When you’re promoting the services, products, or influence your company provides, it’s important to remember that your target audience is going to be “checking you out”.

Whether you’re posting an event on Facebook, sharing a particularly delightful event on Twitter, or managing to enter another blog post (ahem!), people will often do a bit of searching to find out more about your business. Your visibility and the things people find about you and your firm will sometimes mean the difference between a closed sale or a missed opportunity.

This is the part where we tell you about how our Internet Marketing services are the greatest thing ever, right?  Nope.

This is where we tell you the even the most insignificant bit of information published about you and your company can be a great boon to your credibility. Asset Technology markets itself across many platforms, many sites, and uses many methods. We like to think we have our “ducks in a row”, so to speak.  Occasionally, however, we miss something, and it reminds us to pay more attention to minute details. Here’s a perfect example:

In today’s case of “how did we miss this?”, I discovered we weren’t listed in one of the biggest directories for businesses that you can find on the ‘net. This directory comes up in the top 10 in almost any search for a known business, big or small. As a matter of fact, this site is so big, it crawls the Internet and finds you, lists you in its directory, and publishes the info whether you’re an active participant or not.  So you’d think we’d be actively involved in listing our company with them, right?

Nope.  Didn’t even think of it.

I found out we missed this opportunity quite by accident.  I was “ego-surfing” for our company name, and discovered the listing by catching an odd keyword in the search results. Clicking the link, I discovered we hadn’t taken time out to research the reason this site had inaccurate information about us in its listings, and decided to fix it.  Here is the result:

http://www.manta.com/c/mtgpztq/asset-technology-llc

Now you can clearly see we’ve put some effort into this, simply to clarify what we do and where we are, but also to touch on the key element of marketing: Give them a reason to contact you.  I believe we’ve accomplished that by simply highlighting our affiliations, our skills, our products, and the areas we service.  The rest is gravy.

As you can learn from our oversight, there are plenty of places to brag about yourself and the wok you do, and there are even more where you can fly the company colors. But none of that can happen if you aren’t diligent about checking your company’s information out on the web.



We’ve had some requests recently to get involved in the servers of a few medical/health care firms, as well as some publicly-traded companies’ networks and storage systems, both of which require certain protocols for compliance with federal laws.

Anyone who’s been working with a specialty practice or something as large as an HMO network knows that governmental requirements for storage and access to patient data are more stringent now than they have ever been – and that’s good.

The problem, as we see it, is not that there aren’t “cheat sheets” or access to the necessary information to be “in compliance” with the associated regulations, rather, that there are SO MANY different rules to follow, depending on the industry.  And that’s what bugs us.

So much, in fact, that we’re interested in what YOU think the most challenging compliance regulation is, and we want you to fill out the poll on our Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/AssetTechnology?sk=wall

Oh, and if you can, see if there’s a way to get all these government-types to play nicely with each other. It would really make this IT guy’s day.

ASSET TECHNOLOGY JUST HAD A DRIVE BY!!!

That’s right – our Phoenix office on Sheridan Street was passed by on multiple occasions this morning by a car that never stopped shooting. Fortunately, no one in the line of fire was hurt, and the driver and her car has been clearly identified.

Now, we know these pictures aren’t the best, but you can clearly make out the suspect vehicle’s camera on top (it’s painted Red), and the unmistakable vehicle wrap that delineates it as a vehicle that means to stick out while cruising neighborhoods.

The suspect is no other than the notorious Google.

You’ve heard of Google’s “Street View”, right?  You know, the army of fuel-efficient cars with a long pole and “soccer ball” on top that drive around your city snapping photos of where stuff is?  You can read more about the concept and technology here and here, but the bottom line is that we’ve been caught in the crossfire of Google’s assault on lack of visual proof that the Asset Technology office is part of Phoenix’s Coronado District. (They’re making a concerted effort to capture the view of the neighborhood that surrounds our renovated 1930’s church-turned-studio that houses our architecture partners as well as our IT team!)

In an effort to provide proof that the elusive Google cars DO exist, here are other photographs to prove it:

Look out! Here comes Google's best shooter!

Screamin' around the corner to take another shot!

What does this mean to us? Well, for one thing, we know we’re not the only ones being stalked, here.  It also means our Tucson office on Broadway Boulevard will also be a prime target since Google mentions it’s in several of our Arizona counties right now with their fleet of photo-taking machines.

If you see one in your neighborhood, be aware, and be fast with the photos!

We’re saddened to see another year’s conference come and go.  We had the opportunity to meet some great IT professionals, learn from industry leaders of IT and non-technology businesses, and gain insight into up-and-coming trends, which will be the talk of the business community in a very short time.

The Robin Robins Big Seminar (called “Boot Camp” and “Technology Marketing Speedway”) is our chance to get outside our business and understand that we’re not the only ones trying to keep our company headed in the right direction during the tumultuous events unfolding right now.  It’s been an odd decade, with many major companies disappearing and smaller ones being gobbled up by conglomerates interested primarily in the bottom line. Our goal is not just to survive, but thrive.

Our business is growing because we allow ourselves the opportunity to attend events and trainin that makes us better business owners and Technology Specialists.  Sure, we could use that money for other things (such as new laptops or cushy chairs), however, we’ve discovered there’s more to gain from investing in ourselves than in things that don’t return an investment.

That being said, if you are in the Information Technology field and own your own business, then you should consider attending events like this so you can become a stronger, more resilient company for the future.

The end of the week is here, but it’s not the end of the Robin Robins seminar. We’ve already heard from powerful speakers such as Bill Rancic, Dick Ruhe, Sean Stephenson, Robert Stevenson, and Kent Erickson. Our seminar is currently featuring John Jantsch, and a little later Robin Robins herself will jump on stage and help us learn how to gain sales and profits in our business. Tomorrow we’ll see and hear from Nido Qubein and Ken Glickman before we jump on a plane and head home.

It’s been an adventure and we’ve met some great people at Robin’s Big Seminar, also known as Technology Marketing Speedway this year. Participation is high, the energy is good, and there are lots of great ideas being exchanged about how to improve our marketing efforts, realign our thinking about planning the direction of our business, and generally improve our daily business behavior.

If you haven’t taken part of a business marketing and growth seminar, then you should check out the Technology Marketing Toolkit website and see if it’s a good fit for your managed service or traditional IT business.

Today’s the big day – we’re off to Nashville for Robin’s Big Seminar, and this year it was sold out WAY ahead of time! Naturally, we planned ahead this year because we enjoyed and got so much out of last year’s event, and boy, we’re glad we did.

The agenda’s posted on her site at Robin Robin’s Website, but since the flight is about to board, it’s best for you to check it out on your own.

Updates after we land, but first, a nap!

See ya on the ground!

We’re attending the RR Boot Camp again this year, and instead of the A-Team theme from before, it’s now called “Technology Marketing Speedway: Your Fast Track to Success”.  Kris and I attended last year, and it was a BLAST!

For those of you in the IT biz and who know what/who this is, then we hope to see you in Nashville next week!  If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can hit up her seminar page here:

http://www.robinsbigseminar.com/

If you haven’t been to downtown Nashville, you’re really missing out! We were lucky enough to be part of the downtown Nashville scene at her event last year, and were grateful for the timing of it because we left a couple of weeks before the massive Cumberland River flooding that destroyed so many properties and damaged such great American icons such as the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. It was utter chaos there, and we were so very fortunate to have been there beforehand when the nightlife was carefree and lively.  Knowing what we know about Nashville now, I’m sure the vibe will be right back where it was when we left.

The seminar was a big hit with us because we met so many great people and learned new techniques for pitching to prospects, maximizing dollars versus efforts, and how to use the technology at our disposal to market ourselves as the best choice for outsourced IT in our market. Valuable info, and many of the ideas we gleaned were put to use right away in order to practice what we learned. We’re hoping to spark that sense of urgency and inspiration again this year!

Look us up while we’re there, and see our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates…

USA today has a great article about the very same thing we teach all our Internet Marketing clients:

http://usat.me?41045464

Keep in mind, the purpose of your company’s site should be to inform while being “engaging” – no simple task for many fly-by-night website design firms.  If you combine the creativity of a great graphic designer, the style of an experienced copywriter, and the marketing savvy of a knowledgeable PR person, you have a site that will appeal to whatever audience your business is targeting.

Sounds difficult, right?  Not at all, actually.  Check the article, see what parts of your site need the suggested content, and start working on an upgrade plan today!

Being an Internet Marketing firm, we are always asked the following question: “What works the best/fastest to get new business from the Internet?”
Now obviously this is a loaded question on many different fronts.  Most “marketing minded” people know that there is no “one thing” that  works, but rather a strategy of many things working together.  That combined with consinstantcy is almost ALWAYS a receipe for successful marketing (online and off). That aside, I will share with you a strategy that IS working very well for many of our clients.

I am sure you have heard of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) marketing.  You know, the thing that made Google take over the planet.  PPC marketing is online ads that show up when people type in specific keywords in a Google search. Most businesses use PPC and end up throwing their money away.  This is because they are not doing some very specific (and strategic) things that are required to see results. 

There are 5 key components to successful PPC marketing.  I will go over these 5 key components using a fictisious client. In my example, we will assume the client is a Landscapeing company.  The business caters to both residential and business clients.

1. Strategic Ads – You  will need more than one ad.  You do not want one ad that tries to target two different markets (business and residential)
2. SPECIFIC keyword targeting – Your keywords are what makes the marketing dollars add up.  Don’t use general keywords like  “lawn care,” or you will be spending your money on people looking for better ways to take care of their yard.  Instead target keywords like, “landscape maintenance contracts.”  This will ensure that you are speaking to the right audience.
3. Landing Pages – This is  critical!  Do NOT send people to the Home page of your website when they click on your ads.  It is too general.  People do not want to peruse around your site looking for their answers.  Instead, send them directly to “landing page” that specifically addresses what they were looking for (I.e. – landscape maintenance contracts).  This creates much higher conversion rates.
4. Website Tracking (for conversions) – Without tracking, how do you know if your marketing dollars are working?  You don’t! Be sure that your website has tracking tools installed so that you know exactly who, what, when, where, and why you are getting hits on your website.
5. Phone Tracking (for leads / new business) – This is the important one that everybody leaves out.  Get a “dummy” number that forwards your calls to your “real” business number.  This will allow you to determine what business you are really getting from your PPC ads.

I hope this has given you some great ideas and insight to get started on your Internet marketing.  And remember, if you need some additional advice or just want someone to handle it for you, call us!  It IS one of our specialities..

Asset Technology – Technology Answers For Your Business

520-955-8503 OR 602-492-8503

I recently purchased a Droid X phone from Verizon. For the most part it is great, but I use it for business quite a bit and have noticed some issues that need to be addressed asap. One of those issues is the fact that every time I set an appointment on my Droid, it marks it as a “private” appointment in my Outlook calendar. If you are experiencing this problem then i have a work-around for you. When you setup a new appointment on you Droid, you can hit the menu button and select “show extra options.” Now your appointment that you are creating will have a privacy setting at the bottom of it. By defualt it is set to private, simply change it to “public” and it will show correctly in your Outlook.
I have not found any way to make this change permanent so I guess we are all going to have to deal with these extra steps until an update comes out…