Google Farmer, March Madness, Fastest Tennis Serve, St. Patricks Day: What your business needs to do online right now – fast!
Posted by Salem Global on Mar 8, 2011
Has a
nyone noticed their search engine rankings have dropped? Well guess what? Mine haven’t! You know why? Because I started building my websites in 1997 and have been building consistently since day one. Sure I have taken off a week here and a month there. But altogether I have worked according to Google standards (even though my own company preceded Google…. ok ok fine fine – so they are BILLIONS of dollars ahead of me in the Internet game. I am ok with that. Just as long as my share of the pie is coming 
And just for the record, for the following keywords we dominate the first page of Google results in the 1st, 8th and 9th position: “website marketing ny”
“ny website marketing” 1,6 and 9
“internet marketing ny” #1
“ny internet marketing” #1
There are five things that will determine your search engine ranking. And guess what? You don’t have to be the Chief scientist or engineer at Google to know them. They are:
- Your keywords in your domain name (Though SalemGlobal.com doesn’t say “website” or “internet” or “marketing” or “NY,” I have other domain names that do
- How many pages you have indexed by Google: Search “site: www.salemglobal.com” in google. You should see 637 results.
- How many links are recognized by Google: Search “link: www.salemglobal.com ” in google. You should see 62 results.
- The history of your domain name: We started using our domain name in 1997
- Meta data properly optimized with keywords: Here is our title:
Bonus: The location from where you are searching will also be a factor. We are in New York, NY and that is where we rank highest.
But we also add content weekly to our website. This shows google we are alive and kicking.
But enough about me and Google. Let’s talk about our latest client: http://www.QueensFamilyDental.com/ . Not only are they in Queens (see, http://QueensDentist.net/ ) but they have two locations: http://AstoriaDentist.net/ and http://FlushingDentist.us/ . Now they will get more leads due to our strategies. So what business or profession are you in?
I know Charlie Sheen is still trending and still being talked about. You would think that he alone is participating in March Madness…. but he isn’t. I am not a huge basketball fan but I know you are. What interests me more is the fastest tennis serve ever… 157 miles per hour. Do you realize how fast that is? Oh – you do? Well – try driving that speed and see if you get caught. Just don’t get hurt and tell the cops I told you to try it. Better to go on the discovery channel or one of those reality shows and do it in a safe environment with a crash test dummy. Anyway – congratulations to the 6’10″ Croat Ivo Karlovic for setting the new world record. But as this blog states, its not the speed that counts, its the placement that will ace your opponent: http://www.sportsgrid.com/media/ivo-karlovic-fastest-serve-in-tennis-history-video/
And that’s what I have been trying to tell you all along. Consistency and placement win the search engine optimization and Internet marketing game. It’s a slow brew over a long time that gets you results. You have to work at it but if your competitors don’t stick with it you will get there…
Want to know more about my tennis serve and lead generation techniques and strategies? Call Raphi Salem today at 888-578-6732 or email info@salemglobal.com and we can talk about it.
Internet Marketing with Leslie Nielsen, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Taio Cruz, Hanukkah and Sports: And Stop Calling Me Shirley!
Posted by Salem Global on Nov 30, 2010
My kids came home from school yesterday singing Dynamite by Taio Cruz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUjdiDeJ0xg. It was catchy and boppy and hip-hoppy and had all the right things to make a pop song. So it was not a surprise that with the upcoming holiday of Hanukkah starting tomorrow night that the Jewish Accapella group – The Maccabeats would come out with their own Candlelight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSJCSR4MuhU.
Saying Ayyy Ohhhh but instead of “Baby Let’s Go” you get to hear “Spin The Dreidel.” Which of course reminds me of Adam Sandler’s most famous Chanukah Song of all time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrd9p47MPHg and the more recent (2003) Smooth E. – Eric Schwartz who now even has a gig with Jdate (yes I know firsthand) Hanukkah Hey Ya!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aDDmt-8ZSM. For more of his videos and songs check out: http://smoothe.tv/videos/.
But surely you must be thinking about the passing of one of the greatest slapstick comedy actors of all time, Leslie Nielsen, 84. Memorials and honors have been all over Facebook all day. And stop calling me SHIRLEY! Here is a video clipping of best of Airplane! and The Naked Gun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcKJdmXbBBc (bonus at 0:42 you get to see OJ Simpson before he was a murderer).
My associate here at SalemGlobal also told me a friend of his posted that Leslie Nielsen surely died in a hospital. A hospital, what is it? It’s a building with doctors and patients in it, but that’s not important right now. And stop calling him Shirley.
Here is some more:
“Lt. Frank Drebin (Nielsen): A good cop – needlessly cut down by some cowardly hoodlums.
Ed: That’s no way for a man to die.
Drebin: No … You’re right, Ed. A parachute not opening … That’s a way to die. Getting caught in the gears of a combine … Having your nuts bit off by a Laplander, that’s the way …I wanna go!”
“Like a midget at a urinal, I was going to have to stay on my toes.” and “Like a blind man at an orgy, I was going to have to feel my way around.”
Rumack: Captain, how soon can you land?
Captain Oveur: I can’t tell.
Rumack: You can tell me. I’m a doctor.
Captain Oveur: No. I mean I’m just not sure.
Rumack: Well, can’t you take a guess?
Captain Oveur: Well, not for another two hours.
Rumack: You can’t take a guess for another two hours?
Just some Thanksgiving leftovers for you. First is the most inappropriate Thanksgiving Day awards from Saturday Night Live:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/194737/saturday-night-live-thanksgivies#s-p1-sr-i1 and this great Tweet from Ben Stiller who probably read my vegetarian post about PETA last week: “Happy Thanksgiving. Considered hunting and butchering turkey ths year but then didn’t. Going Tofurkey, much less bloody. No dark tofu though” (http://twitter.com/RedHourBen/status/7844071947116545)
Oh – and both the NY Jets and New York Giants won this weekend.
The holidays are the perfect time for your company to get off its Internet Arse and start YouTubing, Emailing, Twittering, social media-ing, SEO-ing and general website marketing. Do you need some help or strategy for 2011? Call Raphi Salem at 212-993-5828, email info@salemglobal.com or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information about us. Be post-Thanksgiving thankful this week that you are still in business. Let me help you make next year more profitable than the last three lousy business years….
Internet Marketing, Facebook Email, Conan Obrien, World Series Of Poker, NFL Giants Stadium: Your Business Needs To Know About Competition and Comebacks
Posted by Salem Global on Nov 16, 2010
First of all, let me congratulate myself publicly for winning $12.00 (That’s TWELVE WHOLE US DOLLARS) in Atlantic City this weekend. I had been in Baltimore and decided to stop off in AC on the way back (it’s only an hour and a half out of the way.) So I step into the poker room and got that feeling that every gambling fool gets when they walk into a casino… THIS is MY night!!! And so, I played it cool. Sat down. Got dealt my cards. Threw away the losers. Kept the winners. Doubled up and raised on the sure things. Ordered myself a bottle of water from the hostess. And walked out of there. That’s right. Quit while I am ahead. Now let me tell you that parking cost $5.00 at the Tropicana self-park and a cup of mocha coffee costs $3.00 at the rest area so I really only made $4.00 (minus the $1.00 chip tip I gave the hostess.) That $3.00 went straight into my pocket yesireebob!
Oh – and another player who was NOT sitting at my table won $8,944,310.00 and goes by the name of Jonathan Duhamel and hails from Montreal, Canada. He won the 2010 World Series of Poker. Duhamel is only 23 years old. He beat out a field of 7,319 players and got his real feet wet playing online. Someday when I am at the final table I will tell him that I started up my company when he was 10 years old and have not made eight million dollars yet so he is doing quite well for himself. You can read the full story here: http://www.wsop.com/news/2010/Nov/3150/HABS-AND-HAB-NOTS-JONATHAN-DUHAMEL-WINS-2010-WSOP-MAIN-EVENT-CHAMPIONSHIP.html
Poker is not about winning. It’s about winning, and losing and winning and losing and all the while, keeping your eye on the prize, your emotions in check and keeping a straight face. Similar to business, there are going to be ups and downs, good economies and bad economies and well, issues and headaches that come and go. In a poker tournament, you win some hands, you lose some hands. The difference is when you do win, you make sure it counts. Meaning, you can win 1 hand worth one million dollars and lose five hundred thousand, but if you lose a dollar for every bad hand but maximize your winnings, you will come out over the top. In poker, you need to be in it to win it. You can “limp in” with a dollar or two, get to see your cards and then the “flop” and then decide whether to make your move. There is a lot of psychology involved as well as math and decision making. It’s not like chess where there are smart moves and smarter moves. There are no bluffs in chess. The board is open for all to see.
Speaking of being able to see at a game, were you at the new New York Giants Stadium (in New Jersey of course) this past Sunday night? My associate here at SalemGlobal was. And guess what happened. The lights went out. How much did that stadium cost? http://www.nj.com/giants/ index.ssf/2010/11/lights_go_out_at_new_meadowlan.html You would think that when you spend $1.6 billion on a product, that it works. But apparently, even the most expensive toys need to be tweaked.
And that’s why Conan O’Brien has his own show on TBS now (www.TeamCoCo.com) Because he was doing a great job at NBC or ABC or wherever he was, and then he grew a beard and then he gave out some T-shirts (http://teamcoco.com/blog/10000-free-conan-t-shirts) by the way – the same associate at the Giant’s game also has a Conan t-shirt. Coincidence? I think not…
And finally, guess who told me about the new Facebook email. Yes. Same associate. Yes. It’s good to have him around http://www.facebook.com/pages/email/114776451868604. Everyone is commenting about the new Facebook email. That’s right. No spam. Great filter. Even better than sliced cheese! My favorite comment was that Facebook email is just another email for you to check. But here is the truth. Email for Facebook is a NO-BRAINER!!! Email has always been and always will be the KILLER APP. Everyone has and or needs and email address. And while mostly everyone has one today in 2010, guess what? There are still billions of people that are going to come into this world. And guess what else, 500 million people on Facebook today means 1 billion people in 5 years from now. And guess what else. All of those kids who are in elementary school right now and are getting email addresses can go to Hotmail, Juno, Gmail, Yahoo or whatever. But why not go to Facebook. It seems the obvious choice. Good for you Facebook. May you make the same amount of billions that Yahoo, Microsoft and Google are making. I am one proud user.
So what can your business learn this week?
- ANYONE can win the world series of poker. And any business can win business. Companies and competition come and go. Salemglobal has won accounts and lost accounts. But we ante up and try to win every day. You have got to be in it to win it.
- It’s never too late to start.
- You are never too old.
- You are never too young.
- Winning $12 is better than losing ANYTHING
- My SG associate is a really fortunate guy for having a Conan shirt.
- Thanksgiving is next week already.
- That means Christmas and the holiday season is a month and a few days away so if you want to sell your products for the season, you better get a move on
Did someone say 33 Days till Christmas? Did someone say poker? Did someone say Facebook and social media and email are the killer app? That’s right folks. I said it. We are deep into 4th Quarter and your business can gain a little ground if you do some things right, right now. In addition to SEO search engine optimization, my company helps other firms use social media, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google and all online strategies. Are you sending out newsletters yet? Need help with Internet promotion for your business? We have been helping doctors, companies and businesses strategize online since 1997. Call Raphi Salem at 212-993-5828, email info@salemglobal.com or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information about us. Next week, Sir Richard Branson and Lance Armstrong… Stay tuned
Internet Marketing, Social Media Strategy, Google Scams, Maps, Veterans Day, NYC Marathon and Fines: Your Business Needs To Know About Social Media And Google
Posted by Salem Global on Nov 9, 2010
One of my first clients in the Internet Marketing and auto industry (www.GaryRomeHyundai.com) called me up last week and we had a nice chat about Social Media and how we can use it to drive more potential customers to his dealerships (He also has a Kia dealership www.GaryRomeKia.com) Gary had implemented all of the Old School Internet marketing strategies that we had offered. Multiple domain names capturing potential searchers online for various cars, vehicles, new and used, services, parts and accessories. (www.HyundaiAccessryStore.com) As a matter of fact, the Hyundai Accessory store became #1 on the web and their business grew even in this terrible economy. But now, four years later, we needed something else to drive people in. (Get it… “DRIVE” LOL!)
Our social media strategy is not “older” or “more experienced” than anyone else’s. I laugh when companies claim that their social media strategy is better than anyone else’s. The very thought that someone is more experienced in something that is brand new is hilarious. Yes you can say that some people recognized “word of mouth marketing” before others. But the fact is that Facebook and Twitter are brand new. Even when they had just gotten started and grew in numbers and everyone was talking about them, no one really knew how to make money off of them. It’s the decade old question of how to make money on the Internet. Regardless, as one of my sales gurus (Jeffrey Gitomer) says, everyone likes to buy from their friends. And it’s true. Who are you going to trust and then call when you need or want something? Obviously, its friends and family. And if those are the people you are interacting with on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis, then that is where you are going to go for advice and guidance.
Social media marketing is really the same as “Community Marketing.” What I can say is that I have been using COMMUNITY marketing and word of mouth since Day 1 of opening my own business. That’s how I got started and that’s how I grew. Networking and online social sites such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn only came around later. These became the tools that we in the industry now rely on to get potential customers and develop relationships out of our first degree.
So step 1 – Recognize what social media means
2 – Identify which social media outlets you are going to use to promote your business and/or organization
3 – Get the word out
Though social media in the sense of the word is relatively young, I still default to the experience of someone or a company that has the background to make social media work. Though Marc Zuckerberg of Facebook fame is only 27 now? He still employs plenty of old school marketing, media, sales and experienced people to guide him through the billions he is making (or is presently worth).
Last things for this week:
a) Watch out for the latest scam regarding Google 411. I got a call from an automated machine asking me to press 1 to update my Google 411 listing. Do not trust this. Google is not calling you. YOU call Google (or at least try).
b) Speaking of Google, check out this article: http://searchengineland.com/nicaragua-raids-costa-rica-blames-google-maps-54885, Nicaragua Raids Costa Rica, Blames Google Maps… Ooops!…
c) MN Mom charged $1.5million dollar fine for downloading songs; http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/amplifier/148/minnesota-mom-hit-with-15-million-fine-for-downloading-24-songs/ Talk about being made an example of… She is fighting it though. Good for her and good for the industry.
d) Congratulations to all NYC Marathon Finishers. (I am jealous. I have only run 5 but want more… Maybe next year…)
e) Finally. Thank you to all of the Veterans out there. You know who you are and your families do too. My father was a Korean War veteran and proudly served (after he got drafted that is.) My grandfather was in WWI. Thank a veteran this week. Happy Veterans Day. Pray for them, their families and hope that the USA treats them right.
Did you say 40 Days till Christmas? That’s right folks. I said it. We are deep into 4th Quarter is and you should be preparing for 1st Quarter of next year. Yes. 2011. I know you can’t believe it but believe it. The weather is getting colder. What about your business? In addition to SEO search engine optimization, are you also using social media? LinkedIn? Facebook? Are you sending out newsletters? Need help with Internet promotion for your business? We have been helping companies and businesses strategize online since 1997. Call Raphi Salem at 212-993-5828, email info@salemglobal.com or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information about us.
Internet Marketing, NY Yankees En Route To Another World Series, Bruce Willis, Will Smith, Chilean Miners, McDonalds & Oakley Sunglasses after 69 Days? What your business can learn from being stuck underground or left out on the counter for months & Reputation Management
Posted by Salem Global on Oct 19, 2010
Well. You all heard about the historic Chilean Miners rescue from underground. Here was the conversation going on in my office the day the news was announced:
Employee #1 says – It was probably less than 69 days because everyone thought they were dead
Employee #2 says – I don’t understand why it took 69 days
Employee #3 says – Have you ever dug a tunnel? Not only do you have to dig, you also have to displace tons and tons of earth. Where are you going to put it?
#2 then says – But it shouldn’t have taken 69 days.
#1 and #3 – What is wrong with you? It takes a long time to drill and get them out
#2 – But they drilled a hole big enough to get air and water and food down there. It shouldn’t have taken so long. Also – didn’t you see that Bruce Willis movie where the 5 drillers learn how to become astronauts and then drill a hole in a meteor and save planet earth? They did that all in like 2 weeks (in movie time it was less than 3 hours). Why the hell did it take 69 days? It doesn’t make sense!
#1 and 3. First of all, Bruce Willis dies in that movie. No one died in the Chilean mine. Also – when they drilled, they dropped a nuclear bomb into the center. Very different from pulling people out of the ground.
#2 – And what about Will Smith. Didn’t he save the earth in Independence Day as well as 2012?
Ok – but here is the real Internet marketing news. Did you hear that each rescued miner got a free pair of $180 (retail) Oakley Sunglasses. Now who is the smart marketer? http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/94069?fp=1
But of course, regardless of how long they were down there, they could still have eaten a McDonalds Happy Meal and it would have lasted them:
“Although, I would be frightened at seeing this if I was a meat eater. Why hasn’t even the bun become speckled with mould? It is odd.”
Interestingly enough, lately I have been working for a number of clients and helping them with their online reputation. In internet speak, the term is called “reputation management.” And just like a McDonald’s hamburger will last forever according to carbon testing, so will your reputation – good OR bad – online. So you should really think about it, Google yourself and your name and see what is out there. Though I will personally be speaking on a panel with a lawyer who will be discussing the legal aspects of protecting your name online, I will be advising the audience on how to combat false rumors and even suppress old stale results that might not positively reflect who a person is today vs. past mistakes or general old information. Read the NPR story here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130646918 and come hear me speak in Westchester. Details here: http://westchesteradclub.blogspot.com/2010/10/december-7-2010-online-reputation.html Date and time: December 7, 6pm. Location: Sheraton Hotel, Tarrytown NY.
Want to know more about your online reputation, how to build up the positive and suppress any negativity? Give Raphi Salem a call at 212-993-5828, email info@salemglobal.com or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information. We will teach you how to get your name out there, promote your positive and good deeds, your business, and knock down the bad stuff they might be falsely writing about you.
Website Marketing New York, Jewish New Years. ESPN turns 31. Moneyball. Coach Fritz, Michael Lewis and My Father: What your business can learn from new beginnings and baseball coaches
Posted by Salem Global on Sep 7, 2010
Just a quick note to wish all of our readers a very happy, healthy and successful Jewish New Year. Whether you are Jewish or not and/or whether you celebrate or not, New Years are always a time of reflection and of course celebration. Reflect on the past. See what you can do to improve. Make life goals. Set up a plan to accomplish them. Stop your bad habits (quit smoking already!) and start some good ones (eat better and exercise). When it comes to business, I give the same advice. Stop your bad habits that are related to losing customers (not delivering product or service on time). START good habits (improve customer service). And of course… start on online marketing campaign already!!! Of course I want to work with you but maybe we aren’t the right fit. And if we aren’t the right fit, explore other avenues that are a better match, more affordable or work for you on your own schedule. Read up on some of my old writings about Internet marketing (WebsiteStrategyMarketing.com) and watch my marketing videos on YouTube (youtube.com/user/salemglobalcom) get a college intern to help you out. And if you can’t afford to hire a firm, email me and I will lead you to some great tutorials that might get you started. Join LinkedIn groups. Facebook. Set up your social media profiles. Buy domain names. Build blogs. And write about your company. Promote yourself and have your friends and family spread the word. (That’s word of mouth marketing you know). And have fun…
Which leads me to reflect upon this past year of writing about Internet and website marketing. For most people, writing is a chore. For me it is cathartic. And not only that, it keeps me on my toes and makes sure that I am growing as a professional every day, week, month and year. One of the top things I learned this year is that most of my audience relates to sports. When I started including sports and celebrity into my writing, my readership grew. I was also able to connect and analogize sports and game theory to website marketing.
My latest book I have been reading is Moneyball by Michael Lewis. I found it after I read the Blind Side which caught my attention because of the movie. I haven’t seen the movie but the book was awesome. Moneyball lead me to read “Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life.” All about Michael Lewis’ Coach Fritz who more taught his teams about growing up and becoming a man (I don’t know if he ever coached women’s sports) than the actual game of baseball. And then when kids grew into men, only then did they REALLY understand how to play and win baseball games. My father passed away this summer and in my eulogy I spoke about a similar experience I had when I was younger. I was a pretty good athlete and played on a little league team. I remember my father and I were having a catch and he was throwing the ball REALLY hard at me. I don’t recall the conversation that took place because my father was not much of a talker. As I like to say, he was “all action and no talk.” In thinking about our catch though, in the beginning I had a fear of the ball. What my father was teaching me was not only how to catch a fastball and gain confidence but also how to take whatever is thrown at you in life and just deal with it. There is more but I will save it for another time…
Thank you all for reading and sticking with me throughout all these years. I really appreciate all of your support and feedback. May we all be blessed with much success and profit in the New Year (The Jewish one, the Gregorian one, the Chinese one. I don’t care And if you want to know more about the Jewish New Year, please consult your rabbi or the Internet. If you want to know more about Internet marketing, please email me or call me. But not this week lol… email me at raphis@salemglobal.com, call my office at 212-993-5828 or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information. The call and consultation are free, but you might make millions from my theories so don’t forget
Internet Marketing NYC, Preseason Football Depth Charts and Fake Videos: What your business can learn from meaningless football games
Posted by Aryeh.Landowne on Aug 17, 2010
Well it’s August and for a lot of the country that means Football season is right around the corner. This was on full display last night as the New York Giants and the NY Jets opened up their brand new, $1.6 billion stadium in the Meadowlands by playing against each other for naming rights for the new stadium. Not actually though, that will probably cost a lot more just ask the “dating” site AshleyMadison.com (AshleyMadison.com gives Giants and Jets $25 million offer to put name on New Meadowlands Stadium). Anyways, the first (preseason) game has been played and won by the Giants even though quarterback Eli Manning was knocked out of the game when he collided with another player and cut his head open. There was a lot of blood on the field but he’ll be fine. But the point is the Giants recovered and won without their starting quarterback.
The lesson we can learn from this is that in order for your business to succeed you need to be “deep at every position”. In football you can’t just have one great player at each position, you need to have great back ups too. That way when a starter goes down, you can plug in the next guy on the depth chart and hopefully there isn’t a huge drop off in production. The same applies to your website marketing strategy. You need to utilize a variety of techniques when marketing your website. That way when one of them isn’t doing so well, you can fall back on all the others.
For example, Gerrus Maintenance (www.Gerrus.com) is a NJ based cleaning company that does office cleaning, residential cleaning and mold remediation. For all the hours put in to linking they were not registering many incoming links on Google. But they have also been focusing on many other SEO practices like building pages, social media profiles and blogging. All this has added up to being in the top spot for many of their industry’s keywords and a lot of traffic to their site.
Now, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t focus on getting links to your site, you should. But it’s not the be all and end all. Gerrus Maintenance puts hours into linking but they are smart enough to know that you have to more than just one type of internet marketing. Divide your time evenly, spend some time doing linking, spend some time creating or updating social media profiles (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc), spend some time making videos, spend some time writing content for your site and your blog. It all adds up and there is always something you can/should be doing. If you need some ideas check out the 21 Things You Should Be Doing Online (http://websitestrategymarketing.com/its-2010-wake-up-and-smell-the-internet-21-things-you-should-be-doing-online)
Last week we talked about the viral video of a ball girl making an incredible catch in the outfield at a minor league baseball game. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1liNz3QsAc) After last week’s post we did some research and discovered that it was, unfortunately, not real. According to Snopes.com (http://www.snopes.com/photos/advertisements/ballgirl.asp) the whole thing was staged by Gatorade to use in a commercial. Oh well. Still a cool video but now it’s even more relevant to Internet Marketing because now I can talk about how smart Gatorade is for posting this commercial on the Internet to further promote their brand.
If you want to know more about creating your internet marketing depth chart, producing viral (real or fake) videos or any of the 21 Things send us an email at raphis@salemglobal.com, call our office at 212-993-5828 or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information.
Website Marketing NY, Quit Your Day Job (At JetBlue Airlines) But Don’t Forget The Beer, A-Rod Hits 600: What your business can learn from newsworthy bridge burning
Posted by Salem Global on Aug 10, 2010
As the Grateful Dead said: “I’m going to Hell in a bucket baby, but at least I’m enjoying the ride…” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIwSaOBHinQ) Thus said the JetBlue Employee of the century, flight attendant Steven Slater, after getting hit in the head by a piece of luggage that an impatient passenger on flight 1052 arriving from Pittsburgh to New York’s JFK Airport couldn’t wait to get down. But the way that it all went down was so classic that it is already being called “pulling a JetBlue.” So awesome that after arguing with the specific passenger, Slater then got on the PA system, said some profanities, cursed out everyone in the plane and just like James Bond, activated the emergency exit chute, and ran away down the tarmac, through the terminal, onto the bus, into his car and headed for home. But wait – it gets better. I am not exactly sure how this was reported and what Slater was thinking, but the climax of this whole story was that right before he made his dramatic departure, he actually grabbed a couple of beers on the way out. Now tell me folks, is there ANY better way to quit your job?
And tell me folks, don’t you think that as of this writing there are no fewer than 782 related articles when you search for “JetBlue” in Google news? And more blogs and articles are definitely coming. This is almost as good as when Kevin Smith of Clerks/ Silent Bob fame Twittered about being called fat on a Southwest Airlines flight. Social media and the web have done wonders for businesses large and small. And remember it doesn’t all have to be good news. Just news. As the old PR saying goes, any PR is good PR. Just realize how viral this story has gone in the last 24 hours and how much more it will go in the next 24 hours…
So your business should be creative and try to figure out what is going to really shock the world. What do you think that is? I am talking about Ripley’s Believe It Or Not material. This is your homework for the week. What can your company do or stage to get news coverage so vast that everyone is talking about it. That will get more hits to your website than you can imagine. JetBlue is a good company. This guy just got fed up. That’s all. No real harm done. I am sure flight attendants get hit every day in the head. Even more get cursed out. But today’s story takes the cake. There is a debate in my office whether this video is real or not: What do YOU think? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvxodp-GpFA.
Book of the week: “All In: The (Almost) Entirely True Story of the World Series of Poker” by Jonathan Grotenstein and Storms Reback – http://www.amazon.com/All-Almost-Entirely-Story-World/dp/0312360371/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281458326&sr=1-8 – Making me think a little more about how I play my own poker hands. Your business can learn a lot about marketing and business development from this book. Taking risks and chances. Leveraging what you have…
Finally, yes. Alex Rodriguez has indeed joined the 600 club, but I have never NEVER seen a ballgirl (or boy) do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1liNz3QsAc – Did I mention that this was a ball girl? Oh yeah – the way that I got to this video was because Masato Akamatsu of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp also made an impressive catch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYdpBNonxA4. (But NOT AS IMPRESSIVE AS A BALL GIRL!!!) Ok – last one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW0bb2wxH5Y, Brian Kownacki Leaps The Catcher for safe at home plate. Btw – check out CORRECT use of YouTube description with the url: http://www.sportingnews.com
So if you want to know more about writing true or false stories about your company, having them go viral, how to promote these stories to the benefit of your company and using social media to get the message out, email me at raphis@salemglobal.com, call my office at 212-993-5828 or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information. The call and consultation are free, the benefits could be priceless. (Thanks to Alan in my Tuesday morning Westchester networking group for that tagline – I like it).
Website Marketing New York City, New York Mets, Armstrong’s Tour De France, Non-Profits Profiting: What your business and non-profit can learn from loyalty
Posted by Salem Global on Jul 27, 2010
So I am headed to the NY Mets baseball game tonight and each person I tell this to asks me the same thing… “How’s your arm? They might need you as a relief pitcher. Or maybe a starting one.” I answer that I am a better hitter than pitcher. To which they reply, “well then they could use a few hits too.” OUCH. Are there any Mets fans out there? Who actually like the team? (Shout outs to Alan Berkson of www.InfoManage.net – for all of your outsourced IT needs – thanks for the tickets, and to Bruce Stark of www.beaconpaint.com 371 Amsterdam Ave, UWS NYC. Bruce has as his profile picture on Facebook a picture himself in a Mets uniform after he takes a swing. Not sure if its baseball or softball but it looks cool. He will be joining me tonight at Citi Field. I actually missed my softball game this past Sunday. These 90 degree mornings burn out – literally – the older guys.) It takes a lot to be a Met fan. Someone I know said to me once upon a time that if I grew up on Long Island, I HAD to be a Met fan. He asked, “Where’s your loyalty?” With Steinbrenner dying and having paid hundreds of millions of dollars to create and retain a team that has won so many pennants and World Series, the Yankees organization has their act together. Unfortunately, the Mets haven’t had the billionaire budget or possibly the marketing smarts to retain a team or a fan base to make them contenders. I mean, when was the last time they won anyway? I remember the 69′ Mets, but for some reason, the orange and blue color scheme isn’t bringing up so many fond memories. (Ok – now I have cheated and am reminded that pitcher Tom Seaver was the 1969 Cy Young Award winner, Keith Hernandez was the 1987 Gold Glove award winner and a few others were Mets albeit briefly.)
The point is that the Mets have not thrown in the towel. They did indeed win two World Series titles and fans for the most part are loyal. We had a discussion last week whether a salary cap should be introduced in baseball. Would players be motivated by fame and glory without the fortune? I think you should get paid what you are worth. But then again, who is to say that capping will decrease the advancement of the sport or not. Will players not try harder without the financial motivation? I don’t think we will ever get a controlled fair answer.
Which leads to wondering whether my friend Robert Remin is correct in saying that “no one cares about the Tour De France.” Last week I wrote about Lance Armstrong and though he is not a rock star football player, he still is a huge celebrity, especially after dating Sheryl Crow and Kate Hudson. Armstrong, regardless of whether he is a “douchebag” or not (what some people say alleging that he used steroids to win all of his 7 Tours) is an amazing individual and athlete considering the fact that PLENTY of other people use drugs to win at sports. But how many undergo cancer, cancer treatment, live to tell the world about it and then start non-profit organizations that raise hundreds of millions of dollars toward cancer research. (www.LiveStrong.com) The fact that Team Radio Shack had the number 23 on its back throughout the tour honoring the 23 million people who battle cancer in this country says to me that Armstrong is doing good in this world. He uses Twitter to get his message out.
Which leads me to remind you all of an amazing partner over the past few years. Since I met www.EvasVillage.org several years ago, I have come to learn that they are amazing at feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, medicating the sick and treating the addicted. Eva’s Village, located in Paterson, NJ started out small and grew and grew to not only work with the local poor and hungry, but have branched out to help thousands and thousands on the streets. Year after year, they too “stick with it” and do incredible charity work. Please consider a donation to their organization this year. In addition to standard SEO practices and blogging, our strategy for them has been interactive press releases and they have profited from this year after year.
So what has your business or non-profit learned from the above? First – loyalty rules. Get a customer and/or supporter, nurture them, and they will contribute for life. Second. Use the power of the Internet and social media to reach new audiences and stay in touch with them. Want to know more about internet marketing for your business or non-profit, email me at raphis@salemglobal.com, call my office at 212-993-5828 or visit www.SalemGlobal.com for more information. The summer is half over and that means that I am going to be even busier once the school year rolls around.
Website Marketing NY, July 4 and Prince: What your business can learn from holiday sales, beaches, BBQs, fireworks and being oblivious
Posted by Salem Global on Jul 6, 2010
One of my associates (Christopher) passed on a great article today. Prince, or the artist formerly known as Prince or now as I have learned, Love symbol #2 has granted an interview to Peter Willis of the British Daily Mirror. (http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/07/05/prince-world-exclusive-interview-peter-willis-goes-inside-the-star-s-secret-world-115875-22382552/) Prince basically lives in his own fantasy land in Minneapolis (yes folks Minneapolis, MN) and has built some sort of anti-celebrity fortress where no one else has. He isn’t the California punk that most celebrities turn into. He is super smart and super talented and super successful. I think he plays 27 instruments on his new album. He has sold over 100 million albums.
How many times do I personally say “we are going to party like its 1999?” Objectively speaking, I probably use this phrase at least once a week. Hurry up and listen or download from YouTube before it gets taken down because of copyright issues. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSqYAbBFhzc. By the way – here is some crazy trivia – What year was 1999 recorded and released? Answer will be at end of this writing.
Prince has always bucked the trend and the norm. He has been fighting the Internet and copyright issues forever and won’t distribute his music through iTunes or other electronic means. He thinks the Internet is like MTV – an old fad, and has even closed down his own official website. (Luckily you have me to steer you towards archived copies of his old websites here: http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.npgmusicclub.com) So what can I tell you about his version of Internet marketing? I disagree. I think he has the wrong philosophy when it comes to marketing. The way to go is like the Grateful Dead and Phish and any band or outfit that allows you to record, bootleg and distribute as much as possible. When it comes to 2010, popularity and volume are the things that allow you to stand out from the crowd. Will Prince sell 100 million more albums by shunning the Internet? I don’t think so. He is giving away his new album, 20TEN in the Daily Mirror this Saturday. Why? I can’t tell you. I don’t think it’s smart. On the other hand, I am not trying to buck the trend…
As for not bucking the trend and getting your name out there, the winners of this year’s July 4th please take Raphi Salem’s hard earned spending money go out to Filene’s Basement and Syms. These two smart retailers not only had a July 4th sale, they had an extra 20% off with Internet coupons and a huge BASH! Meaning, sale on top of sale. While everyone else was having a ubiquitous Happy Birthday America! Sale, these stores and organizations went all out. They got people into their stores more than their competitors because they practically were giving clothing away. The way I see it is that Ben and Jerry’s has a free scoop of ice cream day, Starbucks has a free coffee day, Dunkin Donuts, Cold Stone Creamery and even Toys R Us and Chuck E Cheese have a “free” day. They spread the news like wildfire. These companies GET IT! Give it away for free for ONE MEASLY DAY and make a friend forever. Even people who come in once a day a year to get their free (fill in the blank) spread the word. That’s PR folks. That’s word of mouth marketing. And it’s majorly worth it. So while Prince might be dis-connected because he is 1 person who has millions in the bank, don’t be a fool and follow the Internet crowd. Get those coupons and promotions out today, this week, month and year…. through your website, blog, video and online press release through email. I guarantee you success!
If you are a local or national business and want to get your name out there, want to talk about Prince and bucking the norm, or tell me how hot it is outside, give me a call at 212-993-5828, email raphis@salemglobal.com or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information. Answer to the trivia question: Prince’s 1999 was produced and distributed in 1982. Yes, you are old, and so am I