But there’s a challenge. Building a mobile compliant website or landing page is a major pain in the you know where. It’s not like html, the main language of the web simply because mobile phone providers came before the web. You must first understand that there exists literally dozens of proprietary programming languages and formats being used.

This means that if you want to be able to actually do Mobile Marketing, you’ll need different landing pages made especially for mobile phones that will be accepted by the mobile ad networks. In other words, landing pages that work for people accessing the Internet with their mobile devices.

Well, (and this is not hype; simply fact) if you own any kind of small business such as a restaurant, hair salon, retail outlet, etc., get prepared to get blown out of the water, because not only has this been solved amazingly, the solution works as a plugin for WordPress. That’s correct, with this plugin you can quickly make landing pages for mobile that are compatible with over 500+ phones!

Not only that, but the plugin itself contains templates of landing pages pretty much already ‘done for you’ so that you can literally just grab ‘em and go. How’s that for efficiency?

What? Not proficient at WordPress? Not a problem; we’ve got you covered. Now you can get your mobile landing page up and running in seconds. You can get the full story here, but do it fast because its only going to be available for a limited time.

So it’s safe to say your customers are indeed accessable via their mobile devices; much more so than any coupon or print media campign could accomplish.

Now imagine being able to reach all of your customers, followers, or friends through a text message whenever you want.

We like to call it ‘Proactive Contact’ and we are proud to introduce you to our preferred text message marketing service called YepText; a very simple, straighforward approach to building your customer list in these uncertain and challenging economic times.

Please visit http://proactivecontact.com for a demonstration.

Simply watch the 1-minute YepText video on the home page, choose your ‘Yepword’ and you’re good to go. It’s a very powerful means by which to market your business in the mobile age– And very affordable!

The latest is that our Chicago-based operations are expanding  rapidly as we work hard to deliver a new brand of marketing fusion to the local business community here. The changes in local marketing are exciting to watch because right now there is in fact, a paradigm shift occurring in the space. Naturally, we’re excited to share with you how these changes, once implimented can work for you and your local business.

A good example of this is what our good friends over at YepText have done to extend the reach of Text Message Marketing, also known as SMS Marketing (SMS stands for short message service). Let’s face it,  

with everyone and their brother using some form of moble device, ignoring this trend would be like business owners ignoring the Yellow Pages back in the late 19th century. Turns out that would not have been a very smart business decision back then. So if there’s anything to be gleaned from your visit to this site today, at minimum check out the offer at YepText. Why? Because no one beats their pricing, NO ONE! No one beats their VALUE in terms of meeting your needs, and finally, no one beats their hogh level of service. Oh, forgot to mention how incredibly easy it is to use. So there it is, our little commercial for YepText. We hope you see the value in the service.

In a nutshell, small to medium sized business owners would be remiss to ignore these trends. That being said, our mission is to help these businesses stay on top of their game. What it boils down to in reality is simply being in a position to help our clients adapt to changes taking place right now in local marketing.

We were joking about the yellow pages, but it’s certainly no secret that print media is dying or at the very least, starting to become extremely sleepy. I know that’s not funny to some folks. However, speaking from experience and as one who has evolved from my early days of working for a major commercial printer (Sears, JCPenney, Montgomery Ward Catalogs to name a few), I’ve learned that early adopters of new technologies are often positioned favorably to handle changes in the business environment.  

Truth be told, it appears that an undenyable local and mobile marketing revolution is upon us. As I see it, these developments may very well represent a new beginning for some and a rude awakening for others. 

My advise going forward to my perspective audience: Stay ahead of the curve and on the right side of the fence.

All the best!

Here we go. Have you ever heard of NFC Technology? Well, NFC stands for “Near Field Communication” and you are going to hear a lot about this in the coming months.

The chip off the ol’ block slant refers to NFC chips, the likes of which are found in the new Google – Nexus S Mobile Phone. Of course, NFC allows your Nexus S to read information from what are called “smart tags” that can be embedded in everyday objects. You knew that right? Hehe, don’t worry, we’ll get you up-to-speed. For example, notice the “Recommended by Google” window sticker to the left. It’s cool enough as a stand-alone, but get this: These come equipped with a smart tag that transmits data from the sticker to your Nexus S phone. Really cool, huh?

So here you go, imagine you own a restaurant. In this case we’ll say it’s located in Madison, Wisconsin because that in fact, is one of the few cities where Google’s pilot program for this stuff is just getting put to the test. I know, it’s exciting, so listen up…

Not only is Google planning on offering these stickers to it’s users, business owners, that is, they’ll be offering a whole catalog of items ranging from posters to drink coasters– Even t-shirts! Okay. I can hear the restaurateurs cheering from the peanut gallery. As well they should. It’s a promoters dream.

What will the smart tag on the sticker say? Well, your Nexus S can read anything from text, URLs, contact information and a wide range of data from these “smartened up” objects. I can think of a bunch of killer applications for restaurant owners; hehe, not to mention lawyers, dentists and plastic surgeons.

So okay, here’s a bit of a heads-up… Google is rolling out “business kits” to select businesses in a small number of cities right now. The afforementioned Madison, WI market, Portland, OR, Austin, TX, Charlotte, NC and you betcha, Las Vegas, Nevada.

My bottom line on this is to gear up because I have it on good authority that Google will introduce the business kits with NFC tech items in up to 125 U.S. cities over the next two years. Needless to say, it’s best to position your small business accordingly.

If you would like more details on how to proceed, simply Contact Pro Active Marketing and I will get the right information in your hands.

Thanks as always for reading.

Until next time…

First of all, with text message marketing, you only have 160 characters to get your message across. That’s just a little better than Twitter, but not much, so you’d better be very clear and concise, when delivering a creative SMS campaign. (By the way, SMS equals “Short Message Service” in case you didn’t know that.) Anyway, in creating these campaigns ask yourself, what are you trying to get the person on the other end of the text to do and what is the best way to communicate that message?

Yes, there’s an excellent chance your SMS will get opened right away (97% open rate according to marketing statistics), but understand too that some folks might not be willing to sign up for a text message subscription list unless they have a darn good reason. A would-be expert SMS marketer best keeps this in mind and develop s good call-to-action that delivers results.

Currently group texting is in the very beginning stages of critical mass, that is to say it’s becoming quite popular with local businesses; even celebrities such as local sports personalities. However, as SMS gains more traction in the marketplace, text message advertising will have less of a “wow factor” on the general public. This will present a greater challenge to gain subscribers unless your offer truly “knock-out”, unique and valuable.

I would advise keeping these basic ideas in mind when creating your next SMS text ad campaign. This way you are better able and better positioned to attract and retain loyal subscribers, not to mention growing your business or fan base.

Have fun, until next time!

No surprise there, I know, however as I endeavor to move my own business forward, I intend to see this challenge through not only for myself, but for my customers as well. First of all, we won’t approach this as a problem because we already know the solution. If you haven’t guessed it’s right there in the headline; Facebook.

Getting right to the point, I’ll say that if you could only spare me a couple of minutes to exstol the virtues of what has become the latest, greatest marketing strategy ever, and, it was hands-down, head and shoulders above the rest, Facebook Marketing is the one strategy that you must adopt going forward.

If you will embrace this mindset, your high quality leads, customers and sales are right around the corner. Understand that Facebook Marketing is much more than just a passing fad, it’s undenyably the marketing force of the decade; same as Google Adwords was several years ago. Only this time the cherry picking won’t be quite as easy. 

The truth is that many small business won’t catch on until it’s too late just like Google Adwords is way too expensive for the novice user these days. Google gods being who they are; arogant and unpredictable, constantly leave us exposed to their wims. So without going into too much of a rant, suffice to say that corporate giants “own” Google now. The little guy has truly been squeezed and Google is only beholden to their shareholders. 

Sorry if I go off on a tangent, but evidence pointing to all this change, at least in one instance is the fact that Google recently cancelled over 15,000 advertisers’ accounts and banned most of them for life. I suppose that leaves enough space for their Corporate sponsor friends. On the other hand, Google does wonders for small business with their Places pages and Google Hotpot is cool, so maybe, hopefully, it all balances out.

Okay, with that bit of sour grapes out of the way (whew), Facebook Marketing offers an extraordinary opportunity to establish what I like to refer to as your very own marketing juggernaut. Why am I being so  emphatic? Well, quite simply a savvy marketer knows that it pays to be visible where the eyes are, and right now the average Facebook user spends 55 minutes a day there. Besides, being invisible is not a viable marketing strategy.

Here’s another thing: Do you like honest feedback from customers? I hope so because gone are the days of expensive surveys and research. Master a decent Facebook business presence and you’ll find addressing customer issues and feedback a snap. Not to mention a predictable increase in brand loyalty.

Keep in the back of your mind though, all this direct engagement with customers as a small business owner can be a bit of a balancing act in itelf. Surely, you realize the speed and potential of Facebook. It can act as a positive or negative force depending on your level of expertice as a marketer.

Furthermore, expert marketing acumen today depends on how well we understand consumer behavior. Think about what excites you as a consumer and then channel that energy into a better understanding what excites and motivates your would-be customers into action. Depending on your product or service, consumption cycles, what have you, these factors will help improve sales conversion ratios. In other words, this will attract more paying customers.

We can help you identify opportunities and pitfalls in this new medium, so please stay tuned to these pages for information on how to tackle ne Facebook Marketing challenges.

Until next time…

I mentioned QR Codes. Not only will you start seeing these boxy little two dimensional barcodes all over the place in the coming months, the codes are easily scanned using any app-enabled smartphone. By the way, ‘QR’ stands for ‘Quick Response’ and that being said, you can guess where all this is headed.

Indeed, by this time next year, you’re likely to see QR Codes being prominently displayed at restaurants, pizza parlors, retail stores, salons, etc. Rest assured they’ll be encoded with some type of marketing message. You’ll scan the code with your smartphone and be immediately whisked off to the store’s mobile landing page where you can grab a coupon, opt into SMS (text) lists, or any number of enticing offers.

Sounds like fun, right? So the geek in me decided to illustrate the company tagline in a QR Ccode. Yeah, it’s plastered there right up top. The message as the headline reads is, “Coded For Success Local Search Needs Mobile To Really Rock!” When scanned the code will then be converted (dequrified)… Yes, that’s a new word you can add to your vocabulary… dequrified into a piece of interactive text and, or a link to a website. In this case, simply a link back to the home page.

Another example might be this: Say you’re out for a stroll downtown and you happen to notice a concert poster announcing an upcomming event that attracts your attention. You whip out your smartphone, scan the QR Code and in a flash you’ll get more information and a website link to purchase tickets. So there you go, QR Codes will make quick work of that sort of thing. Not to mention, the concert promoter folks would probably save lots of money otherwise spent on print media. 

So with all this you can see where the market is headed. If you are a business owner, restaurant operator,  or retailer, surely you’ll realize a benefit by creating your own QR Codes. Think about whatever message you want to deliver, create the code and allow it to become interactive with your customers instantaneously. You can also try using QR Codes on your business cards, brochures, menus, what have you. 

Basically, just go nuts promoting your products and services using this new technology or perhaps… nudge, nudge, hire someone to facilitate the process for you. Either way I predict that early adapters will be rewarded through an increase in foot traffic,  revenue and a better bottom line.

So why not spring into action before the snow melts. If you have a business or you just would like to stay on top of the latest mobile marketing trends, go to our Facebook Page and “like” it. We appreciate that! 

Until next time…