The Online Marketer

Mike Hendrikse

Online trends

So what are your strengths… as others see it?

I've just been endorsed on LinkedIn for copywriting. I was surprised.

In fact the majority of endorsements I have received on this platform have been for copywriting.

 That’s pretty awesome because I consider myself an average copywriter at best. If you had to ask me what my best skills were, copywriting wouldn’t even get a mention.

In fact my grammar teacher would have an aneurism if she knew and Jenny, an old friend, and sometimes proof reader, would have a great chuckle. To be perfectly honest a number of readers of my online blogs and those that used to read a paper based magazine I used to publish, sometimes edit and even write for, would howl with laughter.
 
Despite this self deprecating stance, some people who I rate very highly, like the ex director of Johnson and Johnson in Sub Saharan Africa think otherwise.
 
So after that sort of name dropping I should come to my point.
 
People’s perceptions and your reality don’t necessarily dovetail.
 
In my case the reason why people have endorsed me is because I write. More people are aware of my copywriting than they are aware of my facilitation work, my strategy work, my passion for productivity hacks, systemising business processes and my passion for embracing the web to increase business leads. Because they know and trust me as a writer they are willing to endorse me.
 
So just maybe I need to write about these other passions as well.
 
Are you scared of writing? Tell me about your experiences and fears. You need to get over this fear because content on your online site will determine your future success.

 

Digitally First - Physically Enhanced

The Online Business Model has usurped the Physical Business Presence as the primary business presence. Physical businesses now support the online versions.

This transitioning has been fraught with difficulty but has been terribly exciting. Successful transients are alive with possibilities…

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So what are your strengths… as others see it? Read More »

Know thyself and your target market
Strategy

Embracing the New Business Imperatives

Collaboration, Transparency, Sharing, and Empowerment

Collaboration, transparency, sharing, and empowerment

Adapt and innovate

In the ever-evolving business landscape, it is essential for organisations to adapt and innovate in order to stay ahead of the competition. One of the critical factors driving this change is the increasing openness fostered by the internet and digital technologies.
 
In his acclaimed TED Talk on the Four Principles of the Open World, Dan Tapscott argues that the internet has transformed the way we do things, giving rise to a new level of openness characterised by collaboration, transparency, sharing, and empowerment.
 
For businesses to thrive in this new environment, they must embrace these principles and adapt their strategies accordingly.
 

The Power of Collaboration

Collaboration has become a vital component of modern business practices. It allows organisations to pool resources, expertise, and ideas to create innovative solutions and products that can set them apart from their competitors.
 
By working together, businesses can tackle complex challenges more effectively and efficiently than they could on their own.
 
For example, consider how major tech companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft have collaborated with smaller start-ups to develop cutting-edge technologies.
 
These partnerships enable large organisations to access fresh perspectives and ideas while offering smaller companies valuable resources and support. Ultimately, collaboration leads to greater innovation and differentiation in an increasingly competitive market.

The Importance of Transparency

Transparency is another crucial aspect of the open world. Today’s consumers are more informed than ever before, and they expect businesses to be open and honest about their practices, policies, and intentions. By being transparent about their operations, businesses can build trust with their customers and foster long-lasting relationships.
 
One example of transparency in action is Patagonia’s “Footprint Chronicles” initiative. This project allows customers to trace the supply chain of their products from raw materials to finished goods. By being open about its manufacturing processes and environmental impact, Patagonia has built a strong reputation as an ethical and responsible brand.

Sharing: The Key to Growth

Sharing is a powerful tool for businesses looking to expand their reach and tap into new markets. By sharing resources, knowledge, and expertise, businesses can create mutually beneficial relationships that drive growth for all parties involved.
 
Take, for instance, the rise of co-working spaces. These shared office environments bring together entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small businesses under one roof, allowing them to share resources, network, and collaborate on projects. This shared environment fosters creativity, innovation, and growth for all members.
 

Empowering Your Team and Customers

Empowerment is the final principle of the open world. By giving employees the tools, resources, and autonomy they need to succeed, businesses can create a more innovative and agile workforce. Similarly, by empowering customers with information and choices, businesses can build stronger relationships and drive customer loyalty.
 
For example, companies like Zappos have embraced a culture of empowerment by giving their customer service representatives the authority to make decisions without seeking approval from higher-ups. This approach has led to high levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
 
 

Adapting to the New Business Imperatives

The principles of collaboration, transparency, sharing, and empowerment are transforming the way businesses operate and compete in today’s market. To succeed in this new environment, organisations must embrace these principles and adapt their strategies accordingly. This may involve redefining their role in the market or developing new products and services that align with these values.
 
For example, in our “Know Thyself (and Your Target Audience)” course, we guide business owners and consultants through the process of understanding their driving force, mission, and vision. By doing so, they can articulate their business slogan in a way that resonates with their target audience. This approach allows them to attract more customers and retain them for longer periods.
 
In conclusion, embracing the new business imperatives – collaboration, transparency, sharing, and empowerment – is essential for organisations looking to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. By adapting their strategies to incorporate these principles, businesses can foster innovation, build stronger relationships with their customers, and ultimately achieve long-term success.

Know thyself

Adapting to the New Business Imperatives
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Digitally First but Physically Enhanced

The Online Business Model has usurped the Physical Business Presence as the primary business presence. Physical businesses now support the online versions.

This transitioning has been fraught with difficulty but has been terribly exciting. Successful transients are alive with possibilities…

Blue Ocean Strategy is to be found in openness on the net Read More »

Know thyself and your target market
Digital First but physically enhanced Businesses

Search Engine Optimisation updates

Updating Blog post content is important for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) purposes

Creating Search engine optimisation Content that ranks in search engines

By creating high-quality content with reliable sources, websites can ensure that their pages will rank higher on Google’s and other search engine results pages (SERP). This can lead to more website traffic and more readers for the website owner.

Additionally, having quality content can help to build a website’s reputation and trustworthiness, as users will want to visit pages that provide accurate and helpful information.

Google has made it clear that creating quality content is key for successful SEO.

By keeping up with the ever-changing algorithms and focusing on high-quality content creation, websites can ensure their content reaches the top of Google’s SERP and remains there. Quality content is not only beneficial for SEO, but it also provides a better user experience for website visitors.

Creating high-quality content involves more than just writing about a topic in an interesting way; it also involves understanding the target audience and providing them with valuable information that can be used.

Quality content should include accurate information that is up to date and relevant.

Content should be engaging and easy to read, while still maintaining the accuracy of the facts presented.

Additionally, website owners should make sure the content is properly optimized for SEO with keywords, meta tags and other on page SEO techniques.

When creating quality content for SEO purposes, website owners should focus on providing useful and relevant information to their target audience. This could include giving tips, instructions, or resources that can help readers learn more about the topic they are reading.

Additionally, website owners should focus on creating content that is interesting and engaging while also being shareable on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Lastly, high quality content should also be regularly updated to keep readers engaged and interested in the website.

By following these simple steps, website owners can ensure that their site is properly optimized for SEO and will generate more qualified leads.

Search engine optimisation

BackLink building for Search engine optimisation

It is important to build backlinks for SEO because search engine algorithms consider link building as a significant factor when ranking websites.

Search engines look at the number and quality of inbound links from other websites to determine how valuable a website is, which in turn determines its search engine ranking.

Additionally, link building helps boost website visibility, increases traffic flow, and builds relationships with other websites and businesses. All these combined make link building an essential part of any SEO strategy.

Website owners should pay special attention to link building when creating content for SEO purposes.

Link building involves creating links from other sites to the website in order to increase its authority and rankings. Link building is an important part of SEO.

By following these steps, website owners will have a better chance at achieving higher search engine rankings and increased visibility.

To ensure that website owners are getting the most out of their SEO efforts, they should periodically review their content to make sure it is properly optimized for SEO.

Additionally, webmasters should regularly monitor their site’s performance to identify areas where improvements can be made.

Finally, they should keep up to date on the latest trends and tactics in SEO to ensure they are staying ahead of the competition. By doing these things, website owners can be sure that their website is operating at its peak efficiency and providing visitors with an enjoyable experience.

In summary, link building is a valuable tool for website owners looking to optimize their sites for search engines.

Link building should be done with caution as it can also have a detrimental effect on a website if not done properly.

To ensure success, website owners must keep their link building efforts focused, and monitor their links closely.

Doing so will result in a more successful website with increased search engine rankings and more visibility for the business.

At the end of the day, link building should be used as an optimization tool to help businesses become more visible online. 

With the ever-changing SEO landscape, link building can be a tricky endeavor for many businesses.

Link building can be a time-consuming process, but it’s an effective tool that can drastically improve the visibility of any website on the internet. By creating high quality backlinks, businesses are able to draw attention from search engines and direct organic traffic to their site.

Additionally, link building can help businesses build trust and create relationships with other websites, enabling a business to become an authority on their chosen subject.

Link building is the process of acquiring links from other websites that point back to your own website. This is done in order to improve a website’s visibility and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). By working with high-quality sites, you can create an effective link structure that will help boost your SEO performance and overall visibility.

To build effective links, it’s important to understand the type of content that other websites are looking for. It’s also important to create high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience and can provide value. By creating content that provides useful information or entertains readers, you can attract potential customers and encourage them to link back to your website.

Once you’ve created content that is high-quality and relevant, you can look for websites that are looking for content like yours. You can find potential partners by searching on Google or other search engines with related keywords.

Once you have found potential partners, research their website to make sure it’s a good fit for your content.

When you have identified potential partners, reach out and make contact with them.

Introduce yourself and explain why you think they would benefit from featuring your content on their site. Be sure to include links to examples of your work so they can get an idea of the type of quality content you provide.

If the potential partner is interested, move forward and create an agreement that works for both parties. This may include a fee for featuring your content or a commission structure based on how much traffic your content brings to their site. Make sure you understand all of the terms in the agreement before signing it and be sure to keep copies of any contracts or agreements in your records.

Once the agreement is signed and everything is settled, you are ready to start creating content for your new partner. Make sure you stay on top of deadlines and deliver high-quality work that meets their expectations.

It’s also important to keep up frequent communication with them to ensure that everyone is happy with how the partnership is going. You may also want to consider sending them regular updates and reports so that they can track your progress.

It’s important to remember that a successful content partnership is based on mutual respect and understanding.

Make sure to put in the effort to keep the lines of communication open, ask questions when you don’t understand something, and be willing to provide feedback and suggestions.

Content partnerships can be a great way to expand your reach and build relationships with other organizations in your industry.

By taking the time to build trust and understanding between both parties, you can create an effective partnership that will benefit everyone involved. Just remember to put in the effort to communicate openly and provide your partner with the respect and attention they deserve. 

However, it’s important to remember that content partnerships are not always a perfect fit. If either party feels uncomfortable or that their goals cannot be met through the agreement, then it’s best to terminate the partnership and start fresh.

With a clear set of expectations, both parties can make sure that any partnership they enter into is mutually beneficial.

Content partnerships are a great way to promote growth and build relationships with other businesses. It’s important to be mindful when entering into such agreements and carefully evaluate the needs of both organizations before signing on the dotted line.

By doing so, it can help both companies reach their goals and thrive in the long run.

Content partnerships are an increasingly popular way for businesses to collaborate and strengthen relationships with one another. With careful consideration and clear expectations from both parties, these relationships can really pay off.

Once a content partnership has been established, it’s important to maintain regular communication and make sure that both partners are getting what they need out of the deal. Working together to create high-quality content can be a great way to increase visibility and position both brands as thought leaders in their respective industries.

Additionally, it can help build trust among customers who see the two businesses collaborating, engendering loyalty and creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

Content partnerships should be viewed as a long-term investment in the future of both brands, and planning ahead is key to success.

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Digitally First but Physically Enhanced

The Online Business Model has usurped the Physical Business Presence as the primary business presence. Physical businesses now support the online versions.

This transitioning has been fraught with difficulty but has been terribly exciting. Successful transients are alive with possibilities…

Search Engine SEO Changes Read More »

Your Online Presence

My late father died at the age of 47 when I was in my early twenties. He was a victim of heart disease and I have very many fond memories of him. Sadly, I don’t have many pictures of him. I remember him as a person that people were attracted to. He had the ability to make people feel very special. It made no difference from what background you came from or from what education you had, he was easy to get on with and he made a point of acknowledging everyone. That endeared him to many. Some say too many for in his short life, he married three times. 

However, he came from a large family as well. In fact I think he had about 10 or more brothers and sisters scattered all over the world, prodgeny from his mother and father who also remarried on their life’s journey. Many of whom I have never met.

I tell this personal story not because my lot is different to a lot of people in my generation or to give you the impression that my early years were difficult, for they were not. I always felt loved and had the support of amazing family throughout my growing years. 

I tell it so that you can reflect on the journeys that digital natives, or those born into a world of computers, as apposed to digital immigrants such as myself, will face.

These days, due to “humanities super computer” commonly known as the internet, new forms of communication have arisen. Out has gone the fax machines, snail mail and the landlines in favour of laptop’s smartphones and iPads. The internet has provided new tools of communication, ones which are far more interesting than the outdated modes of the past. So in steps Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Bloger, Pinterest and about one hundred others.

What has changed though, is that the people who use these services, leave a digital footprint of their lives for all (dependent on security settings) to see. Your place in history is recorded forever. So we see evidence of relationships, social gatherings, your friends opinions and over time, breakups, new relationships and new friendships. In fact we get a very intimate view of a persons life as they mature and advance. Many of the pictures that form this curated reflection of our life does not reside in our own profile but on the timelines of those in our friendship circle. 

The old adage of you’re ugly and your mother dresses you funny may not be entirely true, but I sure can wince when seeing some of the outfits my mother dressed me in in my younger days. Certainly my fathers comments about my mother putting a potty on my head when she cut my hair seem to be realistic and fair. So for now, thank goodness that my mother is not on Facebook. My poor kids on the other hand have no such luck…

I can picture my grandchildren’s children looking back generations to form a very good idea of the types of lives we lead. An incredible memoir for each of us. So much more richer than looking at faded Kodak photo’s sometimes kept in mouldy old suitcases and albums which deteriorate over time. Your digital legacy will probably be of interest for at least 200 years.Creating a digital presence

This is just another example of how the internet has formed a culture of openness, transparency, collaboration and empowerment through knowledge. 

So the thought for this day is to reflect on how you are digitally curating your life and how are you constructing your digital legacy for generations to come. How will they learn from your life and what are you doing to create a legacy worthy of your memory which will allow your goals, dreams, aspirations and shared knowledge shine through.

Living digital lives | Creating a digital legacy Read More »

Know thyself and your target market
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