Martin Koss

Do You Ever Test Your Website?

Martin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:08:03 +0000

Do you rely on customers to notify you if your website goes down or if it fails to work correctly? When was the last time you visited your website and tested your contact forms, your support system and / or your ecommerce system? Have you ever done 'real user' testing to make sure it is as easy to use as you thought it was?

If you don't test your website, don't think you are alone; many businesses do not carry out regular tests. But they (and you) should. Here's why.

[powerpress]

Are Your Apps Obsolete?

Martin — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:26:07 +0000

Frustrating isn't it? You buy the latest gadget and load it up with apps that do everything from take notes, look after your schedule, tell you what the weather is on the other side of the world and do the dishes, and then, a year later you seem to be forced back to the store to shell out your hard-earned on the latest bright and shiny gadget because your app updates are not compatible with the older model of your device.

[powerpress]

Still Doing What You’ve Always Done?

Martin — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:55:32 +0000

Advertising is, always has been and always will be a costly part of running a business. It is also something we'd love to avoid if we could because it can eat away a massive chunk of our operating budget. The big issue with advertising (beyond paying for it) is not knowing which advert is brining in the nice lurcative leads and sales.

It always surprises me when I chat to business owners who still, no matter how much they know and believe it is a necessity, do not find out how they get the majority of their customers - because they don't ask.

[powerpress]

Online Contact Information Catch 22

Martin — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 13:01:21 +0000

Having contact information on your website and social profiles is good for authenticity, but at a cost of never ending spam and calls from call-centres wanting to sell you everything you don't want.

There are, even, laws that state all company websites MUST display full contact information, location and company registration number.

I'm in favour of full disclosure and transparency, but I do, as a consequence, get a LOT of SPAM and sales calls. It really is a catch-22.

[powerpress]

So, what do you do?

Scams and Trickery Everywhere

Martin — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:28:39 +0000

Sad people doing whatever it takes to trick vulnerable and gullible people into clicking or doing something that is underhanded, a trick, a fake website or a complete and utter scam. Is it just me or is spam and the volume of fake links and bogus content getting worse?

[powerpress]

Get a free iPhone 5... Only 10,000 of them available! Yeah, right! And I was born yesterday.

They are everywhere.

Limited Liability does not mean Limited Responsibility

Martin — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 07:20:29 +0000

Anyone can set-up a business with a fancy website and some slick marketing but what about the most important parts… Like being responsible to the customer…

[powerpress]

It's a sad world when businesses accept as little responsibility to their customers as they can get away with; a responsibility to provide products and services that live up to the hype and a responsibility to provide customer services.

New business owners haven't a clue how the real world works.

I remember the days when setting up a business took months of planning, finding the money, pulling resources together and convincing the bank to put their faith and money behind the business ideas and plans.

But now, anyone can set-up a business with an LLC business name, a website and some slick marketing but they forget some of the most important parts…

Being responsible to the customers is one of the areas of business that invariably takes a back seat…

Do We Trust Apps Too Much?

Martin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:37:47 +0000

How much do we rely on our apps to not only be there when we need them but also to keep our data secure and private? Too much, perhaps?

[powerpress]

When our apps work perfectly we can easily lose sight of the risk of relying on them too much. But when they go wrong, now what? The data in them is locked away as we hope a fix will be released 'soon' after users report faults to the developers.

The other issue I raise here is "how much data is being sent" that we don't know about. Why do they want to know our location, for example. What about the saved login details so we can easily share photos and blog posts quick and easily...?

Do we know enough about the apps?

Can we really trust them?

Are they thoroughly tested by the 'app store' to ensure our data is, in fact, safe, secure and private?

PodCast Takes a Back Seat

Martin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:13:05 +0000

For the next few months my audio recordings will be few and far between as client projects and other work commitments take the front seat. I've really enjoyed doing these audio recordings and hope to do more in the future. In the meantime, you know where to find me ...

[powerpress]

PS: Sorry about the audio quality in this recording.

How To Be Heard on Twitter & Facebook

Martin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 05:30:56 +0000

[Includes video option] Tired of your message (Tweets & Updates) falling on deaf ears? Frustrated because all your ‘followers’ and ‘fans’ seem to completely ignore you?… Ha ha ha… Join the club! Thanks for listening/watching. Audio only version below…

Facebook or Twitter – Which Do You Prefer

Martin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:06:46 +0000

When I got an email asking me which I prefer between Facebook or Twitter, I hardly needed many seconds to decide. My personal preference, even though I use both because they each server different purposes, and largely because of the clear winner when it comes to transparency, is Facebook. Allow me to explain – please [...]

Do You Want More Fans, Followers and Subscribers?

Martin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:38:33 +0000

How To Really Get Fans, Followers and Subscribers! I must see that heading a dozen times a day and I cringe every time I see it. Do you?Oh yes – another day begins with another load of junk in my mailbox (and found on Twitter) about ‘automated’ follower gathering… But is is of any real [...]

Focus On Your Content More Than Style

Martin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:29:07 +0000

Sometimes (or should I say ‘often’) we find ourselves tweaking and playing about with parts of our website or blog that really don’t need it. Next time you catch yourself tinkering – ask yourself “do I NEED to be doing this or am I just wasting time?”

It Takes Time To Build A Business – Even On The Web

Martin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:29:28 +0000

Don’t expect your internet business become an overnight success – regardless of all the hyped up BS about secret and magic formulas…

What A Great Example Of Social Networking

Martin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:18:55 +0000

Having had a great telephone session yesterday with a company who is really active on social media and really takes advantage of the potential of communicating and interacting on the many social networking platforms – I thought I’d tell you about it…

Should We Listen To This Author?

Martin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:01:37 +0000

Or is this a case of “Don’t Do As I Do – Do As I Say”? Having recently fiished a book that talked about ‘Social Media Rules’ and how we should all act in ‘Web 2.0′ – the new media (whatever you want to call it), I decided to test the theory of ‘communicate, reply, [...]

One Person Makes Creating Your Content Worthwhile

Martin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:56:10 +0000

When creating content for your readers, listeners, viewers – how many ‘subscribers’ makes it all worthwhile?Well, in my opinion; If content is helping just one person – it was worthwhile creating it. One Person Makes Creating Your Content Worthwhile One new subscriber, one new fan, one new follower and, of course, one new customer… Surely?

What Have You Done Today To Boost Your Brand?

Martin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:07:21 +0000

How much ‘interaction’ have you done today? Have you commented on any blogs? Have you responded to any comments left on your blog? Updated your facebook status? Sent any updates on twitter?If you have not participated, interacted, communicated, exchanged thoughts, updated your status, followed up with a comment or a reply or written a new [...]

Why You Must Make Time To Get Ahead of Your Competition

Martin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:46:43 +0000

If you are not making time to get ahead of your competition – you’re getting further behind. I know it is hard to make time but somehow you need to ensure you are where the crowds are – before your competition gets there.

Why You Must Respond to Comments

Martin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:54:07 +0000

How much time do you spend following up on comments and questions and updates in blogs, twitter, facebook etc? Do you read them? Do you respond? You should. If you are ignoring what other people are saying to you, about you or in the community created by you, then you are neglecting your obligation. Don;t [...]

When Should You Send Out Your Updates

Martin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:03:59 +0000

When do you update? When do you tweet? When do you send out content updates via your blog, podcast, community platforms? Is there a ‘right time’ to tweet or send out updates? You bet there is. More importantly there are lots of ‘times’ when sending out updates is rendering your efforts virtually pointless.

How Brands Make it BIG On The Internet

Martin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:28:33 +0000

I can't believe I found this in the archives. A recording from some time ago where I was discussing social media channels and getting wide reaching exposure for brands and businesses.

Why I Will Never Automate My Twitter Account

Martin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:18:13 +0000

In my opinion – and I stress – in MY opinion, automating Twitter is not the way to build a loyal and interested following. How can you build the right following if you “set it and forget it”?

Intro and Welcome To My Podcast

Martin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:03:14 +0000

Thank you for having a quick listen to my new podcast. I have hundreds of audio and video clips that I will gradually be adding to this podcast. It may take me a while, as I constantly add new stuff at the same time…

Beyond SEO – What Is It? What Do I Mean?

Martin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:47:43 +0000

What is Beyond SEO… (audio from a previously published video). But if you didn’t see the video… With so many businesses still focussing heavily on search engine optimisation, this video explains how your efforts should be as diverse as the Internet has become – and your content, be it audio, video, text, images or a [...]

How Loud Are You Shouting in Social Media

Martin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:54:53 +0000

Do you believe that the louder you shout the more likely you are to be heard? Do you agree that the one who shouts loudest and most often is the one more people will hear, listen to and take notice of? How loud do you shout on the social media channels?