Search Engine Strategies Expo (Chicago)

Watch the video presentations of some exhibitors at the recent Search Engine Strategies Expo in Chicago and learn more about their services.

Mind Mapping strategies and tools (Organize all the scattered ideas in your mind)

I have so many ideas in my head that I am trying to link and organize on paper related to my new book "Marketing the Future". I thought that it would be helpful to use traditional Concept Mapping technique, which lists the main concept and its sub-ideas and then hierarchy break down each idea to different sections or sub-sections using tree structures. However, my book is still in its initial stage and I don't have all my ideas and objectives clear in my head. Instead, I started using Mind mapping to help me create a diagram that represents my ideas, examples, case studies, quotes and other items and arrange them around my central idea in a very effective and visual way.
To get a better understanding of mind mapping, check out these useful videos and books:

- What is Mind Mapping (Video)
- Power to Create Profits - Mind Mapping (Video)

While there are many mind mapping websites and software programs, here are some of the websites and programs that I like:
• Mindjet Catalyst is a very interesting product with many advanced features. Such as, integrated chat, full-featured web conferencing, and mind manager compatibility.
• Mind42.com offers collaborative and browser-based mind mapping service for free.
• Mindmeister.com is my favorite. It offers so many useful tools. Such as search in maps, history view, mobile access through iPhone and additional desktop gadgets.

Think like Alexander the Great

"I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion". Alexander the Great

Imagine that you are a leader of an army of 40,000 Macedonians in 331 BC and you are on your way to fight the Persian Empire's army of more than 100,000 men. You know for sure that the odds of winning the battle are not in your favor. However, all your soldiers believe in your strategic thinking and ability to maneuver in battles. You reach to the edge of the hills where your enemy is waiting for you. What would you do? Do you think they have a more powerful position than you? What is your strategic plan? What rules do you follow to win the game?
Well, Alexander the Great was once in your position leading his army against the Persian army which was led by Darius. Alexander was famous for his hammer and anvil strategy, where the center of the army engages with the enemy while the cavalry on each side moves behind the enemy and pushes them forward.


Alexander knew that the same strategies he had used in past wars were not going to be effective in winning this battle because the enemy's army outnumbered him 3 to 1 and spread horizontally in the battle field to overlap his army. Knowing the Persians can't move without Darius' command and that Darius must have guessed his hammer and anvil plan, Alexander thought about an alternative counter-tactic. He attacked the Persians on the left side, drawing as much of the Persian cavalry as possible to the left side and creating a gap within the enemy line where he could then break through the center in order to kill or capture Darius. When Darius saw his left line crumbling and Alexander advancing toward him, he fled and the Persians retreated. The Persians lost tens of thousands of men in the battle, and the Macedonians lost only a few hundreds.




Alexander wasn't playing by the rules. Instead he was able to understand the advantages of his position and created weakness in the lines of his enemy. He didn't focus on how much power he had but rather on how to position his power strategically in a way that conquered his opponent and allowed him to turn the odds to his favor. Marketing is all about strategic thinking and understanding the market place, along with your competitors' strategies and the market rules. Taking all of these elements into account can allow you to think like Alexander and make your products breakthrough and dominate the market. This can be done not only by taking advantage of your company's strength but also by analyzing your competitor's weaknesses as well as changing the rules of the game in the market.

Google Analytics (Powerful, Flexible, Intelligent)

Watch the presentation of Dai Pham, Senior Google Product Manager, at the recent SEMPO Chicago event and learn how to use Google Analytics to monitor and measure the traffic and conversion rate of your website.