Below is a parody of one of my favorite social media news websites.  It of course, like most parodies, is completely exaggerated.   This idea occurred to me as I was surfing through several of the top social media websites, doing research and staying on top of all of the latest marketing news and trends.

It was at this time, that I started to notice all of the things that I have long ignored.   Modern “web counters” are now Facebook Share, Like and Tweetmeme style buttons.  The links to LinkedIn, RSS feeds, and others have replaced the “Netscape Now” buttons.   Social Bookmarking toolbars at Hootsuite, Stumbleupon and Digg have replaced the Alexa toolbar.

It was then that I realized that we have simply reverted to mid-90’s web design fad euphoria in order to be noticed and shared in today’s social media.  Are we so willing to give up usability and user-experience just for a few more visitors?   Apparently yes!   I’ve found that even I have resorted to placing these types of buttons on my sites.  They work, in moderation of course.  The Facebook share / retweet buttons at Youtube apparently work very well.

You might just be wondering what is going on with me since I haven’t posted a message in over 8 weeks.  Well the fact of the matter is that I’ve been extremely busy as the Vice President of Marketing for BizNdex.

We’re coming out with some amazing things very soon, in addition to the marketing services we offer. While my blog has been lagging behind, I’ve kept my Twitter and Facebook up to date, and now I’m finally updating my YouTube channel.

Over this weekend, I’ve created an amazing motivational poetic video. Please feel free to facebook share it, tweet it, email it, and subscribe to it here.

Dare to Be by Tony Darrick Baker

This video shows the leadership qualities that people need in order to be successful.  In many cases success isn’t necessarily wealth and fame, but rather happiness in life, and yet sometimes happiness in life is helped by at least a bit of wealth and fame.

Please subscribe to my YouTube channel or newsletter to get more updates like these.

- Tony Darrick Baker

I’m all about everything going digital. So in many ways, I was looking forward to watching this video. I’d rather read an ebook on my iPhone than to wait 3 days for a paperback to find it’s way in the mail to me.

However, this video is more about how you perceive your customers than it is in whether or not people want to hold a book in their hands. Check out this short and innovative video.

- Tony Darrick Baker

Many people sit by and complain while others get rich, achieve their dreams, or simply live the life they’ve always talked about.  However, the vast majority of people seem to simply blame others for their problems,  ask the government to take care of them from cradle to grave, and hate those who have achieved their goals.  You have to decide today and everyday, what kind of person are you going to be?

William Arthur Ward Came Up With These Keys To Success:

• Believe while others are doubting
• Plan while others are playing
• Study while others are sleeping
• Decide while others are delaying
• Prepare while others are daydreaming
• Begin while others are procrastinating
• Work while others are wishing
• Save while others are wasting
• Listen while others are talking
• Smile while others are frowning
• Commend while others are criticizing
• Persist while others are quitting

Print this out and place it on your desk, and I’ll even challenge you to put it on your TV.

I have a couple of challenges of my own to help you get more done in a day.

• Create your life, while others watch the fiction of drama on TV.  Try to stick to just one or two shows a week (or less!) that you follow and watch.  You will you suddenly have more time for living life, spending time with friends, family, and achieving your goals.
• Cancel your cable TV, and spend that $50 to $100/mo. on books, ebooks, web-subscriptions and self-help courses.
• If you have to have a TV, then buy or rent a DVR and suddenly you’ll free up nearly 20 minutes per show hour by fast forwarding through commercials.
• Try using TVersity and sites like Hulu.com, CBS.com, Fox.com etc… to watch your favorite shows on your PC or television.  The advantage is that online streaming media is available when you want it, and usually with less than 2 minutes per show for commercials.
• It’s okay to go to movies, rent movies, listen to music, and have fun… but don’t let it consume you.  It should be a special part of your life, or special away time alone or an eventful time with your friends and family.
• Invest in your life, and then invest into other people’s lives.
• Choose to be happy.

If you like this, please share this with your friends via Twitter/Facebook and Email.

How was your day today? Was it anything like this?

Do you feel like this when you do your nine to five? Are you stressed about the economy, layoffs, recession and life in general?

Well what are you going to do about it?   Let’s be completely honest…

… nothing right?

If you’re like me, you know that life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.

You’re gonna get hit. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t take risk. You’ve got to get hit, and when you do, it’s all about getting up and keeping after it. That’s the only way you’re gonna get ahead.

I have just one more video for you.

Are you ready to take control of your life?  Take Action!

Contact me, find out more, or sign up today.

The difference between hot water and steam is 1 degree.  At 212 degrees everything changes.

All too often we give up.  It’s easy.  Everybody gives up right?

Here’s a great video to inspire you to try just a little bit harder and go just a little bit further.

“If you truly expect things to change in your life, then you must be willing to change your life.”
- Tony Darrick Baker

Here’s another great story of a regular guy who had a dream to be an actor.

His persistence went on to share one of the greatest stories in our generation.

I’ve been doing Tulsa Web Design now for over 15 years.   I’ve also watched the competition for the last 15 years.  It never seizes to amaze me on what people can come up with that you suddenly need.

I’ve seen sites that cost $500 to sites that actually cost $100,000.  And the funny thing, is that sometimes there’s not much difference.

Business owners want to make a good buying decision when buying a web design.  So sometimes they’ll bring in their IT staff to help them make the decision.  Other times, they’ll bring in someone from marketing or sales to help them decide what to do with this thing they keep hearing about called web site design and Internet marketing.

However, 9 times out of 10… the business owners and the staff simply decide who to go with based on the appearance of the person selling them or some cool thing they haven’t seen before.   The IT staff gets caught up in the technical details and the marketing and sales people honestly…  I’m sorry, this probably seems rude, but they don’t really know about Internet Marketing in most cases anyway.

I actually heard about a business owner the other day who said that he liked what the sales person was saying, but that she showed up 45 minutes early and she was wearing jeans and had a pony tail.

Are you serious?  She was early! That’s a good thing. She works behind a computer all day and you have a problem with her wearing jeans and having her hair up in a pony tail?   Apparently you want to be sold by someone who just sells all day rather than hire someone based on actual hands-on experience.

Okay let’s get off the soap box now, and focus on what really matters.  RESULTS.

When it comes to buying a Tulsa Web Design, you need to know what you’re getting yourself into.

1:  What is the purpose of your site.  Forget about the technology for a moment.  What are you trying to accomplish?   Are you trying to get leads?  Are you trying to make a sale online?  Are you simply providing people with a place where they can go and find documents and forms that they can then fill out online or print out?

2:  How important is this? On a scale of one to ten, how much of an impact do you think this will make to your business?  Is this just an online brochure because all of your friends wonder why you’re not online yet?  Or.. If you’re really going full force and expect something amazing out of your website, are you prepared to work it?  That means, fund it to get daily traffic to the site.  That means, update the content regularly, maybe even daily.  That means… it’s not a magic system sitting in cyberspace, but a real tool that someone in your company logs onto daily in order to build, measure, share, and ultimately make it work for you.

3:  Hype, Hype, Hype! Do you really need all those bells and whistles?  Do you really need splash pages, flash, movies, interactive forms, online calendars, and a cartoon or person that walks onto the screen?  Maybe you do.  Sometimes having a video on your page can make all the difference.  However, don’t get caught up in the fads and whims that designers often fall prey too.  Chances are, they’ve caught your attention and sold you on some expensive system based solely on one or two fads that are going to be annoying and unproductive for you in the near future.  Focus on the basics.  What are my customers looking for and what do they expect to find?

I could keep going…

I build websites all the time.  But I’m not going to build one for you.  I’ve decided to focus my attention on building up my own properties and preparing for long term growth.   I’m also focusing on my marketing consultant services which includes Tulsa Internet Marketing and consulting for your Tulsa Web Design.

However, since I’m not selling you web design, you can look to me as an independent trusted source.

• I don’t have any exclusive relationships with any of Tulsa web design companies.
• I don’t take commission or kickbacks for any web design.
• I get paid the same, whether you go with company A or company B, or C, D or E.
• You get to leverage my 15 years of marketing experience.
• I’ll point out the scammers that make something simple seem something magical.
• I’ll point out whether or not the cool new thing is just a fad or something your customers are looking for.
• I’ll help you find the reputations of Tulsa Web Design companies and see what’s real and what’s the deal.
• I’ll look over your contracts for scapegoats, loopholes, dead ends, and uh oh’s! (though I’m not an attorney)
• I’m not trying to make payroll, so I’m not selling you something and taking your money so you can float me a few more days.
• I am excited to be helping you with this!  You’ll have someone who can help you make the right decision because I know it’s the right thing to do, and not just my job for a project that you wont stop nagging about.   I only take clients I want to do business with.
• Ultimately, at the end of the day, you’ll probably save more money than you would ever pay me.

So, if you’ve found this interesting.  Then before you hire someone to build your website, considering bringing me in as a consultant.  I will sit down with you and your staff and we will draw up a strategy that focuses on your needs today, your action plan for tomorrow, and what you expect to get out of your web site design.

My rates are simple.  I used to charge $550 an hour and had clients lined up for it.  Due to the recession, I’m now charging $199/hr for visits, phone conferences and webinars, with a 2 hour minimum. (Example:  1 hour to consult and research for you plus 1 hour to give group presentation, discussion or webinar.)

I charge $1250 plus expenses (if any) for full day consultations.   Chances are, I can save you $1250 in your tulsa web design expenses, time wasted and loss of income. So this is still a great deal!

- Tony Darrick Baker
- Tulsa Web Design pioneer

Would you like to get your local Tulsa business to the first page of Google, Yahoo, Bing and more?

You’ve heard all the hype from the others.  Let’s get down to business and make real, measurable, and significant results for your local search marketing for Tulsa and surrounding areas.  Here are 4 of my most popular options;

1. Tulsa Internet Marketing and Consulting - If you just need help with Internet Marketing projects in the Tulsa area and you don’t know exactly what you should do next, then my consulting services can help you.  I once charged $550 an hour with clients lined up! However, since it’s a recession, you can have my time at $199 per hour with a 2 hour minimum visit, phone call, or webinar.  Full day live training sessions are now only $1250 per day plus related expenses.

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2. The “Make it Happen” Package – If you want first-page Guaranteed rankings for local Tulsa Internet Marketing and related keywords in Google within 5 days, then I have just the program for you. I don’t spend a lot of time educating you on this, we simply do it. We have a three-tiered approach that focuses on local listings, natural rankings, and sponsored search results to make sure that your have an amazing presence.  The local listings are subject to the time it takes Google to verify and update them.  The natural rankings are never guaranteed, (never guarantee what you don’t own or can’t buy) but we have significant history in getting rankings in the natural results.  Sponsored listings are guaranteed to have an average first page ranking and be online within 5 days of receiving your paid order.  Most companies can get started and have significant traffic, leads, and impressions for less than $400 per month!

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3. National Campaigns - If your business is in the Tulsa area and you market to the entire nation.  I can build a significant Internet Marketing campaign for you that includes search engine optimization, online publicity, and manage your online media buying.  You should expect your budget to exceed $1250 per month plus expenses.

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4. Social Media Marketing Campaigns – Whether you’re looking to reach Tulsans with your Tulsa Social Media Marketing Campaign or reach a national market.  I can help you.  My Tulsa Internet Marketing Social Media Campaign starts at just $799 and includes business profiles in YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Linked In.  Likewise, I’ll teach you how to create, automate and build buzz about your business.

Ultimately it comes down to results. Yes, you can buy into all of the hype from good-looking slick suits with their amazing presentations.  Or, you can find a down-to-earth guy who spends all of his time and resources on producing results for you!

With over 15 years of hands-on Internet Marketing experience, you can rest assured that when you follow my recommendations, you will see measurable results.

- Tony Darrick Baker

I’ve written in the past about achieving your goals and dreams.  On that theme, here’s something extremely compelling.

Here’s a great video compilation of Will Smith revealing the beliefs and desires that has helped to make him so successful.

Will Smith is so right about so many things that he’s talked about over the years.  It’s no wonder that he has achieved so much and has helped so many people.

• How will you guard your dreams?
• How will you achieve the unrealistic?
• How will you succeed?

Please feel free to Retweet and Facebook Share this with your friends.  I would love to see your comments and feedback.

- Tony Darrick Baker