We Are Switching Blog Platforms

In order to provide our readers with an easier subscription process to our blog along with making our posts easier to find on Google and Yahoo, we will be switching to wordpress as a hosting platform form for our blog as of today.

There will be an easy method of signing up for our blog now, by simply filling out the simple capture form on the home page, you will be e-mailed automatic updates.

Click here to access the new blog and if you have any questions please contact Brad Yoho by e-mailing him at brad@daveyoho.com.

Review from the Summit: Per-Inquiry Advertising Continued

Ron Sherman was the next featured speaker at the Home Improvement Summit and while he was not able to attend he sent us a video of his presentation to share with attendees.

He is the President of the multi-million dollar ad agency, Ron Sherman Advertising, which is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. He specializes in producing programs for the home improvement industry. He acts as producer and spokesperson for many of those in the room today. In any given time, throughout the US, you can count on running into a Ron Sherman production television program. He has dedicated his business and his modern production studio to the art of producing leads.

It will only take about 7 minutes out of your day to watch the video and the information that you gain will be invaluable. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail Ron Sherman.

The Benefits of Social Networking

Social networking has played an integral role in transforming our business. In 2008, we did over 90% of our business offline - - and - - while there are many other factors at play, we are currently doing between 70-75% of our business offline, and we expect this number to keep trending downward.

The thing that bothers me most about the perception of social networking is that people still have doubts about the success of these tools as they relate to business. These "naysayers" typically fall into one of two categories:

1. Those who heard a negative experience from a friend/colleague and have never actually tried to experiment with social media
2. Those who used social media in an ineffective manner in such a way that they actually dissuaded prospects from buying from them

Neither of these strike me as the type of individual I would want in charge of my marketing department.

The benefits of social media are numerous and these tools are so new that you can expect many new ones to develop over time. Here are the primary benefits:

• Find new customers: Social sites such as Twitter and Facebook have many simple to use/teach tools that you can use to find potential customers.
• Give current customers added value: There are sites such as Alltop that allow you to find industry-related topics that would be of benefit to your customers. By posting this information you become seen as a valuable resource and stay fresh in the customer’s mind
• Create positive content to combat your detractors: It is a fact that regardless of how great your company is and how excellent a service you perform you will have some people who want to damage your image. By enlisting your customers to post positive reviews on such sites, you will help to avoid negative perceptions.
• Improve your search engine ranking: Social networking sites are ranked extremely high by Google. In many cases they may even rank higher than your own website. The more material that you have on the first few pages of Google will improve your value in the eyes of the prospect immensely.
• Build inbound links to your website: Nothing improves search engine optimization more than inbound links to your website and with the abundance of social networking sites available you can easily build relevant links that will continuously work for you in building traffic for your site.
• Establish yourself as the local authority: There are many forums that you can use to build up your credibility further. It is easy to monitor these sites and find the questions that are aligned with your business model.
• Network with other businesses: This is an often overlooked part of these sites, but the majority of companies out there are looking to help as part of a reciprocal relationship. You will be shocked at the business partnerships that can develop overnight just through the basis of a simple online conversation.
  

The marketing cost(s) of utilizing social networking sites is peanuts. If you spend a week learning how to use them, you can spend only 30 minutes-1 hour participating every day and you will see amazing results.

For more information on how to utilize social networking in your business feel free to e-mail me at brad@daveyoho.com

Review from the Summit: Per-Inquiry Advertising

The next topic that we dealt with during last year's Home Improvement Summit was per inquiry advertising.

The first expert on this issue was Sam Borgia who is the President of the Homeowner Resource Center. He is also a managing partner for Home Lending Corporation and Energy Star Trust. Sam used his background in the home remodeling and lending business to structure a unique company in a highly competitive market. His business was established in the early 1980's when the country was in the middle of a great recession. His companies specialize in matching consumers and special finance programs. They have been responsible for over $500 million of home improvement and lending dollars. In addition, his companies have been negotiating special contracts including PI advertising for the last 20 years.

Per inquiry advertising is a type of direct response marketing where the advertiser gets free ad time and space while paying only for results. In return, the advertiser gives up control of where and when the ads will run.

Some of the key points that he touched on in his presentation included:

• Understanding the complexities of a per inquiry program before you start
• How to start a per inquiry relationship
• How to present a per inquiry advertising program
• Understanding the benefits of a per inquiry program (Both for the advertiser and the media source)
• How to maintain the per inquiry relationship
• Creative per inquiry relationships

For detailed information on this topic, feel free to contact Sam Borgia for assistance.

The next posting will feature of video from an advertising legend, Ron Sherman.