Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

Marketing has changed (and continues to change) so dramatically that as a fellow marketer said, “What works today probably won’t work next month.”

That may be overstating the case a bit, but not by much.

Example: I’ve been out on the Web for a while – things keep changing (as do I and my clients) – so I no longer obsess care about:

Technorati rankings. They’re totally whacked. They list one content skimmer link multiple times and then don’t list legitimate ones. And, what’s with listing my own posts repeatedly – when I’ve not even done any cross-linking? Like I said, totally whacked.

Plus, I’m getting an increasing amount of linking (and readership) via Facebook. (However, FB in and of itself is NOT a “social media strategy.”)

The number of comments on my blog. Okay, I cared when I first started – but that was four years ago. Now, I’m happy with the people who subscribe – and who I know read it, even if they don’t always comment. Plus, my site traffic remains healthy, thanks to the blog content, which brings me to…

My Google ranking. I don’t have to care. I’ve got enough content (and add enough frequently enough) that I’ve been at the top of search results for “Mary Schmidt” and “Marketing Troubleshooter” for a long time. And, I get my biz from people who have met me live and in person…know me…have worked with me, so I’m not all that excited about cold web site traffic (For the kind of things I do, it’s quality not quantity.)

This does not mean, however, you should never care about (or look at) your site traffic. Analytics give you valuable data on what needs to be improved, changed or deleted. (Especially – duh – if you’ve got an e-commerce site – you need conversions.)

My brochure. I don’t even have one. In today’s virtual world – it’s not needed. And, when I do need on occasion need hard copy for a client proposal, I can do a custom piece and use my great pro-quality color printer.

“Getting PR” By this I mean the old-style “send out a press release to everyone” PR and hopin’ for the headlines. These days it’s all about PERSONAL relations not PUBLIC relations. Sure, it’s nice to be “in the paper” and whenever I’m in it, I usually get some business. (I’ve been on the front page of NM Biz Weekly more than once…had some great biz profiles/interviews published…and I’m still working for a living…;-)

If you’ve got high visibility on the Web, it’ll translate into media exposure. I can get more exposure (and potential biz) with just one link via FB…so I don’t obsess about PR.

This doesn’t mean, of course, you should ignore PR…but it’s changed and continues to change. The line between offline and online marketing tactics have become very blurred – so you need an integrated plan now more than ever.

P.S. What works for me and my “sole proprietor, ‘brain for hire’ ‘I care more about quality of life than quantity of money’ marketing almost assuredly won’t fit your biz model. One size doesn’t fit all, regardless of what some marketing flim-flammers pitch.

Tags: marketing, marketing troubleshooting, emarketing, PR, entrepreneur sanity check, Google rankings, Technorati, Facebook”