May 7, 2008 by ian
Internet Marketing isn't all misery and torture. So, in honor of National Grump Out Day, I dug deep and celebration-worthy advances in our industry: Analytics: No Longer Death By Details Two years ago, "analytics" meant "hope for the best". Lousy interfaces, slow reports, moronic support staff and high costs drove us all crazy. There haven't been any revolutionary changes since then. But industry consolidation, for once, may have been a good thing: The state of the art is far easier to use, runs faster, and (apart from the last week) very reliable. A lot of this, I think, is because…
Continue Reading 5 Internet Marketing Advances I Like, and What They Mean To You »
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April 28, 2008 by ian
In internet marketing, loathing beats fear any day. Loathing means you've evoked a passionate response. It also means someone out there loves you, too. Fear means you hide in a virtual corner, not letting anyone see you. Maybe no one hates you. No one loves you, either. Hiding In The Corner I've heard many CEOs and other businesspeople tell me they don't want to 'expose themselves to negative press' on the internet. They're afraid, and they don't want to put too much information about themselves or their organizations online, lest they arm detractors with juicy tidbits. So, they cower in…
Continue Reading Fear Or Loathing: Take Your Pick »
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April 21, 2008 by ian
It's tempting to offer stuff for free to lure in customers. And it can work (sometimes). Overused, it'll actually lead to unhappy customers, not happy ones. Here's how my family's new pets re-taught me this lesson. The Guinea Pigs Hated Me My kids persuaded me to adopt a pair of guinea pigs: Gandalf (my son's) and Crystal (my daughter's). First, I did not name Gandalf. That was entirely Harrison. With maybe a smidge of prompting by me. Second, I sort of encouraged them to persuade me to adopt the guinea pigs. Sue me. I am a definite animal lover. I…
Continue Reading Be Careful With 'Free': Guinea Pigs Teach Internet Marketing »
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April 17, 2008 by ian
Marketing is not about lying or cheating, or tricking consumers into wanting what they think you've got (even if you don't). So what is it? I've briefly opened my psyche's closet doors, shoved back the "Haven't studied for finals" nightmare, knocked out the three-headed monster that keeps yelling "Ian, the clowns are coming" and even dodged past my daughter marrying the leader of a right-wing biker gang to bring you my definition of marketing. I use this definition to test my assumptions, and keep myself honest: My Definition of Marketing Marketing: Giving authentic, compelling information to the right audience the…
Continue Reading What's Marketing? Peek Into A Marketer's Pysche »
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April 7, 2008 by ian
5 lessons religion can teach internet marketers: Have a tall steeple (or something similar). Make sure folks can find you when they're ready. Discoverability is the name of the game. Tell a good story. Have a compelling narrative about your brand. That way, when folks arrive they'll want to stay. Practice what you preach. Cough. OK, religions don't always do that well on this score. To succeed, though, you'd better know whereof you speak. That means believing in what you're selling. Let the believers do the marketing. Your happy customers can go out and tell their friends about you. They'll…
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April 4, 2008 by ian
If you're looking for an internet marketing firm that'll guarantee results, you're probably making a mistake. In this business, anyone who guarantees results is sneaky at best. There's fine print somewhere. A internet marketer can no more guarantee the results of a campaign than predict the weather. If I were marketing to computers, I could learn the system and guarantee the outcome. But I'm not helping you convince automatons. I'm helping you: Tell a great story; About a great product; To the folks who want it; When they want it. And those 'folks' are human beings. They're fickle buggers. If…
Continue Reading In Marketing, There Are No Guarantees »
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April 2, 2008 by ian
Yup, after a long hiatus, I'm reviewing sites again. Sorry for the layoff. First up is FS4Sports.com. FS4 comes across as a pretty standard e-commerce site: Cart, products, buy stuff please: The Problem: Internet Marketing Still Requires Marketing I see this a lot. Folks focus on the mechanics - the web site, the cart, the search engines - and ignore the fact that it's still marketing. A Google search for 'sporting goods' shows 96 million competing pages. They all look pretty much the same. They all offer things like free shipping. They all have sales going on. That's where the…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing is Still Marketing: FS4 Sports Reviewed »
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March 31, 2008 by ian
I've just written and recorded lesson 1 of a new internet marketing training course and would greatly appreciate feedback. So, here's the entire lesson, no registration or payment required: Lesson 1: Internet Marketing Basics & Conversation Marketing [HTML version] Lesson 1: Internet Marketing Basics & Conversation Marketing [Podcast Version] Biggest questions on my mind: Would anyone pay for access to this stuff? Can I launch with 5-8 lessons and add more later? Will my voice suck out your will to live, leaving you a dried carcass by the side of the road? (I swear I'll put more feeling into it…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Training Course, Lesson 1 - Feedback please »
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March 28, 2008 by ian
My Internet Marketing List of last week got one heck of a response - 22,000 unique visitors in 3 days. Even though most of you losers didn't subscribe to my RSS feed, it gave my limp, damp ego a nice boost. In the interest of beating a good idea to death, I bring you the Dark Side of that list. 49 things you really should not do in your internet marketing campaign (but I'll bet you are): Have a useless Flash intro on your site. HAH. I'll bet you thought I'd pull that after some of you told me I…
Continue Reading The Internet Marketing Unlist: 49 Things You Probably Are Doing But Shouldn't »
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March 26, 2008 by ian
No, we're not. Yes, CNET just cut 10% of their workforce. And we're seeing far too much of that lately. But before I go outside and commit hari kari with a USB thumb drive, let's get a little perspective. CNET's problems are a valuable lesson in internet marketing, but don't run for the hills just yet. A comparison with their competitors shows this has been in the offing for a while, and it has nothing to do with the economy. It's about their strategy. CNET got bloated CNET cut 120 jobs. That's 10% of their workforce. To publish an online…
Continue Reading CNET Cuts Staff 10%. We're All DOOOOOOMMMMEED!!!! »
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March 21, 2008 by ian
Internet marketing is about lots of little things, not one big one. This list is half-list, half-procedure. If you go down these items in order it might give you a decent internet marketing plan for the next few months. If you have others, post ’em as comments: If you have a Flash introduction on your web site, delete it. If you don’t agree, try this: Shove your head into a bucket of water. Stay in there, not breathing, for 10 seconds longer than is comfortable. That’s what you’re doing to your customers. Delete it, please. Check the load speed of…
Continue Reading The Internet Marketing List: 59 Things You Should Be Doing But Probably Aren't »
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March 20, 2008 by ian
Update: The point of this post is internet marketing, and the fact that honesty - and apologies - go much further than ignoring the problem. A few folks pointed out that I spent more time bitching about Alaska Airlines than talking about the marketing stuff. My bad. I usually try to sandwich my posts in some story from real life. It creates a connection, makes stuff make more sense, plus it's a lot more fun for me. This time, I leaned a little too far toward reality, I guess. If you want to skip my whining, go straight to Good…
Continue Reading Screw You: Alaska Airlines Teach Us About Internet Marketing and Customer Service »
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March 17, 2008 by ian
I was listening to Joseph Jaffe's most recent podcast and one concept blew me away: Old-style marketing was about interruption. No news flash there. But Jaffe's statement that marketing is now about discoverability really resonates: You must be present at the customers' convenience and request, not screaming at them 24/7.You must answer their questions when they ask, not when they happen to be watching TV.And you'd better give them an easy way to ask further questions. You could say internet marketing is like a good (gasp) conversation. A good conversation is between two willing participants. A bad one has one…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Is About Discoverability (Not Yelling) »
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March 14, 2008 by ian
Sometimes I forget to remind folks: I wrote an internet marketing book. It only costs $19.95. Yes, you can read it online for free. But for less than $20 you get the feel of crisp, recycled paper and the smell of printer's ink. And the warm fuzzy feeling that you helped keep Conversation Marketing afloat. Click here to buy it.…
Continue Reading Conversation Marketing: The Book (buy it!) »
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March 14, 2008 by ian
...It will want to get lots of visitors on its new site. So you get a few visitors on the new web site through some clever internet marketing. When you get visitors on the web site, you'll remind the CEO that the website exists. So he'll go look for it on Google. When he sees he's not on page 1 for the word 'the', he'll ask you why. So you'll explain how search engine optimization works. When you explain how SEO works, he'll tell you to go do it. So you go do it and traffic will double. When traffic…
Continue Reading If You Give A Corp. A Web Site... »
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March 3, 2008 by ian
You spent $150,000 on creative, ad space and some fancy-pants internet marketing strategist. You launched the campaign and held your breath. And nothing happened. You've got two options (please choose #1): Option 1: Live and Learn To me, no measured campaign can be a total failure. If you didn't have analytics in place when you launched your campaign, sorry, I can't help you. Fire your internet marketing agency and seek therapy. Then start over. You can glean great information from even the most depressing result: First, make sure the campaign really failed. If something beyond your control killed the…
Continue Reading Don't Drive Angry: Stepping Back from a Failed Internet Marketing Campaign »
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March 1, 2008 by ian
While I was at SMX West, Jim Hedger was kind enough to interview me for Webmaster Radio. You can listen to it in its entirety here. One small correction: My book, Conversation Marketing, has actually been around for a while. I am currently working on a new edition, though.…
Continue Reading Webmaster Radio Interview at SMX West »
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February 29, 2008 by ian
I just realized I’m a hobbit by profession. I re-read The Hobbit (for the 6th or 7th time). For those who haven’t read it, the hero is an intrepid hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. He travels with a band of dwarves to slay a dragon named Smaug. Bilbo keeps his compatriots honest. He risks life, limb and the wrath of his employers (the dwarves) because he knows they’ve made a bad choice. Most important, he helps keep the dwarves, elves and men from killing each other, and keeps everyone focused on the mission. Developers are like dwarves. They make cool stuff…
Continue Reading Handier Than Hobbits: Why You Need An Internet Marketing Pro »
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February 27, 2008 by ian
As I pointed out last week, I am not a huge fan of Disneyland. But a small cadre of Disneyland travelers have put together books and blogs that make even me enjoy the biggest human trap ever built by a mouse. Mrs. S. runs one such site, and submitted it for my quick site review. It's called Pocketful of Pixie Dust: The Good Stuff I love this site. It's niche, the design is funky but readable, and the writing is good. Each post has a nice big image, too. Some Tweaks I do have some ideas, though, that might generate…
Continue Reading 6 Small Changes That Can Boost Your Site: Pocketful of Pixie Dust »
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February 26, 2008 by ian
I just finished my presentation at SMX. It was an absolute blast. I sat on a panel with Gord Hotchkiss of Enquiro and Brian Bond of FutureNow, Inc.. A big crowd, lots of questions, great audience. Here are my slides, if you want 'em: slideshare.net/wrttnwrd/search-marketing-with-personas/ David Wallace at Search Engine Roundtable also wrote a blurb about the presentation: Click here to read it. Susan Esparza from Bruce Clay, Inc. did a really in-depth liveblog of the presentation too.…
Continue Reading Personas Presentation at SMX West: My Slides »
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February 21, 2008 by ian
If you can make visitors to your website feel like they're insiders, they'll buy, vote, read or otherwise convert into a great audience. I proved that to myself, today, at Disneyland. I hate Disneyland. It's the antithesis of everything I like: It's big, commercial, crowded, expensive and exhausting. Yet I spent the day at Disneyland today, and had a good time. Why? My wife found this great book, the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. Basically, it gives you the ideal schedule for a day at the park. When to show up, which gate to use to get in, which rides to…
Continue Reading Warning: Make Web Visitors Insiders, Or They Won't Buy »
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February 15, 2008 by ian
I may be engaging in excessive honesty in this post. If you're a client, or thinking of becoming one, you're getting a look at the closest thing to dirty laundry that Portent has. Some folks might tell me this is a bad idea. I disagree - there's a valuable lesson here. We got fired today. Well, it was a mutual firing, actually. The reason: We were too slow to respond to requests for things like a new image on the home page, or edits to an existing page. The client wanted 24-hour-turnaround. We couldn't deliver that. Our attempt to do…
Continue Reading Truthiness and Getting Fired: What's an Agency's Role? »
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February 11, 2008 by ian
Internet marketing is not SEO. It's not PPC. It's not e-mail or web design, or social media. It's the sum of many parts. Here's how I see it all fitting together: You can also download a PDF version here. Some Explanation If this is gibberish, you may want to skim through my book, which you can buy or read online for free. While I number the steps, this is not a linear process. It's a cycle that involves much random hopping around between 'Observe and Adjust', 'Know the Room', 'Sound Smart' and the other steps. If you don't have analytics,…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Strategy: A Step-by-Step Diagram »
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February 5, 2008 by ian
At least once a week, I see an e-mail exchange like this: Portent: Please make this one change on all pages of your site. Client: OK, we'll have that done in 2 months. Portent: What?! Client: Our IT (Information Technology) guys told us it'll take 2 months. Portent: We're asking you to change 'bumpers' to 'buggies' on the home page. Client: Well, the IT folks said that's a big change, and that they'll have to batch it with 3,000 other changes. Portent: (Pulls pin in head and explodes) Don't Blame IT If you won't let marketing run the web…
Continue Reading IT Department Wrecking Internet Marketing? It's Your Fault. »
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February 4, 2008 by ian
April 5th-6th, I'll be offering a 2-day internet marketing weekend. Here are the details: Everyone leaves with an internet marketing plan for their site, reviewed by peers. It'll be informal. It'll be in Seattle. I promise to be as sarcastic in person as I am online. I will prepare a worksheet for each site before we start, so we can hit the ground running. Day 1, you'll research and write personas for your site, and then brainstorm changes that will let you better cater to those personas. Day 2 will focus on getting the word out: You'll work on your…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Strategy Weekend: April 5, Seattle »
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February 1, 2008 by ian
In no particular order: No one's lives depend on what we do. But people's livelihoods do. So take your work seriously, and take pride in it. 75% of your audience uses a search engine to find you. Get used to it. All the banners and 'viral' marketing on earth won't come close to results produced by a top 5 ranking for a relevant phrase. But, a broad base is better. Don't rely on just one marketing vehicle. Build a complete internet marketing strategy that includes, at a minimum, paid search, organic search, e-mail and online PR. Never underestimate the power…
Continue Reading 15 Principles of Internet Marketing »
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January 31, 2008 by ian
The latest victim in my site review series is PerfectWeddingGuide.com. I've turned this review into a quick primer on internet marketing strategies for publications. Rex's site is a perfect case study insofar as he's in a very competitive space, and lives (I assume) on visitors and pageviews. More visitors and pageviews mean more advertising, and more money. 1. Remember Your Audience First rule of internet marketing: Know who you're talking to. This site caters to folks who are planning weddings. From long experience, we know certain common characteristics define someone who's planning a wedding: They're frazzled. They're in a hurry.…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing for Publications: Reviewing PerfectWeddingGuide.com »
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January 22, 2008 by ian
You've got something new, and nifty. You're excited about it. Of course everyone else wants to know about it, too. But how to get the word out? 2 Good Ways To Get The Word Out On the Internet Both these methods are about audience building. You build audience by giving them information, not a sales pitch. David Ogilvy knew that, long before the internets came along. Find the 50 most influential writers and bloggers in your space. For example, if you're a travel company, find travel bloggers. If you're a car company, find the car sites. Then send them one…
Continue Reading 2 Sure Ways to Launch a New Product Online. And 2 Sure Ways to Blow It. »
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January 18, 2008 by ian
I admit it. This is a blatant attempt to clever strategem brilliant marketing move to manipulate the search engines by writing about the phrase 'Conversational Marketing'. I would never really do such a thing. I am only joking. I swear. Of course, I usually write about 'Conversation Marketing'. But since Jack Meyers is writing about it as Conversational Marketing, and there are scads of folks writing about it using the -al I'm bowing to the herd. To me, at least, they're basically the same thing: The idea, taken from the Cluetrain Manifesto, that all markets are conversations. I started writing…
Continue Reading Conversational Marketing = Conversation Marketing »
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