Read this great interview of Supper Solutions’ President Leanne Deister, by Mom Entrepreneur.  Supper Solutions utilizes our Live-Kitchen.com Meal Assembly Software Application to reduce operating expenses, organize client orders, manage inventory, and take payments.

Visit Supper Solutions now.

Social media provides new tools for business to interact directly with their customer base.  This may be a good thing or a bad thing - that depends on your business and how good your product is.

The fear from businesses may be that they receive some bad reviews on their product or services.  This is a fear of all businesses. In most cases you are trying to provide the best product or service possible and even though you care what your customers think, you don’t want your potential customers to view any negative feedback.

This poses a dilema, to have the best product you must solicite feedback.  You can do this privately through e-Survey software such as ratepoint.com. Social Media now provides a tool and people will use it whether or not you decide to listen.  With blogs, Facebook, and other mediums to rate your product or just chat about your product, some may already be providing useful nuggets of information; yet you aren’t listening.

I encourage you to take heed of these networks and watch your brand and your customer base, they are out there and they can provide you with valuable feedback.  Feedback that will ultimately increase the quality of your product, if you choose to listen.

Social Media allows you to interact with your customers as well.  If someone posts a negative comment, use that same medium to post any changes or updates that others reading the post may be interested in.

For example:

If someone posts a message stating that your Support department is taking too long to respond back to email, even though in your auto-responder you qualify that they will hear back within 24 hours (for example).  You could first contact that client and make sure their needs are taken care of - win them back.  And then post a message stating that you have changed the email auto-responder to give a more accurate response time (or you removed the time altogether).  In addition, you have implemented a Forum that will allow customers to post their questions, your support team to respond to their questions, and everything is archived for future users who may have the same answer.

Here is an article in regards to replacing that un-godly plastic clam-shell packaging that is almost impossible to open without scissors, and then once you have it open the edges become fatal weapons.

Listen to your customers, they are talking about your product.  Don’t fear feedback, embrace it and use the Internet to communicate with your clients.

If you aren’t familiar with Inbound marketing, it’s the notion that instead of going out and trying to grab potential clients, you just make sure you have good exposure, and when that potential client is ready they will come to you.

Well, it works…but why?

The client has already chosen to contact you, they’ve made a determination in their minds stating that you are already one of the candidates even if they haven’t spoken to you yet.

Sharpecopy.com defines a qualified lead as someone who meets the following criteria:

• Need: They need your product or service
• Authority: They have the authority to buy
• Budget: They have the budget to buy
• Readiness: They are ready to buy now

Now lets look at a ‘typical’ direct mail campgaign…again the numbers are from sharpecopy.com:

Here’s how you calculate your Cost Per Qualified Lead.

Number of pieces mailed (for example): 10,000
Response rate: 1%
Number of inquiries: 100
Number that you manage to reach by phone to qualify: 70
Cost of qualifying by phone, per inquiry: $30
Number who turn out to be qualified leads (20%): 14
Total cost of qualifying ($30 X 70): $2,100
Campaign cost of $10,000 + phone qualifying cost = $12,200
Total cost of $12,200 divided by 14 qualified leads = $871.42

In other words, you must spend $871.42 to attract each lead who needs your product or service, can afford it, has authority to buy, and is ready to buy now.

Staggering to say the least…especially if you are just starting out.  And if your product doesn’t sell for $871 or more, you actually lost money.

Now, with Inbound marketing, you are only focusing on the leads that are already fairly qualified, now you are just developing a lead.

Imagine shifting the focus online…integrating online marketing, Internet marketing, INBOUND MARKETING with your other efforts.

You are now building an online reputation - this is killer for those possibly interested in your product, let reviews, posts, and blogs online pre-sell your service or product for you.

You are also catching the lead when they are looking, instead of bugging them 7 times with a postcard to hopefully stick in their minds, they find you when they need you.

Mediapost.com states the following:

Not all leads are created equal.  To illustrate this point, which lead generation program is more appealing? Would you prefer 1,000 anonymous email addresses where you eventually determine only ten to be good prospects? Or would you like one that delivers 100 leads, each of whom is an ideal prospect?

The answer is obvious, but the trick is how to find those 100 prospects without wasting time sorting through thousands of anonymous and irrelevant respondents.

Are you starting to get the point?

Inbound Marketing through Internet Marketing brings customers to you…

Now get out there and build your online presence

Seriously, who actually buys products from an anonymous spam email?

Authorities Shut Down Spam Ring

The Federal Trade Commission won a preliminary legal victory against what it called one of the largest spam gangs on the Internet, persuading a federal court in Chicago on Tuesday to freeze the group’s assets and order the spam network to shut down.

The group, which used several names but was known among spam-fighting organizations as HerbalKing, sent billions of unsolicited messages to Internet users over the last 20 months, promoting replica watches and a variety of pharmaceuticals, including weight-loss drugs and herbal pills that supposedly enhanced the male anatomy, according to the commission.

“This is pretty major. At one point these guys delivered up to one-third of all spam,” said Richard Cox, chief information officer at SpamHaus, a nonprofit antispam research group.

The investigation provides a clear window into the business of modern spam, which by some estimates accounts for 90 percent of all e-mail sent over the Internet.

To pepper Internet users with its solicitations, the HerbalKing group used a botnet, a global network of computers infected with malicious software, often without the knowledge of their owners.

The security firm Marshal Software, which assisted the F.T.C. with the investigation, estimated in court documents that the group’s Mega-D botnet — named after one of its pill products — was made up of 35,000 computers and could send 10 billion e-mail messages a day. In January, the botnet was the leading source of spam on the Internet, the firm estimated.

F.T.C. investigators also said they monitored the group’s finances closely and that it cleared $400,000 in Visa charges in one month alone.

The commission has brought more than 100 cases against spammers and spyware vendors over the past decade. But officials and investigators said this spam operation was perhaps the most extensive they had ever encountered, with ties to Australia, New Zealand, India, China and the United States.

“They were sending extraordinary amounts of spam,” said Jon Leibowitz, an F.T.C. commissioner. “We are hoping at some level that this will help make a small dent in the amount of spam coming into consumers’ in-boxes.”

The commission asked the federal district court in Chicago to freeze the gang’s finances, arguing that its members were using unfair and deceptive advertising practices and violating the Can-Spam Act of 2003. That federal law provides civil and criminal penalties for spammers who falsify information in e-mail messages and fail to offer ways for consumers to refuse further messages.

The government is also pursuing criminal charges against the group. F.B.I. investigators in Chicago and St. Louis have executed search warrants against members of the spam gang, the commission said.

Jody Michael Smith, 29, of McKinney, Tex., was involved in the group’s finances, according to the F.T.C. Reached at his home, Mr. Smith said: “I don’t even know who these people are who I have been tied to,” and referred all inquiries to his Dallas lawyer, John R. Teakell. Mr. Teakell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

United States officials are also working with New Zealand authorities in the case against Lance Thomas Atkinson, 26, a native of New Zealand who now resides in Australia. Mr. Atkinson has a history in the spam business. In 2005, the F.T.C. obtained a $2.2 million judgment against him and a business partner for running a similar operation selling herbal pills online.

In conjunction with the investigation in the United States, the Department of Internal Affairs in New Zealand asked a court on Tuesday to impose a fine of 200,000 New Zealand dollars, or $121,000, on Mr. Atkinson, his brother Shane Atkinson and a business partner for violating the country’s own spam laws.

The activities of the HerbalKing group, like those of other criminal groups online, were remarkably international in scope. The group was shipping drugs like Propecia, Lipitor, Celebrex and Zoloft out of India. The F.T.C. also said the group based its Web sites in China, processed credit cards from the former Soviet republic of Georgia and Cyprus, and transferred funds among members using ePassporte, an electronic money network.

As part of its investigation, the commission purchased the “herbal” pills from the group and asked the Food and Drug Administration to test them. That agency found that the pills contained sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, which can be risky for some people with heart conditions.

Antispam researchers lauded the crackdown and said it would send a strong message to other spammers. But they were not confident that spam volumes would decrease.

“This will send some real shock waves through the spamming industry, but even if these guys were running a substantial botnet of compromised computers, there are always spammers looking to take their place,” said Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos, a spam-fighting security firm. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if people don’t notice any difference in their in-box tomorrow morning.”

Seriously…I can’t go on facebook and not see an Obama ad.  I couldn’t even read an article about McCain and not catch a glimpse of Obama on the sideline in a banner advertisement.

Between that and then Obama announcing his running mate over text messaging, I don’t even think the question of who is better utliizing technology is a fair question.  Obama is going after the tech friendly crowd and his Campaign Manager (David Plouffe) is doing a great job of it.

Check out this cool iPhone app…talk about grass roots marketing!

It’s almost like a virus that gets into your email client and spams all of your contacts…this little application makes you hound your friends and family by battleground states.  Is this the new “sign in the yard”?

Ah look at this…Android the Google Cell phone operating system is nearing release!  T-mobile may carry the first phones, but they’ll come with a marketplace just like Apple’s “App store” on the iPhone.

But Android is open source so you can get some really cool applications for it.

For example:

How about using the camera in your phone to take a photo of a bard code on the product you are looking to buy…then having it go out on the Internet and bring back comparative prices?  Yeahhhhh baby.

“Bye bye” new iPhone market share…I’m holding out for Android.

MSNBC News link about android: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26674814/

vs.

Okay, so what is Justin.tv and what is twitter?

http://www.Justin.tv is…

The place to broadcast and watch live video online while chatting with friends.

http://www.twitter.com is…

a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Both sides are geared towards lifecasting.  Although most people think of lifecasting using video, minute events that make up your day to day life can be broadcasted however you’d like.

Truthfully, I prefer twitter over Justin.tv (and I know people are going to say that these two applications are meant for completely different purposes) because of timing.  With Justin.tv you see it as it happens, so you are wasting your time, watching someone else…sometimes doing nothing.  Plus, you get a lot of unsavory people on Justin.tv where on twitter, you can keep up with people you choose, when you choose, and only see what they want you to see.

I guess I don’t get the point of Justin.tv, some people just point their cameras at a TV and re-broadcast TV.  I’ll stick with my sling box.  Are there any Justin.tv users out there?  If so, I’d love to hear what benefit you get out of it.

This is a reprint of an article we wrote in April 2006:

Webmasters claiming they have bigger, better solutions to your existing web presence may be false prophets looking to make “false profits.”

Self-proclaimed “web gurus” often prey on ignorance to promise “do more, cost less” solutions. Opportunistic web charlatans attempt to instill fear about present web conditions (e.g., security vulnerabilities and shoddy programming) to spur change.

Before accepting advice from an unknown web company, do some factfinding to determine if their suggestions benefit you—or are just a ploy to line their pockets. Review qualifications and skills versus the present web company; ethics and business practices of the company seeking your business; and what you actually need. Salient recommendations include:

1. Determine needed skill level—web developer, web designer, web application developer. For graphics or a simple site, any of the three may work. For database content and/or interactive content, look for a web developer or application developer. For a web-based application to run your business and create a reliable platform, hire an application developer.

Don’t pay for initial consultation. A reputable firm should share ideas in the spirit of winning your business. Walk away from anyone demanding payment because you “might take these ideas elsewhere.” A good designer-developer will develop proprietary ideas better than anyone else.

2. Demand proof. Make a company verify positive endorsements. Watch out when someone takes potshots at an existing web vendor. (Accomplished, above-board firms don’t need to proselytize business.) And, beware the web “guru” that claims to know, and can improve, your source code. It’s a guess at best (and not found in the “view source” browser command). It’s usually hidden too deep in backend processing for anyone except the creator to figure out without extensive research and access to your actual source code (on the servers).

3. Look for sophistication. FrontPage and a HTML book don’t make someone a web developer anymore than a wrench and repair manual make an auto mechanic. Web development and design is a trade, a craft. It requires experience, creativity, and skill. (And, demand proof of previous work beyond a portfolio. Verify claims with the firm whose site is represented.)

4. Hide from most SEO salespeople. Companies offering fee-based search engine optimization are often looking to take your money and leave you with excuses. SEO as part of an overall development process is important, but don’t jump at the latest promise of immediate rank improvement without justification and, again, verification of past successes. Also, carefully consider cost/benefit ratio of improved ranking, and the ongoing cost to stay improved.

5. Stay with Open Source software if it works. Don’t convert from an open source software platform such as Linux to a proprietary software platform such as Windows on a whim. Who cares what operating system your designer or hosting provider runs? If the software is working, leave it alone. If there’s a problem, then address it. Both Linux and Windows are proven platforms for running small business to enterprise level web applications.

6. Don’t redesign to be “trendy.” Beware of development agencies that only promote full redesign. Look at historical data. When you last “redesigned” your site, did it pay for itself? Did it live up to its purpose? It may need updating, but not necessarily a full re-design.

When seeking a web vendor, search for a company that can make your website run smoothly, diagnose and fix problems quickly and affordably, exercise good common sense, and stand behind its work. Then, stay loyal as long as the firm continues to earn that loyalty and can handle expanding needs—because a good web development firm is hard to find.