DT Business Strategies
Maximize your ROI with a Small Business Marketing Strategy that Works.
By Christian
This is a fantastic, insightful video on leadership. It’s a little over half an hour long, so if you don’t have time for it right now, just bookmark this page or do whatever you need to in order to make sure you can watch it at a convenient time. I found it profoundly thought provoking with regards to what it takes to be a great entrepreneur and leader. It’s worth your time.
If you’re viewing this in a feed that does not support video, please click here to view the video.
By Christian
Since I’ve begun this blog somewhat recently, I’ve had some questions:
I started this site, because I wanted to do a total, complete overhaul of my last site Next level blogger. I’d been wanting to make some changes, and I just decided it would be fun to do a new name along with all the other changes. You know, let’s see just how much I can confuse everyone 🙂
I picked “Dangerous Tactics”, because I think it’s a fun name, and it speaks to the nature of the content here. What’s so dangerous about this site? I think an informed and focused small business owner is dangerous indeed. Someone who truly knows what they want to accomplish and KNOWS how to get it done. Such a person is a true ninja. You better find your own niche, because you have NO chance of beating them at what they do. Every successful business owner is a sponge when it comes to learning new tactics to grow their business, but unfortunately not all tactics are created equal. There are different kinds:
Given the choices available, I chose to go with #5.
With regards to ninjas, I just dig em. Don’t you? I mean, ninjas are stealthy, effective and dangerously dangerous. What more can you ask for?
By Christian
There’s been a streak of marketing lately from people selling Facebook marketing courses, and as a results I’ve had some questions about whether or not it’s smart to have a Facebook business page (they used to be called ‘fanpages’).
Facebook is becoming a business platform more than a social network. It’s angled heavily for business now, which is fine in principle, but their execution sucks.
Currently, Facebook presents fantastic opportunities for business owners right now, but I’m not going to have any part of it.
Why? Because it’s scammy. I do see a lot of great opportunities on FB right now, but the way they’re approaching their business is a short game, and that’s not how I roll. It’s also not what I recommend to clients I think every business owner should look at Facebook carefully right now, because we’re watching a disaster in the making.
It’s marketing with a social media skin. Facebook is monetizing their user base, which is fine. But they’re using covert tactics, and making their user accounts very accessible to marketing messages, and most users don’t understand this.
For example, did you know that when you click the ‘like’ button for one of your favorite businesses, gurus or celebrities, you’re also automatically signing up for their email list? What’s wrong with this? Three things:
This is the OPPOSITE of permission-based marketing, which is what social media marketing is SUPPOSED to be all about. This is just one of many, many examples. It causes users’ inboxes to get flooded with marketing messages they didn’t anticipate, and most users don’t know how to get off the email list.
Check this out…as a marketer, I can go in and create a new group on Facebook for free. Then I can add you to that group without reference to you…completely without your permission or even your knowledge. And you will then start to get email from that group. Again…automatically. And if you don’t want the email, it’s then up to you to figure out where the email is even coming from, and it’s up to you to figure out how to get off the list. Sounds great, huh?
Again, it’s a short term marketing opportunity for business owners. I have no inherent fight with anyone who uses Facebook for marketing. Why? Because there are many ways to do it ethically. But you really need to learn the platform, and you need to respect your users, or you WILL end up alienating them. In fact, Facebook encourages it.
When you take a massive network like this, and you flip it around without people’s knowledge and turn it into a marketing platform which presents itself as a social network, you’re asking for trouble. Is Facebook still free for personal accounts? Yes. Does Facebook have every right to monetize it’s platform? Of course. My criticism of Facebook is not that they’re monetizing. My criticism is that they’re doing it in a really sketchy way, and their user base WILL retaliate.
By Christian
I feel I owe you an apology. I make lots of mistakes on this blog. I don’t SEO most of the posts. I only put pictures up on some of them. I don’t even have comments turned on for God’s sake. I’m such a loser. I want to apologize 🙂
Here’s the thing: it’s not my goal to build big traffic here. I’m writing this blog for you. Yes, I’m quite serious…I’m talking to YOU. There really is quite a good chance that you and I have emailed a bit, talked on Twitter or even met at a conference. I write this blog for a small niche audience…my audience.
This isn’t a big blog. It’s my business blog, and I run a small consulting and publishing business. Why spend time optimizing my content when I could just be working with you guys one on one or coming out with a new product to help you take things to the next level?
I know we work on cool stuff like SEO, image optimization, driving traffic, etc…in our consulting sessions. And I practice very little of that here on my own blog. You may have noticed that. I think it’s crucial to focus. Know from the outset what you want your blog to achieve, and then go for it.
What am I going for on DangerousTactics? Well, I’m going for you. Mission accomplished 🙂
By Christian
Dear fellow ninja bloggers. You’re awesome for taking up blogging. It’s such a fantastic tool for marketing your business. But let’s not forget that it’s just a tool. Having a tool does not get you results. Any tool must be wielded with skill in order to get a meaningful result.
I see too many boring blogs out there. Don’t do that. You are not a boring person. You’re a business owner! You have mad skills and so much to share with your customers and clients. Your people like working with you. Share your personality on your blog.
Be yourself. In doing so, you will differentiate yourself. You will stand out. You will have more fun, and by having fun, your blog will become better.
I’m writing this post, because I just got a message from a reader saying that he’s been blogging for “quite a while now” and he gets “NOTHING” out of it. His blogging hasn’t done anything meaningful for his business as far as he can tell, and I know for a FACT that he’s not the only one out there who feels like that.
Do you feel like that? Do you question whether or not your blog is worth your time?
I’ve been doing this for 12 years now. Let me give it to you straight. Here’s the bottom line:
If your blog is not getting the results you’re looking for, there is an identifiable and correctable cause for that. In other words…it’s fixable! Did you know that? Did you know that it is an absolute FACT that you can and will get the results you’re looking for if you stick with it and make the necessary tweaks to your approach?
It’s a fact. Stick with it. Email me questions. I answer them, you know! That’s why I’m here. Yes, I charge for one-on-one stuff, and I sell products, etc. I also do massive amounts of stuff for free. Why? Because you’re awesome; we’re all in this together, and I owe you. A certain percentage of you will always buy stuff from me, and that is why it’s my duty to do whatever I can to help you get the results you need from your web marketing.
Do you feel like you’re not sure what to do to take things to the next level? Fire me an email or hit me up on Twitter. Let’s get you where you want to go.