Comscore latest release of online video viewers  for the USA, reached an impressive thirty four billion videos have been watched as of May 2010.

Yes, Google is leading with 14.6 billion videos watched representing 43.1 percent of all videos viewed online. YouTube is the vast majority of that figure. Why not, many people access YouTube for entertainment as well as education and marketing.

The following is based on video Content Sites for streaming and downloading.

Total US Internet Usage( add000):

Videos:             33,950,891                 Share:100%

Google Sites:   14,628,095                Share: 43.1%

Hulu:                    1,174,844                Share: 3.5%

Microsoft Sites:    642,027                Share:1.9%

Vevo:                       430,257                Share:1.3%

Viacom digital:     346,755               Share: 1.0%

Yahoo Sites:           336,314               Share:1.0%

CBS Interactive:    333,189              Share: 1.0%

Turner Network:    331,897             Share: 1.0%

Fox Interactive:     328,492             Share: 1.0%

Facebook:                 245,120              Share: 07%

The total US audience is 182,918 million unique viewers! The average video per viewer is 185.6!

What does this mean to  your business ?  Let us look at five common sense reasons to be included in this phenomenon.

1. People are responding to online video
2. Video makes you less of a stranger
3. Emotionally  connect with your audience
4. Product demonstrations appeals to sight and sound
5. Affordable

Jordan Consulting offer online video and commercial services locally and nationally.

Beware of offers of low monthly fees and long term contracts.

Call us for a Free Consultation

Unless you  can speak with authority then execute on behalf of the client, about alternatives and options, other than the products and services your employer offers, you are not a consultant. You are a sales representative.

Gail Jordan

Sales people sell for a company. Hey, I sell for my company! No apologies. All companies sell, why hide?  Too many sales organizations have sold inferior products or services to too many unhappy buyers that felt taken. Hence the phrase “ I was sold a bill of goods.”

I focus on marketing and advertising, yet this article could apply to any industry.

A major company was offering a webinar titled “Why you should NOT hire a consultant” Yes, I should have stopped everything and attended, I didn’t. I thought, I must be getting their attention! After patting myself on the back, I continued my day  protecting clients.

Not hiring the services of a consultant, seems to be on the same level as:

• Insurance companies avoiding your legal representation, to manage a settlement
• Not to getting  a second  medical opinion
• buying a house without an agent Etc.

A sales company that refuses to welcome your consultant’s presence is automatically suspect. What don’t they want you to know? What are they hiding? What do they fear?  Look out for corporate spin. HUMMMMM

Consultants vs. Salespeople

• Consultants: works toward YOUR success  vs.
• Sales people: works toward their EMPLOYERS success

• Consultant : understand the complete picture vs.
• Sales people: focus on a goal of selling their product to you

• Consultants: will share both sides of the positive and negatives of the decision you are facing. vs.
• Sales people will only share the positives about the product they are selling

• Consultants: depends on the success of their advice vs.
• Salespeople: depend on the amount of their sales

• Consultants : expand your knowledge base delivering available alternatives vs.
• Salespeople: only speak on behalf of the company paying their commissions

• Consultants: have the ability to execute a decision on your behalf to any company vs.
• Salespeople: Can only work with you about their company’s product or service alone.

A credible and confident sales representative  will welcome the consultant of your choice.

Beware when a company is threatened by your  consultant’s presence.

Red Flag Warning

Is it possible that there may be information they don’t want you to have?

Then that’s the information you need!

]]> http://adviceonadvertisingblog.com/advertising-2/458/feed/ 0 http://adviceonadvertisingblog.com/yellow-pages/branding-burns-the-image-your-message-into-the-minds-of-your-target-market/ http://adviceonadvertisingblog.com/yellow-pages/branding-burns-the-image-your-message-into-the-minds-of-your-target-market/#comments Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:48:55 +0000 Gail http://adviceonadvertisingblog.com/?p=446

Straight to the point…

The American Marketing Association defines branding as:

“A brand is a customer experience represented by a collection of images and ideas; often, it refers to a symbol such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme. Brand recognition and other reactions are created by the accumulation of experiences with the specific product or service, both directly relating to its use, and through the influence of advertising,

Businessdictionary.com defines branding as:

Entire process  involved in creating a unique name and image  for a product  (good or service) in the consumers’ mind, through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market  that attracts and retains loyal customers.

What is necessary to have in place before you begin your branding strategy?

A complete understanding of your :

• Goal
• Competitors weakness and strengths
• Target audience

Supported by :

• A individualized image your logo or slogan
• An advertising strategy-consistently delivering your image
• A marketing budget
• A  completion time line  

The Three C’s of strategy

1. Coordinate
2. Concentrate
3. Communicate

A successful campaign will:

• Develop top of mid awareness for your product or services in the memory of your ideal clients.
• Clearly deliver your message
• Confirms credibility
• Connects emotionally
• Concretes user loyalty
• Motivate your buyer

There are many brands that we instantly recognize.

This of course did not happen overnight. Branding takes time and attention.  Begin branding as soon as possible.. Waiting until you are desperate for cash flow is already too late.

Are you the image of your company?

Sole practitioners such as individual business owners,  professional athletes, entertainers, physicians and attorneys are their brands. It is important for this group of people to remember this 24 hours a day. The impression they make with their audience lasts a long time!

When I sold for a company, often times I would leave a business thinking I would never bring my personal business to them because of how rude and abusive the owner was to me as a sales representative. I would never do business with them or refer their services to my friends and associates, yet I am sure they would want the profits I would bring as a customer!

Highly perceived value…

Yields Higher Sales, Profits, & Cash Flow.

Remember who you are!

Let’s Talk…. Straight to the point…..

A website is the link that connects all other advertising without  geographical boundaries.

The Benefits of a website is the 24-7-365 availability (on the internet). You no longer have telephone directory distribution limits, forcing you to buy Yellow Page advertising in multiple directories to cover your geographic market.

The mentality “You have to be in the Yellow Pages” has now become “You must have a website” to be taken seriously in  business. Business people normally want a website. What they do not want is to be sold a website, or to be taken advantage of in an environment where they are unfamiliar, commonly known as sales resistance.

Professionally designed websites gives a positive impressions of:

• legitimacy • established • instills confidence •credibility• professionalism • strength • character• sophistication

Amateur website designs give a negative impression, the opposite of all the above. If you do not take care of your image or web presence, will you then take care of business? In today’s environment you may appear to be out of business!

Often your website is the first opportunity to impress a new client.

I have seen some Attorney’s websites that really would be better off not to have a website at all.  Why neglectfully give a, negative impression if what you actually intend to do, is attract good clients?

There is more to website designing and building that just putting words and images on a template.

Owning your website (not renting)  allows you to have some control, of the information placed on the internet about your business.

My conversations with businesses  reveal that they either do not understand the medium, respect the medium or simply understand the importance of the potential competitiveness in the marketplace.

It is possible to get qualified clients, and save money on advertising.

An attorney in Buffalo, New York no longer invests sixty thousand dollars a year in Yellow Page advertising. He knows he simply doesn’t need to. He has made the shift from major print representation to the internet.

How are you preparing for the future of your business?

Why does the  Internet Yellow Page Publishers Project Double Digit Growth?

How can this be with major Yellow Page companies filing bankruptcy?

Straight to the Point….

Acquisitions are one reason for large increase in usage, not increased unique visitors.

Look closely, Pay Attention

Does your sales representative ask you to access their  Internet Yellow Page site, your computer?  A multi state sales staff will increase the numbers of unique visitors rapidly this way.

Many publishers offer a discount on the print  if  you buy the Internet Yellow Pages.

My attorney clients view  this as coercion.  Is your Internet Yellow Pages sold on the merit of  performance, with  incentives, or with  packaged pricing. Question, are you really buying the Internet Yellow Pages or, your discount?

How does this benefit the publishers?

Publishers are populating their data base  with your information on their search site.

A user report is generated, often identified as a click report, to prove to performance.

How accurate is this report?

I have seen up to  3 disclaimers on one report, basically saying the report may not be accurate, and it is ok. Hummmm

I suggest  comparing it to your website’s or blog’s independent analytic program. Do they agree?  The independent analytics I’ve seen  do not demonstrate  same results as the publisher’s  click report. Amazing.

Accuracy is important. I’ve even seen errors on sponsoring publisher’s  information. Imagine!   So, what is the point?

Revenue, monthly revenue is the business model of the Yellow Page Industry.

As publishers transition advertisers from print to online, the monthly payment habit is being established.

Read the tea leaves.  Bankruptcies of multiple major players should tell us something. Watch for services that were standard operating procedures, disappear to cut costs.

Do you search directly from a search engine or go to another Internet Yellow Page site, then search?

Internet Yellow Pages competition is in your reach. People can search any search site anywhere, or search the search engines directly. How many are there? Hundreds I repeat, hundreds, maybe thousands, and each sales rep offers the best!

How accurate is the non paid listing? Then how accurate is the search site?

Direct search saves time, offering more for less.

Not one of my clients, has suffered a revenue loss or regretted cancelling  their Internet Yellow Page billing. Not ONE . The questions not asked are often the most important information you will need.

I do not own my site?

Things that should make you think Hummmm…

Do you own the rights to your domain name, website information, commercials, or online video? This is not being discussed as it should, and can be dangerous to your image or business.

Are renting (low monthly payments) a website? Is it rent to own? Who owns the information on the site? If you don’t know the answer, find out and get it in writing on company letterhead, by a person in authority.

WARNING, do not let a sales representative minimize the importance of this.

Warning. Danger Thin Ice

Imagine someone else owning your name and building a website with misinformation.

I have seen this with my own eyes! Someone else could own the domain with your business name. (For example, you could own gailjordan.com if I did not.)

Look  up your personal or business name and buy it now (usually around $10.00 for one year. IF you still can.( For your convenience,…..http://www.domainsbyjordan.com. )You may want to protect yourself to the extent of buying all versions of your name such as (with and without hyphens), .COM – .NET – .ORG, e.tc. This can get expensive, decide for yourself.

Website developers can own your site and content. Videographers and publishers can own your commercials or on line video, and you will not be able to publish it where or when  you see fit.

Did you ask how long they will own the information you are paying for?

Is it a self renewing contract?

How many years will you pay for the same online video?

Online video is being sold for low monthly fees. It sounds nice to the busy person that does not want to take time to find a qualified videographer.

You may own it after a year or so, for thousands of dollars and by then will the content be accurate? Fresh? No, unfortunately not.

The questions not asked will be the most important and could sot you dearly.

Traffic

Jordan Consulting is dedicated to the business people that need help designing a website right the first time. I have spoken to so many people that have not only purchased their website once, but twice and still have major concerns.

We work with an education first platform.

Business owners want to be found. Building a website and creating traffic to a website are two very different functions.

There are guidelines that tell us what search engines look for in a website.  Search engines change requirements often. Website owners often choose to do things their way. If they have  been informed and knowingly made the trade off, so be it.

I understand and respect their decision, but  feel it is important, that first they must be knowledgeable about what is in  their best interest.

I have seen many, I repeat many, poorly designed sites. I am amazed at the attorneys that have websites breaking all the rules.

I’ve concluded two thoughts.

1. They must not respect the benefits of their website.
2. They do not really understand the benefits or the potential of a website.


Our process:

• We first must understand the needs of your business or practice.
• We discuss web development & design elements with our client.
• Our approach is education based, we understand and you understand.
• Never pay monthly (rent) for a site you will never own. You will never own it, and in the end you’ll have nothing. Then what? You will need to purchase a site. I’ve made a few companies angry with me over this!

The truth is the truth. For this, I make no apologies.

Please share your thoughts…..

Freedom of Speech. God Bless America!

The internet has given voice in a unique ways never before imagined. People no longer soley rely on the Better Business Bureau ie: BBB,  for ratings and settling  consumer complaints. Now we have sites that are commonly known as lists. Good or bad you may find yourself on a list. You also have an opportunity to respond, to clear up any complaints.

If you have been solicited to pay to have a negative review removed, be careful.  I find that to be a questionable ethics concern, possibly a scam. See article in this archive dated August  24, 2010.

Search sites also have reviews. Good or bad reviews are everywhere to post,  praise, or complain.

1. How will this affect the BBB?
2. How will this affect your business?
3. What can be done about it?
4. Could this backfire on you?
5. Are you monitoring your web presence?

When you are up against a large corporation and you have been wronged, how do you get help? Filing law suits can be expensive unless you hire your attorney on a contingency basis, that may still have expenses attached. Legal loop holes and many hurdles still lay ahead.

Remember what is posted on the internet will always be there. Computer forensics have sent many people to jail.

Jordan Consulting’s  advice is:

• Make sure you are posting in a reputable site
• Exhaust all avenues to resolve the dispute
• Remember even future employers may read your post.
• Could this communication be used in court?
• Never post in the heat of your anger.
• Write it out and take time to cool off.
• Is in your best interest?
• Could this backfire on you?

This could also be your time to stand up and let one persons voice change injustices. Listen to your inner voice.

Reputation monitoring  and management is very important, this must be handled properly. Many businesses are unaware of the potential  damage.

Read this article about a court ruling on this subject!

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=135514&nid=118469

New avenues present new dangers, proceed at your own risk!

Straight to the Point…

Who protects businesses from negative posting or reviews on the internet? Many may not be aware of the threat to your business by a negative posting, information error or review. Negative publicity can out run fantastic marketing! Think BP.

A business was solicited over the fax that for a “fee” a negative organic listing would be removed.  My inner lioness began to smell danger.

Who sent this?

Could the same person that owns the offending site, be the same person offering the fee paid solution? Anything is possible.

“The new threat of internet review blackmail has unfortunately reached most industries”, says Matthew O’Such, Search Engine Strategist at PCG Digital Marketing in New Jersey. He goes on to say, “with Google giving prominence to many of the larger review sites, all one nefarious individual needs to do is post a single negative comment and attempt to contact the company in question with a promise to remove it.” Given enough time on a high PageRank review site, one of the ranking factors that determine the importance of a website by Google, a person with bad intensions can make a good living scamming business all around town.

This danger is real but, is this crime?

What is your first level of defense?

I reached out to one of Cincinnati’s most respected Criminal Attorney’s Frank Mungo for answers.

“I think, if the complaint is fabricated, then it would be part of a scheme used to defraud.”  A scheme that intentionally obtains property or services from another person by deception using a fraudulent act is often referred to as theft by deception.  States like Kentucky, for example, make theft by deception a felony crime if the amount of property defrauded is $500 or more.  Federal criminal charges may trigger if the fraudulent act is committed through the phone, mail, or internet that spans across state lines, involving interstate commerce, replied Mungo.

Jordan Consulting would not  pay them.

This could be an unending cycle. Reputation monitoring and management is necessary and there are ways to work through it. Accepting money in to remove a problem? NO. Beware, the scam websites are very careful at crafting the content of their website to lull you into a state of complacency.

Where do you report it?

The local police department’s advice is to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov or with the FBI at www.ic3.gov orwww.fbi.gov.

Be aware. Be protected. Be informed.

DEX  One (formerly RH Donnelley) and Idearc (formerly Verizon) are in bankruptcy recovery. This tells the story.

I work with Yellow Page advertisers in their transition every day. I suggest hiring an independant advertising consultant that has had experience in the Yellow Page industry, not someone with a strong opinion about the industry. There is a huge difference.

Sadly, I have seen many representatives that do not practice full disclosure, about the Yellow Page print or the internet products they sell.

The signs of  Yellow Page decline before our very eyes every day. If , we know how to look and what to see. Bankruptcy is just one of many signs. Telephone directories are still published everyday. Advertisers still advertise in them. Directory companies still raise their yellow page rates, not as much as before, however. They can not, it would push the people off the fence, so to speak. Advertisers want to stop paying, but they  remember their past success; all the while knowing they now experience diminishing calls from the product.

I know of a telephone directory that is stuffed over 100 pages of “filler copy ads” ,to disguise the fact that the print product is diminishing. This is after it had already downsized over an additional 100 pages!  I believe that even  the directory representatives do not realize this!

There are many ways to navigate this product , if you know how. Many attorneys think they have a handle on directory advertising… I often find they are the ones being taken advantage of the most.

The internet yellow pages project future double digit growth. Why? Because their publishers offer a discount on the print, with the condition that , advertiser buys the Internet Yellow Pages. I am shocked at the technique on how this is sold. The internet yellow pages must not have the strength to be sold on it’s own use. All publishers may not have the same purchasing conditions. More on this later. Hint, I am not a fan.

Jordan Consulting recommends that you hire an experienced  consultant to work for you and your success.

With full disclosure I spent many happy  years in the Yellow Page Industry. I now choose to be part of the future, the Internet.