Angela did a really nice one on Blog Snobs - what are they and a little bit of rant about it.
But I am sad to say that I have discovered the extent of my shallow-ness. Despite such great content and fantastic comments, the thing I liked best about that post was the cute picture. So, un-ashamedly, here it is again in all its vulgar glory!
Now, whoever said that a picture paints a thousand words was lying. This one only painted three words.
OK, this is a shameless plug for all of you to go take a look at my friend’s new web site. I encouraged him to try for a niche, and of course, he picked a really strange one…
Anyway, enough about me. Go take a look at HerpesLiving.com
It would be an education for me reading that site since I am not too familiar with that topic.
I just saw this book selling contest that I thought was very interesting.
As marketers, one of the things we look out for is an opportunity to address the market. Now, with the stock market in its current volatile state, guess what is selling well?
Well, genius, books about stock markets.
So, see if you can win the contest. Let us know.
I am sure by now, all of you would have had the joy of discovering the power of YouTube videos in promoting your product, services or brand.
It is particularly powerful when it comes to delivering socially conscious corporate messages, don’t you think?
But what if you do not have the video talents? Surely you do not want your products or brand image to be tarnished by an amateurish video effort? Well, I just found a new best friend - the corporate film-maker. Imagine that you have the resources and experience of a producer that has worked with big names and big brands. Then imagine that you can discuss your needs with him/them. Isn’t that better than begging those young ‘uns in your department to cook up a YouTube video that you might not even dare show your mother?
Chuckle if you will, but don’t joke with your corporate image. I was puzzling through this question - how can I participate in the YouTube phenomena if I can’t make a decent film. Well, I was wondering until Director Tom visited my site and I saw his link on the MyBlogLog widget.
Problem solved.
Yes, I know, heard it all before. Well, so did I. Until I read this book released by Armand Morin.
It’s a simple book, with a simple message. He debunks some common myths about Internet Marketing. But there is one reason why I am now telling you about this:
If I read this book 2 years ago, I would have pooh-poohed it
You see, the “obvious truth” that Armand Morin reveals is so obvious that most of us know it already. So, the question then arises, if that were true, then why aren’t all of us Internet Marketing Millionaires?
When I told a friend of mine how wonderful the information was in the book, her first comment stopped me dead in my tracks. She said, “You think it’s great now, but what if you heard it two years ago?”
It’s true. If I had gotten this information two years ago, I would have been more than just sceptical. I would have simply dismissed it as just another bit of fluff floating in the internet marketing space. But I have learned a lot since then. Mostly, I have learned how much I did not know.
After several years of marketing on the Internet and interacting with so many bloggers, I am in a situation of “… if I knew then what I knew now….”
I am sure many of you have reach that point some time in your life. So I am telling you. Get the book. Read it. Apply it.
Much has been said, good and bad, about GoDaddy.com. This time, however, they have come through beautifully for David Airey.
If you have read about his problems as a result of:
Then you will all be glad to know that davidairey.com is back in business. The DNS is still resolving, so some might not be able to see the page. A few lessons we can all learn here:
When you choose to operate online, remember that there is a society that is made up of real people. Just like if you opened a shop, you have neighbours, you have them online as well. Hopefully, we are all keeping good, positive accounts with our online neighbours.
Technorati Tags: david airey, cracker, hacker, gmail hack, godaddy
In any endeavor, there is always a risk factor. Online, there have been a lot of press about credit card theft, and identity thefts. However, these have been mainly focused on the consumer. Businesses have always been more concerned about scams.
David Airey’s situation is quite unique.
Most business related cases have been about “cyber squatting” - http://www.lectlaw.com/files/inp23.htm where the owner of the domain name is not the owner of the brand. Here is an interesting aside for those interested to know which famous brands do not have their own domain names: Professional Sports
David’s is the first case I know where a blogger has been targeted for a commercial blackmail: Google Mail Hacked. David has documented it quite clearly and it is apparent that the hacker had executed a very well planned attack.
So, if you are going to go for Internet Marketing, you do need to be aware that online security is not just for the big boys. If you are making slightly more than pocket change (PR-0 guys like me have no worries, then…), then, you could be a potential target. Many small businesses scrimp on things like security - virus protection, spam protection, back up and so on. It’s fine if nothing happens. But just like fire insurance, you sure as hell wish you had them when disaster strikes.
For those not technically savvy, it is best to have professional help in setting up your online presence. Sure, it can be easily done. But is it secure? Heck, would you even know if it weren’t?
If you have been doing any reading at all about marketing, you must have come across this term in marketing articles and even books - long tail marketing.
After Chris Andersen’s The Long Tail was published in 2004, many people believed that this was a “gold mine” that had been left untapped. Well, I believe Alex Iskold of ReadWriteWeb has hit it dead center when he pointed out the difference between being IN the long tail and LEVERAGING OFF the long tail.
Actually, if you thought about it, this is no different from any other “get rich” or “make money” ideas. The ideas themselves are good. But putting them into practice is the challenge. And usually, there is a linchpin which many miss. Either they over-look it or the ones sharing the secret failed to highlight it. In this case, this long-tail golden goose can be missed or caught on the back of a preposition.
I would suggest that most of us, like it or not, live in the long-tail. We are the 80 in the 80-20 rule. But what is crumbs for the elite could work out to be a nice little nest-egg for us. After all, if you are looking to bolster your main income with a little long-tail stuff, then, a couple of hundreds a month is not too bad. But if you were looking for your fortune, then maybe you have to start looking for the big head and aim for the heart.
Glenda made a very interesting comment yesterday, she was asking “to see a strategy on how we can effectively use and integrate these tools without them becoming great time and focus eaters”.
Every one has their own way of coping. Well, social networking is no different. Interesting enough, there are people who do not network at all. So, contrary to popular belief, social networking is not a universal truth, hermits aside. But I would like to share a tip on how you can use social networking and keep your sanity:
Choose one.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? More is not necessarily better. If you are a member of multiple social networks, what usually happens is, you are a “fringe member” on most of them. Your name is on the list, but I doubt if you are on their minds.
Participate in several different networks. Find one that meets your needs. This means, are you comfortable there, can you promote your business there, or whatever it was that you wanted to accomplish. Narrow it down. If you are happy and comfortable with more than one, fine. But remember that participation is key. And participation can be a time sink you might come to regret.
I would love to hear how all of you are using social networking and what your tips are to make it effective and manageable. Maybe this could become a meme of sorts - but I would love to hear from Glenda, Angela, and Laura.
Technorati Tags: blog, social network, tips
One of the biggest challenges in publicity marekting, is simply getting the news to travel.
But I just read Glenda’s post on “9 Ways to Use Social Media to Campaign for Votes” which really hit it right on the head when it comes to getting the word out. Her nine tips are practical and really easy to do. But most importantly, I feel that they are also effective.
Leveraging off social networks is probably one of the smartest way to promote yourself or your business. There is only one thing more powerful than the 9 o’clock news - Susie’s gossip. If you doubt this, then consider that there are times when you know nothing about the big news about the new community center getting built in your neighbourhood; yet, Susie seeing your neighbour buying a diamond studded collar for his dog is known by one and all.
Social networks have been a powerful force throughout civilization. Now, with the Internet, it has become even more formidable. Question is, do you know how to harness its power?
Technorati Tags: social networking, gossip, news, marketing, publicity
OK, better minds than mine have grappled with the whole Google slap issue. It is fascinating to see how a company as savvy as Google can imagine that they can get away with clearly monopolistic actions disguised as “for the good of the users”.
Kenneth over at investorblogger.com and Denise in her internetmarektingreview.org post have both taken a shot at this. Both of them make good points. Kenneth’s article in particular deserves a careful read as he seems to have hit it on the head with some of his observations.
For those who do not understand what this is all about, read Denise’s post first as it gives a broad stroke treatment of this issue.
Most people would love to find a method of marketing that is effective, fun and free. Well, blog marketing certainly fits the bill.
Unfortunately, not many people understand that “effectiveness” is not the same as having a lot of pages in the blog, nor is it getting listed in as many directories as possible. Actually, effectiveness of a blog marketing strategy really depends on the objectives. Any marketer will know that a marketing strategy is nothing more than a powerful sum of its parts. Hence, a blog marketing strategy cannot stand alone, that is a given. So, we will not talk about that. For a blog marketing to be deemed effective, there are usually three measurements: traffic, response, and action.
Denise has an interesting post on how to build blog traffic. Any new blog will face the challenge of generating traffic. The key is not the volume of traffic, but the relevance of it.
Response is one of the best indicators of whether your traffic is targetted or not. Interested parties will respond to your blog posts (unless they are so poorly written…) and they will respond through comments, feedback forms and even emails.
Arguably, action is the holy grail. A blog that has plenty of traffic and an active, responsive readership, but cannot prompt readers into action to become buyers, subscribers or whatever it is you are marketing, can hardly be deemed to be effective.
I am sure there are many other marketing metrics that can be used. But blow aside all the fluff and illusions of success, the above are, I believe, the 1-2-3 of a successful blog marketing program.
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