Archive for the “Money Spot” Category
I’d begun to notice that many men and women use fanny packs. Continue reading here … In a move that should add fuel to the debate over the writers' guild strike, MTV Networks has announced that all episodes of its grotesquely funny cartoon satire hit, South Park, will be shown in their entirety on the web. MTV's decision to host the South Park archives online for free comes just over a month after […]
While the move is win-win for its creators, Trey Parker & Matt Stone (also the writers), their lawyers, Viacom (MTV's parent company), the advertisers and the fans, what's striking, so to say, is that South Park is the only show on MTV's roster sitting on a contract for a 50/50 digital ad revenue share. Even though it was smart of Viacom to ink an on the internet revenue share with the people behind South Park, it seems odd that such offers aren't available for writers of The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, both of which are massive ad-money makers and award winners for the company. Here's what Viacom told The New York Times back in August when South Park's $75 million deal was penned:
While it's nice that Viacom has finally discovered how to leverage "the ROI of free," many fans — and certainly the writers — have a hard time viewing the media giant's selective awareness of on the web marketing as anything but greedy. So, what do writers for The Daily Show, now in its 11th year, really have to say to the execs?
…what I think John's trying to state is that, well, this YouTube video sums it up. Even The Daily Show's friends (colleagues?) in the "real" news media are hearing the echoes from this void. NBC News anchor Brian Williams writes…
But Slate.com's Dana Stevens stated it best:
It's unfortunate that it's come to this. In a strike, everyone loses. Had Viacom invested in on the web channels years ago, they wouldn't be awkwardly wading through bad word-of-mouth as they sue YouTube and play favorites with their writers. This is a branding problem, wrapped in a PR problem, spawned by a marketing problem. But the good news for Viacom is that it could all end tomorrow with an online revenue share agreement. [Picture taken from myyearofnewthings on Flickr. Originally seen at TechCrunch.] ——————————————————————————–> Lots of people who've spoken with either Jeffrey or me know how uncomfortable we’re with being called "experts," despite our books and nearly 10 years of focus on marketing optimization. I've stated it before: "Gurus are a dime a dozen on the internet." The problem with taking pundits' advice is that it can end […]
Don't get me wrong. I believe hardly any of the folks who people consider on the internet experts are acting in bad faith. They tried some tactics, it paid off, and now they want to share them with others. But true experts never achieve any level of certainty without a deeper understanding of all the circumstances contributing to their success. To reach "expert" status in other industries — state, the medical field — it takes well over a decade of experience focused in one specialty. Most cardiologists would be hesitant to give you dermatological advice, as they know it's outside of their domain. It's why Nobel Prize winner Niels Bohr once stated, “An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.” Sharing your missteps and learning from other people's mistakes is the surest path to on the web success. Are you up to helping your fellow entrepreneurs or future clients? Have you ever taken bad Web advice from a so-called expert?The challenge we face as marketers is that there's no solid set of criteria to hang out the shingle and say, "Congratulations! You're a marketer." It can be frightening when clients state they plan to use some very specific tactic before the strategy's been clearly defined. Usually when that happens, if you ask where they got the idea, it's from an "expert" who may have a technical or other background but certainly not a marketing background. We've all seen designers or developers who are now preaching "expert" search engine marketing advice. While design and code have something to do with search engine optimization, the larger issues are usually marketing-related. The same is true about conversion optimization advice. While conversion has something to do with usability, multivariate testing and web analytics, the larger overarching issue is nearly always marketing (read: persuasion)-related. When our clients have a challenging search-related issue, we refer them to a search marketing firm we trust. Are there really any social media experts yet (although we might be getting there)? We're looking for these types of stories:
How You Can Help + Get PublishedWe (as in "you and I") are going to publish a free ebook. (No need to kill trees on this as I'm sure it will keep evolving with the Web). We're not looking to name names or discredit anyone. And of course, sometimes, good advice gets executed poorly. But with your help, we'll take all the stories and distill them into a collection of truisms, then list the horror stories on so-called expert thoughts and freely distribute How to Leverage "OPM" (Other People's Mistakes): Online Advice from People Who've Been There and Done That. If you wish to share a story anonymously, it must be verifiable, so we can keep you anonymous. Will you share your "expertise" and stories? If you'd like to be included, tell us your on the web marketing-related stories either as a comment below or in an email to: feedback [at] grokdotcom dot com ——————————————————————————–> 75 years ago to the day, U.S. citizens, in the midst of the not-so-roaring 1930's, had their spirits lifted after a thirteen-year drought, otherwise known as the 18th Amendment. The nation's prohibition of alcohol had backfired miserably. Score one for supply and demand. Indeed, prohibition was the ideal 21st birthday present our government could've possibly given to […]
Score one for supply and demand. Indeed, prohibition was the best 21st birthday present our government could've possibly given to Al Capone. The mob made a killing on illegal booze. Lucky for them, too. Back in those days, all a wise guy had to do was open a speakeasy, grease a few coppers, and boom — even bathtub gin sold itself. It's hard to believe that if it weren't for Dewar's, this momentous occasion that is the anniversary of Repeal Day would be no more than another missed chance to market legal booze. Honestly, though, what a great thing to toast to! Not only can they make an honest buck selling it, but I have the ability to go spend an honest buck to drink it. (Must… finish… blog post… ) Take a peek at how Dewar's brands Repeal Day on this newfangled world wide web Television the kids use… (If video doesn't load, click here.) Apparently, founder John Dewar didn't have his son Tommy's charisma. Fair enough. Might as well use Tommy's words instead. Regardless, this is a great ad. (YouTube, on the other hand… They'll never make it. On the internet movin' photos? No way. Vaudeville, that's the future!) Dewar's could definitely do much superior with their Web strategy. Both the Repeal Day micro-site and their main website are WAY too dependent on Flash animation, the usability stinks, and there's just too much friction in the experience. But that's fancy business-talk, straight from ROI City; conversion rate, cash-on-the-table stuff, see. The marketers at Dewar's have already done the hardest part of their job: They've reminded me that I'm free to give them my money. And I will. [Now, before I hear anything from you scotch snobs about how Dewar's doesn't compare to your brand, don't state a word unless you've tried their Aberfeldy reserve batch.] ——————————————————————————–> Maybe you’ve seen the ads where the girl asks if it’s because she forgot to send her brother a birthday card, or the guy looks at a girlie mag to gauge his reaction and then proclaims, “Nope, still gay.” Bam goes the rubber stamp as eHarmony rejects two more of those one million poor […]
REJECTED! Ooof. How do you feel about being rejected? I had one of those hey-what-am-I-chopped-liver experiences with eHarmony, too. They didn’t exactly send me a Dear John letter or stamp ‘Rejected’ across my torso, but they also didn’t find me any matches, which left me musing how there can be millions of people signed up with this service, and I don’t match up with a single one. Money I paid. Months I waited. Then those harmonious match-makers told me they were going to suspend my account due to inactivity. I shot them back a letter. “Give me a match, just one frigging match – even Outer Mongolia is looking good this day - and I’ll show you activity!” They kept me on for another month, then dropped me again. I finally bagged eHarmony and wondered whether the planets were inauspiciously aligned for finding love that year. Or whether I was, indeed, chopped liver. Talk about your failed relationships! When you take into account starting a new relationship, what do you worry about deep down? I’m worrying about…
Most of all, I worry about putting myself on the line and then getting dealt with badly. Rejected. Abandoned. Betrayed. These are the terrible consequences we all fear in any relationship. This doesn’t apply solely to romance-based relationships; it applies to almost all the relationships in our lives, including customer/business relationships. Businesses usually start this relationship through their marketing messages. eHarmony advertising focuses on the relationship you’ll have when you meet Mr or Ms Right. In The Black Table, Joel Keller writes,
(If video doesn't load, click here.) But eHarmony seems to gloss over the part detailing how you and they are going to work together to make this happen, over the relationship they will develop with you. And this is the marketing piece that’s crucial to their customers’ felt needs. As Joel Keller explains it,
This is a failed relationship! It’s all about the felt needWhen it comes to matchmaking, people want to find friendship, maybe love, maybe a permanent relationship, maybe merely the opportunity for casual flings. But before they start to address that felt need, they’ve to deal with the felt needs of their deepest fears: rejection, abandonment and betrayal. This is hardly confined to potential matches; it applies equally to the matchmakers themselves. Chemistry.com gets it. They address this need first: We don’t believe you’re chopped liver. Then, through their online entity, they go about growing their relationship with you. [Note: Compare Chemistry’s home page with eHarmony’s home page. The primary call to action on both sites is getting the customer to supply information and get started. But which of these home pages offers clear, intuitive ways to learn about the business itself? Massive tabs on Chemistry, plus some forums and articles. Tiny links buried in the No Man’s Land of screen real estate on eHarmony. This should be a big relationship red flag!] At the end of the day, you are in the business of creating relationships. And if you want those relationships to grow beyond the carrot of promise you dangle before the eyes of your audience, then you’ve to work at it. My mother always told me, “You want to learn who a person really is? Pay a lot less attention to what they state and a lot more attention to what they do.” Warm-fuzzy language may capture attention, but it’s dependable action that cements relationships. Sadly for eHarmony, there's a fair chunk of blog-space given over to what they do, and it isn't positive. Let’s face it. Divorce is nearly always an exercise in smearing lots of bad blood all over the shop. You so don’t want to go there with your customers! Dig deep into the concerns your customers bring to the table when they consider doing business with you. Identify their deepest concerns when they’re deciding if you are the business for them. Will you really understand their needs in the relationship they hope to develop with you? Will you deliver on your promise to value them and go the distance on their behalf? Address these issues in your marketing messages. And remember, your marketing messages are only simpering smiles if you can’t treat your customers honestly in the follow-through! ——————————————————————————–> A few months ago, Seth Godin put the word "seamless" into a better context. …seams are important. Try throwing a baseball or a football without seams. Wear clothes without seams and you look like you're on Star Trek. Seams make it possible to get a grip. The goal, it seems to me, is not to create things that are seamless. […]
That's exactly what Threadless.com does for its customers. If you've done business with them before and have selected an item that's running low in their inventory, and you abandon the checkout process before buying, they'll send you a follow-up email like this:
Their shirts come with seams, as does their marketing. The copy is spot-on without being pushy. They seem to be doing us a favor. Threadless knows that their customers know that the t-shirt designs they print sell out fast. They don't shout "buy now!" when we're just browsing the products. Nope. This message is tailored for people who've shown genuine interest. And despite the exclamation points, it reads something like this: "Sorry to bother you, but here's what you should know about our inventory. If you really do want to purchase this item, you should probably do it soon-ish." (Hat tip to Rishi at the Superior Retail blog for the subtle link to this via comment. Great seam!) ——————————————————————————–> Although the idea of shopping for gifts online sounds simple, too many e-commerce sites make it more difficult than it should be. Sure, you could purchase a gift card for everyone on your list, but what does a piece of plastic really say about how you feel? What ends up happening when customers give these […]
In this edition of Screencast, I'll show you how some e-tailers are helping their on the web shoppers navigate the gift-giving season, while others are, well, let's just state they're hoping to receive (your money). For instance, WalMart.com doesn't seem to do anything special to help gift shoppers. Meanwhile, Etsy.com — a site where independent clothing designers and artisans from around the world their wares — proves you don't need a Wal-Mart-sized budget to sort merchandise into gift guides for the customer. BarnesAndNoble.com has a nice gift guide that helps you find gifts to match the person's style, but good luck finding it; their guide is hidden in drop-down menus and poorly phrased navigation buttons. Amazon.com does it ideal, and even though there's room for improvement, as you'll see, they engage gift shoppers front-and-center on the homepage (a smart thing to do in December) and they do a good job of limiting choices. That's right. When it comes to deciding between gifts, less is definitely more more — just be sure to show them things they'll like. Our gift to e-tailers? How about some holiday bonus tips:
(If video doesn't load, click here.) There you have it! Sort. Categorize. Limit their choices to stuff that's relevant, and let that momentum pull them toward the sale. And do yourself a favor: Don't wait until Cyber Monday '08 to help gift shoppers spend their money on you. Engage them directly by using language and navigation that address their needs right away. And if you're still leaving cash on the table, make a resolution to get help. [Special thanks to Conversion Analyst Ron Patiro for his help finding these examples.] ——————————————————————————–> Trying to figure out the perfect holiday gift for the blogger in your life? Kevin Ryan, Global Content Director of Search Engine Strategies and Search Engine Watch was looking sleek modeling the latest from Despair.com the night before Search Engine Strategies in Chicago. He plans to send a bunch of these out as holiday gifts. […]
P.S. The t-shirt reads, "More People Have Read This Shirt Than Your Blog." P.S. #2 During one of the sessions at SES, Kevin asked "Should I make a video of me hitting myself with a ball ping hammer?" What do you think? ——————————————————————————–> "Words schmords. What's so important about words? Images — that's where it's at. It's all about the images, right?" I hear that often. And yes, images are important. Very important. But don't write off the word (no pun intended). Words change entire battles (see also: "withdrawal […]
I hear that often. And yes, images are important. Very important. But don't write off the word (no pun intended). Words change entire battles (see also: "withdrawal date" and "surrender date"). Which is easier to support, "affirmative action" or "racial preference"? Politicians comprehend the power of words. Marketers are also taking notice. Look at word choice in products. "Oil of Olay" dropped the "oil" due to today's negative connotations of having oil in a beauty product. They now go by "Olay." And, as Advertising Age points out, after losing share for eight years, Crest revitalized sales with their "Pro-Health" line of products.
Words are powerful. That's why it's so important to comprehend what your words are really saying. Are your customers hearing what you're saying? Spas finally got smart and realized marketing services to "pamper yourself" wasn't a great idea. The word "pamper" is negative. It implies you're selfish, frivolous. What woman wants to feel that way? So spas now market services that "rejuvenate." They promote wellness products. A good masseuse no longer asks, "How was the massage?" or "How was the session?" He asks, "How was your treatment?" Our team was working on a persona for a client. The phrase I'd written was, "She will be disappointed with anything less than a full carat diamond." A recommendation was made to change it to, "It had superior be a full carat diamond." Here's the problem: We instantly dislike this persona. The term "better be" implies insistence, dominance, a threat. Most golf sites are geared toward men. Look in any gift section copy and you'll likely see "Here's a gift for the golfer in your life. He'll love this golf video." Sounds perfectly normal. But what message is this sending to female golfers? One word change could let your female golf customers know you acknowledge and value them ("Here's a gift for the golfer in your life. They'll love this golf video.") I wrote recently about Deloitte's efforts to reach out to female clients. Yet their instructions to employees was to "Bring along your subordinates to the meeting." The very use of the word "subordinates" let women know male hierarchical communication style is alive and well. On a similar note, I read a Wall Street Journal article about the most important qualities in CEO's. The article refers to "hard" and "soft" skills. Interesting that all the "hard" skills are more typically associated with males and the"soft" skills are more typically associated with females.
Communication was labeled as a less important "soft" skill. They seem to have separated out "oral." Most CEO's have to be able to communicate both in writing and in person. My question is, since when is communication soft? If you're going to succeed as a CEO, you MUST have direct, clear, concrete communication. You must communicate not only with the people who report to you, but with your entire staff, your customers, and the media. Look at some more of the language:
Once again I’ve to ask how "hard" skills are associated with getting things done and "soft" skills are about, what, not getting things done? Allowed, this is language from a research study. But envision if a company used this kind of language? What message would it be sending to its female employees? I'm sure in the surveys they didn't apply loaded labels like "hard" and "soft" to skills. It would have tainted the results. (What self-respecting CEO would admit using "softs" skills in their job?) Now, I hear some of you grumbling out there ("There's nothing saying hard skills are male skills and soft skills are female skills. You're just making that up so you have something to gripe about, Holly.") True, there isn't a direct comparison. But I guarantee you, our cultural biases cause us to make subtle connections. How else could our own individual bias affect what we hear? Check out the comments on this fascinating post from the Pain In the English blog about the meaning of "No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley. Some people swore it was about romantic relationships with women:
Other people swore it had a different meaning:
Fascinating stuff. Same words, two totally different interpretations. My guess is that our own personal experience may influence the meaning we take away. What's the psychological impact of the words you use? What are you saying? What’s your audience hearing? [Editor's note: If you'd like to learn how to selected your words wisely, join Holly at the Persuasive On the internet Copywriting seminar on January 14th in sunny Orlando, Florida. She'll be one of the teachers, and there will be plenty of time to discuss ways to improve your online copy and branding. Accordingly, we're keeping the class size small, so early registration is suggested. Sign-up by this Friday and save $100!] ——————————————————————————–> This just in from the WAA: Help uncover the future of the internet analytics industry while gaining valuable insight at the same time. It's easy. Answer the questions in this groundbreaking survey: Web Analytics Association Survey: Outlook 2008. We'll send you an invitation to the results webcast in January 2008, and provide you with a […]
If you'd like to see the analytics industry shape up for the new year, don't be shy, take the survey! ——————————————————————————–> |
Powered by WordPress, Mandigo theme by tom.
Entries (RSS)
and Comments (RSS).
My husband and I travel frequently by plane so have to develop ways to get our luggage from place to place efficiently. Also, we’ve had to become adept with our carry-on bags. 
In a move that should add fuel to the 
Lots of people who've spoken with either 
75 years ago to the day, U.S. citizens, in the midst of the not-so-roaring 1930's, had their spirits lifted after a thirteen-year drought, otherwise known as the 
Maybe you’ve seen the ads where the 
A few months ago, Seth Godin put the word "seamless" into 
Even though the idea of shopping for gifts online sounds easy, too many e-commerce sites make it more difficult than it should be. Sure, you could purchase a gift card for everyone on your list, but what does a piece of plastic really say about how you feel? What ends up happening when customers give these 
Trying to figure out the perfect holiday gift for the blogger in your life? 
"Words schmords. What's so important about words? Images — that's where it's at. It's all about the images, right?"
