In this podcast interview, Pam Harper, President of Business Advancement Inc., interviews Chad on the topic of creating an effective Internet strategy and synchronizing business and web objectives.
Click below for podcast to start
and now also on iTunes 
Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents
http://www.chadbarr.com/pam-harper-interviews-chad-barr/
© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.
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Click here for our latest August newsletter.
Featuring the new site for Patrick O’Neill of Extraordinary Conversations, my article Where should you be tomorrow? First, determine where you are today and Patrick’s article The Four Failures of Leaders.
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I am pleased to announce the new bilingual site we’ve developed and launched for Steve Savage of Savage International, located in Marietta, Georgia. Steve focuses on helping businesses throughout the world to dramatically improve their sales and marketing.
Click on the image below to visit the Web site:
Click here for Steve’s videos.
Click on our portfolio page collection to view other sites and strategies we have created.
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A couple of minutes ago I decided to quickly research the web and see what people are publishing about growing an email distribution list. I launched my browser and googled: “How to grow your distribution list” and to my pleasant surprise I noticed that the second result listed at the top of the Google page was one of my own blog posts: “How to Grow Your Email Distribution List” which I wrote back in March of 2007 and is still a great post I must add.
That triggered my thinking and sharing with you the following points:
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A great question was recently asked on an online forum my company implemented, which I often participate and help moderate:
“Lately I have been hearing people talk about having their websites done on a WordPress platform so they can make quick changes on their own. Is anyone doing this? If so, is it as easy as others are making it sound? Are there any other benefits to switching over? ”
WordPress (WP), which is the tool or technical engine we use for this blog and many others we develop, is a great option to consider not just for the development of blogs but also for the creation of robust web sites as well. We have developed quite a few sites already using this tool and including the amazing and upcoming site of: Alan & The Gang.
Here are some of the pros and cons whether to use WordPress to create robust web sites:
Cons:
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Upon review of probably thousands of web sites over the years, I have come to the conclusion that in order for your organization to be successful on the Internet, 3 key elements must be accomplished to generate such success:
Design: Your site ought to be professionally designed, attractive and engaging and be easy to navigate in order to quickly gain the visitors’ attention and interest. Good use of images is important as well as the use of action shots of you with your clients.
Content: Your site must focus on your visitors’ interest and addresses the question of what’s in it for them and how to improved their businesses and lives. To accomplish this, strong content must be developed in the form of products, services, and intellectual property while constantly evolving.
Strategy & Tactics: What should the business look like and how should it position itself online. What Internet components are critical to make the business a success. How should you reach and communicate with your current and future customers? Should they be able to purchase products, read articles, subscribe to newsletters, communicate through blogs and online communities?
With that in mind, please review the chart below and notice the obvious at the points of interaction of the circles:
Where are you?
© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.
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I am pleased to announce a new site we’ve developed and released a while back for Robert Veninga, Ph.D. Bob is an award-winning author and one of America’s most trusted speakers. He has spoken to over 1,000 audiences throughout the world, including presentations in Europe, South America and China. Four of his presentations have been featured in the prestigious Vital Speeches of the Day which publishes the best speeches delivered to national and international audiences. He operates out of St. Paul, Minnesota and provides inspiring speeches to a wide range of audiences including Fortune 500 companies, financial service organizations, hospitals, government agencies, faith-based organizations and educational institutions.
Click on the image below to visit the Web site:
Click on our portfolio page collection to view other sites and strategies we have created.
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You don’t create a blog or a web site or participate in social networking or whatever and hope your clients will come – especially your CEOs or CFOs. Most consultants are making this mistake over and over and are still waiting for the phone to ring! You drive the value to your customers and prospects by creating amazing products and services, publishing great stuff, shamelessly promoting it, and leveraging every component of marketing gravity you can and guided by your Internet strategy.
Let me also suggest (and I am ok if you all hate me for this) that quite a few of consultants’ web sites out there are quite weak (to put it very mildly), with minimal or zero perceived value. Many want to become world-class consultants, yet their web sites and intellectual property make them look like amateurs.
Blogs are only one component of your overall Internet strategy and Internet marketing gravity. Here is one example of how you may leverage your blog to target CEOs and CFOs (I am inserting in the quote here):
“Dear Bob, (Name of your fictitious CEO or CFO – you pick the real one)
I have assembled a brand new and exciting collection of special reports, podcasts and videos to help CEOs and CFOs. This collection is my creation and innovation of a repository of powerful and unique ideas to help my clients with issues they are bringing to my attention. Issues such as: [list areas of your clients' challenges and where you can help them raise the bar]
I am updating this repository area quite often and I am also planning on bringing some fascinating thought leaders as guest contributors. Names such as: [List some great names you are planning on bringing as guest contributors] This area is becoming “the place” for CEOs and CFOs to hang out, get the answers they are looking for and participate in a like-minded community.
To preview this new place, simply click on this link www.ChadGrowthIdeas.com (you probably should use your own name)
I am also attaching my latest special report: “Top 10 mistakes successful CEOs avoid making”
And please checkout next Thursday my upcoming video: “Thriving in tough economic times.”
I will be in touch with you shortly to share some new exciting ideas.
Best,
Chad”
I realize this takes courage, creativity, investment and hard work. But heck the good news is that there are only a few successful thought leaders out there. The rest simply follow or not.
So what do you think? Please post your comment below.
© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.
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BMW has just delivered my new transportation vehicle – the BMW 650i. It sure explains why they named it “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” The drive is fabulous, the computerized system is amazing and driving with the top down, music playing through the awesome sound system is a stupendous experience.
Talk with you soon while I am probably blogging and tweeting from the road.
Life is good.
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Last Thursday I received an urgent email and a voice mail from a consultant and speaker, who is also a colleague of mine whose identity I will keep anonymous who is not my client and is not hosted on our server. She reported to me that her web site was infected (see slide below) which presents a serious risk to all visitors arriving to her site. Upon further investigation, not only did we find out that her own site contains serious viruses but the server her site was hosted on was reported to contain thousands of viruses and malicious content.
This is an example of a credible, competent, successful professional who is using the services of amateurs and a hosting company that threatens infecting all the sites hosted on their server if not already done so.
This is also an example of what happens when one selects a cheap solution that may have greatly damage their repute. Can you imagine being the client visiting this site, only to find out that the consultant you’ve trusted over the years, has just infected your computer and potentially your organization with viruses?
Not only should you do business with people you trust, who are extremely competent and highly recommended but you ought to think twice before you select your hosting company.
(Click on image to enlarge)
© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.
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