Hot Metro Finds Ted Cantu Looks At Failed Michigan Businesses in Metro Detroit

The 2014 Fall months have not been kind to a number of failed businesses in Metro Detroit. This is due to a lack of patrons. Some of the owners blame the economy and others suffer because of lack of branding and marketing knowledge. There are three in particular that will be the focus on a new branding series for Michigan based businesses.

One of these businesses had a truly outstanding product. It was a sub like sandwich with superior ingredients and many of them were locally found. But they lacked the initiative to market it properly and to get the word out. Despite the use of Yelp, Facebook and they mostly relied on word of mouth. I drove by this place today and found it to be completely empty. I was unsure if the city had confiscated all of the kitchen equipment like they so often do. If that is the case this is most unfortunate.



There was another business just two doors down in this Wixom shopping plaza that sold fish and chicken. The reviews on this place were never really good and some of them hint that the product was from freezer to table. I walked into this place a couple of times and was not impressed. The service was mixed. When they weren't busy they would wait on you. The second time when I went into this place they were very busy and people were standing out in the lobby. There was maybe 10 people waiting while the radio blared on some metal station.



The last example for the series focuses on a women's clothing company. This one example in particular is an interesting one since the owner was reluctant on how to brand it. There was never any clear cut audience demographic outlined for the store so marketing it to any particular group proved difficult. There was also a problem with how to market this kind of company on the web and through social media with no demographic. The idea was that the clothes were basically for anyone who wanted to wear them.

The idea here was that it would appeal to anyone who found their taste in clothing, "Fun and Fantastic!". The age group was never defined because the owners thought it would alienate any potential sales and they didn't want to be offensive.

Unfortunately something else happened along the way. The woman that ran the place used to crank up the radio very loud and was usually in the back on the phone talking and ignoring who ever walked in. This sort of thing turned people away and also became part of the brand. The idea was not only are we fun and fantastic but we couldn't care less if you walked in or not. This place closed after just 14 months.

THE POWER BRAND SERIES
Ted Cantu of Hot Metro Finds will be looking at what makes a retail store front work and what makes a business tick in these troubled times. Each one of these businesses could have been saved regardless of a perceived recession or the state of the economy. In each case of these businesses could have been saved.

A lot of this comes back to the owners and their willingness to take a failing business and to apply some basic principles. This gets right down to the following areas:

1. Who Is The Audience?

2. What Are They Buying?

3. Identifying Price Point

4. Addressing The Needs Of Your Demographic


And a whole lot more....

Being number one on the search engines is not necessarily going to get your business. It will only amplify your business and get more exposure. Things like addressing your audience, identifying your customer and building rapport with them, (social media) still needs to be taken under consideration.

For more information on the series and how it can apply to your business:

Contact: Ted Cantu   248-277-6141
Oakland County, MI

Look us up on http://www.TedCantu.com
http://www.HotMetroFinds.com

The Changing Face Of Search Engine Optimization

THE LATEST BUZZ THESE DAYS IS -- GOOGLE CAFFEINE !!

Some people are crazy about Google Caffeine and some other people I talk to are scared out of their minds! Why? Well mainly because Google changed their algorithm. That always makes business owners a little jumpy. The first thing that comes to mind is are they going to experience a drop in ranking.

The other thing you should be concerned about is are your pages going to get dropped period! I have seen sites disappear off the first page of Google overnight. That has to be a little scary if you are counting on your online web presence to carry the weight of your company.

What Is Google Looking For?

** Google won't tell you exactly how it is ranking sites these days but here is what we were able to figure out.....

* Scanability - The site should load fast... No bulky artwork
* Tags - Metadata - HTags -- these things matter
* Relevant - Everything you do should be relevant to the page

I still see a lot of companies stuff a gazillion keywords into their search tags. This is a surefire way to remain anonymous. Try not to make Google think too hard.... Give them something smaller and more direct.

This is the best approach.....

And lastly....

If you do things the right way you can get a site listed on Google, page 1 in about 6 days. And thats with a new domain and everything. I have seen this happen with my own eyes. Its quite incredible.

Ted Cantu lives and works in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Works for Kawasaki and Yamaha atv parts, recently beat Kawasaki with a kawasaki dealership on page 1 of Google!

UPDATE - IM BACK ON THE SCENE ----

Here is what I am up to with Kawasaki in Michigan !!! Great stuff

Kawasaki ATV Parts Featured at Open House on Hot Metro Finds

Looking for the right Kawasaki ATV part can be a daunting task. You may have to go through several used parts dealers before you find the right part you are looking for. The other dramas you will face no doubt will come in the form of gas, expense and time. At the end of the day you will be looking at an extensive amount of effort and you may have very little to show for it. This is what it is like when you are looking for motorcycle OEM parts for top brands including Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Honda.

That’s why you need to grab opportunities when you can. Powers Motor Sports, located in Fremont Michigan, has another solution for you. Getting the word out is becoming the top priority for Michigan based businesses including Kawasaki dealerships. Using tools like YouTube.Com, and Google Video is becoming a prominent force in online marketing.

“We wanted to cover the entire Open House at Powers Edge and give the people at home a preview of the new 2010 Kawasaki ATV models. We shot several insightful clips in the showroom and are showing online viewers what is available. This is an extremely valuable way for Michigan based businesses to get the word out about their goods and services.” Says online marketing gurus, Ted Cantu.
“We showcased the new motorcycles of the season or when new models come out for top lines such as Ski Doo and Sea Doo. You are able to walk through the showroom with us, cameras rolling and check out the vast number of products and ask questions from a reliable resource in person.” Commented online marketing expert, Tracey Vitkay.

Powers Motor Sports also features Kawasaki motorcycle parts on their web site these parts span through a number of decades going back all the way to the mid-eighties. These parts are able to be located online through the OEM number and also with detailed microfiche for each product part. These exact parts are created to fit the Yamaha motorcycle brand. You will also find Kawasaki OEM parts online and Honda OEM parts for their extensive lines of ATV’s and motorcycles.

“The idea to showcase the showroom on video and then make viral clips out of them was a natural” adds online marketer, Ted Cantu, “People want to see what is available in your store by coming into your shop or even purchasing online from your website. Online video is a great way to allow online searchers a way to take a peek into your inventory.” The videos have been featured on a new media based website called, Hot Metro Finds which showcases Michigan based businesses.

Ted Cantu works for Bonacure Michigan in Michigan of all places..... at a little company called Windsor Beauty, one of 50 clients.

Online Stock Trading Insight

Ted Cantu runs iMobile Media, (http://www.1seomichigan.com )and works out of NYC, Chicago, and Detroit, Michigan. He has the number 12 podcast show on www.podomatic.com you can listen to it here… http://911copywriter.podomatic.com

Wealth Secrets - Marketing Database for Ecommerce Site Owners

Creating your online wealth knowledge can be tricky. When it comes to making money online you got two choices. You can either do it. Or you can find someone whos already done it. I like the later option myself. The learning curve to do this right can be extensive and costly.

More than the cost factor you can also add on endless frustration, confusion and stress. It is a horrible thing to go through if you do not know what you are doing. There are way too many scam artists out there, programming hopefuls and expenses that can rack up.

To help you through this digital circus we put together a simple directory with hard hitting articles in it. You can find these online marketing articles here.....

http://1seomichigan.com/articles.html

More on this a little later....

Posted by Ted Cantu from i-Mobile Media posted on Feb 18 on 12:15 AM

Printed Media and Intermet Marketing Come To A Standoff

My recent entry on the SEO Chicago blog reads....

"The FCC Plans To Be More Lenient
For years the standard cardinal rule was that you could not own a newspaper and a radio or television station in the same area. According to the New York Times there is a push to change some of the old habits....."

PRINTED MEDIA TAKES A HIT
As advertising gradually slides over to Internet Media the newspaper market is slagging in sales. Part of that is due to the speed of delivery and instant gratification of getting the news when you want it. The consumer can log on line or read the headlines off an RSS feed in his/ her Blackberry and keep on moving. There is almost no time for news in this fast high tech world. Television and Internet media knows how to deliver a story. Often times the news is delivered quick and fast in two minute segments to give you an idea of what is happening. Then it will repeat itself again so you get the point.

CNN has been doing this 30 minute coverage thing for years. It just gives you the headlines of whats going on. Even Internet video clips are 2 minutes max. Media groups like TMZ understand the speed and often restless minds of the public."

** This ties into what Michigan marketers should be doing and thats levelling the playing field. Now for the first time in history you have the same coverage as large media giants. Thanks to Blogging and RSS feeds you can create your own network of potential customers and clients.

And unlike traditional media you can run multiple blogs that carry media rich content in any city you choose. In fact you can have as many blogs as you want in any category. Each one of them can syndicate your content whether it is audio, web video and get them disributed onto web sites, hand held devices and multiple web sites. This of course is done with zero broadcasting fees.

Not only that but you do not have to worry about breaking any laws with the FCC. This is truly powerful. As The Detroit Free Press struggles for new subscribers the customer base is getting its news source from other venues via the internet.

How are you using this technology to further enhance your profit line?

Posted by Ted Cantu on Oct. 18, 2007 at 7:38 AM

THE GREAT DIGITAL VIDEO WAVE IS HERE

Forget all the stuff you are reading in the press. The great video wave for the Internet is already here. There are plenty of early companies who are jumping on this bandwaggon. Its a great thing to see. In fact I haven't seen this type of excitement come to the web in quite a while. I am talking about all the companies that deal with video email like VM Direct and Hello World. But there are many more exciting companies too like www.Oovoo.com

The predictions are incredible. You are looking at profit projections in the billions. And this is not just a local thing its a global phenomenon. Its going to reshape everything around you from the way you communicate to the way business will be conducted. This is not only encouraging but it is welcomed. In fact, it is everything that the telecommuncation industry has been striving for.

The End.
==========================

THE OTHER VIEW.....
Well, it would be silly to let them tell us that this is THE BE ALL AND END ALL OF COMMUNICATION. Because what these firms deliver is just one part of whats possible. There are many other things that this technology can do for you as a company.

Sure its a blast to have your video emails delivered in the right bandwidth everytime. Its great to be guess right about everything. However Digital Video can be used strategically to nail down precise concepts at the right time. I am talking about combining it with Search Engine Optimization and being able to get ANY web page you want indexed.

This can benefit....

* Real Estate
* New Property
* Autos
* Key Business Concepts
* Squeeze Pages
* Product Demonstrations.....

And far too many more examples that we could list.
The combinations of SEO mixed with web video, (that is keyword driven) can pinpoint any page to ANY NICHE MARKET. So what I am saying is that you will not have to invite people to come and look at your stuff. Your material just shows up where its supposed to and gets in front of the niche market. This is very powerful.

Your pages become marching soldiers of fortune. These are also optimized to 85% - 100% so the Meta Data is top notch. Bottom line you are going to breeze right past your competitors. This is going to be beneficial as you grow in search engine popularity. This is in some ways greater than what VM Direct can do because you show up in the search engines. You are not just one of the millions of people who are using a service.

Remember what happened recently with Google and Squidoo.
http://911copywriters.blogspot.com/2007/10/squidoo-gets-google-slapped-does-this.html

If this service ever gets Google slapped - for any reason - and it could happen you are flat out of luck. Its better to know both sides of the fence so you can be twice as much as your competitors. There are a lot of things to know about the search engine world that can strengthen any company. Don't rely on one service to be your personal Jesus. If something happens to that service you will lose your hard earned efforts.

I applaud these new services for showing up when they did. In fact, I can find some use for them myself. I'll be honest. They are pretty incredible for what they can do. They have the video email market down cold.

But if you want to use digital video to anchor your web pages so they will be found onilne, (think Geo Targeting) then you need good Search Engine Optimization.

Get the best of both worlds. Why fool around?

Posted by Ted Cantu on Oct. 11, 2007 at 10:16 AM - Cantu is the creator of www.911copywriters.com and a Dan Kennedy IBA Member.