The Marketing Spotlight

An Italian mathematician is launching his own search engine to challenge Google.

Massimo Marchiori claims to have developed a radical new view of what a search engine can be. He
has posted a cryptic video describing his vision at Volunia.com. You can also sign up as a beta tester
for his new search engine.

The twist in this story is that Massimo contributed to Google’s original search algorithm. So you could
say he has a little “inside” knowledge on how to improve it.

Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have always acknowledged the value of Massimo’s
contribution to the Google formula. So it will be interesting to see whether Google tries to acquire or
squash the new search Read the rest and post a comment

You’re doing everything the “gurus” say to get fans and followers, but no one is turning into a buying customer.

That’s because those cow-pattie-gurus want you focused on all the ACTION that’s taking place. Then you might not notice that there’s no PRODUCTIVITY happening.

Just pick your favourite guru and look at their Twitter account. They probably make a big deal out of the huge number of followers they have. But take a look at the number of people they’re following and ask yourself this:

• Are they really paying attention to the thousands of people they’re following?
• Is it even possible for them to be paying attention?
• And if the gurus aren’t paying attention that means they’re teaching everyone else that it’s okay to not pay attention.

So it’s not your fault that you’re following their advice and no one is paying attention. That is, after all, what they teach.

Let’s have a look at what Read the rest and post a comment

Most small business marketing is still missing the boat when it comes to making profits with social media. That’s because most of the advice those businesses are getting isn’t even good enough to use as fertilizer.

In this week’s episode, we look at specific examples of how the media and cow-pattie-gurus are making the matter worse.

Then we move right into proven, tested methods for using social media profitably. I also give you a resource you can explore to get help with social media if you want it. They charge a fee, of course, and they’ll be worth every penny.

Come back here Wednesday for the article titled “Social Media Success Formula.”

Because it’s the holiday season, we wrap up the show with some practical advice for keeping yourself safe in social media and on the internet.

Thank you for Read the rest and post a comment

Can you remember walking past a Salvation Army Bell Ringer last year and feeling guilty because you didn’t have cash in your pocket? There’s a cure for that.

The Salvation Army is rolling out mobile payments for passers-by, so everyone can answer the call of the bell. We look at how they’re doing it, and even how you can use the same technology for your business.

Get this week’s episode.

And we have an update on last week’s story about stores opening on Thanksgiving Day. Anthony Hardwck, the Target employee, has attracted a lot of media attention for his petition to get Target to close for Thanksgiving. He has also gathered more than 100,000 signatures.

This week, we look at what’s happening and which store started this mess in the first place.

Listen in to know which store to avoid.

And facial Read the rest and post a comment

Consumers are starting to dislike Thanksgiving Sales.

More than one consumer is considering skipping the Thanksgiving Sales this year. That’s because, instead of starting at 4am Black Friday several retailers are planning to start their sales at midnight Thanksgiving Day.

As you might imagine, lots of folks are speaking up about this on blogs, Twitter and Facebook. They’re not happy, and they’re using social media to voice their displeasure.

Now, we all have to admit that big sales are somewhat less than social occasions. Sometimes they resemble mass riots or war zones. But Thanksgiving is definitely a social occasion (even if we’re not entirely thrilled with Uncle Fred or Aunt Edna). That’s what has a lot of dedicated Black Friday shoppers saying they’re ready to throw in the shopping bag.

Target, Macy’s Best Buy and Kohl’s are planning to open at midnight Thanksgiving Day. Wal-Mart is planning to start some of their sales at Read the rest and post a comment

There are two great articles I came across while researching this week’s show.

One is from USA Today. It’s about free applications that let you find your laptop or smartphone when they’re lost. I got a lot from reading this one.

The other is from ComputerWorld. It’s about securing your wireless network.

The cool thing about this article is that I actually knew what it was talking about.  A friend helped me secure my wireless network last year. He does all the computer work at the company he works for, and actually understands all the tech stuff.

Be sure to pass these articles on to your friends.

Read the rest and post a comment

Facebook and Groupon losing ground with the government and investors.

The FTC  has already reached agreements with Google and Twitter over privacy issues. Now they’re close to reaching a deal with Facebook.

Unfortunately, the privacy problems seem to run a little more deeply with Facebook. That might be why the New York Times article indicates part of the deal includes Facebook submitting to privacy audits for the next 20 years.

In a follow-up piece to last week’s anticipation of Groupon’s IPO, we take a look at what happened after day 1.

Although the IPO was a success for Groupon – and for the investment bankers who raked in $50 Million in fees – it has been somewhat tempered by losses starting on day 2.

And we wrap up the show with a look at how social media is impacting Read the rest and post a comment

US ad agencies – 95% of them – are using social media to identify potential clients for themselves. Unfortunately, their social media efforts are only generating 10% of their new business.

That just has to hurt…

This news is from a study done by RSW/US and RSW/AgencySearch. (Ironically, two divisions of an ad agency.) And it’s reminiscent of the news that came from Nation’s Restaurant News in 2010.

Then it was restaurant owners going whole-hog into Facebook. Their customers, on the other hand, were less than interested. So while 65% of restaurant owners were using Facebook Pages, only 3% of their customers cared. Still, that’s 50% better than what the “pros” (ad agencies) are accomplishing.

Hear my take on why ad agencies can’t even find the boat at www.smcande.com (It’s short for Social Media: Cheap and Read the rest and post a comment

Social media is used in Egypt to change the government, and in Mexico to keep people safe. But in the U.S. it’s being used by politicians to bicker and throw mud. Is it just me, or does this seem incredibly out of whack?

As politicians of all stripes follow Barack Obama’s precedent setting social media campaign from 2008,

I’m starting to wonder if they can really be this clueless. After all, what have they been doing for the last 4 years? They’ve had no particular use for social media since 2008, yet they expect us to engage with them now that they’re hopping on the bandwagon.

Listen to this week’s show at www.SocialMediaCheapAndEasy.com

Another social media flop is ad agencies. A new report from RSW/US and RSW/Agency (2011 New Read the rest and post a comment

MaryEllen Tribby says blogging is dead, but these bloggers boosted sales at K-Mart this spring by 51% over last year. Don’t seem dead to me…

There were 4 bloggers from Collective Bias at the Shopper Marketing Expo last week when I stopped by. And I got to meet a fifth blogger from Chicagonista.com at a social event that evening. We cover what they do, and how it fits in with Collective Bias on the show – www.SocialMediaCheapAndEasy.com – but I want to give you some more detail about the bloggers, what they do, and how to find them.

Let’s start with who they are and where they write.

Liz and Douglas are a husband and wife team. (Last names left out as a courtesy. Visit their blogs to find out more.) They blog full time and maintain 3 blogs plus 6 e-zines. They have a combined audience of about 10,000.

Liz and Douglas maintain

• www.ItsABlogParty.com
• www.pocketchangegourmet.com
• www.HoosierHomemade.com (because they’re from Indiana)

Vanessa is a Chicago mom who blogs part-time, and contributes to Read the rest of this entry »