Well, here are my resolutions, yes I know its a couple of days early, but….

1. Keep to having three critical thinking slots in my diary on a weekly basis.
   I usually get caught up in the doing whether that is with client work or my own marketing and then I lose sight of the goal.
2. Promote the MaxWebLive page on Facebook so more people get marketing tips and can offer their own through the page. By the end of 2010, the page will have in excess of 1,000 fans – a great way to interact with others whilst learning. Be one of the trendsetters and become a fan now!
3. Be more vocal about the successes achieved using the Marketing Iceberg System both internally and with clients
4. Use the telephone more to chat to prospects and clients. This isn’t about cold calling but moving off the text medium quicker.
5. Demonstrate how video brings in enquiries

So, what are your resolutions?

If you need to have more information or skills to realise your resolutions, please add your question on the form to the right above…. looking forward to making your 2010 your most successful yet!

Prediction 1:  Get a Twitter Account

Well, it was said that Twitter was a “phenomenon that is set to take the world by storm” was accurate. What wasn’t really understood a year, just how the storm would affect us all!

Prediction 2:  Create a Group and Fan Page on Facebook

This is mostly right with the emphasis on Fan Page rather than group.

Prediction 3:  Groups and Networks
This one didn’t really pan out as well as the previous two. This could have been down to the emphasis on creating open networks than setting up specific groups.. but this will be with us in 2010

Prediction 4:  Information Products

This one too, wasn’t as big as I had anticipated. But, will still be with us as people get to grips with how to make the most of their time, and knowledge to get the best returns on their efforts

Prediction 5: Google Applications

Well, with MaxWeb, the propriety social media training programme being delivered through Google Reader, this has certainly been a turning point in how we use these applications. Also, by using Google Alerts, you are better able to track who is saying what about you and your products and services. Perhaps, there is still more opportunities here as more people get online.

Prediction 6: Subjects, Titles, Headings

Well, as people’s lives become busier, the importance of standing out from the crowd and getting your email opened, pages ranked became a much talked about topic. But, it could change in 2010 particularly with search marketing …

And now with the 2010 predictions!

1. The iPhone takes over
   The iPhone dominates the smart phone handset in 2010 with the Apps store offering so much more for business owners. You can get your own apps icon written and offered through the Apple Store or from your website. And, please don’t think for one minute that this isn’t for you. Now is the time to consider how best to deliver excellent customer service… and an app could well help with this!
2. Being on the Internet is a must for all businesses
   Being active on the internet ceases to be an option as people move from watching TV to being on the internet. There’s been a 2% swing in just two years. You have got to be where your market is looking and consuming.
   
3. Creating content remains hot!
   Both in terms of creating and managing resources. As people implement the 4 Cs – creating, capture, collect and categorise so they become second nature, their presence and market attraction become sticky with sales resulting.
4. Search Marketing or Search Engine Optimisation falls from the essential tools for businesses in 2010. This is due to the algorithms used by the search engines become more sophisticated and can determine whether people like a page for its content than just whether a page is optimised for that content.
5. Video is used more and more
   Even though we are still in a recession and video is expensive, it will be adopted more and more by businesses. Don’t limit your thinking by headshot videos as you see on current affairs programmes, there are lots of different ways to have video – screenshots, images to music, slideshow, screencasts to name four!

This is a volatile time in marketing, so the predictions for 2010 are limited to five. As it gives you the opportunity to embrace those elements untouched from 2009 and make headway with the hot topics for this year.

Want to know more ways to have more clients? Discover how to use Twitter for Business with a *free report*  at http://havemoreclients.com

As the material we can cover becomes more complex, being able to explain them in  a video is the ideal!

Click here to view the embedded video.

It only takes 5 minutes and is really for the person who is new to this site.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Let me  know your comments on this video – was it too basic?

But, what’s really going on?

On one hand we have the technology developing and bring applications that enable people to communicate differently. Is technology driving the cultural changes or merely a catalyst?

Social Media hasn’t just arrived but has emerged over a 20 year period and, don’t just take my word for it – the technology evolution is discussed here.

There is another shift that’s been happening alongside this. It’s the shift in marketing from pushing your messages out there to demonstrating your leadership through content.  And, this is affecting all companies – global, local, large, small. No one is immune!

People are changing the way they consume television, newspapers, books, how they keep in touch with friends….and, there’s the blurring of the business with the social. All these things have an impact on how people choose to make purchases.

Take a listen to this audio prepared for subscribers of MaxWeb on how technology, society and marketing created now!

So, instead of pushing sales messages, you market through information. Enter – Content Marketing. The concept has been around for a while with the white paper, conference papers, the ebook, the book – but, with the technology the ways content can be produced is booming.

Now, that’s great news for everyone, for you can cost effectively deliver material in different formats and Junta42 gives 42 ways. The big advantage of this is that your prospects and clients are receiving the material in the format that best suits them.

So, you know the different formats and that social media is here to stay, what will you say? And, from working with clients and our own marketing, this can be the most tricky aspect.

It’s not necessarily what you find of interest that your market will find of interest.

Content Marketing is about knowing what will appeal to your market and where you want to lead them and how they will get there.

What’s  a real issue with content marketing is setting up a system that will enable you, your business to effectively lead people through your content to buy from you and have an ongoing relationship without flagging in your material.

I know there are pundits out there that say, don’t wait just do it! And, I can see where they are coming from. But, from our own experience, it is better to gather, trial, create your content strategy and system and then go live!

Please remember social media marketing is in addition to what you do offline unless your market is completely online.

Let me know what your experience of content marketing has been.

So, what? Well, social media marketing isn’t quite as easy as it would first appear. There’s a shift from sales messages to marketing through content. Even though content is what businesses have in huge quantities – understanding what are the gems that entices interest and which are kept for paid services causes some consternation. Also,  the old adage of familiarity breeds contempt comes to mind.

Familiarity means what we take for granted as common sense can be the very things that others struggle with. Ah, content, so easy yet so hard!

What’s been a struggle with the development of the programme is not the content but making sure it can be delivered using social media tools…Now that has been tricky at times.

As with everything we do at havemoreclients.com, this will be shared with people on the programme so, they too, can have programmes like this easily and efficiently.

So, there’s a collective Ah! at the office today – we’ve done it!