Why there's so much c#!p on the internet

...and why marketers should focus on producing quality content that builds trust and reputation. Rand Fishkin from SEOmoz explains all.

DIY marketing for SMEs

David Meerman Scott's book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, is a great primer for any small business wanting to better understand how to harness the web as a marketing tool.  He has just made this 2 page marketing planning template available for free download (it is in PDF format). The first page prompts you to answer some basic questions about your customers, your company and your products/services.  Although they might seem rather obvious, the act of filling in the template forces you to think more precisely about what it is you are trying to market/sell within the context of using the web as a channel.  I've just been using it for a service I'm considering launching next year and it has definitely helped to clarify my thinking.

Surely it's common sense

I have just finished writing a first draft of a training programme aimed at helping SMEs get more from the Web.  One of the modules focuses on how companies can develop better relationships with their customers and increase loyalty.   Having emailed the first draft of this to my collaborators I had a quick look at my newsreader to see what was new.  The first thing I read was Barry Graubart complaining about the poor customer service he has received from AT&T over setting up international roaming on his iPhone.  The second post was Fred Wilson announcing a competition by Etsy offering its users the chance to win several thousand dollars by making a promotional video for the company. 

In those 2 posts is encapsulated the opportunities, challenges and threats facing companies of all types: 

• Develop loyal and happy customers and they will do the marketing for you;
• Pi** people off and you'll have to spend twice as much to bring in new customers as existing ones leave.

I know I'm not offering any radical insights into what's going on in this new digital world of marketing but it makes me wonder how many companies really "get it".