Everybody knows the three main secrets of a guerrilla marketing location: Internet, Internet, Internet. It’s not the corner building downtown anymore. It’s not the high traffic place right off the freeway exit at I-70 and US 65.

It’s online — on the computer screens of the millions of people who use the Internet before they leave the house for any purchase. In many instances, 90 percent of them look online before they look anywhere else. And why not? The selection is so vast; the time is so short; the parking is so easy.

Suddenly, the high-rent district is replaced by the no-rent district. The world is, indeed, learning to shop and buy things in a new way. That way is on the Internet. To increasing numbers, it’s becoming the only way. Nearly 75 percent of Americans are online an average of almost 14 hours a week, and those figures rise each month. These people are spending less time with books, magazines, and newspapers. And their TV consumption is 37 percent less than Internet non-users. The Internet is growing at a faster rate than any other medium. Does that sound like a prime location or what?

Think of how fortunate you are to be able to afford a top-flight, extremely visible, increasingly popular location. Whether they want to search for, learn about, or buy products or services, people look online before they look anywhere else. The Internet is getting better, bigger, simpler, and more valuable by the day. If your location is not smack dab in the middle of it, you’re going to be lost. And prospects won’t be able find you where they are looking these days.

 

I spent some time at the Missouri State Fair this year, as I do most, but this time I walked through some of the buildings. Usually I go straight to the Bud Tent to see great free entertainment and to, well, have some Buds, baby! This year, however, I went with my sister on a Saturday afternoon and walked through the Commercial and Varied Industry buildings.

These building have everything from church booths offering salvation to the ultimate non-stick cookware available NOW for only $19.95... but wait, there's more! You get the idea. And these places are usually packed elbow-to-elbow because that's where stuff is and you never know what you may find.

Anyway, as I was having coffee this morning, I thought of those booths as websites, each trying to get my attention and evoke a response to whatever they were offering. But with so many I couldn't stop at all of them (nor would I want to). Something had to draw me in, grab my attention and make me linger a bit to find out more about the particular exhibit. And that brought me to a website's LAIR.

LAIR is a short checklist to help get the most out of your website investment. Take a look at the 4 points below and see where your website "lives," or if it lives at all.

• LOCATION - Like the exhibits in those buildings, is your website in a place where it can be found? Advertising on other local websites can be very beneficial. For instance, having a banner on your local newspaper's site can get you a lot of traffic. Joining the Chamber of Commerce and making sure your listing has a link to your site is another good idea. Any place where where people in your market go online is a good bet, especially for retail businesses. If you're a bit more specialized then check out trade websites or ask for links on your vendors' or distributors' websites. The old "build it and they will come" mentality is usually not enough.
• ATTRACTION - While going through those buildings at the fair getting my attention was not easy. The booths that drew me in for a closer look were either unique, professional looking, something new, or just got me to smile. The plain Janes with a red-on-white banner and a folding table did nothing for me and did not hold my attention. The same is true with our websites. That front page has to grab your visitors' attention and keep it. If you're seeing a high bounce rate on your analytic reports then you may need to tweak your landing page. And keeping it new and fresh is a must, as well.
• INTERACTION - A simple example can illustrate this point. Picture this: 2 shopping stores are right next to each other. However, one attracts more customers than the other although both have the same goods. This is only because of one reason. The one shop that attracts more customers uses the concept of interaction with people. This is in terms of consumer suggestions, attractive offers, contests and displays. The whole scenario draws people as the overall environment makes a customer feel more comfortable. A Wibiya toolbar at the bottom of your site with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube interaction is a great way to achieve this. All of these elements keep your visitor on your site longer, increasing the effectiveness your branding efforts.
  
• RESPONSE - Be sure to have links to Facebook Fan Pages and Twitter account and encourage your visitors to "follow you;" make contacting you easy with a quick response module prominently displayed on your site; offer opt-ins for newsletters and sale announcements. All of these options evoke a response and if the 1st 3 elements of the LAIR were done well, then response should be positive and you develop a relationship with your visitor making them more likely to think of you when in need of your products or services.

4 simple things to keep in mind when considering how and where your website "lives."

One of my biggest problems that I wrestle with is managing my time better. I'm have more than enough to do, but some days, no matter how "busy" I am, it seems I don't get much done. Anyone else have that problem?

OK, so this month I'm implementing a schedule for myself. From this time to this time I will work on such-and-such; from here to here I work on this other thing. I have set times to work on Facebook posts and blog writing, too. While it doesn't take long to do those 2 things, they can get pushed to the back burner, so if I have a set day and time to do them maybe I will.

I know it's only a matter of discipline and I need to be more disciplined. I found some tips for managing time that I plan on using:

Understand how you use each day

Honestly review your day and understand how you are wasting time, then commit to becoming more efficient with your time. It's important to be honest and objective about how you really spend each day.

Set Priorities

Even with a well organized schedule and good work habits, there is still often not enough time in each day for workers, particularly small business owners and managers. So it is essential that we prioritize tasks and categorize them into Urgent, Very Important, Important and Wasting Time categories. Spend the majority of our time on tasks that are important and either delegate low priority jobs or move on to them only after completing the more urgent tasks.

Plan Your Time

By having a clear and precise plan for each day you have a target to aim at which eliminates many of the hours wasted in-between tasks or thinking about what to do next. Along with a daily plan, there should also be longer term goals to work towards. Setting daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals can dramatically increase your focus and productivity.

Review Your Progress

Many work habits have been formed over a lifetime, so we will often slip back into them if we fail to continually review our progress. Some habits will be harder to overcome than others, but the effort we put into overcoming them will be rewarded with added productivity, profitability and a more focused workplace.

Take Time Out

We're only human, so we should also plan for times when we can wind down and do less important tasks. Browse the web, call a friend or have a longer lunch sometimes. It's only when we make a habit of doing these time wasting tasks that they become a problem.

I'll keep you posted on how I do. Wish me luck!

Realtors have been doing it for years: Putting their faces on all their marketing materials, from business cards to billboards. Why do they do it? Are they so full of themselves that they believe we all want to see their smiling mugs?

No. They do it because they know that a buyer or seller wants to deal with a human, not a company. They are trying to connect with their prospects on a more personal level.

In today’s competitive market that’s your edge: Humanize your organization to deal with, well, humans. We all want to connect; that’s the draw of social media, to connect. It’s also a powerful tool for your business. It gives you and your company the opportunity to interact with your customers. Interaction is an experience and a good, or bad, experience has a greater impact than a canned slogan or catchy logo. (Not that these elements are not important.)

Add pictures of you and your staff to your website or Facebook Fan Page. Send out a couple of blasts a week from your page, and they don’t always have to be selling. Send out links to articles of interest in your business. Do you sell building supplies? Send out links to DIY articles. Become a trusted friend and expert in your field.

The point is you’re building a relationship with those fans. You’re becoming a friend and people like to do business with friends. It’s comfortable and safe, and that’s what will build customer loyalty.

So, put your “mug” out there. Connect with your customers. The Internet has evolved from making things more impersonal to helping people connect with people. Use it and grow your business.

Urban Influence is a branding studio in Seattle that really "gets" branding, and helps others "get" it, too. Brand is product, service and experience. This little video is worth you 3 and a half minutes.

I came across this ad made in the UK. It's about wearing your seatbelt and getting home safely, a message we've all heard before, but this one really connected with me. Consequently, I will remember this ad for a while to come.

Keeping it simple, yet pushing the right buttons may be a challenge, but it's very effective.

I've include another that has stuck with me for years: The crying Indian of the '70s "Keep America Beautiful" campaign. I've never forgotten that ad and I don't litter. Is that because of the commercial? Maybe not, but I still think of it when I see how the neighbors in my apartment complex constantly throw their fast-food cups and trash on the street rather than carry it into their units and throw it away.

Magnify the positive benefits to the consumer. Touch them where it will get to them and, well, you'll get to them.