In the world of Internet Marketing, we often forget that there are still real stores and business out there!  Local merchants who need to get people to come into their stores and buy from them in person.  Often times these shops are not easily found with mobile search.

This podcast is dedicated to those who still hold the mantle of small business with an open sign on the door.  So here are the 5 points to think about on how to improve being found when people look for you online. With an extra credit point for doing the 5 steps I mention here!

Your life is on your computers.  For many people, your business is on the hard drives surrounding your desk. What happens WHEN it all goes wrong??  because know it WILL go wrong.  The hard drives will crash. The office gets flooded or robbed.  You are left in the cold with no files.

That was my issue. My entire business sits on little hard drives in and around my office. Videos, podcasts, images, documents, etc… So I started to back them all up with CRASHPLAN. I love their service. SIMPLE to use.  Download the program, chose what you want and hit the button and it starts doing its thing.  Backing everything up to the cloud.

When it came time to do the same for my wife and her Photography, I needed something even more foolproof than CRASHPLAN. A photography buddy recommended BACKBLAZE. Download the software, let it find the drives and it goes to work, backing everything up to the cloud.  SUPER Simple to use.  Almost foolproof.  I always say almost because you know someone out there will find a way to screw it up.  But it is SUPER Simple to set up and run.

When working on a project and I need something done fast (faster or better than I can do it) I hit up fiverr.com.

If you know how to use it and do not get sucked into all the other BS that's on there, you can find some great and creative people who you can outsource projects to for $5 or more.

Unlike other services like Fiverr, There's no bidding. You look at the profiles and the reviews and see what they can do. If you like them, hire them.  

Fiverr is Great For:

Banners/graphics

Logos

Voice Overs

Transcription services

What are your thoughts on Fiverr.com??

Mark Anthony talks about what all it takes to make and keep Google Mobile Search happy with your"mobile friendly" website.  

Load speed along with font and image size will make it more friendly and help keep yu on the top rankings for Google on Mobile Search

Over 60% of all searches are on a mobile device.  

Optimize Photos

Make banner ads and other nonessentials load faster

Don't make the mobile user work to see your content. Keep it clean and easy to read with larger text

Besides being a great tax write off (travel, meals, housing, etc..), attending a industry-related conference or conventions gets you out, away from work, away from routines and energy sucking tasks.  They put you into a new environment that suddenly stimulates your senses and invigorates the mind because you are now around other like-minded people

Meeting people who can become new contacts, new referrals who can open up new conversations you may never have had via internet, email or online discussions.

Everyone should have their favorite business books. The ones that help or helped them get their career started on the right path and give them the inspiration and direction needed to go further and succeed.

Here are my three favorite business books.

What are your favorite business books??

The things you can learn from other "media" profesisonals after spoending 10 days with them at an event!!  The National Finals Rodeo in las Vegas gave me a clear insight to the world of Internet marketing and it was kind of a shock.  

People still think the Internet is still a fad, not to be taken seriously. You just publish a post and it should drive a lot of traffic to your site and yes, you can make it work, that quality doesn't count... Just be "Be Good Enough"... NOT!!!!

When was the last time you stopped and supported your local businesses?

When was the last time you drove past the big box store and went into the smaller retailer further down the street or around the corner.?

The one where your neighbor poured their heart and soul (not to mention entire life savings)  into it and hires the neighbors to work there?

When shopping Have you ever tried to look for an alternative to the big box or online mega store?? 

I get it!! The rush of the holidays can get maddening.  Why not just kick back and click the little mouse and everything you wanted to give for Christmas can be delivered to your door by noon tomorrow.  No fuss, no muss, no worry, its done its ready… 

Or a quick hop in the car and you can do it all in one stop at that big box retailer.  And you kick back thinking I just saved myself a bunch of money and time!!  Really? Think about it

Each time you make a purchase from a business, you are impacting another business. From candy bar and soda ay 7-11 to buying a can at the dealership.  Every sale you create, you decided one business gets your money and one business does not.   What jobs stay in town and what jobs are lost to a business far far away.

Yes, that one purchase of a candy bar at the local convenience store carries a lot of mean=ing and messages about wht you think about your town and your community,

Who stays in business and who closes up shop.

Small businesses are what makes America work and makes this country great. ... Small business provides the jobs, the new ideas and the catalyst for the brighter future. 

You need small businesses, America needs small business!

This season give thanks to the small business people.  They are the oens working hard, risking their own money and wanting ot make your local community a place to live in and grow up in.

The small business is the one paying the taxes, not asking for a bailout and living by the rules.  They hire the kids, sponsor the little league teams and keep the lights on in the parks. 

They need your acknowledgement and they need your support. Look around and open your eyes to the many small businesses around you and you may be surprised at what you find. Go walk thru ther doors and say “hello”

Happy Thanks Giving and blessed holiday season you and to you r family.

God bless the small business owner because they are what make America work

 Any Comments or Questions?  http://askmrmark.com

This week I want to talk about The Power of  a Podcast. Not about "how to" or "who should" do a podcast.  But the power a podcast has for the small business owner looking to become an expert in their field.  

I also talk about the power the podcast has in terms of  the person looking to market their business or services on a podcast. I have been doing podcasting in one for or another since 2006 with my first one being The Vegas Tourist Podcast with my best friend "Sazzy".  

When you think about it, Podcasting is probably the most powerful marketing tool in the digital world for a small business or any business.

Focused Audience - People don't just spin a dial and find a podcast while driving or exercising.  They seek it out.  They look for a specific topic to listen to.

Captured Audience -  People who listen to podcasts are yours.  They are listening to you and no one else.  It's not like radio, when they turn off the car, they lose the show...  With Podcasts, they can come back to your show and pick up right where they left off.

You become their expert - If you deliver quality, focused  content on a regular basis, the listener starts to know, trust and respect you.  They chose your podcast for a reason.  So they will stay as long as you continue to honor your promise to them and keep the good stuff coming.

You get shared - In this day of social media and sharing, podcasts are easy and fun to share with friends.  After all, you are their new expert and they want to help their friends, so they will offer other people to listen to your shows or pass them to others.

Podcast Listeners are HOT Property -  This is the biggest point missed by marketers.  The typical marketing person is looking for quantity.  

Podcasts offer quality.  Podcasts are niche programs.  The listeners are loyal and hungry for that topic and that host.  So they are willing to listen to your pitch as long as it is relevant to the podcast audience.

Podcasts are forever - From a marketing point of view, this is true.  You advertise on a podcast and people will be hearing that ad years into the future.  As long as the show is archived, its there to listen to by future prospects

These are the 5 things you SHOULD do before starting your Home Based Business!

And I believe everyone should have some sort of home based business in order to have a secondary income in case your primary job goes away.  Something to help out the lean times or to have a passion.

1)      Get a “Doing Business As” DBA and an EIN or Tax identification number

 2)      Get a business bank account

 3)      Create a real office space in your home

 4)      Start to identify yourself as a Business Owner.

 5)      Do Something and fail.

If you treat your business as a businss, it will reward you as a business.  treat it as a hobby and it will reward you as a hobby.

* Get Your EIN Here

* Ernst & Young Tax Guide 2015

* Making a Living Without a Job