Internet Marketing, Football and Poker: What We Can Learn from 2 Minute Warnings, Sudden Death, Flops, Turns and Rivers

Posted by Salem Global on Dec 28, 2009

Did anyone see the NY Giants football game yesterday? I didn’t. But between Facebook and my poker game last night it was hard to avoid hearing how terribly the Giants fell. This week is your last chance to make things happen in 2009. This is your 2 minute warning, your sudden death and your RIVER card all in one. Huh? What am I talking about? Read on marching soldier…

A 2 minute warning is footballs way of saying there are 2 minutes left in the game so you better move faster, stronger and get your head in the game because at this point you don’t have any more time to strategize. It is now time to act. It’s now or never.

Sudden death takes place in overtime and means that the next point wins. If the 2 minute warning didn’t get your head in the game, sudden death should.

In poker you get a chance to see community cards three times. First comes the FLOP where you get to see the first 3 community cards. Then comes the TURN that can make or break you. The RIVER decides who wins and what will be the best hand on the board.

Internet marketing can be compared to football and poker amongst many other things. Basically you need to set up a short term and long term strategy. You will not get results overnight. You have to be patient, budget your money and time accordingly and then strike when the iron is hot. Many companies lose faith in their marketing. This can be compared to the football players that give up in the second half when they are down in the first. They still have a chance during the 2 minute warning but psychologically they might be finished. Similarly, people lose when they fold pre-flop, after the FLOP or TURN even though they might have the best hand at the RIVER. They lose faith in their cards, themselves and get bullied out of winning the pot. These people need to learn the odds. They need to learn that long term thinking wins.

So my message to you for this last post of 2009 is not to ever give up hope. Keep on truckin’ as we used to say. Next year in 2010 we will all be doing a little bit better. One of the first poker lessons I ever learned was that poker winners do not win every hand. Warriors do not win every battle, but they DO win the war. Superbowl champions don’t go 16-0 during the season (ok ok there is 1 exception to this statement).

Instead of going out in a blaze of glory, like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0UzG-Gc7II
or Thelma and Louise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z88U915uq8

…be more like Jackie Chan in “Young Master”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiyJkIn1Nn0

And remember, not to lose faith in yourself, your family, your friends, your company, the economy… you get the picture.

Want to know more about Internet marketing, football, poker or martial arts movies? Give me a call at 212-993-5828, send me an email at raphis@salemglobal.com or visit www.SalemGlobal.com. Next week we get back to the 21 basics of Internet marketing. Evaluating your website for improvement.

Happy New Year Everyone!
Raphi Salem

The End of the Year Special: Last Ditch Marketing Efforts of 2010

Posted by Salem Global on Dec 28, 2009

My gym sent me a bunch of coupons in the mail for free drinks and guest passes to be used before the end of the year. (They SHOULD be collecting emails all year round and then blasting out weekly newsletters but they haven’t hired me so this is the forum where I can tell them what they should be doing on their marketing front). Toys R Us sent me an email wishing me Happy Holidays and Happy New Year and items that were 50% off. So did eCost, Buy.com, eBay, PayPal and a bunch of others. They all had the same message. All had the same tone and they all made me realize that I should be doing the same thing for me and my clients. Oh – and of course I am going shopping to take advantage of these deals…

For the non-profit I do work for (at a discounted rate of course), we strategized to send out emails to past donors and supporters to send in their end of the year tax benefit donations.

So whether you are big or small, corporate or not for profit, there is still time to act. Each year I try to hand deliver gift baskets to my clients throughout the month of December. In one case, I actually made a donation to a charity I know my client is involved in. He really appreciated that.

In this “recession” we have going on here, you need to be creative and generous all in the same action. You need to tell your clients and friends that this year was a difficult one and everyone knows it but that you care and appreciate the business you have been getting.

So this weeks tip is one of generosity with self-serving needs. You need to send an email, snail mail, blog and post on your homepage that you are running a recession special. The end of the year/ sign up now and take advantage of the times as they are. Now is the time to strike. Many people think that this year is over. True it is December 22 but there are still 3 days left till Christmas and 9 days left till New Years. People are still working. As a matter of fact, at 6PM last night I got a call from a potential client (an architect) who I am going to see today. Believe it or not, he isn’t showing up on the search engines. He told me that things are slow and what else is he going to do? Wait around for the phone to ring? I like this guy. He is pro-active and recognizes that the Internet is here to stay and that he needs to start taking advantage today. Not tomorrow, not next week and not next year. I guarantee you he hasn’t be reading my tips of the week. If he had – he would’ve already been a client. But seriously, he found SalemGlobal on the top of Google when he searched for a “website marketing company in New York.” And then he sang me the song I love to hear: “Obviously, if you are able to get yourself up to the top of the search engines, you must know what you are doing!”

And that is my secret folks. You all do what you do best. I do my best to be at the top of the search engines for keywords that will bring me business. I do the same for my clients and I would love to do it for you. As a matter of fact – we are running an end of the year special right now. Call me and ask me how to get 50% off my regular pricing. You will be glad you did. Your business will improve and you will be on your way out of this recession.

Next week I hope to celebrate the holidays and New Year with some skiing, ice skating and other fun things. But I will still be working. So if you want to get together or call me regarding your Internet strategy for the end of the year or for the New Year, just let me know, give me a call at 212-993-5828, send me an email at raphis@salemglobal.com, or visit www.salemglobal.com. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year Everyone!

Raphi Salem