Red Hot Internet Marketing

I use this site to Read the rest of this entry

Google is no stranger to renewable energy. The search giant has previously invested in enhanced geothermal technology, smart grid ventures, electric cars, and wind power startups. But those investments all came from Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the company. Now, for the first time, Google Inc. has invested in renewable power as a way to “accelerate the deployment of the latest clean energy technology while
providing attractive returns to Google and more capital for developers
to build additional projects,” according to the Official Google Blog.

The lucky recipient of Google’s $38.8 million investment is NextEra Energy Resources’ wind energy project in the North Dakota plains–two wind farms that generate 169.5 megawatts of energy, or enough to power more than 55,000 homes. So why this project over all the other renewable energy projects out there? Google reasons that the project uses the latest wind turbine technology to provide ultra-low cost energy to the grid.

No word on what other utility-scale projects Google is considering, but Rick Needham, Google’s Green Business Operations Manager, writes that “We look forward to finding more opportunities to invest in renewable
energy projects that use the latest technologies to push the envelope
for delivering low cost clean energy. We’ll let you know what we find.” We’re guessing that NextEra Energy Resources won’t be the last renewable energy investment for Google Inc. by a long shot.

I am loving RTM.

I will admit it now. I am a list-maker. I am a BIG list-maker. I make mega lists and they get so big I get overwhelmed and get lost in the volume of what has to be done when.

Robert Plank has tried to get me to stick to the FOUR THINGS philosophy.

I’ve tried lots of to-do list systems, the egg-timer method, the pomadoro technique, Getting Things Done and all types of productivity systems like Franklin Covey, Priority Management and more.

Here’s what I know: ALL the systems work. It’s just that we (I) do not work the system! And hence we get out of control quickly, forget things, procrastinate, end up in a time crunch and don’t get enough done. You know the story.

Well, I rediscovered Remember The Milk after flirting with it years ago. And I think I am about to be a convert. Each time I use it I find a new little way it works and that makes it work so much better. Here’s what I love so far:

• I can have different lists for different things. (I’m trying to keep these minimal so I don;t get crazy with 101 different lists)
• I can move things between lists if I get it in the wrong one (select the task, select ‘more actions’ and select ‘move’, or get the Firefox add-in)
• I can easily set times and dates things are due to be done
• it automatically sorts my tasks into ‘today’ ‘tomorrow’ etc and I can sort it by a whole lot of other criteria such as priority
• I can set up Firefox to automatically load my page on start by using LastPass to automatically log me in – that way I start the day with all my tasks for the day as the first thing I see.
• I can view my tasks in offline mode so I don’t need to be online. I can also print them off if necessary
• One of the best things is I loaded the iPhone app for RTM and now I have my tasks with me wherever I go and if I get an idea I can jot it into RTM and it will sync with my online task list
• RTM emails me when a task is due so I won’t forget.

It’s like having a PA, really. So long as I set up the tasks and plug in the info I need I’m good to go! There are a whole lot of other cool things RTM can do as well. I’ve only scratched the surface. The trick is in making the system work for you without becoming a slave to the system. So far so good!

What I also like is that from memory, RTM was the brainchild of some savvy Aussie girl but don’t hold me to that memory chip – it goes back a while.

My Top 7 Productivity Tips

1. If you want to be more productive, you HAVE to find a system that makes sense to you and that you can work with.
2. Don’t quit on the system too soon.
3. Find a system that doesn’t rely on you to make it work (Once I enter the data, RTM takes over!)
4. When your system tells you to do something, do it, reschedule it, delegate it or delete it
5. When you schedule, don’t overfill your day or you’ll be forever deferring items
6. When setting up your tasks make them ‘complete-able’ tasks, ie things you can finish in one sitting – that may just be a chunk of a bigger task.  Tip – thinking, planning and researching are not complete-able tasks! Draft outline of strategic plan is. Identify 5 topics for future blog posts is. Decide and purchase 2 new domain names is. Get the picture?
7. Schedule some time every day to review your tasks, add new ones and tick off the ‘done’ ones.

             Business marketing is a science and has a method. If you can figure out this method , your success will bepredictable and measurable . Now, what are those steps? you need to get your potential clients interested in you ; this is where the science comes in. When not presented with anything new or interesting , people are literally in a trance like state . Next, you have to promise to help them . The third step is all about making a low risk value exchange. Last,nurture the relationship with your prospect and help them through buying .

When thinking about the first step, it’s very easy to comprehend . A person is not going to notice your service, let alone use your service if you don’t give them a reason to . Speaking scientifically, there are two ways a person’s brain behaves:

• When things seem normal and safe, we go through the day not paying much attention to anything because there is no reason to.
• When something new and different happens, we are going to try and figure out what happened. 

This should be the focus of your marketing – figuring out how to draw your most qualified prospects in . Make them pursue you , not the other way around.  The best way to go about this  is to make your target prospect’s “pain points” the focus of your marketing.  For example; let’s say that you provide an appliance repair service.  One of your target prospect’s pain points is never knowing if and when a repair person is going to show up and thereby wasting your prospect’s entire day .  It will be easy to draw those guys in if you say something like this : “Tired of Repair Services Who Keep You Waiting Around All Day” because that headline speaks directly to their pain.  Make Sense?

However, once you have their attention it is very important to keep them interested . If they see your catchy ad but then lose interest, you’ve gotten nothing done, have you?

            So how do you sustain your prospects’ attention?  Promise to help with any issues they may have . Appeal to your customer; “does this make you mad? Well I can help.” Say things that will make them want to call you.  Once they realize that you are the go to guy, they will want to do business with you.

            Now you’veattracted your customer, sustained their interest and promised that you can help .  It’s time for the third step of the process – create a low-risk value exchange. Give this person some information that labels you as the expert on the topic. Free reports, podcasts and industry specific calculators all work well. In exchange you get their contact information and permission to educate (and sell!) them.  This is the first step of actually doing business because when someone exchanges something of value with you they become a customer.

At this point  you are the guy the customer is going to pick .  And this is exactly what you want.  Start building your relationship, let them get to know you, like you and trust you. Teach them all about you; make them feel like they know you.

Once they trust you, this customer will always look to you for help and when they are ready to make a purchase they are more than likely to make that purchase from YOU, their trusted advisor .

And if you do a good job for them the first time, they will even recommend you to their friends . At this point you are going to be the name at the top of everybody’s mind and well on your way to becoming that big business you dreamed of becoming.

If this sounds aggravating, time consuming, and difficult , relax!  There are Chicago online advertising consultants who can develop complete, automated systems that do the whole process for you!  This allows you to focus on what you do best while the online consultants do the work for you in a turn key fashion.  One consulting firm headquartered outside of Chicago and with coverage across North America has experience with both Fortune 1000 and local businesses as well and can cost effectively position your business for growth.

Saturday, you’ll recall, was International Workers’ Day aka May Day aka day on which trust-fund commies throw bottles, torch cars, and yell “Die yuppie scum!” In tetchy parts of Europe, any way. We’ve compiled some of the best Yankee prole propaganda around with help from Lincoln Cushing, coauthor of Agitate! Educate! Organize!: American Labor Posters (and himself an erstwhile union guy).

Wow.

There is a fairy-godmother after all, and her name is Vlad!

I have a growing list of WordPress websites and it has been getting tedious updating each one of them and monitoring them, even with using a password manager to automatically login.

Then along comes Vlad with a very cool tool.

 ManageWP is both a plugin (which authorises the software to centralise your sites) and a dashboard which not only shows an at-a-glance status of your sites but also has increased functionality. You can do bulk updates and upgrades, bulk posts and pages, and other activities including automated backups of your entire site – outstanding safety feature.

And you never have to leave.

From within the dashboard you can then step into any of yoru sites and do the usual stuff.

This is a beta-model at the moment and so it’s use is temporarily free. Which is a good move on Vlad’s part because even after only 30 minutes playing with this, I’m sure most people will not want to go back to the manual method when he sets a price for it.

So head over to managewp.com and try it out for yourself – no affiliate links at all. Just passing on a tip – it works for me!