2010 Prediction – The year of GIANTS!

In just a couple weeks, everyone will be coming out with their predictions about 2010.  I’m jumping the gun and getting mine out today.  I’ve been thinking a lot about this, so I’m ready early.

I predict that 2010 will be the year of the online Giants! 

The Internet and technology in general will have some major players that will dominate stronger than ever.  Everything else will be much, much smaller.

The two biggest giants are going to be Microsoft and Google.

But they both had excellent years in 2009 and are just now starting to erupt in growth and power.  These two biggest giants and will clash constantly and powerfully.

Interestingly, these two did not start out as enemies. 

Microsoft was the big corporate software company, but they are much much more.  They will be the 2^nd place search engine (with no other real competitors).  They are already putting constant effort into catching up to Google.  What started out as a software company is now a giant in mobile phones, online advertising, video games, browsers, e-mail & more.

Google started out as the friendly “do no evil” company.  But those days are already over.  They are a corporate giant and will try to compete with Microsoft in every way.  Their goals of “Organizing the World’s Information” is only eclipsed by their desire to put ads on all of it.  Seriously, 98% of their revenue is in AdWords.  They are now in software, operating systems, mobile phones, browsers and everything else.

These two giants will spend 2010 clashing, positioning, growing, and acquiring other businesses as fast and powerfully as they can. 

The only other company to come anywhere close is Apple, but they will not (and don’t even want to) gain the market share that Microsoft and Google do.  Apple prefers to have the overpriced hardware and software that feels exclusive and expensive.  (The stuff the “cool kids” want.)

What about online content?

In a physical world dominated by content from News Corp & Disney (ABC), the two online equivalent giants will be Time Warner & Yahoo (if Yahoo can get their act together).

What about Social Media?

It’s official, Facebook and Twitter win.  Which one?  Both!  Will another come along?  Perhaps, but I doubt it.  These two have officially won and will dominate 2010.  It’s hard to imagine another giant gaining the power these two have.

What about Ecommerce?

The Giant is Amazon.  Ebay used to be right there with them.  But they are just plain falling into the toilet.  Amazon is the clear winner and I don’t think there is a 2^nd place.

The 2010 prediction…

None of the above is all that shocking or surprising.  In fact, all of it is already happening.  However, these giants will grow, gain strength, and overpower anyone else that even tried to gain on them.  These companies are strong and will be extremely difficult to topple, especially as the economy starts to improve.

My prediction is that the distance between these giants and anyone else will only grow.

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What Should You (and I) do with Testimonials?

I’ve never been a big fan of testimonials online.
(After all, it seems as if they can be easily faked, right?)

However, every six months or so, I jump into LinkedIn and try to find something worthwhile to do with it. 

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Why (and How) We Teach Blogging

In my last post, I explained that every marketer and business owner should move past just using social media and start thinking about blogging and working on their email newsletter.

Is Blogging Yucky?

Back in November 2007, Jerry Seinfeld said in an interview that the word blog is unattractive. 

You can see the video below. 
(Forward to the time point 6:55 and you can hear what he says.)

It’s so true. 

There is a certain connotation with blogging too. 

Perhaps the political bloggers, teenagers, and other writers caused this, I don’t know.  But I told a friend recently that I attended a “Blog Convention” last year in Vegas and he gave me the strangest look and comment back as if to say: “Ick! How gross!”

So What is Blogging?

So what’s the deal with blogging?  Here’s what you need to know…

A blog is simply a website (or a part of a website) in which content is shown in chronological order.  That’s it.

There’s nothing complicated about it.  There’s nothing creepy or icky about it.  The content can be anything you want.  It’s simply information in date order. 

The most recent thing you write is at the top.  That’s all.

Why Blog?

What makes blogging so valuable is that it is easy.  Once you get setup, writing an entry in a blog is actually easier than writing an email.

It then resides on the Internet virtually forever.  Search engines, social media, other sites, and other people can find it and link to it. 

All this draws attention to the content (and the images and links you place around the content).

What we Teach

In our blogging class, we start by giving everyone their own blank WordPress blog.  We then show you how to use it step by step.  We explain terminology and other pertinent information along the way.

Our next class is November 9, but you can check here to see any other dates.

I hope you take advantage of this opportunity to kick-start your blogging.  I’ve been doing it for several years and it’s still one of my best ways to promote my businesses.

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Hey Marketers! Social Media is alright but…

A couple weeks ago, I gave two lectures at Charlotte BarCamp.  The titles were “How to Make Money Online” and “How to Market Anything Online”.

In doing so, one statement seemed to get the most attention.  Heads turned when that I told everyone that if you are just doing Social Media, you are missing out.

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