The basis of this article comes from an email exchange with a client.

And since I give away a TON of gold in my emails to clients, I figured it would be worth posting here pretty much as written for her (lack of capitalization an all).

The focus is on branding.

And truth be told, I always found the imagery of the word (sticking a hot poker on a cow’s behind) more than disturbing as a means to conceptualize marketing.

The deeper issue, however, is how branding does not work online.

At all.

I hope you find the points raised here helpful for your own business. And if you’d like to see her positive responses to my points I’d be happy to include them in a follow up article.

Does that make sense?

An Online Marketing Analysis Case Study

first off josh’s input [her business coach -- and a brilliant guy to boot!] will be valuable here, so i’d like to hear what he has to say. and i would love to see the materials from jhilburn.

here is my web perspective…

branding doesn’t work online. at all. now, people/established brands DO work online (i.e. donald trump, kim kardashian, etc.). when a brand BECOMES a keyword then branding will work online. however, w/o a media outlet and millions to establish yourself as a brand, brand-based marketing will never work online. it doesn’t. and it’s the single biggest mistake small business owners make (i.e. branding) when turning online.

for example, if you visit: http://ampyourcashflow.com/

where’s the logo? branding? yet the site generates roughly 1 to 2k in revenue for me each month. i have 9 customers paying to be listed or buying leads, with more coming on board each month. and it generates nearly 50 leads a month.

why?

because the web is based on problem solving. that’s why people turn online. (btw, for your ezine copy, remember the tried and true formula — problem, agitate – solution) — well guess what, that’s why people turn to search engines.

that said, so far i have had a hell of a time finding “corporate-based” keywords for what you do as far as image consulting is concerned (which is why i’d like to discuss this with you further). b/c if this niche is NOT turning online (and i’m not sure one way or another yet if they are) then you will never cash in from a purely web-based perspective.

meaning — when you have keyword volume matched to a problem you can solve then you can position your site as THE solution provider. and when they come and your site is doing what it’s supposed to be doing (working on autopilot for you, working while you sleep, being your 24/7/365 sales rep) then you literally make money in your sleep. and no amount of “branding” will do this for you.

at this point it’s not about budget, logo, business cards, etc.

imho, it’s about developing a short-term solution to ramp up revenue while developing a long range strategy to leverage what works. i can show you keywords for image consulting based on city (miami, nyc, etc.) and if you look, is there a huge need for this in CT? no. are they searching for image consulting HERE online? no. only in the metro areas where you would expect to find the right mix of people with money who can afford your services and who get it.

now, after reviewing the hilburn stuff sent sent by the vp that will tell a different story. b/c the one brand you can “ride” right now IS hilburn. if they are growing rapidly, and as the keywords suggest people are searching for them online, then your site can be positioned as #2 (if not #1) behind jhilburn online. (agreeing w/ your short-term solution below). but as for the long-range strategy, i’m just not seeing it.

anyway, it would certainly be worth a meeting in person (w/ josh) to discuss this further.

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Can this type of advice and analysis pay you dividends far beyond the investment of working with a professional web marketer?

Call and schedule a no-strings-attached phone consultation.

That’s it.

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After you leave a voice message I will personally follow up with you to schedule a mutually convenient time to discuss your web sales, goals, and long-term plans.

And if it makes sense for the both of us to pursue a working relationship, we’ll decide together.

The choice is yours…