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Also check out the blog to listen to my full interview with Cary.

Among the different methods they use to this end is 1) sending paid advertisements to their database and 2) sponsoring networking events.

The other day I got an email from them saying that they were going to delete the names and emails of non-members and former members from their email marketing system.

The reason they said that they were doing this was two-fold.  First, they were getting complaints that non-members were getting the same information that members were getting (which they saw as unfair).  Second, they wanted to purge their list of people that were thinking of joining the organization but had taken too long to decide (no indication as to what that time threshold was supposed to be).

Now, when I read this email, my jaw just about hit the floor.  Quite simply…

This is THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING I’ve ever heard!

Especially from an organization that’s supposed to be helping businesses!  If this is the type of thing they’re doing for themselves, I can only imagine what sort of guidance they’re giving to their members.  (Clue: it probably ain’t any good.)

This is like shooting yourself in the foot, cutting off your nose to spite your face, AND throwing the baby out with the bathwater ALL AT ONCE!

By deleting those names they are crippling their circulation for promoting their members and shrinking the reach of their advertising.

All other things being equal, if you had a choice between placing your advertisement in a media optin A with a circulation of 1000 or with media option B with a circulation of 500, which would you choose?

They’re also tossing out any goodwill that may have been built up with prospective members and former members.

Do you buy something on YOUR timeline or the VENDOR’S timeline?  (This does not even address the bigger question of the quality of the vendor’s marketing message.)

This is indicative of a challenge in MANAGEMENT for which marketing is suffering.

In these days that we’re bombarded with tens of thousands of unwanted marketing messages every day, we’re VERY careful about which messages we choose to accept into our consciousness.

Even if the email just sits in our inbox for a week, the fact that we don’t click the “Report as SPAM” button  or choose to unsubscribe from the mailing list is equivalent to holding up a bright neon sign saying, “Yes, please keep in touch with me!”

That certainly does not come easily, and it definitely should not be treated lightly.

In fact, you should treat that permission (or “opt-in”) as GOLD!

As much as it’s a cliche, there’s a good amount of truth to the used car salesman line, “If they didn’t want to buy, they wouldn’t be on the lot.”

When they’re on your marketing list, they’re on your virtual “lot.”  And they’ll continue to stay until THEY decide, for one reason or another, to step off.  And unlike a physical car lot, you’ll NEVER run out of standing room.

While they’re on your lot you have FULL PERMISSION to keep selling them, keep providing value, keep enticing, keep making offers!

As one of my mentors says, unless they choose to step off the lot, keep talking to them “until they buy or they die.”

I sent a reply to the email I received telling them that deleting those names was a HUGE MISTAKE, and that instead they should put the names of those prospects and former members into a separate list (or segment of their list) and send them different messages.  This would allow them to continue their marketing while solving their previous concerns.

Will they do it?  I don’t know, since I haven’t received an email from the organization since.

Online video is one of the fastest growing marketing mediums available.  In the US, video viewers racked up nearly 28 billion video views in October 2009 alone.  As more and more of our customers and prospects are getting online, eMarketer projects that in 2010 more than 85% of Internet users will use video as a top content delivery method.

Here are the top 3 types of video content you can produce get your share of viewers to establish yourself as a guru in your niche.

1.  Teach Something

As a guru and expert, you have access to volumes of specialized knowledge.  But that doesn’t mean too much unless people know that you’ve got it.  And while you can tell them that you know all these things, people don’t learn by hearing.  They learn through experience.  By teaching your customers something of value to them, you not only demonstrate your expertise, you also immediately put yourself in a position of authority in that particular area.

Example:  How to Prepare Your Soil for Growing Award Winning Tomatoes

2.  Give Social Proof

There’s a saying in marketing that goes, “You can’t promote yourself.”  While you can try telling other people how amazing you or your services are, it’s not nearly as effective as when other people share their story of how great you are.  Whether you get this from your customers via short testimonials or in-depth case studies, be sure to extract the story and emotion by answering the following questions:

• What was their challenge before you got involved and how was it negatively impacting them?
• What was their experience working with you, your product, and/or your staff?
• What was the end result and how did it positively impact them?

Example:  John Smith Uses My Book To Win Tomato Growing Contest

3.  Guru By Association

Find widely recognized authorities in your industry and record interviews with them.  By doing so, you can immediately inject yourself as a player in your niche and set yourself apart from your competition.  In addition, if the people you are interviewing let their “fans” know about the interview, you get instant exposure and credibility with a previously untapped audience.

Another way you can get credibility is to by attending big industry events such as seminars and tradeshows and providing video updates of your thoughts and experiences during the event.

Example:  My Interview with Top Tomato Grower Jane Smith At The Annual National Convention

By using these types of video content you’ll increase your value in your niche, differentiate yourself from your competition, and rise up as an authority in the market.

For additional information and techniques to leverage video marketing, you can download my Hypnotic Video Marketing Secrets eBook.

As I talk to small business owners, particularly those on “Main Street”, the recurring theme is their belief that social media doesn’t apply to them.  They typically chalk it up to to large corporate budgets or entertainment for young people.  And while the underlying feeling is, “My business is based on referrals and relationships, not technology,”  I say that’s precisely why Main Street businesses MUST use social media.

Your average local accountant, barber shop, restaurant, and boutique retailer build much of their business through foot traffic, local advertising, and networking.  Across the board, networking is the biggest and most reliable source – referrals (leveraging someone else’s trusted relationship) and face-to-face interaction (creating a trusted relationship).

The Internet was initially built as a way for education and military institutions to share information with others.  When it became available to business, the same model applied in communicating with customers.  A company would create their website and broadcast their message to whomever found their way to the virtual storefront.

Yet unlike brick-and-mortar storefronts, there was no equivalent method of having a conversation with that customer.  Without a conversation, it was extremely difficult to really connect with people and create those trusted relationships.  Because of that technological limitation, many small businesses simply abandoned or ignored the Internet as a way of generating business.

But the time has now come where technology has caught up to the needs of Main Street, and social media is the prime vehicle.  It no longer relies on the “broadcast” communication style of the old Internet.  It’s even moved beyond mere interactivity.  Social media provides a real way to create that same connection, conversation, and trust that has always made Main Street businesses successful.

At the heart of social media is the customer’s own innate desire to have a trusted relationship.  Spam, banners, email, video ads, et al. have flooded the minds of customers for years.  While they’ve adapted to filter them out as much as they can, new broadcast methods are created every day.  Social media outlets like blogs, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook give customers a way to find and cultivate those connections, have conversations, and build those relationships.

Any business owner can now go to a site like Twitter, search for people that are talking about their brand, industry, or product, and start conversations with those people.  Note that I didn’t say “start selling”.  Social media conversations are your opportunity to establish yourself as credible, helpful, and valuable.  After that, the selling comes much more easily.  The best part is that because your conversation is public, many others will benefit from your contribution, which helps to grow your popularity naturally and organically (i.e., word of mouth).

I remember years ago I went to a Japanese restaurant and ordered some miso soup.  Normally I eat my soup with a spoon, but this particular restaurant didn’t give me one.  I noticed that no one else got one either.  They only gave us chopsticks.  I like to have my soup while it’s hot.  The waitress was very busy so I couldn’t even get her attention to get me a spoon, and my soup was losing its warmth.  Then I noticed that the other people in the restaurant were enjoying their soup by simply picking up the bowl and drinking from it directly.  Occasionally they would stir the soup with their chopsticks to help cool it down and pick up the little pieces of tofu and seaweed.  While it seemed odd to me, they looked as if it was a natural way for them to have their soup.   With no waitress in sight I picked up my bowl and started drinking.  To my surprise, I really enjoyed it!  It was different, yet I was still able to enjoy my soup while it was hot.  And to this day when I go to a Japanese restaurant, even if they give me a spoon, I still pick up the bowl.

With today’s economic climate, in order for Main Street businesses to thrive (not just survive), they must  be open to new ways of cultivating the same relationships they’re seeking.  No one knows if or when the spoon is going to come.  It’s time to pick up the bowl…