joneses by offer the same free internet service at other airports across the country, while Yahoo! has decided to wire up New York’s Times Square with free WiFi through the holidays. Boy, the search engine and browser battle is getting pretty heated, and it looks like Google is still the Jones to keep up with.

The first thing most people look for in a financial site is security. You can see at the top of the page where the web address is, that it begins with https:// instead of http://. This means that the server where the website is hosted is secure so that when you enter your personal information, it won’t be intercepted nor stolen by any other third party. If you have a website where people are entering confidential information, you’ll want to get what’s called an SSL certificate to make your page secure as well.

This particular page is very benefits driven. It’s simple and explains the offer quickly and concisely. Quickly scanning the offer, you can quickly see the benefits 0% APR (Annual Purchase Rate) for 6 months, 5% cash back, $0 Fraud Liability, and a number of other things. The benefits are easy to scan.

The “Start Application” button is easy to find, so you know exactly what to do to apply. You don’t have to search for where to get started. Perfect.

Places for improvement that I see are that the page does not appeal to emotion at first glance. It’s not a very moving site. Maybe some images of money or happy people or a custom graphic highlighting the 0% interest would be a good addition.

What’s my favorite part? The headline, “Clearly the Best Choice – 0% Into APR*”. It’s easy to ready and makes me want to apply.

Summary, the site is benefits based, and easy to read. The offer is the best you can get with no interest for 6 months and cashback bonus. Some visual elements to make the site a little more emotional would probably increase conversion. On a business level, would I recommend this offer for a business, Yes. I’ve personally used Discover for a long time and the monthly payments are always far below any other credit lines with similar balances. Can’t go wrong with 0% interest. That’s my take on the Discover Card Clear sales page.

A few months ago, I checked my credit with Equifax and boy was I surprised to see some things on my credit report. I was gong to check my score just once but now I check my credit report a few times every month. What will you find on there? Every credit line you’ve ever opened or that someone else has opened for you. All your credit lines and approximate balances, which accounts are open or closed, your credit score, and explanations of why things are scored as they are and who has reported to the credit bureau about you. It’s great and Equifax made their interface easy to navigate.

When I was looking for the right company to check my credit with, I went website to website looking for the one that I felt I could trust with my personal information. I ended up with Equifax. Their website is clean and professional. They have interactive elements with a virtual assistant and when you look at the homepage, the big red “Get Started” button tells you what to do.

I’m definitely impressed that they have a link to their Facebook page. Sometimes it takes big companies like this years and years to start something like a Facebook page.

What would I change about this website? Well, in my opinion, they’re killing themselves by not collecting names and email addresses. There’s no credit help newsletter to subscribe to. People are coming to their website and leaving without leaving any contact information. If they get a name and email collecting optin box on that homepage, I don’t doubt for a second that their sales will quickly multiply.

Effectively opening up your business to the world wide web, opens the doors of your business to the world and make every person with a computer and an internet connection, a potential customer. How wide is that door? Well, over 74% of all Americans have bought something online. The potential is huge for those who do it right.

So, what does it mean to “do it right”? First, you’ve got to have a website. Second, that website needs to be built or optimized from the inside out to get high search engine rank on Google and Yahoo search engines. Thirdly, the website needs to be organized in such a way that it converts visitors into customers.

I was working with a local Haleiwa business, Quiksilver North Shore Boardriders Club a few weeks ago to help them market their business online and here are the results:

In just a few weeks, they went from no website and no search engine rank to….

#1 in Yahoo for “north shore board riders”
#2 in Yahoo for “north shore surf shop”
#2 in Yahoo for “surfshop Haleiwa”
#3 in Yahoo for “north shore surf gear”
#3 in Yahoo for “north shore oahu surf shop”
#3 in Yahoo for “boardriders north shore”
#5 in Yahoo for “oahu north shore surf shops”
#3 in Google for “northshore boardriders club”
Top Ten in Google for “hawaii quiksilver t-shirts”

And web traffic from 40 Google and Yahoo search terms and 13 countries around the world.

The greatest thing is, this is just the beginning for Boardriders Club. The site has been live for only about a month now and every time I check the statistics, they’re moving up in search engine ranking for several search terms.

Hurray for local businesses! If you want to visit the site you can go to www.northshoreboardridersclub.com

If you have questions or would like to brainstorm ideas about how to promote your business online feel free to contact me any time. Have a great day everyone! Aloha.