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.
Internet Marketing New York, Do Facebook, YouTube &/or Social Media Work For Business? I Bet Old Spice, Southwest Airlines and Radio Shack Say Yes! Squeeze and Lance Armstrong Ride Again
Posted by Salem Global on Jul 22, 2010
Last Thursday evening I was working late (ok it wasn’t THAT late) in my New York City office when my good friend (and business insurance agent) Seth Jonas (http://sjonasinsurance.com/) posted on Facebook that Squeeze was in Bryant Park. So I stroll over to my conference room window that overlooks Bryant Park and see a sea of people in Yoga clothing doing a down dog. I try calling Seth but it goes to voicemail. So I text him and he says its near the Southwest Airlines kiosk. His brother Barry got me onto the VIP list for a special intimate secret concert at the last second. So do I think social media and Facebook can work for business? Absolutely!
Who benefits from little “tweets” Facebook and LinkedIn updates? Well, that all depends on how you are using them. True, most social media today is certainly used by college kids telling their friends that they are going to get a slice of pizza off campus or that someone is at a concert or questions like “is anyone still in the dorm room than can bring me my wallet. Students and young adults, the majority of the 500 million Facebook users, probably use it the most. But now that businesses are starting to wake up to word of mouth media, big business is benefiting. If small and medium size businesses catch on, they will be able to compete with the big guns.
Southwest airlines has a bar and outdoor lounge area at the edge of Bryant Park on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Fortieth Street. They opened their doors this past spring and the place has been packed ever since. But I thought it was just a sandwich place and bar. Little did I realize that it actually has corporate sponsorship. Smart! An organization called “artists den” has been signing up big old popular bands to play venues all over and even get broadcast on national TV. So it all came together when my friend Seth updated his Facebook profile and I heard the message. And the message was loud and clear. I brought my FlipCam to the show and got some good footage before I was told that I couldn’t record anymore. Check out their opening number “black coffee in bed” here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5zxy5laHCQ. So far there are 10 views. I guarantee this will shoot up past the 100 mark and will become one of my biggest viral videos out of the 226 that I have put together. And just to make you a bit jealous, yes – they played all of their old hits; Tempted, Slap and Tickle, Annie Get Your Gun, Cool For Cats, Another Nail In My Heart, Is That Love, and I think they ended with Pulling Muscles From A Shell.
So who benefits from this situation? Squeeze promotes their old name and new album. The Artists Den, Southwest Airlines, Wichcraft (sandwich place), YouTube, my insurance agent, and me. But when I post my video to YouTube, so do the advertisers that tag on to my video. And when I blog and tweet about it, the advertisers benefit as well. So content is king in terms of being the driving force behind your advertising. But don’t be fooled. You need to create that content in order to benefit from it.
And speaking of YouTube content, Old Spice is back on millions of people’s radar due to their BRILLIANT campaign on YouTube over the last 2 weeks. http://www.youtube.com/user/oldspice?v=uLTIowBF0kE&feature=pyv&ad=5066079497&kw=old%20spice%20commercial&gclid=CLnn1ozl-aICFQR75QodaQf1_Q (Over 9.7 million views) Now granted I personally haven’t used Old Spice since receiving some around my Bar Mitzvah in 1983. (Maybe I got some for Hanukkah in 85 or 86). But if you watch TV, they have had some funny commercials throughout the years. But whoever thought of a campaign to have an actor (and a “ridiculously handsome” former NFL Football player) on call 24/7 responding to Twitter and YouTube comments absolutely wins the social media race of the month. And the writers on staff at the same time coming up with creative responses to famous celebrities and actors and pop culture icons will go down in history. Check out the Alyssa Milano Twitter and video responses (http://www.alyssa.com/news/here-is-what-to-do-next-mr-old-spice/), the hilarious Old Spice response bringing back Milano’s 11 year old adolescent Tony Danza Who’s The Boss TV days (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oElH6M_5i4) and the final video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFDqvKtPgZo (over 2.6 million views). And just as Old Spice is benefitting, so is Milano’s career and the charities that she supports. She was able to raise $90,000 on her birthday through her fans. Wow! Let’s see how much she can raise by tagging on to the Old Spice campaign.
Finally, for all of you Livestrong yellow rubber bracelet people out there who wish they could ride a bike like the wind, RadiosShack benefits from sponsoring Lance Armstrong and the people who ride with him. At the 16th stage of the 21 stage, 2200 mile, Tour De France, Lance is in the 31st position while the other Americans are Christopher Horner in position 21 and Levi Leipheimer is in 7th place http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/LIVE/us/1500/classement/index.html
Books of the week – Fiction – The Blind Side by Michael Lewis and Non-Fiction – On Selling, by Mark H. McCormack and Burn Rate by Michael Wolff. Movies – The Vagina Monologues and Y Tu Mamá También. (Yes a racy week for the 9 days huh?)
If you want to know more about Old Spice YouTube, Facebook, squeeze, books I have read, movies I have watched and/or social media for your business, call me at 212-993-5828 or email me at info@salemglobal.com to set up a conversation or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information. Or even better, come to one of my events. My exclusive networking group is meeting this Thursday at 5WPR in midtown.
SalemGlobal Staff Summer 2010
Posted by Aryeh.Landowne on Jul 13, 2010
Outside Rudy’s Bar and Grill, 9th Avenue at 44th NYC
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 
Internet Marketing New York, Perfect Baseball Games and Dave Matthews: What your business can learn from human error vs. technology
Posted by Salem Global on Jun 8, 2010
I grew up playing little league and was a pretty better than average baseball player until I started missing and dropping balls. In business we experience learning from our mistakes all the time. We try our hardest to please our customers and clients. Do mostly everything we can to try and get new clients. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes we fail. But when the sun is in your eyes or you aren’t sure where the fence is or another outfielder calls it but you don’t hear it. The ball falls. But when it’s not so clear whether you caught the ball or you tagged out the guy or your foot was on the base, we enter into the human zone where team one argues with team two whether he was safe or out. But when human emotion gets in the way and clouds our decision making, we need to call upon an UNbiased third party to decide who is safe, who is out, who is right and who is wrong. And then sometimes even THEY get it wrong. Question is whether it was due to foul play <pun intended> or did they honestly not see the activity from the correct angle.
So last week on June 2, 2010, Detroit Tigers Pitcher Armando Galarraga was robbed of a Perfect Game by umpire Jim Joyce’s terrible call. Even though the year is 2010 and instant video replay exists, Major League Baseball still relies on humans to make the final decision. As of this writing, there is no dispute at all. He was 100% out. See for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3OE8iA621s
(And of course here is the Hitler movie spoof related to the incident if you have been following the story that YouTube has been taking them down left and right http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixKidAhVtW4)
I mean – we use it in tennis and the NFL. Why not in the MLB? Maybe this will be the straw that breaks baseball’s back.
Clearly, technology rules in sports and it rules in the business world as well. Of course – that’s why I have chosen a career and vocation based upon an exact marketing science vs. the whole guessing game. When I started out in the advertising industry in the late 80′s, the Internet was not commercialized as of yet. No one had email. No businesses had websites. We had Nielsen Ratings that developed audience measurement systems for the television industry. Basically, a sample of people in America would get an electronic box attached to their TV and that would send a signal back to a big server and database that measured what people watched at what hour. But we all knew that there was a tremendous margin of error because plenty of people left the room with their TV on while they went into the kitchen to get a beer or a snack. Some people even left their TV sets on while they left the house. And then there were people who actually played with the electronics because kids and parents were all paranoid about Big Brother even back then. (Boy if they knew back then about wiretapping, the government and Facebook privacy issues, George Orwell would have a 1984 field day!)
And that’s why I got into the Internet. Most people don’t know how to block their IP address. (It’s a bit more complicated than removing a wire from a set top or cable box.) But most people also don’t care. So now that we have established that the general population is not hiding anything (even their porn usage), we have a pretty solid measurement of IP addresses and website visits, hits, impressions and clicks. That means that you can REALLY measure ROI from Internet Marketing vs. trying to measure ROI from a print ad or a :30 second television commercial. People lie and make errors. And sometimes computers make mistakes too and break down – but they are a lot more accountable than humans. Go ahead. Try your hand at a PPC, SEO or email marketing campaign. With the tools available today, you can see how much money you are actually spending per person or per thousands of people, how many people SEE your ad, click on your ad or your website and ultimately how many people call you, send you an email, fill out a form and of course, buy your products or hire you.
Had a pretty AMAZING weekend that included seeing the Dave Matthews Band (now that I am in the know I call them DMB) at SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center). I went with three other good friends who knew a lot more about DMB than I thought. The venue was mostly filled with college kids, beers in hand, perhaps some illegal substances as well but hey – they could’ve been legal cigarettes – who knows?… So my friend Ezra tells me that DMB fans blog about the concerts all the time. How Dave played this song and that song. What he was wearing and how cool the venue and setting was. Then my associate Aryeh tells me that people twitter during concerts all the time about what song he is playing and people compare notes on sets and songs and versions at what concerts in what cities etc. etc. (Check out www.DMBAlmanac.com) If Dave Matthews is using technology and his audience is using it, don’t you think you should too?
On a final note, as a result of this weekend, I have added a new song to my favorites. We will see how long it stays in my head. Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD9CrZODlNA (Here is the Grammy Awards version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6t78OW-yhM.) Last funny note, after showing my super cute and adorable six year old daughter the original version she couldn’t understand how the people appear in the video and then disappear at the end. I said it was magic but she will soon figure out its all about the technology of video editing…
If you want to know more about Internet marketing and using technology to gain more exposure, get more clients and sell more product, give me a call at 212-993-5828, email raphis@salemglobal.com or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information.
Internet Marketing NYC, Home Runs, BBQs and Motorcylces; What your business can learn from Memorial Day Weekend with family & friends
Posted by Salem Global on Jun 1, 2010
There seems to be a split in the good ole US of A between people who “celebrate” Memorial Day vs. the people who actually “memorialize.” My Father served in the US Army and even was in the Korean War. (Ask me sometime what he did privately and I will be happy to share it with you. It’s a good story.) He never once mentioned to me (during the 40 years that I have known him), anything about his fallen comrades. He never really opened up to me how dangerous it was or that some guy or guys he knew in basic training or any of his friends have ever died or even suffered any casualties. On the other hand, my great uncle was actually a POW in WWII. He had been in the air force and his B17 bomber I guess went down in enemy territory. If he were alive today he would talk about his experiences in the war. 20 years ago a movie came out called “Memphis Belle” that touched upon his story. He would tell everyone to watch that movie. I don’t remember if I did or not but now that I am writing about it, maybe I will… (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3AQepBW-g)
I would be lying to you if I didn’t admit to personally being in the camp that leans towards celebrating. Sure, I think about Memorial Day intellectually. I think about all of the wars that the US has been involved in and the fallen soldiers who went down in them. Movies, books and media bring war, its horror and glory to the masses. TV shows like MASH give us insight into the Korean War. Movies like Born On the 4th of July with Tom Cruise and Forest Gump with Tom Hanks, Saving Private Ryan with Matt Damon (and a hundred other A-list actors); The Dirty Dozen with Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson give us insight into Vietnam and World War Two. So when you actually stop and think about it, there are plenty of people to thank during Memorial Day weekend. What did you do? Did you put a flag out in front of your house? Did you put a printout on the front door of your apartment? Did you put a candle in the window? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFP5afPweVI)
I played two games of softball (hooray for me, I got my first home run of the season… we still got blown out of the water 25-3 or something like that), had a BBQ at my sisters house, played poker with some friends and did some running. I am also looking for a new car and as you all well know, every auto dealership has a Memorial Day sale. Every supermarket has hot dogs and hamburgers on sale because it’s Memorial Day which also marks the beginning of summer. So while most people are going to the beach or having barbecues, I would say that we are not at parades celebrating our freedom here in America or honoring the fallen as much as we are at the Thanksgiving Day Parade watching float after commercial float. Kudos to my friend that actually went with her family down to Washington DC and visited the Vietnam Memorial amongst other sites. She also reported to me that she got to witness the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Parade (here is the 2010 eyewitness report: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brX-UyrWQKU)
So we learn from this that Memorial Day actually has several meanings. Your business can benefit from the beginning of summer by attaching your name to the words “Memorial Day,” add in the year (2010) and make a special sales or “awareness” page on your website. You can say that your company “honors those who have served in the armed forces this weekend.” Whether it is sincere or not, Google and the search engines don’t really care. But regardless, if you put the correct keywords into your meta data, and also have a special graphic or text on your website, you will show up higher in the search engines when people are searching. And if you are indeed sincere, you might also be able to score a sale from patriotic Americans that want to buy from those who support the Red, White and Blue.
Want to know more? Call me at 212-993-5828, email raphis@salemglobal.com or check out www.SalemGlobal.com for more information. Let me know if you want to talk more about America, the weekend and how to promote your business through the Internet this summer. It’s gonna be a hot one!