While you may think you’ve got your business on track, don’t forget about a very important element: marketing. Without this feature, you could actually be hurting your business and keeping it from reaching its highest potential.

Keep in mind…

1. Set aside some time for marketing

A little time put in now could mean a great return on investment in your future. This is a vital step in promoting and growing your business.

2. This is not where you pinch pennies

Marketing can be costly at first, but it will gain momentum. You pay insurance monthly to protect against unforeseen problems. Doesn’t it make sense to invest in monthly marketing to insure future business? Don’t skimp on this valuable step.

3. It’s a service not a commodity

Marketing is an ongoing process. Don’t make it into a one-time product. By staying consistent in your methods, you will create a lasting impression on your viewers.

4. Build a relationship. It takes time and trust

Take the time to get to know your marketing agency and vice versa. If they are going to be promoting your business, it is important that they know every detail about it. They are your advisor and the more they know about you, the more they can do for you.

5. Have your agency give you an annual budget and timetable…and stick to it

Part of running a successful marketing campaign is knowing where you need to be at any given point. Know ahead of time what will come in the future and the goals you wish to achieve. More importantly, both you and your marketing agency must stick to it.

6. Don’t blend sales and marketing.

Sure they’re related, but don’t mistake them for the same thing. Marketing gets the prospects in. It’s how you reach them. Your sales process then takes over to close the deal and make them an official customer. Don’t be shortsighted when it comes to marketing.

So get out there and start your marketing campaign! Need help? Contact Netwave Interactive Marketing and we’ll get you started on the right track!

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New Jersey is a peninsula.

Highlands, New Jersey has the highest elevation along the entire eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida.

New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties are classified as metropolitan areas.

New Jersey has more race horses than Kentucky.

New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq mile) than Havana, Cuba.

New Jersey has the densest system of highways and railroads in the US.

New Jersey has the highest cost of living.

New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance.

New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation.

New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes referred to as the “Diner Capital of the World.”

North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area in the world, with seven major shopping malls in a 25 square mile radius.

The Passaic River was the site of the first submarine ride by inventor John P. Holland. (Also the 1st submarine was built in Paterson.)

New Jersey has 50+ resort cities & towns; some of the nation’s most famous: Asbury Park, Wildwood, Atlantic City, Seaside Heights, Long Branch and Cape May.

New Jersey has the most stringent testing along our coastline for water quality control than any other seaboard state in the entire country.

New Jersey is a leading technology & industrial state and is the largest chemical producing state in the nation when you include pharmaceuticals.

Jersey tomatoes are known all over the world as being the best you can buy.

New Jersey is also the world leader in blueberry and cranberry production (and here you thought Massachusetts?)

Here’s to New Jersey – the toast of the country! In 1642, the first brewery in America opened in Hoboken.

New Jersey rocks! The famous Les Paul invented the first solid body electric guitar in Mahwah, in 1940.

New Jersey is a major seaport state with the largest seaport in the US, located in Elizabeth. Nearly 80 percent of what our nation imports comes through Elizabeth Seaport first.

George Washington slept here. Several important Revolutionary War battles were fought on New Jersey soil, led by General George Washington.

The light bulb, phonograph (record player), and motion picture projector, were invented by Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park, NJ laboratory.

We also boast the first town ever lit by incandescent bulbs.

The first phonograph records were made in Camden, NJ (RCA).

The first seaplane was built in Keyport, NJ and the first airmail (to Chicago) was started from Keyport, NJ.

New Jersey was the original home of the Miss America Pageant held in Atlantic City.

The game Monopoly, played all over the world, named the streets on its playing board after the actual streets in Atlantic City.

Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in the world, not to mention salt water taffy.

New Jersey has the largest petroleum containment area outside of the Middle East countries. Maybe that explains our gas prices.

The first Indian reservation was in New Jersey, in the Watchung Mountains.

New Jersey has the tallest water-tower in the world. (Union, NJ!!!)

New Jersey had the first medical center in Jersey City.

The Pulaski SkyWay, from Jersey City to Newark, was the first U.S. elevated highway.

NJ built the first tunnel under a river, the Hudson (Holland Tunnel).

The first baseball game was played in Hoboken, NJ, which is also the birthplace of Frank Sinatra.

The first intercollegiate football game was played in New Brunswick in 1889 (Rutgers College played Princeton.)

The first drive-in movie theater was opened in Camden, NJ, (but they’re all gone now!)

New Jersey is home to both of “NEW YORK’S” pro football teams!

The first radio station and broadcast was in Paterson, NJ.

The first FM radio broadcast was made from Alpine, NJ, by Maj. Thomas Armstrong.

The Great Falls in Paterson, on the Passaic River, is the 2nd highest waterfall on the East Coast of the US.

All New Jersey natives:

Sal Martorano, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Jason Alexander, Queen Latifah, Susan Sarandon, Connie Francis, Shaq, Judy Blume, Aaron Burr, Joan Robertson, Ken Kross, Dionne Warwick, Sarah Vaughn, Budd Abbott, Lou Costello, Alan Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Marilynn McCoo, Flip Wilson, Alexander Hamilton, Whitney Houston, Eddie Money, Linda McElroy, Eileen Donnelly, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Walt Whitman, Jerry Lewis, Tom Cruise, Joyce Kilmer, Bruce Willis, Caesar Romero, Lauryn Hill, Ice-T, Nick Adams, Nathan Lane, Sandra Dee, Danny DeVito, Richard Conti, Joe Pesci, Joe Piscopo, Joe DePasquale, Robert Blake, John Forsythe, Meryl Streep, Loretta Swit, Norman Lloyd, Paul Simon, Jerry Herman, Gorden McCrae, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta, Phyllis Newman, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Eva Marie Saint, Elisabeth Shue, Zebulon Pike, James Fennimore Cooper, Admiral Wm.Halsey,Jr., Dave Thomas (Wendy’s),William Carlos Williams, Ray Liotta, Robert Wuhl, Bob Reyers, Paul Robeson, Ernie Kovacs, Joseph Macchia, Kelly Ripa, and of course, Francis Albert Sinatra and “Uncle Floyd” Vivino.

You know you’re from Jersey when . . .

• You don’t think of fruit when people mention “The Oranges.”
• You know that it’s called Great Adventure, not Six Flags.
• You know that the state isn’t one big oil refinery.
• You know what a “jug handle” is.
• You know that WaWa is a convenience store.
• You know that the state isn’t all farmland, but still has plenty.
• You know that there are no “beaches” in New Jersey –there’s the shore–and you don’t go “to the shore,” you go “down the shore.” And when you are there, you’re not “at the shore” you are “down the shore.”
• You know how to properly negotiate a circle, and you knew that the last sentence had to do with driving.
• You know that this is the only “New” state that doesn’t require “New” to identify it (try: Mexico, York, Hampshire – doesn’t work, does it?)
• You know that a “White Castle” is BOTH a fast food chain AND a fast food sandwich.
• You don’t think “What exit?” as a location is very funny.
• You live within 30 minutes of at least three different malls.
• You refer to all highways and interstates by their numbers.
• Every year you have at least one kid in your class named Tony.
• You’ve gotten on the wrong highway trying to get out of the mall.
• You know that people from North Jersey go to Seaside Heights, people from Central Jersey go to Belmar and people from South Jersey go to Wildwood.
• You weren’t raised in New Jersey –you were raised in North Jersey, Central Jersey or South Jersey.
• You remember the stores Korvette’s, Two Guys, Rickel’s, Channel, Bamberger’s and Orbach’s.
• You’ve had a boardwalk cheese steak and vinegar fries.
• You start planning for Memorial Day weekend in February.
• And finally . . . You’ve NEVER, NEVER, EVER pumped your own gas.

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Since the creation of the internet, the way we communicate with one another has altered. We now have a means to deliver information to a wide array of people in a matter of seconds. While traditional marketing techniques including direct mail and advertising needed some time to reach its viewers, the internet has allowed for new interactive approaches that can impact people immediately.

Utilizing the internet as a marketing tool means:

1. Qualified prospects find you instead of you finding them

By incorporating Search Engine Optimization on your website, your rankings in search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN will improve and get your business noticed. Search Engine Optimization allows for keywords to be implemented on your site and submitted to the search engines to ensure that you appear in top positioning for the most relevant searches.

2. You better be ready to tell prospects what you can do for them

Websites are a great tool for getting information across to potential clients. However, don’t just make your website a brochure about your company. Be more interactive with visitors. Give them reasons to contact you. People make a decision within seconds whether or not to stay on your website. The first impression is everything. They are looking for information; give it to them.

3. Social responsibility is a must

While in the past traditional marketing allowed you to talk at your clients and prospects, the web and social networking challenges you to talk with them. The formation of social media has opened up a two-way street between you and your clients. Get involved, stay in touch with your business and don’t be afraid of criticism.

4. Demographic targeting is on a micro then macro level

Internet marketing has added the tool of targeting the exact market you desire. Pay-Per-Click Advertising gives the great advantage of showing your ads only to customers with an interest in your products or services. It can even go as far as limiting the region and demographics to which your ads appear. You won’t waste money advertising to unnecessary prospects.

5. Your window of opportunity has switched to 3-4 seconds

The web has put even more pressure on first impressions. People tend to stay on a website for seconds before making a decision whether or not to stay and navigate through. Therefore, your impact must be a hundred times greater. Whereas marketing collateral in hand may linger for a longer period of time and create a lasting impression, a person will jump on and off of a site before you can say your company name.

Don’t fall behind with just traditional marketing techniques. While they are still very useful and effective, it is important to jump on the bandwagon and incorporate interactive methods, as well. The internet is constantly changing and it is important that you keep up!

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While it is a wise business decision to employ marketing professionals to grow your business, be sure they are all they are cracked up to be. Here are a couple of warning signs that your marketing vendor may be ripping you off.

Find a new marketing agency if:

1. They promise you top rankings with the search engines from the start

Although this is the ultimate goal for any search engine optimization, you must remember that SEO is a process; and a long one at that! Results are not seen overnight. Many things determine your ranking status including domain age, keyword relevance and consistency throughout a website. There are “tricks” that can get you listed at the top momentarily, but it may not be the right term. The old adage, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” applies here.

2. They offer you a website for $3,000 or less

While this may seem like a great deal, chances are the website you will receive will be nothing more than a few static pages of mish-mosh that you could have generated yourself. An effective website has an associated cost in both time and money. An experienced designer may charge more, but you’ll definitely get more bang for your buck! Don’t skimp on this critical marketing tool.

3. They offer you do-it-yourself tools like CMS, shopping carts, social networking and SEO

All of these tools are constant ongoing processes which should be handled by a professional to receive the best ROI. While I do recommend incorporating all of them into your marketing plan, you probably don’t have the time to do this job AND your current one.

4. They throw around technical terms

Just because you can talk the talk, doesn’t mean you can walk the walk. A good marketing agency takes technical terms and translates them into words that anyone can understand. As a marketing professional, you are not there to impress them with the big words you know, you are there to help them understand what you can do for them. The more technical the terms, the more likely something fishy is going on.

5. They give you automated or no reports on SEO

It’s very simple to hand over an automated report to a client, or even better, no report! But for you, as a client, how do you know you are actually getting the services you are paying for? Your SEO specialists should be giving you a personalized analysis report in words that you can understand, along with suggestions to improve your status. Don’t get swindled on this highly effective process.

So, how did your marketing agency rate? Will you be looking for alternatives? Contact Netwave Interactive Marketing. I ensure you, we passed the test!

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The product or service you provide is in demand. There are prospects out their interested in what you do…you wouldn’t be in business if that wasn’t true. Yet, are you increasing your customer-base on a continuous level? If you are not getting new customers, that means someone else is…and they could have been yours!

It’s not enough to have a business and hope that the customers choose you. You need to be proactive in your approach to bring in new clientele. After all, nine out of 10 business issues can be solved or minimized by adding new customers.

So, what are you waiting for?

1. Improve your website and make the first impression have a stronger impact.
2. Using Search Engine Optimization techniques, get your business noticed on the web.
3. Take part in social networking…it has become a MUST in order to stay ahead of your competitors.
4. Think from the customer’s point of view, what do they expect to get from you?
5. Employ an effective marketing campaign – and stick to it!
6. Be aware of your competitor’s next move…and have a better one.

Don’t wait to see what your competitors are going to do. By that time, it will be too late. Devise a strong marketing campaign now and be a leader in your industry!

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As a business owner, your focus should be on acquiring new customers. While it is important to keep your existing customers happy, as well, without a growing client-base, your business won’t last.

Why customers buy your product or service comes down to four simple things: price, service, quality and exclusivity. Keep this in mind when approaching new prospects. You will find the best information for future sales in the people who considered your product, but went elsewhere. As a businessperson, it is your job to uncover why they failed to follow through on the sale and where they found a better alternative.

Take risks from time to time. No Fortune 500 company ever made it to where they are by taking the safe route. Challenge your business to take the extra step; the bigger the risk, the greater the potential profit.

So how do you acquire these new customers? Begin a full marketing campaign. This should be a year-round task, not just left for when times are tough. Staying on a marketing schedule will help you get new customers when business is slow and keep customers when business is going well.

Depending on your industry and business objectives, each company’s marketing campaign will vary to fit its particular needs. Whether it is utilizing the tried and true traditional methods such as newspaper ads, billboards, direct mail and other marketing collateral, or if you take the interactive approach in incorporating SEO, social media, online advertising and email marketing, a full campaign schedule will you keep you on track with your goals and lead to new business opportunities.

Don’t wait for customers to come to you. Get out there and generate your own business. Ask us, at Netwave Interactive Marketing, about designing a custom marketing campaign for you. We’ll work with you to determine the best approach to reach your target market.

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In our previous post I spoke of how summertime could mean a decrease in business for some. Well, it seems others would agree. This morning’s Asbury Park Press article, “Water spots beckon crowds while some summer pastimes see business evaporate,” reiterated my point.

Summer has just begun and it’s already an unbearable 80 to 90 degrees…on a good day! The article goes on to quote various businesses that are struggling in this hot climate. Golfers don’t want to spend hours on the course and diners opt for indoor restaurants rather than the seasonal outdoor places. However, others thrive during the uncomfortably hot weather. Cooling contractors are busier than ever as people race to repair or install air conditioning units.

The best thing to do is to know where your business stands and predict ahead of time how, not only the economic state, but also the seasonal state will affect your growth. But, just because you’re predicting a smaller amount of customers than you would hope for doesn’t mean you should give up on marketing and advertising for when things pick up.

Use your time wisely and employ some of our effective marketing techniques! Need help? We, at Netwave Interactive, will get you started in the right direction!

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That favorite time of year is officially here…Summer! While this season does bring relaxing times, sunny days and trips to the beach, it could also mean a drop in sales for many businesses. Unless your business is summer-related, there is a good chance you could be in for a summer slump.

So, don’t let this extra downtime waste away cleaning up the office, playing computer games or whatever other nonsense. Instead, think of this as an opportunity to grow your business.

How, you ask? Develop a full sales and marketing plan.

Throughout the busy times of the year, there were many leads, I’m sure, that slipped between the cracks, contacts that were never followed-through on and previous business that failed to continue. But, with this extra time on your hands, all of that can be fixed by:

• Contacting leads that expressed an interest in your business
• Start a business newsletter
• Join social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
• Update or redesign your website to give it a fresh look
• Submit press releases to create better brand recognition
• Update marketing materials such as brochures, flyers and advertisements

These tips are only a few of the many possibilities you have to grow your business. Netwave Interactive can help you devise the appropriate plan to fit your needs. Contact us today and get your business ready for when things begin to pick up again next season!

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With Google being the number one search engine and go-to site for finding information, it is vital that this be the focus in improving your search rankings. Google always looks for ways to expand and enhance its algorithms.

Google has recently redesigned its landing page to make it easier to search blogs, videos, images, shopping and more. Now, rather than being one search engine, it seems as though Google is six or seven all rolled into one.

Google has added a left side column that makes searching easier and more navigable, breaking down what type of search you need, relevant keyword searches and searches by date, among other things. Now every type of search, it seems, is getting equal value. This new organization of Google places more importance on other searches outside of just static web pages.

Google places more importance now on videos, social media sites and blogs. After all, these are user-generated ranked and rated. Also growing in value are news releases. This is a great way to improve your SEO rankings and promote your other links such as a website, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

All of the new search options present more opportunities to get on the first page of search results. The purpose of SEO is still to get the number one spot in organic search, however, ranking for the top spot in video results, news results, shopping results, blog results and image results sure doesn’t hurt your SEO efforts.

To achieve higher rankings in these alternate searches, become an active participant in social networks and link to your site. Integrate your link into news releases or other information circulating on the web. Continue to add fresh content to your site on a regular basis.

By intertwining every piece of content you put on the web, you will establish a larger presence for your website and be valued higher in search rankings.

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Are you LinkedIn? If you are a professional in your industry and/or own your own business, I highly recommend you jump on the bandwagon and join this fast growing social media network. When it comes to business growth and social media, the possibilities are endless. Many just don’t know how to take advantage of them.

But don’t worry…

I’m here to let you in on a few tips to get you started!

LinkedIn is the more professional and business-oriented of the social networks. It allows for resume-like personal and company profiles, great networking opportunities through groups and organizations, as well as links to your other websites or social media accounts.

This site proves to be a great source for generating business leads. How you ask?

• Search for Leads: Using the advanced search, you can sort companies by title, location and more to narrow down the exact industry you’re looking for.
• View Profiles: Get a glimpse of any company you are seeking to see if it’s one worth contacting.
• Follow Companies: One of LinkedIn’s newer features, this tool allows you to stay up-to-date on a company’s news, employees and other developments.
• Join Groups: Take part in industry-specific discussions to establish yourself as a credible source within your expertise.
• Help Leads Find You: Keep your profile up-to-date so that companies are able and interested in following you.

The key to using any social media site to its maximum potential is by staying involved, keeping it updated and holding on to your presence within the community. Once you get involved, you will find yourself reaching out and forming new relationships on a regular basis. The business leads and new relationships will just continue to form and grow.

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