Optimize mobile search ads

If you have a mobile website and use sponsored search adverting, but are not happy with low click-through rates, mention the fact you have a mobile website in the ad copy itself. If your shoppers are assured in mobile search ads that they will be directed to a site optimized for smartphones and mobile devices, click-through rates will be higher. For example, an IT company’s ad might read “Network down? Visit our mobile site now!

“Reasonable Care” in the Cloud: Decision-Making Pointers

Many firms use cloud computing services for remote access to data, email filtering, contacts and calendars, system backups and other hosted IT functions. In particular, lawyers are finding that cloud transfer and storage services (like Box, Dropbox, Google Drive and iCloud) are a great way to access client materials on their smartphones, tablets or off-site computers when working away from the office.

According to state ethics authorities that have spoken on the topic and the American Bar Association Commission on Ethics 20/20, a firm or an individual attorney may store client materials in the cloud ethically, provided that the lawyer takes reasonable care to protect the confidentiality of confidential client information. Most of these opinions explain that “reasonable care” includes learning enough about the technology you chose to use to make an informed decision about where to store client materials and staying up to date on developments in whatever technology you decide to use.

Using reasonable care to protect client confidences is nothing new for lawyers, of course—we make decisions about protecting client confidences when we read files on a crowded subway, discuss matters in elevators, decide what can be included in an email, or even take written notes during a conversation. But what might “reasonable care” entail in the context of cloud computing? While admittedly not comprehensive, here is a list to consider.

1. Know that the cloud will not be appropriate for all clients and materials.

You need to think carefully about the types of clients you handle. Clients who work in heavily regulated industries or who are extremely security-conscious (for whatever reason) may not permit any of their materials to be stored in the cloud.You must decide what can be stored in the cloud on a document-by-document basis. Publicly available information, like PDFs downloaded from PACER, can easily be stored in the cloud—but with more-sensitive documents you may decide to apply additional encryption before you move the materials to the cloud, or even to your tablet through cables.Even when you decide that a copy of a client-related document may be stored in the cloud, you should probably not store the only copy of an important document there.Know your options for the various materials you will store. Different cloud service providers may be appropriate for different client materials, depending on the sensitivity of each document.

2. Assess the agreements of every cloud service provider you use.

Read the promises being made concerning your data—especially any promises regarding what notice the provider will give you if someone else seeks access to your materials—and consider whether and how those promises can be enforced.Find out where your data will be kept, how it will be backed up, who will have access to it, and whether it will really be deleted from the cloud service when you delete it or when you close your account with the provider.Check online periodically for any changes to the agreement and, of course, whenever you get an e-mail notifying you that the terms of service have changed. Remember to save copies of all your latest agreements, too.

3. Keep informed—and keep notes.

Search for news reports regarding security breaches or service outages at any cloud service provider you intend to use. You might also want to set up a news feed to track reports on the topic.If you don’t see particular information you need online or in the provider’s documentation, or you don’t understand the information you’re given, call the company for clarification. Or choose another service.Keep notes about your conversations with each service provider, as well as other research you’ve done to support your decision, in case a problem ever arises.

4. Know that sometimes you get what you pay for.

You can find free cloud storage options, but you may get better security or better service with a paid account from the same provider.Even if your materials are secure once they get to the cloud, you should not use free, public, unencrypted networks to send them. Use your firm’s secure cloud-access system. If no firmwide system is available, use a password-protected home network or consider investing in a mobile hotspot so you can create a secure connection wherever you are.

Cloud storage services can give you flexibility in how and where you practice, and can allow you to be more responsive to your clients. You can use these services ethically, but it will take some due diligence and some decision-making each time you entrust clients’ materials to the cloud.

Carol J. Gerber is a lawyer and the owner and founder of Gerber Amalgamated LLC, a legal technology consulting company devoted to helping attorneys make better use of technology in their practices. 

Illustration ©ImageZoo.

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Hotels See Profit in Tangible Products

DetailsCreated on October 16, 2012 Posted by Paul Christ Bed, Bathrobe and Beyond (New York Times)

Today we celebrate the 4,000th posting of stories to our Marketing Stories Archive. The Marketing Stories Archive began back on May 14, 2004 when we posted two stories. The first story, titled CRM Superstars, appeared in CRM Magazine, and it examined how several organizations were integrating CRM software within different facets of their business including sales, marketing and customer service.

The second story, titled Can Burger King Rekindle the Sizzle?, appeared on the Harvard Working Knowledge website and looked at how the burger giant was fighting to keep up with McDonalds. Their strategy was targeted at the heart of the marketing concept by focusing on allowing customers to “customize” their purchases.

Reading both of these stories today one is struck by the fact that the problems faced by marketers in 2004 differ little from what marketers face in 2012. In many cases, the issues revolve around two market factors: 1) stiff competition and, 2) continually changing customer needs. Facing these conditions marketers are forced to adjust their plans and seek creative solutions.

This is evident in story #4000 where hotels, facing tough price competition, are finding new ways to generate income. The approach discussed here is for hotels to create their own branded line of products which are sold to their guests. In this way, hotels are extending their brand beyond the hotel service to tangible products.

Westin Hotels has been particularly successful with its line of Heavenly branded products, including robes, bedding, lotions and shampoos. Since 1999, according to the company, it has sold more than 100,000 of its Heavenly Bed mattresses, and 250,000 pillows identical to the ones it offers in its hotel rooms. It sells the products through its Web site and partners, including Nordstom, Amazon and Pottery Barn stores.

What issues discussed in the current story are similar to the issues presented in the stories published in 2004?

Image by pellesten

Updates to KnowThis.com

DetailsCreated on August 29, 2012 Posted by Paul Christ

As some loyal visitors have noticed, today we rolled out a few changes to the KnowThis.com website.  Over the last few months, we have spent a considerable amount of time improving the site features and redoing the underlying structure.  This has resulted in a number of improvements including:  a redesign of Blog posts that features new Tag display and a new visitor Comment area; a new Marketing Terms section that includes a mouse-over option for seeing the definition of key terms contained within a definition; and a new layout for the Blog Archives.  In addition to these viewable changes, the underlying technical changes will enable the site to respond faster to visitors’ requests.

While the changes may not appear dramatic (for instance the general layout of the site is pretty much the same), what was changed took considerable man-hours.  The focus on updating the site led us to take a step away from adding a lot of new content over the last few months.  Consequently, we scaled back on postings to the Blog, Marketing Stories and other site sections in favor of  concentrating on the important software upgrades.

While, at this point, most of the work is completed, there are still a few nagging issues.  For instance, extra pages within the Marketing Links section are not quite working nor are those found in the Marketing Stories Archive.  Despite these areas not being 100%, we decided to roll out the upgrade in order to get back to providing regular updates.  Expect to see more frequent Blog postings, Stories and Tutorial updates beginning next week.

In the mean time, thank you for your patience during the upgrade and feel free to provide comments that will help us to continue the effort to improve KnowThis.com.

Ann Arbor SPARK Releases Podcast With Dave Brandon

In the latest installment of Ann Arbor SPARKS’ CEO Podcasts: Conversations on Economic Opportunity, Donna Doleman sits down with former Domino’s Pizza CEO and current University of Michigan Athletic Director, Dave Brandon.

Brandon served as the CEO of Domino’s for 11 years, leading the company to unprecedented results with marketing strategy innovations, before taking his current role with the University in 2010. In this podcast, Brandon will discuss how the Athletic Department continues to deliver a major economic boost to the city of Ann Arbor and how the Ann Arbor economy has been tied to athletics throughout it’s history.

To listen to this interview of one of Ann Arbor’s most prominent business leaders, visit Ann Arbor SPARK.

Learn more about marketing events, networking opportunities, and educational programs from a Michigan marketing company. Contact Clarity Quest today at 877-887-7611. Request a quote.

Most Marketing Lists Are Malarkey

If you want to know how to get more clients, there’s a flood of information out there. Google it! But just as there are good lawyers and … not so good lawyers, there’s good marketing advice and, well, let’s just say that some of it’s oversimplified. Bruce Marcus is a longtime authority on professional services marketing. It’s those “best marketing tools” lists that make him nuts. Today he explains why.

Every so often, another list of marketing activities appears, ranked, we are told, in the order in which each activity contributes to marketing success. Nonsense. There’s no such thing—at least not for marketing professional services. Let’s take a look at a recent list:

Proprietary researchSeminarsArticlesSpeechesAttendance at industry meetingsWebsitesNetworkingIndirect referral sourcesCommunity activitiesGetting quotedNewslettersBrochuresCold callsDirect mailAdvertising

Each of these marketing tools is different from the others in many ways, requires different skills and serves a different purpose. Any one of them may more effectively reach a specific market at a specific time. Each can contribute to enhancing your reputation and name recognition. Rarely, however, except in a well-rounded marketing program, do any of them work alone—no more than a cabinetmaker makes a piece of furniture with just one tool.

For example, proprietary research, of itself, produces no clients. But to run any marketing campaign without a careful and thorough analysis of the market is at the very least foolhardy, and will certainly diminish the total marketing program. Seminars, ranked second in importance in the list here, will demonstrate a firm’s talents, but they will produce clients only if there is some kind of thoughtful follow-up afterward that allows partners to begin the networking process.

Advertising sits at the bottom of this list—is that because it is deemed the least effective marketing tool? There’s a famous Business Week ad that makes the point about advertising’s purpose and value. It pictures a stern-looking man, in a swivel chair, saying: “I don’t know you, I don’t know your firm, I don’t know your product…. Now, what are you trying to sell me?”

Advertising professional services is very different than it is for products. It’s least effective when the expectations for it are larger than its ability to meet those expectations. Repeated often enough for impact, however, advertising delineates your skills and experience, and it can substantially boost your other marketing activities.

Direct mail and email work to demonstrate skills, but more importantly, these tools target specific prospects. Social media are too limited to function alone. Networking works if done correctly, but it’s just sociable otherwise. Articles are useful, particularly for small firms or solos, but only if there’s follow-up. And so forth.

Clients, particularly for an established practice, can come from anywhere. (By the way, I don’t see relatives on the list.) And yes, smaller or solo firms can get recognition locally by writing articles and joining local organizations. But as a firm grows and needs a larger influx of new clients to sustain that growth, a full-scale marketing program must use all or most of the tools on that list—in concert, with each supporting the activities of the others.

Unlike mass marketing for products, law firm marketing builds reputation and name recognition. It may develop leads, but ultimately it produces only one client at a time.

It’s important to consider your return on investment in this context: While the effectiveness of your marketing program is ultimately proven in the firm’s growth and success, it happens over time—and usually at some time away from any single marketing activity. A series of articles—or Facebook posts, or tweets—may display your specialties and competencies and lead, for example, to invitations to address an industry group and produce leads. But this rarely results in being directly retained. Joining an appropriate organization may lead to lunch with a banker, which may result in introductions to prospective clients. But the prospect must ultimately be sold—sold—and by the lawyer with the appropriate expertise to address the prospect’s needs.

Marketing a law firm is not simple. It requires a broad array of skills—often more skills than a single person can be expected to have mastered.

The marketing tools—or the combination and timing of the tools—that will be most effective for your practice will be unique. To determine them, answer three simple questions to define your marketing strategy:

Who will you market to? First you must know your target audience—who they are, what they do, what kinds of services you offer that they may need now or later. This is the definition of your market.How will you reach them? You have to figure out how to reach them—their preferred common media, their industries, their trade associations and so forth.What are their needs? You must know and understand their needs in order to sell your services directly to the given needs of the potential client. Only then can you choose your tools.

Looking again at that list, it is impossible to say that one is more effective than another, except in the context of the market, its needs and the role each plays in your marketing program.

Bruce W. Marcus is a Connecticut-based consultant in marketing and strategic planning for professional firms, the editor of The Marcus Letter on Professional Services Marketing, the author of Professional Services Marketing 3.0 (Bay Street Group, 2011) and the co-author of Client at the Core (John Wiley & Sons, 2004). His Email address is marcus@marcusletter.com. 

Illustration ©ImageZoo.

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How to Use the iPad with a VoIP Bluetooth Headset

Although the iPad cannot directly access cellular voice networks and make phone calls, it can make voice or video calls using Voice over IP (VoIP) networks. The device has a built-in speaker and microphone, but your calls will be clearer if you use a headset. The iPad is fully compatible with standard VoIP Bluetooth headsets, allowing you to make VoIP calls from the iPad without the need for a wired headset. Making a wireless Bluetooth connection is known as "pairing."

Tap the "General" button, followed by the "Bluetooth" button. Slide the Bluetooth switch to On. The Bluetooth logo is displayed in the upper right corner of the iPad's date bar to indicate that its Bluetooth connectivity is active.

Tap the Bluetooth headset's entry in the Nearby Devices section on the iPad. If required, enter the Bluetooth headset's PIN to pair the two devices. Check the headset's documentation for details on its factory default PIN.

Launch a VoIP app on your iPad—such as Tango, Skype or Viber—and place a call to one of your contacts. The app will automatically use the Bluetooth headset for audio whenever it is paired with the iPad.

Spanner Spencer has been writing since 2005 for a variety of print and online publications. Focusing on entertainment, gaming and technology, his work has been published by Eurogamer.net, "The Escapist," "GamesTM," "Retro Gamer," "Empire," "Total PC Gaming" "The Guardian," among others. Spencer is a qualified medical electronics engineer with a Business and Technology Education Council certificate in technical writing from Huddersfield Technical College.