Internet Marketing Blog | Kai Rostcheck

Making Movies...

Since this site has a lot to do with creativity and business, I thought I’d share some of my recent fun. I’ve been making videos for several different clients, helping to write scripts and playing around with different forms and applications. There are 3 basic types: Montages consisting of slides and/or photographs. Live footage (recorded from a hand-held digital camera or webcam). “Screen Capture”...

Adding a "Rate Us" button is free and ea...

What’s the difference between these two pictures? Version #1 - Before RatePoint Version #2 - After RatePoint You got it – the “Rate Us” feature wasn’t apparent in the first image. But after installing the simple code (it’s literally a copy and paste) from RatePoint, we can automatically encourage our Social Media Fast Start customers to give us their feedback about the series. How...

How to tell EXACTLY where you should be marketing...

If you’ve already watched the Free Marketing Made Easy Social Media Fast Start series… …you’ll remember how I walked you through the steps of following and engaging with LinkedIn and Facebook Groups. I also showed you how to start building an active online community by participating in other people’s blogs, listening on Twitter, etc. If you haven’t already watched the series, you can...

…and the #1 Reason to Have a Facebook Page i...

I’m looking for TCB Removal Services in Stone Mountain, GA. So I try a Google search and get this result: There’s something very important that you should notice here: TCB Removal Services’ homepage doesn’t appear on the first page results. I’m not trying to pick on them (in fact, some of the reviews of their company are great) but from a marketing perspective that’s really not good....

What's your "breakthrough" message?...

I heard a fascinating question at a recent Meetup* event celebrating Seth Godin’s newest book, Linchpin. During a conversation about information overload and what marketers can do to get their message through, one of the participants asked me: “How do you break through the clutter and get someone to BUY your program.” She wasn’t talking about Free Marketing Made Easy in particular – rather...

When a free online calendar is actually a marketin...

Reaching out to a new colleague today (@coachlaura – a social media trainer) I discovered a very cool, free new cool. Tungle.me is a free, simple to use but powerful online calendar system. Why would I call it a marketing tool? Because you can embed it into your website and let clients book time with you at their own convenience. This would be beneficial if you are: A landscaper, paver, roofer or any other kind...

Get People to Click: I did, and you can too...

If you have been following my blog for a little while, you know that Free Marketing Made Easy launched earlier this week. There are all sorts of things I can (and will) share about ‘what’s working’ for us right now; you can borrow from our successes and try some of them for your own business. To start, let’s focus on two email marketing lessons: Building and maintaining your online and offline...

How did I get into Inc. Magazine (and what does it...

The picture below shows pages 16-17 of Inc. Magazine’s May 2010 issue. Though it may be hard for you to see from this image, the top left article on page 17 is titled “A Cash Register That Tweets.” Beneath that headline is my quote about the application, which I originally posted to the magazine’s blog. Max Chafkin’s article about getting customers on Facebook and Twitter was great ["Tell...

Email Your Blog (and don't forget the link)...

There are lots of things you can do with your blog: The obvious one is to post it to your site and include RSS links so readers can receive new updates automatically. Another way to distribute it in audio format, like some of the samples we’ve published on iTunes recently. You can also create video blog entries, like Denise Wakeman’s Business Blogging Video Tips. A 4th way is to email your post, as a standalone...

Open a New Window – how to configure your li...

Here’s a tip that will help you keep visitors on your site and more engaged for a lot longer. When setting up links within your site, follow this rule of thumb: Internal links, leading elsewhere within your site should usually be set to open in the same tab or window. For example, if you click this link to the Free Marketing Made Easy podcast page then you will leave this blog post and move over to a new section...

So you want to make a podcast…...

I had a great time recording a podcast yesterday with the folks from Grasshopper, who’s Virtual Phone System is a must-have for any entrepreneur. How much fun? Take a peek behind the scenes, where I show you how easy it is to make your own podcasts and videos. We’ll get the podcast edited and posted asap.

Blog as if Everyone's Reading...

Surely you’ve heard the expression “Dance as if Nobody’s Watching.” In my case that’s probably good advice. My wife is the dancer in our family – I’m not so graceful. But I blog pretty well. And I am an active conversationalist. So recently I’ve taken up the topic “What To Do When Nobody Says Anything Meaningful.” Here’s what I mean: If you follow are following...

Confessions of an Internet Marketer, Part 2...

Maybe I’m in denial. Maybe I just don’t get it. There are apparently quite a few traditional Internet marketers who might agree on both accounts. You see, I’ve been getting lots of emails from the same sources lately. Every day, if not more. I suppose I could interpret this to mean that I really, REALLY need what they are trying to convince me to buy. Or could it be…that they are just particularly...

Confessions of an Internet Marketer – Part 1...

“Build Your List. Change the World. Repeat.” I wish I had come up with that headline. I really, really do. But it doesn’t belong to me. It is from my friends Sam and Steve at Thought Lead, an evolutionary marketing consultancy. “What is Evolutionary Marketing?” you might ask. Well, for the comprehensive answer you should go to their website, download their free ebook and read it carefully....

Cool Tools: Screen Capture Software...

I often need to take pictures of stuff that’s on my computer screen, so I can share the illustration in blog posts, put it into an ebook or manual, send clarification to my web programmer, etc. If you do any of your own marketing, you may need to do this sort of thing too. So here are two tools that will help you: 1. The Freebie: Capture Me is a free application for Mac. It is extremely easy to use, requiring a...

Generating Publicity: Will The Media Be Interested...

This is a guest post by Todd Brabender, President of Spread The News Public Relations, Inc. When it comes to launching a new business or product, some marketing consultants might say that EVERY product is appropriate for a publicity or media exposure campaign. That is true to a degree, but as a PR/publicity professional and former media person, I would qualify that statement by saying that although new products...

Help! I'm New to Internet Marketing (aka: who...

So you want to be more visible online? Cool. It’s not actually that hard, but it does help to know what you are getting into. Think of Internet Marketing like driving from Boston to Santa Fe. You’d want a map or gps, right? With that in mind, let’s take a broad look at the landscape. How do you get there from here? 1. Let’s start with a simple formula: What are your customer’s informational...

Oops. An unfortunate Social Media lesson....

Many (if not most) of my readers are fairly new to Social Media; things like blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc. So I approach these topics at a basic level and try to offer simple, memorable tips. Here’s one from my Twitter presentation: If you are new to Twitter or any other form of social media go ahead and start. Just be sure that you don’t say anything that you wouldn’t want everybody in the world to know. Unfortunately,...

Sign-up tips: Are you a dominatrix or a marketer?...

"You shall do my bidding!" Ok, I admit that’s an edgy headline. But it is important that I bring your attention to a small detail that can make a big difference. Hopefully you have already installed a sign-up box on your website, and have constructed it so it is both inviting and compelling. See that example on the right? That’s neither inviting nor compelling. Here is what I would do to fix...

"Lowly NBA Team's Desperate Promotion" (aka: when marketing doesn't work)

"Lowly NBA Team's Desperate Promotion&qu...

Here’s some startling advice for you: if your sales are low, don’t wrestle a bear. That’s not a euphemism, I mean it literally; don’t try to replicate Jackie Moon’s stunt. Here’s Will Ferrell from his 2008 movie “Semi Pro” for more: You’d figure this would be too obvious to even comment on in the real world, right? But like a page from a bad novel, the New Jersey...

False Scarcity is a Turn-Off...

Here’s a good marketing tip for you: Scarcity creates demand. Here’s a bad marketing tip for you: Scarcity creates demand. What’s the difference? I think it comes down to your intention, and how you use scarcity. Stay with me here for a second, and let me take one step back, in order for us to take two steps forward ok? I recently joined The Third Tribe, a community which promotes “Internet Marketing Strategies...

Connecting to Your Facebook Page: "Request fo...

I’ve been seeing this error quite a bit recently, and finally figured out how to solve it: If you receive this error, try switching from Firefox to Safari or Internet Explorer It first appeared when I was registering for Gist, a free application that imports and manages information about all of your contacts. I couldn’t get their system to connect to Facebook, even though it was working fine with my Gmail,...

No phone number? No sale. Get a virtual help desk ...

What’s wrong with this picture? Geesh, they say they are the “fastest growing affiliate network in the U.S.” and they’ve got this great review from Inc. Magazine. I need an affiliate service provider for Free Marketing Made Easy, so I should sign right up for their service, right? Well, maybe. But first I have a question. I’m just going to give them a quick call and….oh, wait a second....

What's the date? You didn't tell us....

I recently received this email invitation to an event which would be great to share with my readers: The event is on target, hosted by a reputable company and free. I like it. You might too. The only problem is they didn’t specify the date. The only information we have about when the event is taking place is the line we’ve highlighted, “Thursday at 12pm Eastern.” Which Thursday? We use multiple...

This story of entrepreneurship has nothing (and ev...

BusinessWeek recently ran an article titled An Amish Entrepreneur’s Old-Fashioned Approach. It’s a feel-good story about an Amish farmer and his dad who figured out several years ago that everyone was going organic. While that might sound good to some, their point was that they wouldn’t be able to differentiate themselves in the organic food world for very long. What to do? Amos (the son) and Jacob (the...

How do you create messages that stick?...

This post corresponds to the Free Marketing Made Easy Audio Blog 2 which you can listen to here. Can you tell me why some marketing ideas survive (and thrive) while others die? If not, you’re probably wasting time and money with your marketing. Instead, you should read the brilliant book Made to Stick. Here’s my Cliff’s Notes summary of it. Made to Stick reveals Six Principles of messages that work: Simplicity:...

Don't forget "About Us" on your web...

This post corresponds to Free Marketing Made Easy Audio Blog 1 which you can listen to here. Most websites have a default page called “About Us.” Does yours? It should. Why? Because, as Chip and Dan Heath explain in their brilliant book Made to Stick, we must never fall into the trap of The Curse of Knowledge. I have added a separate post explaining that concept in greater detail, but to boil it down it basically...

Web Conferencing Basics...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 19: Web Conferencing with ReadyTalk which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. My last post explained how you can use teleclasses and podcasts to record audio, then distribute it on the web. If you want to use that same concept of re-purposing content, but take it to another...

How (and why) to start Podcasting...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 18: Podcasting Basics with Adam Weiss which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. As mentioned in my last post, it’s easy to record your teleclasses. That means you might have some audio tracks which you could edit and re-publish, so this is a good time for us to talk...

How to set up a Teleclass...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 17: Conducting Teleclasses with Office Queen Tracey Lawton which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. Our last couple of posts have explored “traditional” methods of marketing which are being reborn due to new technical advancements. Public Relations and Email...

Getting Started with Email Marketing...

This post corresponds to Free Marketing Made Easy podcast Episode 16: Email Marketing with MailChimp which is included in the Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. My last post explained the basics of Public Relations and Press Releases. Those things have been around for quite a while, but they are being revived because of new tools and distribution methods....

Using Public Relations and Writing Press Releases...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 15: Public Relations & the Killer Press Release with Susan Payton of Egg Marketing & PR which is included in The Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. If you are following along with the Free Marketing Made Easy course overview, we are now moving into Part 4: Get More Customers! Why...

YouTube and Online Video...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 14: YouTube and Online Video with Lou Bortone, the Online Video Guy which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. In our last post about Twitter and Social Media automation tools, we promised to introduce you to Online Video. When I approach the subject with our friend Lou Bortone...

Using Twitter for Business...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 13: Twitter for Business with Seth Resler, Founder of New England Social Media which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. In my last post about Using Facebook for Business I acknowledged that you don’t have all day to spend on social media. You might want to use something...

Facebook for Business… from friends and family t...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 12: Facebook for Business with Susan Payton of Egg Marketing & PR which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. Here we are, reading our way through the social media section of Free Marketing Made Easy. Our last post considered why you would want to blog. Now we’ll...

Blogging for Your Business...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 11: Blogging for Business with Michael Martine (aka: Remarkablogger) which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. In our last section we considered social media by taking a holistic view of online marketing. Now we’re going to get into specifics. By now you’ve probably...

All these online marketing pieces…how do they fi...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 10: A Holistic Approach to Online Marketing with Denise Wakeman which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. Our last post concluded the first two areas of the Free Marketing Made Easy Program with a discussion on Site Optimization and Conversion. If you are following along...

What is 'Site Conversion & Optimization&#...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 9: Site Optimization and conversion with Marketing Experiments which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. As we previously discussed when defining Search Engine Optimization, getting traffic to your website is a good thing but you want it to be relevant traffic. Once you...

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Basics...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 8: Search Engine Optimization with Christine O’Kelly of SEO Content Solutions which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. In our previous post about Building Your Website on Wordpress we outlined a way for you to create an easy-to-manage, scalable site with plugins that...

Building Your Website on WordPress...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 7: Building Your Website (and Blog) on WordPress with Ben Cope of WordPress University which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. Our last post discussed the way you can create an affordable and professional brand identity. Now that you have the right look, it’s time...

Easy, cost-effective ways to design your Brand Ide...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 5: Sourcing Your Design Projects with crowdSPRING and Episode 6: Brand identity beyond design with Vistaprint which are included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. Our last post described Content Marketing; the discipline by which we create a concrete message. Since you now understand...

Create a message worth spreading...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 4: Content Marketing with Joe Pulizzi, Founder of Junta42 which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, and is accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. In our last two posts we talked about market research and described the importance of getting actionable feedback. This time we’ll go a step further and figure...

Get Actionable Feedback from Customers, Prospect a...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 3: Get Actionable Feedback from Customers, Prospects and Employees with Rypple which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, and is accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. Throughout the Know Your Market section of this program, we’ve been explaining how good market research is the foundation for good marketing....

See the Big Picture Using Google Tools...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 2: Research Your Market with Google Tools which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program, and is accompanied by workbook and video tutorials that show you how to do this on your own. Selling can be a pretty complicated process. Why is it so perplexing? Because customers rarely make intellectual purchasing decisions. The fact is, that as consumers we typically...

How to market online: An overview of New Media and...

This post corresponds to podcast Episode 1: Integrating Your Marketing with David Cutler of Creative Business Development which is included in the Free Marketing Made Easy Core Program. So you own a small business and you know you should be online, but you’re not sure where to start. Hi there! We get it. To warm things up a bit, consider these six points that our buddy Dave Cutler would like you to know about Internet...

Get your company on Twitter. Now....

Twitter is currently ranked as the 12th most popular U.S. website. International results are comparable. I’m not going to begin a conversation about “what” Twitter is or “How to use it” right now. If you want that kind of information, watch for the Free Marketing Made Easy kit coming soon. Instead, I’m just telling you to get your business on Twitter. Now. Why? Because I want to know...

Idea of the Day: How to make LinkedIn even better...

I loved LinkedIn. In my role of Connector for Boston World Partnerships I find it particularly useful, since I am so frequently creating meaningful connections for colleagues and acquaintances. Still, there’s always room for improvement. Currently, LinkedIn has two great features that aren’t, umm, linked in very well. Here’s feature #1, their job search capability: And here’s feature #2, which...

Don’t charge for eBooks...

I like eBooks (formerly referred to as White Papers and sometimes Case Studies…the lines are beginning to blur). The funny thing is that I rarely read them. Instead, I skim. When I visit your website, find immediate access to your ebook and get highly relevant and informative results just by opening it, you have sold me: I now consider you to be an expert. I don’t really need to read the ebook because I recognize...

Inbound Marketing Primer Part 2: Tools You Can Use...

(Note, this is Inbound Marketing Primer Part 2 of 2. Click here for part 1). Here are some tools you should be implementing in order to increase traffic, extend views and visit time, and convert site visits into leads: 1. “Follow me” widgets: your website should include easily identifiable links to your open communities such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. 2. “Share This” gadgets that allow you to tell others...

Inbound Marketing Primer part 1: Tips for Building...

One of my clients is working with an Inbound Marketing company called HubSpot. Coincidentally, I participated in sections of their Inbound Marketing University program a couple of weeks ago. While this hardly makes me a social media ‘expert’, I have already discovered some useful things that you might want to know about for your website. As I offer these tips I must acknowledge that I haven’t implemented all of...

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