May 11, 2010 by ian
The big BP oil spill has me thinking a lot about reputation management. British Petroleum handled things well, responding fast, expressing dismay, forking over cash, etc.. Then the finger pointing began: The feds point at BP. BP points at the oil rig owner. The rig owner points at Halliburton (remember them?). The installer points at the cook. And so on. BP could have taken the high road, but as the blame game goes on they sound more and more defensive. So, when your company starts gushing oil into the ocean, or sewage onto the internet, and you need to…
Continue Reading 5 ways NOT to handle reputation management »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 21, 2010 by ian
I know what everyone's saying about Facebook Open Graph: Facebook is bringing the whole web into their circle of influence. I suspect it's just the opposite, and that means a huge opportunity for a lot of business models that have suffered on the web. What you can do with Open Graph Open Graph lets site owners put a Facebook 'Like' button on their sites. I put one on Conversation Marketing this morning: Any Facebook user can then click 'Like', right on my site. They don't have to go to Facebook to do it. When they click 'Like', it shows up…
Continue Reading Facebook Open Graph - Bring your audience to you »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 7, 2010 by ian
I'm on a panel tomorrow night at SMC Seattle. I'll be talking super-specifics about using social media as a business. So, I've been doing a ton of thinking on how social media really works for small-medium businesses. I've tried to boil down the steps involved, and ended up with this cycle: Selection: You figure out where you're going to go to find your audience. Twitter? Facebook? Reddit? Creative: First, someone's gotta write, photograph and otherwise create stuff that'll attract attention. This can mean a set of blog posts, or something else. Outreach: Then you use the creative to draw in…
Continue Reading Social media campaign structure »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 2, 2010 by ian
This is partly in answer to several internet marketing questions folks have asked. It's also an extension of an op-ed piece Ric Anderson wrote (with some quotes from me - I'm still tickled about that) about Google's Topeka gag. Everyone asks The Question: How do I calculate the ROI from social media? That used to make me insane. ‘Used to’ meaning ‘February’. But then I realized something: Social media doesn't necessarily generate ’first hand‘ ROI: You may not get sales from huge social media exposure (or from any other media exposure, for that matter). In fact, most businesses won’t…
Continue Reading Social Media and Second-hand ROI: How it really works »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 22, 2010 by ian
Last week my creative well ran utterly dry. I asked folks to post internet marketing questions, and they obliged. This is one of those questions. Simon asks: I would really like help with which URL to use for a new ecommerce store blog, ie mystore.com/blog blog.mystore.com mystoreblog.com pros and cons of each would be great to know. Here you go, Simon - the answer: Using a subdomain If you put your blog on a subdomain - blog.mystore.com - search engines effectively treat your blog as a separate site. The good: Once you run a full link building and separate SEO…
Continue Reading Subfolders, subdomains and new domains: Where your blog should live »
comments (12) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 19, 2010 by ian
Update: The New York Times just announced their new 'metered pricing' plan, which does the opposite of my idea by charging the more loyal readers more than the one-stop lookie-loos, and offering no reward whatsoever. Read it here. Actually, it's my plan for how the New York Times can save itself. First, a little history: Back in June I wrote about search engines' steady move toward aggregation, and how we all have to adjust. Today, Jordan McCollum over at Marketing Pilgrim summarized a few reports rife with news publication hand-wringing. Apparently, only 56% of folks reading Google news ever…
Continue Reading My no-paywall plan to save the New York Times »
comments (8) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 12, 2010 by ian
Chris Brogan is one of the 'it' guys in social media right now. So when he and Julien Smith published Trust Agents, I figured I should give it a read. Julien is on a podcast called Media Hacks. He curses a lot, which makes me like him. I am, as you can likely tell, very skeptical of any book that claims to explain social media and internet marketing in less than 400 pages. So, at 260 pages, Trust Agents came in a bit high on the Ian Skepticism Scale. However, the book rocks. You gotta read it. What you'll learn…
Continue Reading Read Trust Agents »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 6, 2010 by ian
Congratulations! You've hired a social media manager! Now you can stop wasting your time talking to customers online, or blogging, or anything else in that weird online world. She can handle it all, right? Wrong. If your company has a 'social media manager', and she's responsible for all online conversations, you've both failed. Social media is a tool, not a technique Social media is another way to talk to current and potential customers. Like the phone on your desk, or e-mail. Do you have a single 'phone manager' at your office? Probably not (I hope). Do you have an…
Continue Reading Fire your social media manager »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 6, 2010 by ian
Junta 42 has published an ebook version of their 2010 marketing predictions. Look who are paired up on facing pages: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/5e19c2ad#/5e19c2ad/6…
Continue Reading Me and Seth, We're Like That »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 28, 2009 by ian
90% of web marketers, designers, developers, SEOs and such are going to screw you. Actually, I'm being charitable. It's closer to 99%. Since the first copy of Microsoft Frontpage appeared on the shelves at Toys R Us, everyone who can type has assumed they're fully-qualified internet marketers. They'll nod vigorously, tell you they can do x and y, take your money, and then poof. You're knee-deep in crap with an uneditable, unproductive web site. Now you have 3 choices. You can blame the Universe, assume that 100% of web marketers are hell-bent on cheating you, and give up. The internet's…
Continue Reading 11 ways to not get screwed: Your guide to working with a web pro »
comments (7) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 9, 2009 by ian
When discussing social media marketing, lots of folks, including me, say things like 'be authentic' and wave our hands around. That makes you want to kick me in the coccyx, I'm sure. So, here's a list of 45 specific things you should be doing. Learn HTML. Learn. It. It's not that hard. Read Pearsonified's cool post about semantic markup for blogs if you want to dive deep. If title tags make you itch, then just focus on learning the following HTML tags: P, H1, H2, H3, A, UL, OL, LI, STRONG, and EM. Come ON. It's only 10 tags.…
Continue Reading The Social Media Marketing List: 45 things you should be doing but probably aren't »
comments (29) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 19, 2009 by ian
Use Twitter auto-follow tools. Cut other people down. Sell products you know are crappy. Don't take advice. Ever. WRITE E-MAILS IN ALL CAPS. Misuse words. Amelioratingly. Latch onto one idea and don't let go. Two legs good, four legs baaaaad. Whatever you do, never admit you're wrong. Whatever you do, never stop reminding others of their mistakes. Let fear rule your marketing. Sell to the loophole, not the customer.…
Continue Reading 11 ways to be a schmuck »
comments (7) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 22, 2009 by ian
Yo, realtors: You guys rock. You help people make the biggest purchase of their lives. But you don't understand marketing. Or at least it seems that way. Here are a few tips: Don't send me canned e-mails with the same content that every other realtor is sending me. It does nothing for me, or you. Do send me a short note telling me about changes in the neighborhood, or big changes you think are coming to my block, or your new puppy. Pick something I care about! Build your own site. Your agency page is nice and all, but it…
Continue Reading 13 Internet marketing tips for Realtors »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 6, 2009 by ian
I don't buy the whole "Gourmet was a luxury brand in a recession" economy argument. How'd they get through the 70s? The 80s? The early 90s? They're dying, in part, because the publisher refused to accept the Internet as a business channel. Here's a quote from CBC News: "The magazine industry in the U.S. has been hit by a slumping ad market, with Gourmet's ad pages down 50 per cent. The food magazine also lost out to internet recipes and food writing." Well, duh. How easily could Gourmet have avoided the chopping block? Oh, maybe change a title tag or…
Continue Reading Why Gourmet Died: Publishers, pay attention »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 7, 2009 by ian
I am not an optimistic person. So, I spend lot of time sitting around planning for whatever catastrophes might strike me and my clients as we carry out marketing campaigns. Here's a short list (yes, this is the short list) of the worst calamities and how I try to prevent them, or deal with them when they inevitably occur: 1. The typo I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill typo. This is a case of stupid fingers that, oh, changes someone's product name from 'Colony Explorations' to 'Colon Explorations'. The fix: A good proofing and editing workflow. Re-take that Mavis Beacon…
Continue Reading 17 Internet marketing disasters, and how to prepare for them »
comments (10) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 26, 2009 by ian
I've tried nice, mild titles like 'techniques for better internet marketing'. Figured this might grab folks' attention a little more effectively. Let's face it: We all want to kick our competitors' collective asses. I've never met a competing CEO who I didn't like. Yet I still want to make them cry like little babies, "Stop it Ian, you're taking all our businesssssssssss!" Here's 18 ways I've found particularly effective: 1: Pay attention to detail If every form and link on your site works, guess what? You're in the top .00001% of web sites! Chances are, your competitor is not. Every…
Continue Reading 18 ways to kick your competitor's ass, online »
comments (25) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 6, 2009 by ian
Everyone does lists of things you should do. In my continuing quest to turn all sanity on its head, here's a random list of things that should be stopped: Stop using automated Twitter follow tools. They don't make you an internet marketing genius. Dump the auto-blog content generator. You sound like a moron. Stop telling the whole world about your latest trick for building links. Because it just pisses me off. Oh, god, don't send any more unsolicited e-mails. If I have to even tell you this, you should be forced to watch back to back Three's Company episodes…
Continue Reading Just stop. OK? »
comments (10) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 5, 2009 by ian
Marketing plans are to 21st century marketing what the F-22 is to 21st century warfare: Cool and shiny-looking, but pricey and unhelpful. Your carefully-prepared 12-month marketing plan will fail. Here's why: It assumes a static situation. You can't create a marketing plan that looks 12 months out and accounts for even a fraction of the possible changes in your audience. So you make assumptions based on right now. Which just passed you by - here that? Whoosh. There goes another one... It assumes you're selling to computers. You grind the demographic data, conduct focus groups and then take the oh-so-spontaneous…
Continue Reading 5 Reasons Your Marketing Plan Will Fail »
comments (12) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 21, 2009 by ian
If you know more than 5 people, chances are you now know someone who declares themselves a social media expert. How can you tell if someone's claim of expertise is legit? Here's my quick quiz. Ask each question and take the appropriate action: 1: Do you have a blog? If the expert answers 'no', that may be OK. Follow up with something like 'Oh, you're using Posterous instead?'. If they look at you blankly, end the meeting there. No sense wasting your time. If the expert answers 'yes', get the address and go look. If they've been blogging for…
Continue Reading 10 Questions to Evaluate a Social Media 'Expert' »
comments (75) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 16, 2009 by ian
Meet Dappa. He's my World of Warcraft (WoW) character. He's sadly neglected these days, but I've played World of Warcraft a fair bit, and notice some startling similarities to internet marketing: It's very hard to walk away I'm not one of those guys who has to wear adult diapers because I spent 12 hours welded to my computer, but WoW is definitely addictive. Internet marketing is pretty hard to leave alone, too, and it'll suck you in. The quests are never-ending Part of my love-hate relationship with World of Warcraft is the fact that you're never, ever, ever, done. Just…
Continue Reading 10 Ways Internet Marketing is Like World of Warcraft »
comments (8) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 14, 2009 by ian
It's very, very hard to measure social media in a way that credits it with all the great stuff it can do for an organization. Sure, you can measure clicks from each social media outlet, and measure conversions from those clicks. But that's a tiny, tiny sliver of the real story. Here are three metrics I use to measure social media. Two of them require work. But that's why we get paid, I believe. 1: Conversions Track conversions, straight-up. If you run a Facebook campaign and get 500 new orders in 3 days, woo hoo! Your work paid off. If…
Continue Reading 3 Ways to Measure Social Media ROI »
comments (6) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 8, 2009 by ian
I'm no branding expert but the SciFi Channel's new brand feels to me like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. After she hit bottom. When will CMOs understand that branding is not your name, or your logo? If you're a channel on my television, then your brand is your programming. When you go from FireFly and Battlestar Galactica to Warehouse 13 and Sand Serpents (WTH?), the prettiest logo and the pithiest name in the world isn't going to save you. I just looked into 'Sand Serpents'. The summary (quoted from the SyFy web site) is: "Danger lurks beneath a platoon…
Continue Reading SyFy? Sigh Fie? Cy Figh? 'Branding' Gone Wrong »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 7, 2009 by ian
I had a hard, hard lesson in crisis communications last week. Thursday evening our data center at Fisher Plaza went 'kerploop'. That's the short hand for "a perfect storm of stupid design, a fire and really bad luck took out all power to one of Seattle's primary data centers, shutting down two TV stations, a few radio stations, Authorize.net and several hundred other sites". You can read my timeline here, or read the media's take on the whole mess here. The crisis Among those several hundred sites were 20-30 of our clients. Suddenly, we had no 'state of the art'…
Continue Reading AUUUUGH: Social Media For Crisis Communications »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 8, 2009 by ian
Search engines are changing from web indexes to content aggregators. Remember the good old days, when a higher ranking meant more traffic from a search engine? Well, those days may soon be gone. Search engines are scraping content from your sites and embedding it in their own search results (aggregating). And they're doing it more and more. Microsoft's Bing is the latest example of search engines as aggregators, rather than indexes. Go to Bing.com, search for 'LA Lakers', and you get a list of results. Roll over a search result, though, and you get a detailed look at the content…
Continue Reading Aggregation Aggravation: Part 1 »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 18, 2009 by ian
The fastest, easiest way to improve sales on your site? Reduce your shopping cart bailout rate. A 'bailout' (aka an abandonment) occurs when someone starts the checkout process, then leaves without completing their purchase. It's like someone got in line at the grocery store and then left their pears, diet soda and last-minute junk food purchases rolling around on the conveyor. Here are 8 things you can change, right now, to reduce cart abandonment: Dump the registration. I don't know why I still have to say this. Don't make people register to buy stuff from you. It's like you're waving…
Continue Reading 9 Ways to Reduce Cart Abandonment »
comments (11) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 25, 2009 by ian
I read a great post today about a tricky link-building technique. The technique is totally legit, builds links from a major domain, and is pure gold. Of course, now that's it's been published, 150,000 other people will immediately run out, abuse the hell out of it, make Google take notice, and flush the entire technique down the toilet. I am all for sharing information. I do a lot of it on this blog. But before you publish that secret technique, think about whether you're: A journalist, reporting on happenings in the industry; or An internet marketing professional with a responsibility…
Continue Reading Are we journalists, or marketing professionals? »
comments (8) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 25, 2009 by ian
This is a quick preview of the webinar I'm running tomorrow. Marketing departments that used to sniff at internet marketing are now falling over themselves trying to shift dollars from offline to online marketing. I believe the thinking is that online marketing will get them a better return for less dollars in a tight economy. Okaaaay... While it's certainly a solid strategy to move online, it pays to put a little thought into it, first: Verify your infrastructure. Before you shift dollars from offline to online, make sure you can actually take care of all those online customers. Do you…
Continue Reading 5 Tips For Moving Your Offline Marketing Budget Online »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 25, 2009 by ian
I'll spare you the sales pitch. You can read about the webinar here. It's free, and should be a fun session. I'll be talking about transitioning offline marketing dollars online.…
Continue Reading Free Webinar Tomorrow: Moving your offline marketing budget to the Internet »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 23, 2009 by ian
Note! This post has caused a kerfuffle! Read it at your own risk! I'm getting ready for tomorrow's Northwest Entrepreneur Network meeting. I have to give some opening remarks, and as always I find it a little easier if I write down my thoughts. The panel is about 'Social Media' and 'Social Networking'. Love the concept. Hate the terms. Before we all get swept up in the hype around social this and media that, it pays to step back, take a deep breath, and get some perspective: First, the phrase is ridiculous. Have you ever heard of 'anti-social media'? Second,…
Continue Reading Anti-Social Media »
comments (18) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 7, 2009 by ian
Your boss comes to you and says "I need [insert seemingly impossible request here]." What do you do? You can deluge your already harried superiors with questions, until you all give up in frustration. Or, you can (gasp) research, analyze and solve the problem. Not many people know how to do this. Your brain is 3 pounds of problem-solving muscle. Exercise it regularly and you'll go far. Here's how: Get into the right frame of mind. Problem solving is fun. You're about to learn something cool. Go for a quick walk, or listen to the sound track of 300 to…
Continue Reading 10 Ways To Think For Yourself: A Geek's Guide to Problem Solving »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 22, 2009 by ian
"OK, but how do we know what you did helped our business? Maybe it was a coincidence." Just writing that caused me to hurt my head pounding it against the bulkhead of this airplane. I'm currently on an Alaska Airlines 737, en route back to Seattle after a travel week that felt like someone was repeatedly kicking me in the tenders. Once the nice flight attendant determined I hadn't gone insane and was about to start belting out Stevie Wonder tunes while ripping off my clothing, she cautiously headed up the aisle to resume glaring balefully at anyone who…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing is About The Narrative »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 3, 2008 by ian
Update: I'm going! See you there! Jeremy Schoemaker and his gang of internet marketing geeks just opened their second annual Elite Retreat for registration. It's expensive. Really expensive. So expensive that if you have to ask, you may as well move on. But it's the best dollars you can spend, because: Jeremy Schoemaker earns money hand over fist. Online. With a computer and stuff. We're talking great big gobs of cash, not little bits here and there. He's one of the speakers. Aaron Wall, SEO guru, is another speaker. Kris Jones, Mr. PepperJam Network, is another speaker. Neil Patel, marketing…
Continue Reading 12 Reasons to Go to the Elite Retreat »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 23, 2008 by ian
There's a difference between mythology and marketing. Mythology is what makes people say "I don't know why, but I just need a web site". Or "We should add some social media stuff to our site". Marketing is what makes people say "We have a national audience. A web site will help us reach them". Or "Our customers want to talk to each other. Let's add a comments feature." Mythology makes blogs seems like their own unique place on the web. Marketing means applying blogs as a unique way to manage content (which is really all they are). Mythology makes people…
Continue Reading Of Mythology and Marketing »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 13, 2008 by ian
If you read my previous post, you know I'm pretty angry right now. I don't like seeing good people get lousy service, especially when it hurts the future of their business. So I've channeled that anger into a list of things that any competent internet marketing type should include in an online store. If you're entrusting your online business to a designer or developer, then ask them to write this list down. If they miss any items, you hire them at your own risk. A good online store must: Not require that customers log in to check out. Explain to…
Continue Reading 17 Features for E-Commerce Success »
comments (15) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 13, 2008 by ian
Please don't take this personally, unless you're a crappy developer, in which case I don't care. For less rant and more information, see 17 Features for E-Commerce Success. I'm angry (angrier). I am sick of the following story: Client hires developer to build e-commerce site. Developer nods vigorously when asked if they know how to build a store that actually, you know, sells stuff. Developer lets no one see the site during construction. Site launches and is a total disaster. Developer asks for more money to fix the product of his/her own mental retardation. 12 years ago, I could…
Continue Reading E-Commerce Lessons (a rant) »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 25, 2008 by ian
John McCain took a big gamble yesterday, saying he was suspending his campaign until Congress could work out the $700 billion bailout plan. It was a bad gamble, because he violated 4 of the 5 basic rules of crisis marketing. I usually apply these rules to internet marketing, but they tend to work everywhere: 1: Don't Contradict Yourself Without Explanation First rule: If you said "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" two weeks ago, don't turn around and say "Holy crap, this is a disaster!" You start sounding like Herbert Hoover, you confuse your audience, and you start…
Continue Reading 5 Tips for Crisis Marketing: The Perils of Being McCain »
comments (7) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 19, 2008 by ian
I am sick of social media. Social this. Social that. Everyone asks me whether I ‘do social media’, and it's hard to resist the urge to caper around like a lunatic yelling “Am I being social? Am I?! Then quick, call the media!!!!” I hate the phrase, the concept and the need for sound bites and catchphrases that spawned it. Sigh. But it’s still important, so I’ve developed a routine that lets me steadily build my credibility in various social media outlets. Remember, social media is partly based on reputation. Build your reputation by contributing to the community, and…
Continue Reading 5 Daily Social Media Builders In Less Than 10 Minutes (Total!) »
comments (23) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 10, 2008 by ian
Real branding is really hard, and I suck at it. So, I've had to come up with simpler, faster ways to make sure that, when I'm hired to do some internet marketing, I don't pick up a client's brand, rip it into a thousand tiny pieces and shove it into the garbage disposal. Here's a quick test I use to see if my brand assumptions are on track: The Hiring Test Imagine you're hiring your very first employee. Figure out three phrases that describe the perfect hire. Make sure they're more specific than 'fast' or 'smart'. For example, at Portent…
Continue Reading Branding In 30 Seconds »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 29, 2008 by ian
Hi Senator. Not a fan, but I am an admirer. Please don't hate me if I don't vote for you this November. I do have some advice for you, though. Events are catching up to you online, fast. In the last hour I've watched stories about your running mate sink into the blogging world, and watched bloggers latch onto them like rabid schnauzers. So, go do a few things asap: Buy the word 'creationism' in Google Adwords. Point it at a page that explains Sarah Palin's views, and why they won't mean a Federal mandate (or will, if you prefer)…
Continue Reading 5 Social Media Things John McCain Should Be Doing RIGHT NOW »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 29, 2008 by ian
Yo, Barack. Loved the speech. I've got a little advice: Since you're worried (I'm sure you are) about conservative Democrats fleeing to McCain, why not Digg and otherwise promote any and all stories about his new running mate's uber-conservative political views? If those stories move up on Digg, they'll get more attention. Then they'll move up elsewhere. A Google search on creationism already displays a news article about her. Keep up the momentum. Boost visibility of discussions about unhappy conservatives. Take a page from McCain's book. Link to the Daily Kos' survey of GOP members talking about the ticket. Buy…
Continue Reading 5 Social Media Things Barack Obama Should Be Doing RIGHT NOW »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 28, 2008 by ian
The worst mistake in internet marketing? Making things too complicated. It pumps up costs, slows site launches and keeps you offline when you could be online, selling stuff. Who makes that mistake? You do. When you insist that that one feature is so important you can't live without it, you're killing yourself. If you can get 90% of the function with 10% of the effort, shouldn't you? So, here's a list of features I think your site can probably do without, at least for now: Integration with your inventory management system. If you're already selling lots online, great! Spend the…
Continue Reading 15 Features Your Site Doesn't Need »
comments (11) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 26, 2008 by ian
I've been fighting this sinking feeling that we're headed for another four years (or eight) of a Republican President. Not that I have anything against John McCain except that I'll never vote for him. But I'm a pretty staunch Democrat, and it'd be nice to blame my own party for the world's problems for a change. In the last presidential election, I formulated a theory that the most social media-savvy party would win. John Kerry and the DNC pretty much screwed the pooch every chance they got. Bush, on the other hand, had some remarkably media-savvy folks doing everything from…
Continue Reading The Democrats Lose: Comparing the Convention Web Sites »
comments (19) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 19, 2008 by ian
Folks keep asking me whether I'm an SEO professional. Not exactly - I'm an internet marketing pro. So why, they ask, do you spend so much time worrying about search rankings, pay per click and keywords? Let me put it into pictures. Imagine the internet is a goldfish bowl, and traffic is food: Search engines dominate traffic, customers, conversions and everything else that matters. Design that Flash-only site if you want. Put your text into images because it looks better. But I'll still laugh at you when you get zero business. Any questions?…
Continue Reading Search Engines Are the Biggest Goldfish »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 11, 2008 by ian
Monster trucks. Why? But about a Seattle's worth of people go to these shows every year. A lot of people think monster trucks are really cool. I may not agree, but I doubt those folks would be all that excited at my taste in video games. So we're even. As marketers, we have to get past our own biases and attitudes. We need to use personas and other tools to get into our audience's heads. Otherwise, we may miss the best message, the best keywords or the best product presentation. Most important, we'll miss the real value that the…
Continue Reading MONSTER JAM: NOW NOW NOW NOW!!!!! »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 21, 2008 by ian
Social media and SEO are now inextricably linked. You couldn't separate 'em if you tried. I used to tell clients "Hey, we'll do SEO, and if you pay us extra we'll execute a nice social media marketing campaign, too". Truth is, though, you can't do a good job in SEO any more without social media marketing. And you sure as heck won't succeed in social media marketing if you ignore SEO. SEO Needs Social Media Search engine optimization, at its core, is based on relevance and authority. Relevance comes from content that has the right keywords and concepts. What's…
Continue Reading You Can't Separate Social Media and SEO »
comments (34) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 17, 2008 by ian
I'm ranting again. I got up bright and early this morning to try and grab some good domains in the big .ME landrush. I was pleasantly surprised when I landed about 2/3 of the domains I wanted. GoDaddy charged my PayPal account, sent me order confirmations and said "Hey! Good job!". Then, a few hour laters, they started sending me these: Evil? Probably not. Stupid? Definitely I don't think GoDaddy would be stupid enough to bait-and-switch, grabbing domains folks try to buy and then selling them at a premium at auction. But I do think they were stupid enough to…
Continue Reading The .ME Bait-and-Switch: GoDaddy Screws Up »
comments (7) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 19, 2008 by ian
Today's post will be very short. Potential clients ask me more and more, "Why should I spend $10,000 [or any other amount] on internet marketing every month? What will I get for it?" I don't know. I'll say it again: I. Don't. Know. I can no more predict the results of an internet marketing campaign than I can predict the price of oil 10 years from now. There are no guarantees. So, when you ask this annoying, annoying question, you give me 2 choices: I can lie. Or I can be honest and lose the job to the next guy,…
Continue Reading Justifying Internet Marketing »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 10, 2008 by ian
I spent the morning trying not to pop every blood vessel in my head. My blood pressure increased as I had to dump first one, then a second hosting company in a period of 8 hours. I won’ go into the details. It’s still too painful. What little stomach lining is left needs some time to recover. Suffice it to say I ignored my Four Rules For Picking A Hosting Company. Site hosting is critical to an internet marketing campaign. If your servers choke, you get no customers. If your hosting company’s tech support is clueless, you'll lose time (which…
Continue Reading How To: Choose a Hosting Company That Won't Drive You Insane »
comments (13) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 5, 2008 by ian
Every internet marketing decision you delay wastes money. "But Iannnnn," you say, "What if I'm wrong? People will laugh at me!" It's true, I may laugh at you. It makes me feel better. But do some math: Decide to invest $10,000 in internet marketing campaigns. 50% are successful. 50% fail. The failures cost you $5,000. Ouch! Fire the damned internet marketer! He's a moron. But wait: The successes, earning a modest 2:1 ROI, earned you $10,000. You broke even. Get a more reasonable 3:1 ROI and you earned $15,000 with a $10,000 investment. Plus, next time around, you know what…
Continue Reading The Internet Marketing DO List: Get Earning, Stop Talking »
comments (7) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 4, 2008 by ian
I've never heard anyone say "Gosh, I sure am looking forward to hiring an internet marketing agency!" Mostly they mutter something and shuffle past, sure they're doomed. It doesn't have to be that way. I've talked a bit about this before, but I just recorded this talk/video/slideshow that goes into it in some depth: You can also grab it off my iTunes Podcast feed once it updates, or from my direct podcast feed. There remains nothing worse, for me at least, than having to listen to my own voice. I hear every throat-clearing and flubbed phrase. If it's as bad…
Continue Reading How To: Hire and Work With an Internet Marketing Agency »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 28, 2008 by ian
I haven't read a marketing book in a while. After wading through the stack of titles on my nightstand I'd gone on a literary vacation, rereading old Foxtrot anthologies instead. But branding has always been a puzzle for me. How do you turn a concept into a story into a brand? That people actually care about? So when I got David Vinjamuri's book - Accidental Branding - in the mail, I dove in. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's an engrossing read, following the stories of seven well-known companies and their leaders. Vinjamuri met and interviewed each of them, so the…
Continue Reading How To Create A Brand - Accidental Branding Book Review »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 22, 2008 by ian
StumbleUpon can provide a valuable boost to an internet marketing campaign: It can indirectly lift link building efforts. A lot. Read on and I'll explain how it works, how I researched this, and how you can get the same benefits. What Is StumbleUpon? Skip this section if you already know this. StumbleUpon is half site, half toolbar. You create an account online, then download their toolbar. From then on, you can give sites you visit a 'thumbs up' or a 'thumbs down': You can also click the 'Stumble!' button to see what other folks liked. As you like/dislike those sites,…
Continue Reading StumbleUpon Traffic IS Worth Something: Links »
comments (16) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 19, 2008 by ian
You can succeed in internet marketing without learning every facet of the business. You can do it the same way you succeed in, say, brain surgery if you're not a surgeon. Or in car repair if you're not a mechanic. You find someone who's good at it. You pay them. You succeed. It's the "good at it" part that can be rough. Matt McGee sent me this gem from YouTube today, where an SEO expert novice B.S. artist tells the audience that '305 links will get them a pagerank of 5 on Google'. She must be smoking the best weed…
Continue Reading 3 Steps to Internet Marketing Success (Without Becoming an Expert) »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 13, 2008 by ian
Let's face it. Customers are a pain in the ass. Always asking for annoying things like service, honesty, quality. Always whining if they don't get what they want. Well, you're in luck. Here's my 13-step process for making sure your customers hate you. Just build these features into your web site. They're like an internet marketing mullet: 1: The Flash Intro I've written about this three times now. Somehow people still argue with me, saying that 120 seconds of totally pointless dancing raisins, spinning squares and cheesy, porn-inspired music loops is a good marketing tactic. It's not. It's. Just. Not.…
Continue Reading 13 Ways To Generate Customer Hate »
comments (62) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (7) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (12) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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…
Continue Reading 5 Lessons Religion Can Teach Internet Marketers »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (10) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (10) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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!!!! »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (114) | trackbacks (1) | permalink
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 »
comments (8) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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) »
comments (6) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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!) »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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... »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (0) | trackbacks (1) | permalink
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 »
comments (6) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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? »
comments (6) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (6) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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. »
comments (6) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (18) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (9) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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. »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
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 »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 17, 2008 by ian
Jonathan bravely stepped up and volunteered his site for a review and recommendations. First off, Jonathan, this is solid. The look is simple and clean, and nothing blinks. That puts you in the top 99% of web sites. Seriously, it looks good. First impression is positive, and that's important: And you're using Feedburner for your RSS feed, which is fantastic. But no site's ever done. Here's what I'd change: Set priorities. This is the biggest problem I see right now. What's the goal of your site? Right now everything on your home page has equal priority: Your phone number, the…
Continue Reading 6-Step Site Review, #1: Guide To Seattle Real Estate »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 11, 2008 by ian
The R word is in the American air again: Recession. Hard to believe it hasn't already hit, given the money pouring out of the USA, the lack of money coming in, and our, cough, leadership. OK, I just got political for a second. I'm sorry. Note that I'm not specifying any particular leaders, though. Republicans and Democrats can choose who to blame. If you run a web site, it's easy to sit back and shut your eyes as we start the long downward roller coaster ride. But there are some things you can do to recession-proof your internet marketing: Make…
Continue Reading 11 Recession-Proof Internet Marketing Methods »
comments (9) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 9, 2008 by ian
I spent the day today looking at pitch pieces by a few internet marketing 'experts'. Now I feel dirty. But, in the interest of promoting knowledge, here I am, passing along knowledge gained at the expense of my appetite. There were a few selling strategies that all of the pitches had in common. So, here are three signs you should steer clear of a company or expert: They promote a Secret Recipe for Great Success. "The only reason no one else has used our secret method is because they're all too stupid! Yes, learn from us and we'll show you…
Continue Reading 3 Signs The Pitch is Slimey »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 8, 2008 by ian
Sure, I could try to predict what'll work in 2008. But I'll point to things like great marketing copy, audience measurement and analytics, your eyes will roll back in your head and my subscriber count will fall even further. It's much more fun to point out what'll flop in 2008. Here are the Internet Marketing 'trends', pushed by the pundits, we can comfortably ignore in 2008: Facebook. Big bad Facebook ended 2007 by giving out private data, started 2008 with a thud and have never established that they're a decent sales platform. While they show promise as a branding center,…
Continue Reading 11 Internet Marketing Trends to Ignore for 2008 »
comments (29) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 7, 2008 by ian
You need an internet marketing strategy, even if it's just "sell lots of stuff". Here's how you do it: Tear up the old marketing plan. Chances are, if your company's been around for a few years, someone wrote you a marketing plan. It probably has an executive summary, spans 3 years, and cost a lot of money. Feed it into the shredder. Planning for marketing conditions 3 years from now is like breathing through your ears: It defies anatomy, and common sense. Now breath deep, and enjoy the smell of freedom. Promise yourself you'll plan 3 months, not 3 years,…
Continue Reading 10 Steps to a Sound Internet Marketing Strategy »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 30, 2007 by ian
If you're new to Conversation Marketing, here are a few articles and other writings you might want to review: 5 Must-read Books for Internet Marketers I have a copy of each, dog-eared and sticky-noted. 65 Ways to Improve Online Sales I couldn't come up with 99. Conversation Marketing, the Book I published my entire book online. I'm writing version 2, now, with a lot more detail, but this is still a nice introduction to internet marketing strategy. If you're more of a print person, you can buy a copy here. Blog Stupidhead Dumb Poop Blog!!!! Because really, it had to…
Continue Reading 17 Conversation Marketing Articles You May Have Missed »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 28, 2007 by ian
When I take my child to use your web site, it had damned well better work. My daughter just got a Rescue Pet. They're adorable little stuffed puppies. They come with a code you can use at www.myepets.com to log in, groom your pet, furnish a little house for it, etc.. The fun stopped there. The myepets.com web site is a catastrophe. After 30 minutes of futility, I had to give up, and it's all their fault. But try explaining that to your 5 year old. So, here are 6 ways you can not make my daughter (or other…
Continue Reading 6 Ways to Keep My Daughter From Crying: A lesson in internet marketing »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 28, 2007 by ian
Ever the capitalist, I'm looking for ways to earn a bit more money online these days. I'm considering: Creating a series of MP3s talking about internet marketing strategy. Writing an ebook, Conversation Marketing 2, and selling that. Selling answers, literally: Folks come to Conversation Marketing, ask a question, I answer it. If you like the answer, you pay for it. But then I realized, I should just ask. What would you pay for? What would you consider a waste? Answer with a comment, below. I appreciate your feedback.…
Continue Reading I'm asking you: What information would you pay for? »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 20, 2007 by ian
Hate the phrase 'viral marketing'? Sick of 'web 4.0'? Do this word search and you'll be out of your mind in minutes. I've embedded lots of irritating buzzwords and phrases in a puzzle. Find 'em all and you get the rewarding feeling of having found them all. Some phrases repeat in slightly different versions. That's because pundits did the same thing. All year. If you want to keep it with you forever, you can download it in PDF: wordsearch.pdf…
Continue Reading Marketing Buzzwords 2007 Word Search »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 17, 2007 by ian
If you've been following the PR world of late, you know that the social media press release (SMPR) has gotten a lot of attention. This update of the stodgy old press release tries to blend social networking, rich media and text into a single, self-updating landing page for the media. It's a compelling idea. One place where the media and your customers could stay up to date regarding a key story. A Great Idea, But No HTML Template? Todd announced a template for it last year. My only complaint about it is the fact that the template is in PDF,…
Continue Reading Social Media Press Release: The Next Step (an HTML template) »
comments (6) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 11, 2007 by ian
I'm on a list kick this week, probably because I'm surrounded by holiday shopping lists. Internet marketing is hard, but that doesn't explain why so many campaigns fail. Here's what I think goes wrong: Late starts. Internet marketing starts when you decide to build your web site. Not a week after it's launched, when your developers have all quit and your designer is on vacation in Aruba for a month. Ignoring search. There's no excuse for ignoring search engines. If you do, you're ignoring at least 75% of your market. Even if you're Nike, many searchers will find you buy…
Continue Reading 7 Reasons Internet Marketing Fails »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 10, 2007 by ian
We've all used 'em. I certainly have. Here are the 10 top excuses/lines you'll likely hear from your internet marketer, and what they really mean. With understanding comes peace. None of these are making fun of anyone except myself, I promise. These are in no particular order: Yes, I was just looking at those numbers. Translation: That's the 50th spreadsheet you've sent me this week. I am printing them for use as a blotter. Why don't we test that home page change? Translation: I am 99% sure that this is a horrible idea. But I know you're going to ram…
Continue Reading 10 Great Internet Marketing Excuses, and What They Really Mean »
comments (4) | trackbacks (1) | permalink
December 5, 2007 by ian
A slow site sucks, no matter how pretty it is. It sheds visitors and customers like a raincoat sheds water. It can even hurt your search engine rankings. Fortunately, there are lots of easy ways to accelerate your sluggish site. Here they are, from easiest and least geeky to most complex and/or most geeky: First, Make Sure There's a Problem Before you run down this list, make sure the problem is your site, and not your own internet connection. You can test it easily. Visit speakeasy.net/speedtest and find out how you're doing. If it turns out your cable modem is…
Continue Reading 31 Ways To Speed Up Your Site »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 3, 2007 by ian
Account management, long the bastion of 3-martini lunches and oh-so-happy clients, is dead, and internet marketing killed it. Well, traditional account management, anyway. I don't want to scare my employees. In the past, account managers had to know how to schmooz, and how to communicate. Their job was to advise the client about creative, shuttle work between the agency, the client and the publisher, and provide a good face for the company. They didn't have to know how the TV station would broadcast the ad, or the science behind 4-color printing, or how radios were built. Internet marketing is a…
Continue Reading Account Management is Dead »
comments (8) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 28, 2007 by ian
I am sitting in an coliform-riddled Best Western in Peru, Indiana right now (I'm not kidding about the e coli part), drinking bottled water and pondering the meaning of a marketer's life. The answer, I think, is 'Integrated Marketing'. Here's a conversation I had today with one of my sharpest clients: Me Smiling victoriously: ...and internet sales are up over 25% since 2005-2006. Client Frowning unhappily: Sure, but what if our catalogs did that? Me Nodding intelligently: Catalogs and other offline stuff definitely drive customers. Our online marketing insures that you're visible when they look for you. Client Parrying vigorously:…
Continue Reading Integrated Marketing To Clever Monkeys (the more things change...) »
comments (3) | trackbacks (1) | permalink
November 20, 2007 by ian
If you can't make a decision, don't go into marketing. Don't try to manage a marketing team, either. [if you couldn't tell - today's post is a rant] Or, as I like to say: Behind every bad marketing campaign lies a herd of managers. This is doubly true in internet marketing. 90% of internet marketing campaigns can be designed, executed and launched within 2-3 days. Seriously. Think about your last campaign. Was it a landing page? A blog entry? An Adwords campaign? How long did it really take to put the campaign together and run it? 4 hours? 10 hours?…
Continue Reading Marketing Is About Decisions. »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 18, 2007 by ian
Cyber Monday, if you didn't know, is the Monday following Thanksgiving. It's becoming a huge online shopping day. Think of it as Black Friday, only online, and on Monday. If you have an online store, and you haven't done anything yet, don't despair. There are still some things you can do: Look at last year's analytics and sales. Did you have a jump in sales on Cyber Monday? If so, what keywords generated the results? Up your pay-per-click spend for those keywords. Test your site!!! Make sure your shopping cart is working properly, nothing is lagging, speed-wise, and that…
Continue Reading 8 Ways To Get Ready for Cyber Monday »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 12, 2007 by ian
Need I say more? GrokDotCom has the article here. When you're done, you might want to read my articles about personas, too: Creating Great Personas The 4 Rules of Personas: Creating Great Personas, Part 2 3 Rules for Applying Personas to E-mail Marketing Search Marketing and Personas: Opening Your Customer's Heads Technorati Tags: personas…
Continue Reading Using Personas Boosts Conversion Rates 400% »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 10, 2007 by ian
Improving online sales isn't usually a start-over-from-scratch proposition. Here are 65 little tweaks that can make a big difference: Analytics Set up an analytics program, if you haven't already. Google Analytics is easy and free. You can see my video tutorials about it here. Set up conversion tracking in whatever analytics program you use. Use conversion tracking to figure out which advertising and keywords work, and which don't. Stop wasting money. Track the search terms people use to find your site. Make sure that the products matching the three most popular search terms appear on your home page. Do…
Continue Reading 65 Easy Ways To Improve Online Sales »
comments (14) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 7, 2007 by ian
I have 5 books that I re-read at least once a year. If you're an internet marketer, or looking to become one, I recommend having a look: “Ogilvy on Advertising†(David Ogilvy) Ogilvy's book is the definitive work, in my opinion. His advice, and his methods, are timeless. Ogilvy writes beautifully, too, so this is an enjoyable read. “Tested Advertising Methods (Prentice Hall Business Classics)†(John Caples, Fred E. Hahn) John Caples was quite a character, I think. His book changed advertising in the 20th Century. If you've had enough of folks telling you about 'eyeballs' and 'attention metrics',…
Continue Reading 5 Must-Read Books for Internet Marketers »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 29, 2007 by ian
Jeremiah asks: “What's the best way to balance a diverse web marketing budget? There should I allocate my funds? How do I prioritize, there are so many tools to consider.†Clearly, you should spend it all on your internet marketing agency. Ahem. The answer to this question depends on the type of business. If you're an e-commerce business, your focus is on acquiring customers. You need to spend a lot on search, organic and paid. Then social marketing, without question - one good blog review and you're set. Also build your house e-mail list, and use it. So I'd…
Continue Reading Allocating Your Online Marketing Budget: Stump Ian, Question 5 »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 25, 2007 by ian
How will this impact the little guys (like me)? When Google partnered with MySpace, they started running their PPC ads on MySpace, creating instant access for all Adwords advertisers. So far, Microsoft's cooperation with Facebook has led to ad opportunities with minimum buy amounts of $50k or so. Is this going to change? Is Facebook going to start showing ads in more places? Otherwise, where will they get the inventory to make their implicit $15 billion valuation make sense? Anybody? Bueller...? Technorati Tags: facebook, Microsoft, ppc marketing…
Continue Reading 2 Questions About the Facebook Microsoft Deal »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 22, 2007 by ian
Note: I've had a bad day. A very, very bad day. One that, after a good night's sleep, will fade away. But for now, it counts as bad, bad, bad. So take this with a grain of salt. That being said... Another note: I posted angry. Now I am eating crow, here. Are we all idiots? “All†meaning “me and some other peopleâ€. I'm starting to worry. I walked into my office today to see this post on GrokDotCom. Auuuuuuugh!!!! 'Viral Marketing' and 'Word of Mouth Marketing' are another way of saying 'marketing that works'. Well, 'word of mouth…
Continue Reading We're All Idiots »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 16, 2007 by ian
Rhys, who works at a non-profit, asked a great question: “I’m wondering, if I know I can't do everything that is important, what marketing options and best practices should I focus on, and which could be skimped?†Online, content still rules. Don't listen to anyone who tries to tell you otherwise. If you have a limited budget, and limited time, set your priorities like this: Write great, great content. Join a few social networks, like Facebook, and build a group of friends. Then post to your personal page when you've added content. Use StumbleUpon! Install their toolbar. Take a…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Priorities: Stump Ian, Question 2 »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 15, 2007 by ian
Riddle me this... It's that time again. Have a question about internet marketing? Stop sending me notes. He's the Riddler from the old Batman. Not a proctologist... Wondering why you can't move up on Google? Trying to decide whether you should sell your product/service online? Get some free help from yours truly: Post your question as a comment, below, and I'll answer it on the blog in the next day or so. If you stump me, I'll abstain from chocolate for a day... Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Stump Ian: Ask your internet marketing questions »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 9, 2007 by ian
Momentum is what keeps you moving. Acceleration is what gets you moving. In internet marketing, which is better? I would argue strongly that momentum is more important. Momentum means a search engine optimization campaign targeting many phrases, instead of just one. If you lose ranking for one phrase, you still have the others. Your progress is hard to check. Acceleration is that one phrase rising to #1. It's exciting. It presses you back in your seat. But it comes and goes. The ideal is steady acceleration and lots of momentum. But in an imperfect world, I'll vote for momentum…
Continue Reading Great Marketing vs Good Marketing = Momentum vs Acceleration »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 29, 2007 by ian
We just ran a 1-week radio campaign for a client using Google Radio Ads. The client had an existing ad, wanted airtime, but weren't sure where/when to place it. Since they already had an Adwords account, it made sense to try Google's Audio Ads system. We learned some valuable lessons, so I'm passing them along here: Use a unique phone number in your ad, so that you can track calls generated by the radio spot. Google audio ads has a nifty call tracking feature that will help you do this. Create a unique offer, if possible. That way, you…
Continue Reading Make the Most of Google Audio Ads: 4 Tips »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 27, 2007 by ian
Seth points us to a diagram by Aaron at SEOBook. He explains that it's too complex. I agree. But it's also too simple. It ignores the back-and-forth. Things don't just feed outward like that, and I'm always leery of this kind of stuff - how many people will see this and take it as marketing gospel? Aaron has lots of great stuff, but this one's off the mark. If I may be so bold, I think a diagram showing effectiveness by type of vehicle, and the interrelationships, is more effective. Sorta like this one: click here. Technorati Tags: internet…
Continue Reading Trees, Chunking, and Oversimplifying »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 20, 2007 by ian
I kept a list of the types of things I did today. Here it is: Web analytics for an e-commerce site. Internet marketing strategy for a non-profit. Search engine optimization for yet another e-commerce site. Usability & creative review for someone's blog. Writing for my blog. Streaming video consulting. Sometimes it gets ugly in my office. If you're an internet marketer, what do you do in any given day? Technorati Tags: fun, internet marketing…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing: Game of Many Hats »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 20, 2007 by ian
Hi all. If I could get some feedback on this I'd be very, very grateful: Technorati Tags: video, YouTube, YouTube Ads…
Continue Reading My First YouTube Video Ad: Opinions Please... »
comments (6) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 19, 2007 by ian
Someone actually said this to me today. Actually, they said it to my voicemail, which is even more amazing: “Our network is a best-of-breed digital advertising system with direct access to your best customers through behavioral profiling and demographic targeting.†Wow. I think they were trying to say: “Please call me back and spend your clients' money with us. We will help you put ads where they'll work best.†But instead came out more like this: “Babble babble advertising blah blah blah behavioral bleah bleah demographics blah blah.†A quick hint for anyone selling advertising, especially if you're pitching…
Continue Reading Horrific Marketingspeak #992 »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 16, 2007 by ian
Well, yeah. It is, and Brett explains why. You can develop an internet marketing strategy around a broad, dispersed audience: The 'shotgun approach', where you get yourself in front of as many people as possible and hope for the best. Or, you can develop a strategy around a deep, focused audience, where you learn the territory from top-to-bottom, and pick out your ideal customers, one at a time. That's why analytics (Observe and Adjust) and awareness of audience (Know the Room) are so very important. They allow you to continuously refine your tactics for happier and happier customers, a…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing is Like Contra...? »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 11, 2007 by ian
What's internet marketers' role in the world? [Today's date, plus the eve of the Jewish New Year, have me more contemplative than usual. Ignore this post if you're here looking for tutorials or checklists.] As internet marketers, we don't build anything, or grow food, or cure disease. Aside from a few exceptions, we also don't create companies that will contribute to society beyond our lifetimes. So what's our job? How do we contribute something lasting? My random ideas: Practice ethics. It's about more than staying legal. It's also much harder. If clients ask you to bend the truth or…
Continue Reading What's Our Role? »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 10, 2007 by ian
If you stop, you'll be sad. You can't stop eating chocolate, right? I know I can't. You don't want to stop your internet marketing campaign, either. You're never 'done' - you continue your campaign so that you continue your good search rankings, high conversion rates and ROI. Buy cheap, end up with a bad aftertaste. Ever bite into chocolate bar and think you were eating wax? Ever go with the low bidder because they promised 'top 10 rankings within 2 weeks for $99.95'? Nuff said. Quality ingredients make a better result. Good sugar, real cocoa, etc. make good chocolate.…
Continue Reading 5 Ways Internet Marketing is Like Chocolate »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 7, 2007 by ian
Since my earlier search for good questions went awry when I found LinkedIn plotting to end civilization, I figured I'd throw it open: If you have a question about Internet Marketing, send it to me. I will answer. I may also publish it on my blog (I won't use your name, don't worry). Send it to ian AT portentinteractive DOT com Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Ask Your Internet Marketing Questions »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 6, 2007 by ian
Pay attention to social media: It's not just voodoo, and it will impact your bottom line. Yesterday I played the skeptic, pooh-poohing the idea that social media is a new idea. I also talked a bit about what makes something 'social media'. Now I'll point out three very concrete ways social media can improve your internet marketing results: Social Media Success = Improved Search Engine Rankings Every time a blog, bookmarking site or other trendy social media community mentions you, chances are they link to you, too. Links are important to search engine rankings. Very important. So a flurry…
Continue Reading 3 Reasons Social Media Matters »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 5, 2007 by ian
I just wrote a bit about what defines social media, and how to build on that as a marketer. But I have to let out my inner cynic for a moment. Social media is a ridiculous phrase as applied to the internet. It's an effort to shoehorn a broad, old concept into a new, very focused space. It's like 'web 2.0' - say it too many times, and kittens die. So here's what social media is not: Something new: OK, c'mon. Social media has been around since the Potlatch and the Town Meeting, not to mention cave drawings. A…
Continue Reading What Social Media Is Not »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 5, 2007 by ian
Social media is a trendy phrase - one that I've never understood. Have you ever seen any anti-social media? Most CEOs and marketers I meet are mystified. Just what the heck is social media? What does it mean for marketing? This 'new' phenomenon is defined by 5 things: User participation Social media lets the audience join in. On a blog, that means comments and trackbacks. In a discussion forum, everyone's a participant, as they talk to each other, answer questions, etc.. Bookmarking sites like del.icio.us and digg invite users to point out content they like. And, of course, video…
Continue Reading Social Media: 5 Factors & 5 Tips for Marketers »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 26, 2007 by ian
Internet marketing is very much the sum of its parts. It's as much about the relationship between the web site, the media plan, the search engines and such as it is about those parts. So, three people you must have on your internet marketing team: The Creative Leader This person may or may not be a designer. They might be a writer. Doesn't matter. They must be able to step into the customer's shoes and get a good sense of what will make them take action. This isn't simple, and it can't be determined using research. It requires instinct,…
Continue Reading 3 People You Must Have On Your Internet Marketing Team »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 23, 2007 by ian
I refuse to do a list of 200 sites. Who really has time to browse through 200 sites?! But here are 5 internet marketing sites that you, the marketer, must look at every day. Subscribe to them using Google Reader or your web browser, and just glance at the headlines, once a day. It's worth the 5 minutes, I promise: CopyBlogger: Like an online spa for marketers The name implies this site is purely about writing, but it's not. Copyblogger talks about everything from segmentation to blog marketing to landing pages, in a relaxed, easy to read tone. It's…
Continue Reading 5 Must-Read Internet Marketing Sites: Updated List »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 22, 2007 by ian
I am a writer at heart (aren't most marketers?). When I'm really stumped for sales copy on any topic, I write a proposal. Doesn't matter if I actually need a proposal. I write one, regardless. Most people don't enjoy making a sales pitch. Somehow, though, the proposal gives you an 'out': It's supposed to be a sales pitch. So it's OK. That's how I wrote the copy on my consulting package page - it was a proposal, first. Try it: Pick a potential client, or someone you'd like to be a potential client. Write them a proposal. Set it…
Continue Reading Copywriting Tip: Write A Proposal »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 22, 2007 by ian
Most sites launch late because you've got no content. And then most languish after launch, for the same reason. I keep count of project delays at my company. Over the last 7 years, late or insufficient content caused 65% of all delays. Software problems, additional features, illnesses, natural disasters and random other stuff all comprise the rest. Ouch. Why is it so hard? First, no one likes to write about themselves or their organizations. Second, writing is always saved for the end of the project. Third, everyone thinks everyone else is doing the writing. Here are some ways you…
Continue Reading 5 Steps To Break The Copywriting Logjam »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 21, 2007 by ian
Every now and then it's good to do a quick refresher. Especially after you've been writing proposals all day and don't have two brain cells to rub together. So, here goes - Conversation Marketing's Greatest Hits: Tutorials Google Analytics: Setup and 5 other Tutorials (video) Google Custom Search Engines: Setup and Configuration (video) Google Custom Search Engines: Removing Pages In A Few Steps Business Stuff How to price Internet Marketing services. And, going way back, some pointers on analyzing SEO results. Randomness It's amazing how much stuff you write over a few years. There's a collection of my favorite…
Continue Reading An Internet Marketing Refresher »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 16, 2007 by ian
I am not successful, yet. But I have been in the internet marketing business for 12 years, and I've got 10 rules I live by. These are all equally important: Believe what you do. You have to earnestly believe that what you're doing is worth doing. Love what you do. Trust me, if you don't love it, you won't make it through the inevitable rough times. Be comfortable. Don't work with clients that make you uncomfortable. I'm not making any value judgments here. But if you can't tell your kids what you do and be proud of it, then…
Continue Reading 10 Rules for A Successful Internet Marketing Agency »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 16, 2007 by ian
A quick Thursday quiz: Which of these quotes, articles and logos are real? Is Your Marketing an Expense...or an Investment? Web Page Design Using PowerPoint Gauging Marketing Results Boosts Performance SEO: Fact or Fiction? Click Your Ranking To Move Up: SEO Secrets Designing a Webpage Using Microsoft Word Using Internet Tubes Getting Ready for the Convergence of SOA & Web 2.0 My only promise is that at least 4 of these are real... Technorati Tags: fun, writing…
Continue Reading Which Headlines Are Real? A Quiz »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 13, 2007 by ian
At some point, you'll need to delete old content from your Google Custom Search Engine. For example: A client of ours just launched a new site using the Google Custom Search Engine. Problem was, their custom search tool was still showing links to old pages. When visitors performed a search, they'd get a page full of broken links. Luckily, Google's got an easy way to remove those pages, right in your search engine control panel. Here's how you use it: Step 1: First, log in at www.google.com/coop. Then go to 'Control Panel >> Sites': Step 2: Click 'Exclude Sites':…
Continue Reading Google Custom Search: Removing Pages From Your Search Engine »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 12, 2007 by ian
Robert Scoble responds to Ethan Kaplan's tripe about Gnomedex. Kaplan missed the entire point. Gnomedex was not about RSS and Web 2.0. Gnomedex was about communication that organizes, motivates and calls to action. Gnomedex was about lots of people each making a small difference, and how that can add up. And Ethan, that's what Patti Smith sings about, too.…
Continue Reading Kaplan Missed the Point »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 11, 2007 by ian
STOP Stop using the phrase 'web 2.0'!!!! Stop! Stopstopstopstopstop. I can't take it any more! This is not some magical leap forward on the internet. Nor is it a thing. “Web 2.0†is a fiction - it's a phrase someone made up in an attempt to differentiate their stuff from your stuff. It's an attempt to turn 10 years of slow, hard evolution in web interactivity into a one-step. And it's an attempt to attract unsuspecting venture capitalists. Even worse, now some folks are using 'web 3.0'. Gaaauuugh! So, from now on, before you write or say 'web 2.0',…
Continue Reading Web 2.0 - For the Love of All That's Holy... »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 9, 2007 by ian
I'm in the Blogger's Choice Awards. Vote for me. Not because it makes you feel good, but because it makes me feel good. Vote here.…
Continue Reading A Vote For Me Is A Vote For... Me »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 6, 2007 by ian
I flew to L.A. last week via Alaska Airlines. The flight was right on time, smooth as silk. Then we landed at LAX. The jetway was busted. So, for the next fifty minutes, eight airline and airport employees moved the jetway forward 3 feet, then back three feet, then forward three feet, then back three feet: Fifty minutes. Multiply that by eight employees and that's nearly a day of paid work. The airline put all of their focus on the wrong problem: They did fix the jetway, but only after several passengers missed their connections to international flights, and…
Continue Reading Are You Focused on the Wrong Problem? »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 5, 2007 by ian
What do you think 'internet marketing' is? I've been grinding my teeth over this for years. Figured I'd let you all make some suggestions: Surveys - Take Our Poll Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Poll: What is Internet Marketing? »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 3, 2007 by ian
I'm in LA, drunk on my adorable six-month-old niece and a really good crumbled meatball sub (mmmmmmm), so this rambles a bit. Here's a conversation I have all the time: Other Person: So, what do you do? Me: I'm an internet marketer. OP: Oh... Me: ... That's it. So, what the hell is internet marketing? Every week it expands. This time last year, it included: SEO Paid search Design Strategy Analytics Planning Everything else Now, of course, it includes: All of the above Social media (whatever that means - have you ever seen anti-social media?) Mobile How do you…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Is... What? »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 1, 2007 by ian
Way back when (around 2000), some folks wrote the ClueTrain Manifesto. It started with 'These Markets Are Conversations'. About the same time, I came up with Conversation Marketing. I hadn't read the ClueTrain Manifesto yet, honest. Now, we see: The Conversational Marketing Summit Lots of references to 'Conversation Marketing' or 'Conversational Marketing' in various contexts, here, here, here, here and here. Most of these writers and professionals have never read my blog. They have no idea there's a book called Conversation Marketing. Nor have they read the ClueTrain Manifesto. It's just an idea that makes lots of sense. That's…
Continue Reading How You Know An Idea Caught On »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 30, 2007 by ian
This from Mashable: An insider at Facebook leaked their rate card. Why You Should Care There are a lot of happy eyeballs drying themselves out while staring at Facebook. In addition, there's an increasing number of Facebook productivity applications. That means that business users may start using the site as a day-to-day business tool You can see the entire rate card on Mashable's site. In the mean time, some quick hits: A 3-month run sponsoring a group, which includes a 120 x 600 tower ad, a some choice links and a viral promotion will cost you $150,000. A homepage…
Continue Reading Facebook Advertising Rate Card Leaked »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 27, 2007 by ian
If you go to 5 firms asking for a bid on search engine marketing, or a PPC campaign, or a new web site, you'll probably get 5 very different responses. How do you know which one's right (if any)? Clients always tell me “It's so complicated!†and “I don't know enough about internet marketing to know what works!â€. Truth is, it's only as complex as you make it. And you don't have to know internet marketing - you have to understand your business. Here are five steps to pricing internet marketing: 1. What's it worth? First, what's it worth…
Continue Reading 5 Steps To Price Internet Marketing and SEO »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 24, 2007 by ian
Stop me if you've heard any of these: Social networks will change the world! Social networks will be the e-mail killer! Social networks have Google quaking in its billion-dollar boots!!!!! None are completely true. Bloggers are engaging in a little hyperbole to grab some attention. Social media is definitely a major change, and it's finally booming after years of lurking in the background. But it won't replace any current communications tools. I'll explain why in a moment. First a quick primer: What's a Social Network? Lots of fancy definitions out there, but let's keep it simple. A social network…
Continue Reading Why Social Networks Won't Kill E-mail (or Search) »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 12, 2007 by ian
Facebook is not the next Google. It is a whole new kind of phenomenon - not just a MySpace copy. There are opportunities there for the smart marketer. Here are 3 reasons why you need to understand Facebook: Applications: You can build, or hire someone to build, little applications that Facebook users can add to their own Facebook pages. Custom applications can 'go viral', passing from user to user, very quickly. If a user ads, say, Ian's Handy Widget to their pages, then all of their Facebook friends will see that one of their friends is now using the…
Continue Reading 3 Reasons You Need To Learn About Facebook »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 11, 2007 by ian
One of my 10 or so loyal readers just pointed out that I'm in the top 150 marketing bloggers. Woo hoo! Sure, he got the blog name wrong, but I'll bask in the brief glow of a tiny publicity burp anyway.…
Continue Reading Top 150 »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 8, 2007 by ian
Advertising Age would've gotten a 'C', at best, in my college analysis class. But they get an 'A' in bad bragging. Ad Age writer Mya Frazier just published an article titled 'CMOs Rapped for Having Zero Impact On Sales'. Pretty heady stuff, right? Great link and reader bait, that's for sure. She opens the article with this line: “Pay attention, CMOs: If you've been fighting for more influence with top management, hide this publication -- now.†I'd better read this! She goes on to quote a study in the Journal of Marketing in January of 2008. Her interpretation: CMOs…
Continue Reading AdAge Misinterprets CMO Study, Demonstrates an Immodest Brag »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 6, 2007 by ian
Part 1: What Is It (This is a three-parter. In this first post I explain what the semantic web is, or may become.) If you're not ready for it, the next big web evolution could put you right out of business. If you read the business magazines, you've seen the phrase 'semantic web'. It may seem like a bunch of academic gobbledygook, but it's not. The semantic web that's slowly emerging will let customers more easily find you, compare you to others and make a decision. The Web Now Search engines go out, read web sites, and make their…
Continue Reading The Semantic Web Will Help You Sell: Part 1 »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 5, 2007 by ian
Whether you're a marketer, a business owner or a consumer looking to understand how folks are selling you stuff, here are five aspects of internet marketing you need to understand. You don't need to be an expert. But you need to get the concept, just like you understand that TV shows are made with cameras, and that the sexy blonde in the commercial had 4 hours makeup work. Search Engines. Let's face it - most folks use a search engine to find what they're looking for. You need to understand, at least at a high level, how these suckers work.…
Continue Reading 5 Internet Marketing Tools You Must Learn (Or At Least Understand) »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 28, 2007 by ian
Internet discounters, beware. The Supreme Court's ruling in Leegin Creative Leather Products vs. PSKS may just end the reign of web retailers who slash prices to undercut brick-and-mortar stores. In Leegin, the court said that lower courts may use a “rule of reason†in anti-trust cases: If a manufacturer pressures a deep-discounting retailer to raise their price to a minimum level, that may be OK. The case in question pitted a brick-and-mortar retailer against a leather goods maker. But the real winners here may be full-service retailers and manufacturers who, until now, had to let internet retailers charge far,…
Continue Reading Leegin vs. PSKS Has Major E-commerce Implications »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 18, 2007 by ian
Contrary to popular belief, good internet marketing gets to the point. So, 5 ways to do just that: Write clearly. Do not write stuff like 'Our technical knowledge and process lead initiatives enable us to deliver high quality products to our clients...'. What does that mean exactly? Don't make someone click if you don't have to. Why not put your product's price on your home page? If you sell something, say so. It's ok, really, to say 'Order Now' or 'Order Online' or even 'Buy Now'. Don't make someone register for that demo or white paper if you don't…
Continue Reading 5 Ways to Get to the Point »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 8, 2007 by ian
THAT got your attention, I'll bet. Even as I write this, salespeople are loading their cars up with food, water and weapons to come and find me at my office. Marketers are writing angry letters. Put down your pens. And gasoline is too expensive. Hear me out. Jeremiah had a great post regarding how marketing and sales are different. But online, they're so intertwined that you'll separate them at your peril. So, 5 reasons you should treat them as a single entity: Your internet marketing campaign is your marketing strategy and your selling floor, all at once. How your…
Continue Reading 3 Reasons Marketing And Sales are the Same »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 7, 2007 by ian
Internet marketing is definitely not for the faint of heart. If you're vaporlocked trying to decide on the right domain, or the best keyword, or the best ad, flip a coin. I'm serious. At least then you can test one of your options. If it works, great. If it doesn't, move on. If you've got some analytics smarts, then try all of the options in a multivariate test. But don't just sit there... Technorati Tags: conversation marketing, internet marketing…
Continue Reading Can't Decide on a Strategy? Flip a Coin. »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 6, 2007 by ian
Even one of my employees got into the act, attempting to impersonate Matt Cutts at this weeks SMX Seattle. Who Is the Real Matt Cutts Which got me to thinking: Who else is trying to pass themselves off as Google's biggest celebrity? You might be surprised: Technorati Tags: fun, seo…
Continue Reading Will The Real Matt Cutts Please Step Forward »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 30, 2007 by ian
Ever build a site, show it to an search engine optimization pro, and hear “Sorry, we'll have to start over.â€? Or have your IT team design the site, and watch it sell nothing for a year? Or give in to your sales department's demand for a registration form, and notice that no one seems to register? Here's why that happens: An SEO professional would like my blog to have 10,000 incoming links, and look like this: Great for SEO. Not so good for the user experience. A designer might want my site to look more like this: Nice window…
Continue Reading What Is Internet Marketing? A Lesson in 4 Acts »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 23, 2007 by ian
Internet marketing is a discipline, not a piece of software. Internet marketing is not website design. That's part of it. But it's not all of it. As a discipline, it's comprised of several crafts. Just a few include: Application and database development are the gears and levers that make it work. Design provides the connection between the audience and the gears and levers. Search is still the primary way folks find what they want. That's not going to change any time soon. Direct marketing - RSS, e-mail and mobile - form the framework for an immediate connection to an…
Continue Reading An Internet Marketing Manifesto »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 23, 2007 by ian
Google just bought Feedburner for about $100 million bucks. What does Feedburner do? They make it easier to distribute and consume RSS feeds. By purchasing Feedburner, Google purchases another huge network on which to distribute their pay per click advertising: RSS feeds. What's an RSS feed? Think of it as an up-to-date list of article titles from a blog or other web site. Anywhere you see this: you can subscribe to and receive updates using a feedreader, so you don't have to visit the site. It's especially useful for big information consumers like me, who track lots of sites…
Continue Reading Google Buys Feedburner »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 22, 2007 by ian
We've all made these kinds of groaners. It's 'palette', not 'palate', I'm pretty sure. Don't depend on your spell checker. Computers will faithfully replicate your mistakes. This one's on AdAge. Ouch... Technorati Tags: editing…
Continue Reading Don't Depend on Your Spell Checker »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 18, 2007 by ian
No one else will say it. I will: Microsoft has lost its collective mind, paying nearly twice the stock price to acquire aQuantive. The desktop software juggernaut purchased interactive advertising company aQuantive today for $6,000,000,000. No, I did not add too many zeros. aQuantive includes three companies: Atlas provides a set of tools for managing campaigns, page optimization and the like; DRIVEpm is an advertising network; and Avenue A/Razorfish is an interactive agency. Clearly, the folks in Redmond are playing catch-up with Google. Google, remember, shelled out a paltry $3 billion for the ad network DoubleClick. Here's why Microsoft's…
Continue Reading Microsoft Acquires aQuantive for Six BILLLLLION Dollars »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 16, 2007 by ian
Wendy Piersall of eMoms at Home just finished an insightful post about the evolution towards marketing conversations. One point that really struck home with me is the resilience that good conversation-focused marketing can really bring your brand. Amen! Wendy also sent me a few follow-up questions: What are some of the success stories of companies who market through conversations? Dell is a great example. They outsourced their customer support, then listened to their customers when it didn't work. Their changes back have revitalized their customer base and given them a new reputation for great service. Another example is one…
Continue Reading Wendy Piersall Talks Conversation Marketing »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 15, 2007 by ian
Sometimes the best ideas are right in front of you, but someone else has to point 'em out. Steve Rubel at Micro Persuasion suggests creating a single online editorial calendar for bloggers. His post focuses on creating any editorial calendar, but he cleverly tagged his posts so that folks can search for and find them in Google Calendar. If everyone used the same tag, there'd be a master editorial calendar for a range of blogs. Totally brilliant! The steps: Create a Google calendar. Make it public. Save upcoming blog articles as events, and include '(edcal)' in the title. Now…
Continue Reading A Master Editorial Calendar (for Everything) »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 11, 2007 by ian
How's that for a Friday afternoon headline? A bit of a rant coming here, based on three folks I met who have been so mislead about internet marketing strategy, tactics, and even just common sense, that I can only think their internet marketing 'professional' was completely unethical: If you know how to program HTML, but don't know anything about search marketing, marketing in general, or design, don't tell people you're an internet marketer. Don't be a scumbag. If you know how to design pretty stuff, but have no idea how to program HTML, don't tell people you're a web…
Continue Reading Don't Be A Scumbag »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 8, 2007 by ian
My first ever podcast! Chris Furniss works for Portent Interactive. He also is co-host and editor of the blog and podcast The Weekly Geek Show. The site is very successful, so I thought it'd be good to get some pointers from Chris about what exactly it takes to start and grow a blog. Chris talks about his experience, as well as the hallmarks of successful blogging: Be passionate and patient, and leverage the community. It's a 15-minute interview filled with great advice. I highly recommend giving it a listen: Interview with Chris Furniss | mp3 format | 10.8 megabytes…
Continue Reading Blogging Success: Interview with Chris Furniss of the Weekly Geek Show »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 4, 2007 by ian
Yes. Microformats let you tag individual pieces of information on a web page so that you know what they're about. So, for example, instead of just putting: Ian Lurie Conversation Marketing on my page, I could add a little markup to it: <span class=“vcardâ€> <span class=“fnâ€>Ian Lurie</span> <span class=“orgâ€>Conversation Marketing</span> </span> Ignoring the weird stuff, I basically tagged my name as a person's name (with 'fn') and my organization as Conversation Marketing (with 'org'). If you're using a newer browser, roll your cursor over this and see what happens: Ian Lurie Conversation Marketing That lets compatible web browsers and…
Continue Reading Do Microformats Matter? »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 2, 2007 by ian
I just finished reading Seth Godin's The Dip. It inspired me, and I created a little comic, tapping the very limits of my artistic skills, to tie Seth's insights to internet marketing: First, decide you want to be the Best In The World, in your own little marketplace. You launch your new site. You're thrilled, but nothing happens: Then you see some signs your site might be working. You get a few sales, or leads, or whatever it is you're after: But that kind of quick hit is unlikely to last. And it's not why you're doing this, right?…
Continue Reading The Dip in Internet Marketing »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 1, 2007 by ian
Yes. It will. Not only is the iPhone a game-changing device, it's also being masterfully marketed to capture the long tail before it even hits the market (is that possible?). Plus, Apple is reinventing the phone, but only by combining things that folks already like, and use. So, there's my prediction. We'll see how that pans out. Technorati Tags: marketing…
Continue Reading Seth Godin Asks: Will the iPhone Win? »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 26, 2007 by ian
Copyblogger says one great way to bond with your prospects is by finding a common enemy. (I'll point out here that my personality makes it easier for me to count my friends than my enemies, so we'll leave me out of this.) I love the concept. And I can prove it. We launched a blog: Bridezilla.com. It's fun, a little cheeky maybe, but fun. But we didn't get a whole lot of interest at first. Then another blog, GroomGroove.com, published a bit about us. That launched a lighthearted blog war. The results have been great for us - traffic…
Continue Reading Top 7 Signs You Have An Online Enemy »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 25, 2007 by ian
Bruce Lee (It's just his name, OK?! He's not related) just showed me why all marketing is hopeless. Sigh. An inchworm can explain it. Take an inchworm when it's curved. Then put a drop of water on it's back. Try to predict which way the water will slide. The best you can do is be right half the time. It's chaos, the law of averages, or the bell curve. Call it what you like, but you can't do better than 50/50. The same is true of customers. Bruce explained that consumers have the nerve to be individuals. Trying to…
Continue Reading Marketing In An Inchworm-Shaped World »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 23, 2007 by ian
RSS, or really simple syndication, is a real money generator. Mark writes about this very subject at a high level. But, if you're standing in front of your boss, trying to explain why RSS is worth it, here's the list: It helps with search engine rankings: Google and Yahoo! now accept RSS feeds as 'sitemaps', which help them more accurately crawl your site. It helps with search engine rankings, 2: When people subscribe to your RSS feed using, say, Google Reader, it (may) improve your ranking in their personalized search results. It helps spread the word: Your RSS feed…
Continue Reading 5 Ways RSS Improves ROI »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 21, 2007 by ian
A few months ago, I published my book, Conversation Marketing, in HTML format. It's free. Sadly, when I moved it from the print-ready to the web-ready format, I used a form of search-and-replace called Regular Expressions. For those who don't know, using regular expressions to clean up a small HTML document is something like using a nuclear weapon to cure acne. In the process, I slaughtered many f's, g's and other completely innocent letters. I've tried to fix it, but keep finding more and more of them. If anyone is so inclined, give my book a read, and then…
Continue Reading A Call For Editing Help »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 17, 2007 by ian
A quick tip if you want to track comments on other blogs, using instant messaging: Sign up for Commentful. Then, add the feed to Feed Crier. Bingo. You'll now receive an instant message when someone comments on any post you're tracking. Technorati Tags: blogging, tools…
Continue Reading Tracking comments on other blogs »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 17, 2007 by ian
Believe it or not, I'm a fairly low-key guy. I don't like to brag about what I do, at all. A client made a very, very good point last week by saying I need to brag more, because clients rarely realize all of the good stuff we're doing for them. What do you think? If marketers need to brag more, what should we brag about?…
Continue Reading Marketers Must Brag More »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 15, 2007 by ian
There are a bajillion books about blogging. The only book I've read (so far - I'm looking forward to John Cass's book) that I can recommend is “Clear Blogging: How People Blogging Are Changing the World and How You Can Join Them†(Bob Walsh). It's an amazing read, with step by step information on using Feedburner, Technorati and other tools. Instead of just saying “write good stuffâ€, he provides real, readable advice. If you're a high-tech, experienced blogger, you'll love this book for all of the tidbits Walsh tells you that you didn't know about. If you're a beginning…
Continue Reading Clear Blogging: A Must-Read for Bloggers »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 14, 2007 by ian
I've switched my RSS feed over to Feedburner. Two reasons: I get better stats as to RSS feed access. I can use a single feed for everyone, instead of having a growing pile of icons for adding my RSS feed to Google, Yahoo, Joe's Feed Reader, etc.. The subscribe button is at the lower left, and you can click at the top of the page too, but here it is in case you want to subscribe right now: Subscribe ina reader Technorati Tags: Feedburner, rss…
Continue Reading RSS feed changes on Conversation Marketing »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 13, 2007 by ian
Google just bought Doubleclick for $3.1 billion. A bargain. I'm betting they're about to launch the internet's first free-for-everyone ad delivery service. http://tinyurl.com/2cajfq Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Google Buys Doubleclick »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 13, 2007 by ian
Seth Godin wrote about Joshua Bell. Bell is one of the most talented living violinists. He played in a Washington, DC subway to see if anyone would notice. Almost no one noticed. This doesn't prove that people are uncultured. It proves that marketing matters. I've rarely seen products or companies fail because they sucked. They fail because their marketing sucked. People hurrying to their commute are worried about shopping lists, picking up their kids, making their house payment, and maybe global warming. They don't have the mental bandwidth to notice an Avery Fisher prize winner playing violin 5 feet…
Continue Reading Violin in the Subway Proves Marketing Matters »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 11, 2007 by ian
Internet marketing should happen backwards when compared to traditional marketing. In traditional marketing, you make your best, educated guess at your audience, try to create something that will elicit an emotional response, spend lots of money on the campaign, and hope it'll work. Online, you launch lots of little campaigns, watching for what works best. Then you select the top performers and use them, all the while learning about your audience. That's why traditional agencies so often fall flat on their faces when trying to execute internet marketing campaigns. Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Should be Backwards »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 8, 2007 by ian
I'm not sure. I'm trying out Twitter, the new phenomenon (I think). Basically, Twitter lets you indulge your deepest narcissistic fantasies by telling the entire world what you're doing, every second. What are the marketing implications? Woot.com is already marketing there. I'm not sure what else to say at this point. I'll keep playing, and update you as I figure out more, or when I realize I'm just too old to 'get it'. follow portentint at http://twitter.com Technorati Tags: twitter…
Continue Reading Twitter: What is it? »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 4, 2007 by ian
Stop me if you've heard this one: Your boss really wants to get started on their campaign, but the IT Department doesn't have the resources. Or maybe they need to 'get everything else in line' first. One thing leads to another, and suddenly it's been 6 months since you got that strategic plan approved, and nothing's happened. You can always try my method: Increase sarcasm in proportion to time passed. However, that's never worked. So here are a few more constructive suggestions: Provide concrete ideas: Don't wait for the boss's request, just show them your concept. Get permission, one…
Continue Reading 5 Ways Unstick Internet Marketing Campaigns »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 3, 2007 by ian
Kevin asked the question on his blog today: Do e-commerce sites generate demand? Or are they just helpless, waiting for other marketing to generate interest? It's not that simple, of course, but Kevin's touched a critical point: A web site, on its own, can't generate demand or sales. But it's a critical step along a continuum that starts when someone learns about a product or business and continues through (hopefully) to a purchase. A website is part of an overall campaign that, properly executed, can generate demand. You separate the web site from the rest of the equation at…
Continue Reading Do Websites Generate Demand? »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 2, 2007 by ian
'Creative' is not a noun. Ad agencies started calling the pretty stuff 'creative'. I'm not sure why. But it annoys the hell out of me. It cheapens creativity to think that 'creative' is just about a commercial, or a web site, or a banner. And it cheapens truly creative people. The big winners in marketing learn that 'creative' is a way of thinking, not something you print in a magazine or put on the web, and they learn that in internet marketing it's all creative: The way you build your applications, your choice of vehicles, the overall message, everything.…
Continue Reading “Creative†is an Adjective, Not A Noun! »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 29, 2007 by ian
If you're faint of heart, cover your ears, for I speak heresy: Clicks aren't all that matter. A study by Millward Brown Interactive showed that banner exposure can boost brand awareness by as much as 9%, even if a user doesn't click. Why I Agree I'm a branding curmudgeon: If it isn't generating sales right now I tend to feel somehow betrayed by display advertising. However, there's no question that brand-building is a legitimate, beneficial exercise. And a well-planned, well-designed banner campaign can do that, even if no one clicks on your banners. Why I Disagree This is a…
Continue Reading Clickthroughs Aren't Everything: Banner Ads and Brands »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 27, 2007 by ian
I'd be more sympathetic, except that he got vandalized because his staff used a template without giving credit to the designer. Full story here. Technorati Tags: ethics, fun…
Continue Reading John McCain MySpace Page Defaced »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 26, 2007 by ian
Provide an easy way for folks to reach you. Answer e-mail information requests in less than a day. Make sure every page loads in 3 seconds or less on a broadband connection. Make sure your site looks the same in Internet Explorer 6 and 7, Firefox 1 and 2. Let people opt in. Let people opt out. That's it. Do those 5 simple things, and you'll be in the top 10% of web sites. Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading 5 Easy Tips for Internet Marketing Best Practices »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 24, 2007 by ian
Which is better? The idea that everyone likes? Or the one that everyone talks about?…
Continue Reading Question of the Day: Focus Groups »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 22, 2007 by ian
IT? Or Marketing? Or Sales? The IT Department is buried with infrastructure tasks, security concerns and support. No one else at the company can do what they do. And they have no time to do anything else. The marketing department is responsible for making sure people know the company when they need what it provides. The sales department is responsible for converting those people to customers. If you ask the IT department to fix/change the web site, you'll be in line behind those security and infrastructure concerns. Rightfully so. If your internal network fails, or is breached, the web…
Continue Reading Who Runs The Web Site? »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 21, 2007 by ian
You've got your new site. You're so dang proud of it. And today it goes live! OK, now what? Here are six things you should always do when launching a new web site. Note: They're all free. Download Xenu Link Sleuth (Windows only, sorry) and check your site for busted links. Of course you already did that before launch, but you never know what happens when you move a site from your computer to a server, or launch your blog. Things change. Make sure you check. Test your contact us link or form (you have one, right?). Make sure…
Continue Reading Website Launch Checklist »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 20, 2007 by ian
I was just on the phone advising a client when a spider the size of my wallet came crawling up my arm. Seattle is the spider capital of America, by the way. I flicked it off without missing a beat. I doubt the client even noticed. I didn't scream at 40 decibels or anything. If that's not customer focus, I don't know what is... Technorati Tags: fun…
Continue Reading Customer Focus & Spiders »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 19, 2007 by ian
In a single, really big image (don't worry, it's a cartoon, and it's totally work-appropriate). http://www.gapingvoid.com/theweb2point0thing334.jpg Technorati Tags: fun…
Continue Reading My Feelings About 'Web 2.0' »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 19, 2007 by ian
John Battelle has a three-parter on his blog about 'Conversational Media'. He comes at Conversation Marketing from a different angle, talking about Packaged Goods Media versus Conversational Media: Packaged Goods Media provides you with a one-way, broadcast medium. You print/film/edit and then send it out. Then cross your fingers. John points out that this kind of media is handled by the giants: Fox, AOL, etc.. Conversational Media, he says, is driven by “social media†or “consumer contentâ€. From there on I have to differ a bit: Conversational Media Is More I may have gotten confused, having read these articles…
Continue Reading John Battelle On Conversational Media »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 14, 2007 by ian
Seven ways to guarantee that you get zero return on your internet investment: Treat your website as an island. It's just a web site, after all. Don't worry about getting people to find you, or how you'll collect and manage leads, or how you'll handle fulfillment. Build a site you love. Use all of your favorite pictures, colors and fonts. Add some animation that has no purpose but looks nice. Think huge. Throw in every feature you might need in the next five years. Never mind that your site will likely be rebuilt four times before then. Design by…
Continue Reading 7 Ways to Wreck Internet Marketing »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 9, 2007 by ian
No, I haven't disappeared. I have been really busy as my firm has signed additional clients (a good problem). The next Google Analytics tutorial will be up in the next few days...…
Continue Reading Busy Busy »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 4, 2007 by ian
My recipe for a presidential campaign web site. If you're running for president, save yourself some time and just cut-and-paste: ---------------------- Hi, my name is INSERT NAME HERE. Come watch videos of me on INSERT NAME HERE TV. Join my team! Read my blog, even though I never write on it! I'm one of you! Look! I even have a Facebook page that I have yet to update! ---------------------- In spite of my cynical exterior, I am an idealist. I want a dynamic candidate who really does offer something different. Right now, though, I sure can't figure that out…
Continue Reading Presidential Campaign Web Site: The Recipe »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 26, 2007 by ian
How much should you pay for internet marketing? When you hire an internet marketer you're getting something that's part commodity and part value. The commodity is the actual hours put into the project. It's me and my team sitting at a keyboard, typing up a report or organizing a meeting. It can unfortunately also include development - this task is not a commodity, but has become regarded as one, and pricing structures must account for it. The value is the expertise of the marketer, and their effect on your company's performance. It's me and my team researching, analyzing, designing,…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Billing and Rates: What's Fair? »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 22, 2007 by ian
John Cass has an excellent post about why you blog. It's in response to someone who's giving up on blogging. I love the points: It doesn't have to be about straight-up income generation. Blogs are excellent customer relationship tools, not to mention a fantastic way to establish yourself. Just because everyone can blog doesn't mean it's “pedestrianâ€. Is talking pedestrian? No, but a conversation can be. Giving opinions makes blogging 'messy', true. But that's what makes it great. Companies get valuable feedback. Politicians can learn what their electorate is thinking. There's more. I suggest you read it on John's…
Continue Reading Why Blog? »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 19, 2007 by ian
Hillary Clinton's online presidential campaign holds some valuable lessons. She knows the room. Her site has video and lets folks get engaged through event planning and attendance. It's a personable setup. She dressed appropriately, with a simple, clean site design that doesn't get in the way of her message. Unfortunately, there are some problems: She sounds smart, but not smart enough. Her site, as far as features, is identical to Barack Obama's, who's site is identical to almost every other presidential candidate. How do you stand out when you do exactly the same things as everyone else? I have…
Continue Reading 5 Internet Strategy Lessons From Hillary Clinton »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 17, 2007 by ian
Apparently we have a game of online tag going on. John Cass tagged me. I'm to tag five other people. No mean feat on a Saturday morning without any caffeine, but here goes. I may not look like much, but I'm wiry... (Ian goes running around the blog playground) Ha! Jeremiah, you're it! And so is John Battelle, you're it too. And imnotadoctor, Brian Keith, and Nina Restieri. Technorati Tags: fun, blog tag…
Continue Reading Tag, You're It »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 10, 2007 by ian
Some of you already know I posted my entire book, Conversation Marketing, online. I've just posted some changes per the great suggestions I received: You can now switch between the large-type version and a smaller, san-serif version. The chapter navigation is on the left - right-hand side is a little too artsy for a book, and too hard to find. Next up: I'm going to break the chapters up into smaller pages, and add some new content. You can read the book here. And, of course, you can buy it here. Technorati Tags: books, internet marketing…
Continue Reading Conversation Marketing Book, 2.0 »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 10, 2007 by ian
I've been working on an Internet Marketing Bill of Rights of sorts for internet marketers and their clients. Here's what I've got so far: You, the Client, Deserve: Honesty: I will tell you the truth, though it may not always be what you want to hear. Creativity: I won't just apply a formula to your marketing needs. I'll use what's known to work, mixed in with stuff that'll help your unique organization. Accountability: You deserve to know how your money's being spent. Contact: I or my team will be in touch with you regularly, so you know what's going…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Bill of Rights »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 8, 2007 by ian
This is too brilliant, and cool, for words. So I'll just let you watch it: Technorati Tags: ethics, tagging…
Continue Reading The Machine is Us/ing Us »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 8, 2007 by ian
...that you may not know about. Not in any particular order: Google Trends is fun, and a great measure of changes in search patterns over time. SEOMOZ.org has a host of search engine optimization tools you can use to evaluate the strength of your site, the competitiveness of a particular space, and any potential SEO dealbreakers. Nielsen NetRatings provides lots of great reports for free, and priceless data if you subscribe. Look under 'Resources' for the free stuff. WordTracker is another great keyword mining resource, if you're an SEO addict. Technorati measure the blogging world, allowing you to see…
Continue Reading 10 Must-Have Internet Marketing Tools »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 7, 2007 by ian
I'm trying a bit of my own internet direct marketing techniques this week, with a promotion around my company's new consulting programs: http://www.portentinteractive.com/consulting/ I would greatly appreciate any feedback folks might have... Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Your Big Chance to Critique My Work »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 5, 2007 by ian
When clients come into my office, they ask what we do. I typically answer with a question: “What's your goal?†They'll answer with something like “Get more leads.†I then answer: “We're going to help you get more leads.†My job isn't to design a site or do search engine optimization. It's to help you move towards a goal. That's what an internet marketer does. Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading The Marketer's Job »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 5, 2007 by ian
In the quest for metaphors that make folks slap their foreheads, I've developed another: Internet Marketing is just like making soup. Bear with me. It makes sense. I promise. Making soup requires several skills: You must know how to peel and chop vegetables. You have to be able to heat up water. You (hopefully) know how to wash your hands. If you know how to peel a potato, that's a good start. But if you only know how to peel a potato, you can't make soup. Internet marketing requires several skills: You must know how to deliver a targeted…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing and Soup »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 1, 2007 by ian
ImNotADoctor has one of the best Apple commercials I've seen. It came out the night Vista launched. Apple was also very clever in where they placed there ads this week. Note the Apple ad next to the article about Bill Gates: I'll bet it's not an accident. That's the best job of Observe and Adjust I've seen in a while. Technorati Tags: internet marketing, movies…
Continue Reading Brilliant! »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 31, 2007 by ian
There's an online directory (not one of the major players) that keeps contacting me wanting me to buy advertising. They literally call and e-mail every week. Here's why I'll never work with them: Honesty is Such A Lonely Word. In their pamphlet, they claim “2 million+ pages indexed at Googleâ€. My search only shows 148,000, of which only 457 are considered unique by Google. I don't know if that's ignorance on their part or outright fraud, but man, how do you get from 457 to 2 million? Apologies to Billy Joel. Links? SEO? Wha?... They also claim that their…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Smackdown: Name Withheld »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 30, 2007 by ian
Usually I avoid books with BS in the title, lots of all caps print, and a plethora of exclamation points. But Dan Kennedy's book with the very long title: “No B.S. Direct Marketing: The Ultimate, No Holds Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners Direct Marketing for Non-direct Marketing Businesses (No B.S.)†Is simply awesome. It's got advice from various professionals/proteges of the author. There's a lot of less-than-humble boasting about what they all get paid, etc., but if you get past the chest-thumping, there is some great, practical advice, as well as some nifty creative ideas. And the concepts…
Continue Reading Book: No BS Direct Marketing »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 29, 2007 by ian
I talked a client out of hiring us for two projects today. Before you wonder if I've cracked, here's why: Their site isn't up to standards as far as design and usability. And it's coded in such a way that we can't work around usability issues with landing pages. Investing $30,000 in a marketing campaign, only to have folks come to the site and then leave, isn't worth it. If you have doubts about your site's ability to convert leads or sales, check that, first. Your site is the foundation of your internet marketing campaign. Spending to attract visitors…
Continue Reading When NOT to Spend »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 23, 2007 by ian
Ever wonder if you could predict, with any accuracy at all, when you'll hit diminishing returns on an advertising buy? It's pretty important, yet almost impossible to figure out, or so you'd think. It's not actually all that hard, if you follow the square root rule. I'm not even going to try to explain it here though. Kevin Hillstrom has a far better explanation of the Square Root Rule than I ever will. The important thing to note is that yes, all numbers can lie. If your marketing is totally ineffective, or if you lack baseline, historical data, chances…
Continue Reading The Square Root Rule »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 22, 2007 by ian
I talk a lot about search marketing and search engine optimization, and how important they are as lead generators. That's true. But there are other vehicles, too, and you can't ignore them. Here's a quick example: A client of ours was using pay per click to promote a business opportunity. We did everything right: Highly focused phrases, tested landing pages, etc.. But we just couldn't seem to crack a ceiling of about 20-30 leads per day. So, we purchased banner ads on relevant industry association sites. Bingo! Leads immediately jumped. Just wanted to share that, so no one accuses…
Continue Reading It's Not Just About Search »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 19, 2007 by ian
Thanks everyone for the great input regarding my book, which is now online for free, in HTML. Some changes, and a bit of explanation: Some folks noticed some missing “f'sâ€. Two-word explanation: Regular Expressions. For those who don't know what a regular expression is, consider it a nuclear search and replace. Used correctly, it's a fantastic tool for doing broad, sweeping search-and-replace, like 'replace all instances of <font> with anything after it with <P>'. It's also a fantastic tool for doing broad, sweeping destruction to your documents. Which is what I did, thereby replacing hundreds of instances of the…
Continue Reading My Book, for Free, Day 2 »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 18, 2007 by ian
I've just taken a deep breath and published Conversation Marketing online, in HTML, for free. You don't have to register or do anything else - you can just read it. Why on earth would I do that? Three reasons: First: I'd like to get more input. There's a comment form at the bottom of each page. You can submit comments to me using that form, or just e-mail me. Second: I'd like this to grow. I have lots of ideas and ways I'd like to flesh out the concepts in my book. I can write a new book, going…
Continue Reading My Book, for Free, Online »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 18, 2007 by ian
I wrote this entry on our company wiki, and thought I'd share it here, too: Whether they know it or not, none of our clients come to us for 'just a web site'. We are an internet marketing agency. That means we're helping every client ring the cash register more efficiently and more often using the internet. So everything we do is relevant to 99% of our clients. Please don't ever consider any project a 'web site design' or 'development'. If we're designing a site, we're designing it so that folks will buy more, or sign up more often,…
Continue Reading No One's 'Just a Web Site' »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 15, 2007 by ian
I had a change of opinion today. I used to say you can try a little internet marketing, then expand it. That's great, but it doesn't work for a few of the areas that fall under the umbrella of internet marketing: Search Engine Optimization. Doing 'a little SEO' to see what happens is like starting heart surgery then seeing if you feel better. Design. Doing 'a little design' is like painting your front door and then waiting a year to paint the rest. By the time you finish, the door will have faded, and nothing will match. Analytics. Doing…
Continue Reading Halfway Doesn't Work »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 14, 2007 by ian
In the last four days, I've seen two instances where someone duplicated content from one of my sites. The first instance was so far beyond the pale that it was clearly grounds for a lawsuit. The second instance was more subtle. I have an RSS feed from my site. It's there with the expectation that folks can use it to subscribe to my site using their newsreaders. But in this case, someone took the RSS feed and used software to publish that feed directly to their web page, with no attribution at all. So they had a page on…
Continue Reading How Much Copying is OK? »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 10, 2007 by ian
Imitation without permission is not the sincerest form of flattery. It makes me very, very angry. An internet marketing company called Vodazon in Barcelona apparently decided that Portent's design was just great. They also liked our content, our portfolio, our Google certification, our news and just about everything else. So rather than waste time and effort on silly things like, oh, original work, they ripped off our entire site. All of it. Their site is at http://www.vodazon.com Compare it to my company at http://www.portentinteractive.com And just in case they already took it down (I've already contacted them), here's a…
Continue Reading Imitation Sucks »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 10, 2007 by ian
I'm prepping for my talk tonight at the SDMA (the Seattle Direct Marketing Association) and realized it's been a long time since I revisited the fundamentals of Conversation Marketing. The rules are simple: Know Your Goals If you don't know what 'success' is, it's hard to achieve it. Make sure you know what action(s) you want your online audience to take: A purchase, a download, a registration, or maybe just a minimum number of page views. Having this goal clear in your mind makes the rest of the job easier. Know the Room Know who your audience is, and…
Continue Reading A Conversation Marketing Refresher »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 9, 2007 by ian
Assuming we don't get any snow, leading Seattle folks to go hide in their houses, I'll be speaking about Conversation Marketing at the SDMA monthly meeting. You can read about it here.…
Continue Reading SDMA Speaking Gig Tomorrow »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 20, 2006 by ian
OK, that's a bit extreme. I should say '5 reasons pagerank matters less than you think': For those who don't know, PageRank is the value that Google assigns to your site, based on incoming links, the quality of those links, and a number of other things they'll never tell us. If you want to learn way too much about pagerank, Google it and then read one of the many articles that folks have written. Basically, pagerank is an assessment of just how many 'votes' your site gets in the overall hierarchy of the entire internet. That number is then…
Continue Reading 5 Reasons PageRank Doesn't Matter »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 19, 2006 by ian
Sony just pulled their site, allIwantforchristmasisapsp.com after they got caught trying to do a little stealth buzz marketing. They launched the site and had writers pretend they were just gamers who loved the new PS3, as opposed to marketers hired by Sony. They were found out when someone discovered that the web marketing firm Zipatoni owned the web address and then traced that back to Sony. Oops. There are some great lessons learned as pointed out by AdAge. But the most important is don't lie, or even flirt with lying. Especially when your audience is a bunch of highly…
Continue Reading Beware the Buzz: Sony and the PS3 »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 18, 2006 by ian
At some point, all of us sell to customers who know nothing about that which they're buying. These kinds of customers are intimidated, afraid of making the wrong choice, and very hesitant. On the internet, it's even more of an issue: Many potential customers are nervous simply because they're browsing the web, and don't know what to trust. Then they have to make a decision about the unfamiliar product or service they're buying. Most internet marketing fails to address this audience - sites dive too deep, too fast, hide contact information, create maze-like navigation structures or otherwise intimidate potential…
Continue Reading Seth Godin Discusses The Naive Prospect »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 18, 2006 by ian
In Joseph Jaffe's “Life After the 30-Second Spotâ€, he writes that “When creativity is allowed to flourish, innovative ideas flow fast and furiously; when creativity is stifled, mediocrity and status quo are the order of the day.†2 pages later he follows with: “In this day and age, when data is the DNA of success, success becomes a function of the ease and extent to which data is cultivated, harvested, shared, and transformed into the kinds of insight and action capable of altering ingrained perceptions and behaviors and building businesses.†Joseph Jaffe gets it. You can't separate creativity from…
Continue Reading Rethinking Marketing »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 15, 2006 by ian
Here's a good question: What's a 'lead'? If you sell stuff online, it's easy to measure conversion by sales. If you don't, though, it can get murky. How do you know if each visit is worth what you spent to get it? Since my click calculator got publicity yesterday, I've had a few folks ask me that. In internet marketing, I think a lead means that a visitor has interacted with you to the point where they'll return, remember you and/or get in touch some other way. Here are my ideas. A visitor might become a lead if they:…
Continue Reading What's a Lead? »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 14, 2006 by ian
Seth Godin just did a brief post about my What is a Click Worth tool. I've had more traffic in the last 2 hours than I normally get in a day. The lesson: You can't make people link to you. You can make them want to, though... Thanks Seth! Technorati Tags: blogging, internet marketing…
Continue Reading The Power of Content »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 13, 2006 by ian
The FTC has just ruled that stealth marketing - the practice of hiring bloggers or actors to rave about products online or in person - is unethical. They're going to begin investigating individual complaints, for starters. The implications for online marketing are huge. If you are engaged in word-of-mouth marketing or any form of online buzz marketing including: - Paying bloggers to write about you; - Paying MySpace users to recommend you; - Building web sites that recommend your product, but don't disclose who built them; or anything similar, make sure you clearly state who you are. If you…
Continue Reading FTC Rules Stealth Marketing Unethical »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 6, 2006 by ian
I worry a lot about losing my edge. After 11 years in internet marketing, I'm afraid of becoming, well, stodgy. Brian writes about this in his latest post. He's right. Our web site is the least up-to-date of all of the sites we maintain. Why is that? I think it's because keeping your edge (in marketing, anyway) isn't just about keeping your edge. It's about helping your clients keep theirs. Authenticity is about remaining 100% dedicated to your client's best interests, sometimes to the point of telling them they'd be better off working with someone else.…
Continue Reading Keeping Your Edge »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 5, 2006 by ian
How much specialization is too much? I've started noticing whole new fields of internet marketing opening up: Blog marketing, social marketing, video marketing, and of course viral marketing (an oldie but still drives me nuts). Supposedly each of these focuses on a distinct space, and someone specializing in, say, Blog marketing, can do stuff that a talented internet marketer can't. Excuse me? Isn't a blog just a web site? How about mySpace? YouTube? Specializing in a tiny sliver of internet marketing just to gain a niche is OK, I guess, but how can marketers serve their clients ethically and…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing and Overspecialization »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 27, 2006 by ian
Do you think Microsoft will deal with negative reviews of the Zune? Online? See this review in the Chicago Sun Times. Hardly a small-time publication. If I were Microsoft I'd: 1. Write a detailed blog post breaking down the article and addressing each concern. Especially the one regarding the failed install. Acknowledge failure, then address it. 2. Respond to the thousands of comments on Digg.com to at least demonstrate that I'm listening. 3. Maybe point out, somewhere, that the author of this article writes a regular column with MacWorld? So maybe he's a teeeeny bit biased? 4. Do a…
Continue Reading Microsoft: Online PR Management? »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 26, 2006 by ian
Neil Patel has a great collection of blogging resources here. Technorati Tags: blogging…
Continue Reading Blogging Resources »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 20, 2006 by ian
Last night my family and I climbed into a Towncar for the ride from Newark Airport to the grandparents' house. About 15 minutes out, the car's engine started racing and the 'check transmission' light came on. A sure sign that the car's transmission was about to fall out. The driver, not wanting to lose the fare, kept driving. I finally turned to him and said 'are you going to call for another car or am I?' He didn't. As it turned out, I couldn't. We had a very, very long trip to our destination, and I'll never use that…
Continue Reading Knowing When To Stop »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 10, 2006 by ian
Everyone should know what a click to their website is worth. And everyone should know they're spending less than that to get those clicks. Yet almost no one does. Which is sort of like landing an airplane when you're not sure where the ground is. It's not too hard, trust me. As an experiment, I just finished a little quick worksheet that figures it out for you. Check it out here: www.conversationmarketing.com/clickworth.html If you have any questions about it post 'em as comments here and I'll answer as best I can. Technorati Tags: internet marketing, ppc marketing…
Continue Reading What's a Click Worth? »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 3, 2006 by ian
I just watched Benjamin Zander speak about transformation, creativity and his book, The Art of Possibility. He made one point that really stuck with me: A great concert pianist will often sway and lean with their music. They're lost to it, taking risks and not worrying, right then, about what the audience will think. As they lean they end up playing, most of the time, on one buttock. And they play beautiful music that leaves their audience spellbound. So much of marketing is so conservative, so stuck on older creative principles, not because we know they work best, but…
Continue Reading Playing On One Buttock »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 3, 2006 by ian
I'm at a convention for a client of mine right now. They just announced that the internet generated 9000 new customers for them during a 7-month test campaign run by us. Their last national campaign that did anything - a print ad in a perfectly-targeted magazine - generated 300. These customers cost them about $15 each. They make $400 on each customer. We ran the whole campaign around PPC ads, blog advertising and targeted landing pages that we tested and then launched. Nothing tremendously fancy, just fundamentals. I think this internet marketing thing might just work.... Technorati Tags: internet…
Continue Reading This Internet Thing May Work... »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 30, 2006 by ian
A few folks have very astutely asked me whether my test on http://www.mmmzr.com/ generated quality, targeted traffic. The answer is a qualified 'yes'. So far I've received as much traffic in any 24-hour period as I usually get in a week. Average time on the site is down to about 3 minutes from 4 minutes. Average page views per visitor is the same - 2 page views per session, with an important qualifier: That includes RSS feed views. Take out the RSS feed and it's closer to 7 pages per session. I have about 15 more folks on the…
Continue Reading Pyramid Marketing, 2: The Results »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 28, 2006 by ian
Seth Godin had an article about MMMZR on his site. The concept was so bizarre and so interesting that I purchased an ad. Basically, it's the ultimate pyramid marketing scheme, gone viral. It was expensive. Really expensive. But, on the other hand, it's sent as much traffic to this site in the last two hours as I got all day yesterday. We'll see how it works out. Further bulletins as events warrant... Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Pyramid Marketing: A Pricey Test »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 25, 2006 by ian
Marketing is scary. Spooky. It requires leaps of faith. Brian mentioned this today, and pointed me to a post on Seth Godin's blog. Very insightful. Remember it the next time you're brainstorming and you stop yourself with a line like 'but that will never happen' or 'but they won't like that'... Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Fear and Marketing Don't Mix »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 22, 2006 by ian
Kvelling, in Yiddish, means 'gloating', 'full of pride' or the state of being delighted about something. I'm kvelling for a moment: My company was chosen as one of the 100 fastest-growing companies in Puget Sound. Number 48, to be exact. That growth is a testament to my clients, who have worked with us for years and been great partners, as well as the Portent team, who manage to stay creative, smart and efficient, all at the same time. Thanks everyone!…
Continue Reading A Quick Yiddish Lesson »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 16, 2006 by ian
SiteProNews had an article in my in-box this morning when I got to work. The best quote: “With articles and books being written about the Web's natural ability to access niche markets ('The Long Tail' by Chris Anderson), businesses will soon realize that delivering meaningful content to interested audiences takes precedence over attracting volumes of uninterested traffic. High volumes of traffïc may be the goal of sites that make their money by delivering traffic to advertisers, but if you have your own product or service to sell, it's about the quality of traffïc not the volume.†Gee, wish I'd…
Continue Reading The Future of Internet Marketing »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 12, 2006 by ian
What if marketing and ad agencies paid clients bonuses? Beau Fraser has an editorial on page 13 of this week's Advertising Age that suggests just that. And internet marketing might be the perfect place to start. Here's how it could work: Client and agency agree on a goal: Generate, say, a 3:1 return on a $250,000 advertising buy. Client pays agency 15% of the total buy as a fee. That's $37500, plus creative. Client agrees to say 'we like it' or 'we hate it' and avoid endless revisions, design by committee and throw-it-all-in redirects that kill the concept. Agency…
Continue Reading Thinking Small: Bonuses for Clients »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 11, 2006 by ian
Brian writes about the No Excuses Ethos. I'm struck by how well this applies to marketing, too. I screw up all the time. I encourage clients to bet big and lose big. Why? Because you learn either way. If you lose big, you learn big, and your chances of succeeding the next time grow exponentially. One quick example: We ran a campaign for a client, on a well-known ad network. It was a slam dunk. We couldn't lose. The campaign was a hideous, dismal failure. I paid for the campaign out of pocket. That cost me $2000, sure. But I…
Continue Reading No Excuses »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 9, 2006 by ian
You can now listen to my September 28th seminar at Adhost. It's in MP3 format, 25 megabytes, 86 minutes, and is available for free. Just click and it's yours. In it, I cover the entire Conversation Marketing process, from start to finish. I also answer some great questions from the audience. I also, apparently, say 'um' at least 423 times. I did you all the favor of editing those out... Listen: September 28th Seminar | MP3 Format | 25 megabytes | 86 minutes Technorati Tags: internet marketing, podcast…
Continue Reading September 28 Seminar Recording Available »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 4, 2006 by ian
I've tried for years to explain to clients why a Flash splash page is a bad idea. But SEOMOZ has the best comparison I've ever heard: “When we have clients who are thinking about Flash splash pages, we tell them to go to their local supermarket and bring a mime with them. Have the mime stand in front of the supermarket, and, as each customer tries to enter, do a little show that lasts two minutes, welcoming them to the supermarket and trying to explain the bread is on aisle six and milk is on sale today.†Don't mess…
Continue Reading Why Flash Home Pages Are Bad »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 28, 2006 by ian
I'm speaking to a group today about Internet Marketing, at Adhost Internet Advertising in downtown Seattle. It's booked solid, but they will be recording it. I'll post the recording when I get it.…
Continue Reading Speaking today »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 20, 2006 by ian
A colleague of mine (Lenora Edwards) told me a great story today: A friend of hers signed her daughter up for Chinese language classes. Her daughter didn't want to go. When asked why, she said “Because I don't speak Chineseâ€. Every day I talk to folks who don't want to work with me until they understand internet marketing. In other words, they don't want to learn Chinese until they can already speak it. You see the problem. The solution is easy: Let go. Be ready to learn, and understand that when you work with an internet marketer (or any…
Continue Reading I Don't Speak Chinese »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 1, 2006 by ian
I typically keep this blog politics-free, and I'm not aiming this at any one party. I'm sure both sides of the aisle are equally clueless. But this story is too much: Pentagon Moves Toward Monitoring Media The contract offers $20 million and 'calls for monitoring the tone of Iraq news stories filed by U.S. and foreign media'. Wow. For $500,000 I'll teach them to use Google. And maybe even teach them to use a blog for the 'Arabic version of the multinational force's web site'. I can save the federal government $19,500,000 in one fell swoop. Long live internet…
Continue Reading $20 million to use Google »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 27, 2006 by ian
I just finished reading Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins (1866-1932). It was first published 40-50 years ago, written by a guy who started his adult life as a lay preacher. Doesn't sound like a great recipe for a guide to advertising in the internet age. But this book is a must if you're serious about advertising. Hopkins can get a little preachy (hello, started as a lay preacher) but his advice is sound, practical and timeless. Nuggets include: - Don't use pictures unless they add to the message. - Measure everything. - Give specifics in your ads. These…
Continue Reading Book Review: Scientific Advertising »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 26, 2006 by ian
Effective management of risk is one of the keys to successful internet marketing. But that doesn't mean eliminating risk. Rather, it means balancing risk and the need for flexibility. Good quality assurance (QA) is essential to successful online marketing. Just look at Washington Mutual's recent woes, and you'll see why. But QA can also cost an agency agility, efficiency and morale. So how do you reconcile QA's requirements (process, care, testing) with the requirements of internet marketing (adaptation, responsiveness, experimentation)? I've had a QA team at my agency for about two years now, and I think we've finally come…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing and Quality Assurance »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 14, 2006 by ian
Seth Godin has this post: Assuming that you have your audience's full attention is dangerous. On the other hand, David Ogilvy said in Ogilvy on Advertising that long ad copy and more detail always wins. How do you reconcile the two in internet marketing? By approaching your ad strategy as the first three steps in a six step conversation: Make sure you get in front of the user when they're interested, by using smart advertising strategies and, most important, smart search marketing. Use the right initial look and headline to grab attention. Then use longer, detailed copy to draw in…
Continue Reading Attention Deficit vs. Long Copy »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 9, 2006 by ian
I'm reading Ogilvy on Advertising right now. If you don't know him, David Ogilvy was one of, if not the top advertising executive(s) of all time. His book is inspiring, and very reassuring in many ways, because it looks to me like he got cranky about many of the same things I do. I'm going to post some bits I find particularly interesting, but I highly recommend the book: "What is a good advertisement? An advertisement which pleases you because of its style, an advertisement which sells the most? They are seldom the same... Creativity strikes me as a high-falutin…
Continue Reading Books: Ogilvy on Advertising »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 8, 2006 by ian
Google inked a major deal with MySpace: Google pay per click ads run on the Adwords network will show in MySpace search results. The full article is here. Sorry, I'm on vacation. No analysis today :) Technorati tag: Internet Marketing…
Continue Reading Google Adwords Will Be on MySpace »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 3, 2006 by ian
Dreamhost is a web site hosting provider. We've used them, and I like them. They've some major, WaMu-type problems lately, partly because they're trying to secure their power infrastructure, and partly because Los Angeles has been having brown- and blackouts. They show the right way to deal with it: Publicly. On the web. Honestly. And they even make it a little bit funny. WaMu could learn from this. See my previous post about their web issues, and their mum's-the-word approach to handling them.. Dreamhost: Anatomy of an ongoing disaster. Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Dreamhost: The Right Way to Deal with Web Problems »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 3, 2006 by ian
Kudos to WaMu for demonstrating, graphically, how not to launch new features on a web site. A story on CNET points out that their online bill payment and banking system has been down since last Saturday. In the mean time, they apparently didn't really admit to anyone that there was a problem. And Gary Kishner's excuse doesn't wash, either. Here's what happened: 1. WaMu launches new features on site. 2. Site fails. 3. WaMu tells customers it's 'routine maintenance' (!!!). 4. Almost a week later, they admit it's not routine maintenance. Here's how launching new features on a web site…
Continue Reading Washington Mutual: How NOT to Launch a Web Site »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 1, 2006 by ian
Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples was the first book I ever read about advertising. I re-read it about every six months. It is an absolute must for anyone who wants to understand the fundamentals of advertising, from A/B testing to writing good copy. Decades after it was written, this book is still relevant, still insightful, and still a must-read. You can buy it on Amazon: Tested Advertising Methods. Oh, and if you buy it from here, you'll help me support Conversation Marketing, which is becoming a bit of a job in itself... Technorati Tags: books, internet marketing…
Continue Reading Book Review: Tested Advertising Methods »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 31, 2006 by ian
A few folks have e-mailed me saying my comments about David Allen's book, Getting Things Done, were completely confusing cryptic. Sorry about that. Here's a better explanation, I hope: Getting Things Done focuses on productivity and time management. Activity management, actually. Allen coaches you to break gridlock by always thinking of, and managing, your time and projects in terms of the next action you can and should take. By focusing on the action, rather than on the project, you automatically break things down into digestible chunks, and do a far better job of managing tasks. Getting Things Done explains…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing and GTD: A bit more »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 28, 2006 by ian
I've been working on a small e-book, The Guide to Blogging, for about 3 weeks now. It should be ready in about 2 more weeks, I hope. I want to provide a brief, step-by-step guide to launching and then promoting a blog. This guide will be for regular folk like you and me, not veteran blogging geeks who actually know what an RSS file looks like (well, OK, I do know what an RSS file looks like, but that's memory space I'd just as soon get back). In the mean time, I thought I'd ask: If you have any…
Continue Reading Guide to Blogging: Coming soon »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 27, 2006 by ian
Seth Godin has a wonderful post about intuition vs. analysis. Of course I think it's wonderful. First of all, he's reading holding onto not recycling a copy of my book (I hope) and may offer some feedback. Second, his opinion nicely matches mine. If you're always too terrified of failure to trust your gut, seeking instead empirical proof, you'll never make much progress. Especially in Internet marketing. It's not like there's 50 years of historical data to fall back on. Analysis has its place: You can analyze results. But you can't analyze the future, so it all comes down…
Continue Reading Seth Godin on Analysis vs. Intuition »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 25, 2006 by ian
I am reading David Allen's book Getting Things Done right now. His guiding principle: Focus on actions, not projects, and you'll get more done, with less stress. One thing that impresses me about this idea is that it adapts. Take internet marketing: For every marketer that's willing to experiment, test and yes, maybe even fail occasionally, there are 100 who always want more data, more input, more info, etc.. They are paralyzed by the need to know everything before moving forward. Sorry, internet marketing doesn't work that way. You have a few options: Buy small, measure, learn and refine until…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing, GTD Style »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 19, 2006 by ian
Hi. My name is Ian, and I Digg myself. And that's OK. There have been several articles (on Slate.com and in the Wall Street Journal, to name a few) talking about how marketers are using tagging communities like Digg.com and Technorati. Smart Ruthless marketers (like me) are apparently tagging our blog posts with the singular intent of getting people to read our stuff. Gasp. It's all good. Think about it. I can post my content to Digg and Technorati until I'm blue in the face. But if nobody likes it, then they won't link to it, or 'Digg' it, or…
Continue Reading Craven Hit Seekers, Rejoice. It's OK to Digg Yourself »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 13, 2006 by ian
In the last election cycle, John Kerry's web site required registration before you could learn about his candidacy. Seemed a bit ludicrous at the time, and later on in the campaign they removed the registration requirement. Now, the DCCC has a new video on their site. It's quite controversial. Only problem is, you can't watch it without providing your e-mail address and ZIP code. How can you brand yourself as the party opposing NSA wiretapping, and then require people to identify themselves before they can hear what you have to say? I said it in 2004. I'll say it again:…
Continue Reading Democrats, Online: More of the Same? »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 12, 2006 by ian
ClickTale is an about-to-be-released tool that will let you basically create movies of visitors' use of your site. I don't know much about it (just applied for the beta program) but have a look. It's definitely got huge potential. What's better than knowing exactly how, and when, people clicked? Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading ClickTale: Film user interaction with your site »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 11, 2006 by ian
Just a quick note: Conversation Marketing is now available on Amazon.com. OK, not that exciting for you, maybe, but it's my first... Order Conversation Marketing…
Continue Reading Conversation Marketing on Amazon.com »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 3, 2006 by ian
These comments were made by Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) regarding Net Neutrality last week. I know it runs counter to the USA's current approach to political issues, but Senator, please try to know what you're talking about before you speak. You got “sent an internetâ€?! If you're reading this, note that I'm not commenting on the concept of Net Neutrality. Please go out and read up on it on your own, and make your own decision. But realize that the folks who are currently deciding how net neutrality will shake out don't even know what 'an internet' IS. Educate yourselves.…
Continue Reading Clueless in Congress »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 2, 2006 by ian
I've never handled an internet marketing project with a team larger than four or five people: A marketer, a developer, a designer, a project manager, and maybe, if it's a really big project, a producer. Our typical teams are closer to three: A marketer, a designer and a project manager, with a developer in occasional part-time support. Some folks are put off by this. They want to see ten people, huddled in a room, all pondering their marketing challenges. But that's a bad approach. With a small, tight team, you're agile, able to quickly change direction, and you spend less…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing and Small Teams »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 1, 2006 by ian
I am a huge cycling fan. On Thursday I was chagrined to hear that the top 4 or 5 riders were removed from their team rosters for this year's Tour. Why? They were linked with an ongoing investigation of performance-enhancing drugs and doping. They might come back, someday, but they'll have asterisks next to their names, forever. The same is true in internet marketing: You can try to bring people to your site under false pretenses. You can try to fool folks into opening an e-mail message. And you can try to offer a service or product that isn't quite…
Continue Reading Truth in Marketing: What we can learn from the Tour de France »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 29, 2006 by ian
Google released their new Google Checkout payment system today, and I took it for a test drive, as a consumer and as a merchant. A quick note about the test case: I used the simplest version of Google Checkout - their 'buy now' button. The 'buy now' button takes the customer to checkout.google.com to complete their purchase. Google does offer a complete API, where you can integrate their service directly into your own site, but I wimped out. Setting Up My Store I decided to add a Google Checkout button to my book page. I already have a Google account,…
Continue Reading Reviewed: Google Checkout Payment System »
comments (23) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 27, 2006 by ian
In the last year we've probably run about $350,000 worth of banner advertising. The immediate return on investment stinks. This ClickZ article just backs up my conclusion. A lot of the issue, I think (and ClickZ agrees) is trust: In the age of adware, spyware and viruses, no one's going to click on an ad if they don't recognize the brand. But this study misses one very, very important point: Banners are still pretty good branding tools. Even if folks don't specifically spend time studying a banner, the presence of a well-branded company on a number of sites will have…
Continue Reading Banner Ad Blindness »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 26, 2006 by ian
CNN.com has an article about a new 'trend' in web design: Web Vaastu. The proponents are attempting to shoehorn about 3,000 years of philosophy into web design and marketing, like this: “'Earth is the layout, fire is the color, air is the HTML, space is name of the Web site, and water is the font and graphics,' says Narang, adding that each must be chosen carefully and strike a balance with the other.†I agree in principle. And I won't say anything else. Just have a look at their web site: WebVastu.com. If I were them, I'd practice a little…
Continue Reading Vastu Shakra (aka Feng Shui) Web Design? »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 22, 2006 by ian
Google is inviting their network publishers to participate in pay-per-action advertising. The new 'content referral network' will pay publishers each time a click on a Google ad on their site generates a sale, a lead, or some other action defined as desirable by the advertiser. The implications are huge: If the largest online pay-per-click network starts to offer CPA (cost per action) advertising, too, what will advertisers choose? CPA, of course... Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Google Launching Cost-Per-Action Network »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 16, 2006 by ian
I literally took a page from my own book today, and made some changes to the Conversation Marketing book sales page. Included: A more landing-page, 'above the fold' call to action (order online), and a clearer 'buy now' button, as well as a sample chapter. Looking in the log files for the site, it looked to me like a lot of folks were landing on the main page but then left, not realizing they could order the book right then and there. How did I know they didn't just decide not to buy the book? I received several e-mails…
Continue Reading Conversation Marketing Applied »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 13, 2006 by ian
Testing works. It doesn't just work. It kicks butt. Here's a recent example:…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Case Study: Testing Works »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 13, 2006 by ian
One lesson, two examples, and proof (as if it were really necessary) that I'm not infallible: First, the lesson: If an online ad venue is a flop at 1x, increasing it to 6x will only make it a bigger flop.…
Continue Reading Marketing, Clueless »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 7, 2006 by ian
I'm on a bit of an internet marketing tear this week, with my little rant yesterday, and now this post. I'm prepping for a breakfast presentation tomorrow, which may explain it. The first question in the presentation is 'What is internet marketing?'. Generally, when I ask that question, I get a range of answers, but none include 'my web site'. That's a major omission. Your web site is the first, critical component of an internet marketing campaign. It's not a separate project, or separate thing. You need to be considering your campaign when you build your site. Before I get…
Continue Reading Pondering Internet Marketing »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 6, 2006 by ian
Go to Technorati.com and search for Internet Marketing. Half the posts that show up talk about search engine optimization. SEO does not equal Internet Marketing. It's one piece of it, but it's not all of it. Equating SEO and Internet Marketing is like saying an introduction is the same as a marriage proposal. Getting found is step 1. Building a lasting relationship is a never-ending (and hopefully fun) exercise. Technorati tag: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Does NOT mean SEO! »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 5, 2006 by ian
Three terms that make my right eye twitch: Web 2.0 isn't. Someone building a 'web 2.0' web site is building a better web site. It's not some sea change in how web sites work. A blog is not a revolution in internet technology. Blogging software is just a form of content management. Viral marketing is just marketing that works. It's not injected, sprayed into the air or otherwise magical. It's just a piece of marketing that gets passed around. And it's not just an internet thing, either. Technorati tag: internet marketing…
Continue Reading A (very) Brief Rant »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 5, 2006 by ian
Here's a quick case study: Me. I've been marketing my book a bit for a week now, and had a nice burst of orders on the first weekend. Then things tailed off. A look at my traffic report told me folks are getting to the page and reading about the book , but not buying it. Which either means 1) They don't want my book or 2) Something is discouraging them from ordering. Since I can't do much about 1 just yet, I focused on 2, and made these changes: - Made sure folks know that shipping is now via…
Continue Reading My Own Dog Food »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 2, 2006 by ian
Since 2004, pundits have been saying that political campaigning on the internet has come of age. I beg to differ - it's just barely been born.…
Continue Reading Internet Politics: A Long Way To Go »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 1, 2006 by ian
Seth Godin has given form to any designer's worst nightmare: The marketer or boss who says "I'll know it when I see it". No you won't. Check out what Seth says: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/05/marketing_potho.html…
Continue Reading I'll Know it When I See It »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 26, 2006 by ian
In case any of you have wondered why my posts have slowed a bit of late: I have just taken my first book to publication. Conversation Marketing puts down on paper the internet marketing method I've used for years. If you'd like to learn more about it, or maybe even buy a copy, you can do so at http://www.conversationmarketing.com/internet-marketing-book/. Thanks everyone!…
Continue Reading Conversation Marketing, The Book »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 12, 2006 by ian
When you're making a decision about online marketing, think about what you want: A 747? Or a Cessna? That may sound derogatory. It's not. I've sat at the controls of a Cessna (while it was flying). It's wonderful. Simple, forgiving and reliable as all get out. A Cessna will get you from place to place. But, if you later need to carry dozens of passengers, or maybe a few trucks, you'll have to sell that Cessna and start over. If you buy a 747, you can get from place to place now, and handle anything from ferrying the space shuttle…
Continue Reading 747? Cessna? Pondering Internet Marketing »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 11, 2006 by ian
Google just released a nifty new trending tool. It shows and compares search traffic and trends for phrases you type into the tool. On a whim, I did a search comparing 'search marketing' to 'internet marketing'. Lo and behold, it looks like internet marketing is making big gains. You can see the search result here.…
Continue Reading The Year of Internet Marketing? »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 5, 2006 by ian
Internet marketing is not just a phrase that some agencies use to bill more. An internet marketing agency is altogether different from, say, a web site design firm or a search engine marketer. Internet marketing agencies do all of the things you'd get from these kinds of firms, but they pull it together in a unique way. Whether that way is best for you is another matter. I'll try to help you decide in this post.…
Continue Reading What's the Difference? »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 2, 2006 by ian
I read an article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday that discussed e-commerce and how it's now a requirement. Which leaves me wondering: Why do so few retailers do e-commerce right? I have my suspicions. Read on and see why so many online stores fail, and how to avoid their mistakes.…
Continue Reading Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 29, 2006 by ian
Mike sent me a priceless e-mail from Amazon.com. Here's the important content: "For the next few days, you can pre-order your copy at a savings of 0% by following the link below." Then below you see that the price is $6.96, for a savings of $.03. No doubt, this was generated by some of Amazon's amazing personalization technology. I'm not being sarcastic - it really is amazing. But sometimes automation isn't a good thing. If I were Amazon I'd put something in place to filter out 0% savings offers, plus something to avoid sending $.03 discounts to folks...…
Continue Reading Amazon Marketing Bloopers »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 13, 2006 by ian
The state of Washington is launching a new, $442,000 marketing campaign. They undoubtedly invested a lot of time in coming up with a slogan to rival 'I love NY' and 'What happens here, stays here'. In the end they came up with 'SayWA'. Yes, SayWA. Huh? After choking on my morning cereal, I decided that this is a great example of creativity run amok.…
Continue Reading When Creativity Overcomes Good Sense »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 17, 2006 by ian
You don't have to take it from me. A Forrester Report states that only 13% of web professionals at 89 online companies said they actually measure the ROI of all web site changes. Only half said they measure the ROI of major changes. Half said they don't measure the ROI of any changes at all, citing resource limitations. Half. Don't. Measure. Anything. At. All. In most cases that I've seen, resources become limited because of inefficient use. If you don't measure ROI, of course your resources - budget and time - are limited. You're throwing them away. I am now…
Continue Reading Most Web 'Pros' Don't Measure »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 15, 2006 by ian
I've been working on a book, titled Conversation Marketing, since last summer. The book is now in final proofing and will be in print in April. Internet marketing is a field as dense as it is diverse. My hope is that Conversation Marketing will help make some sense of it. You can reserve a copy now. Best of all, you can support a good cause at the same time. Donate at least $25 to the YMCA Partners with Youth program, and I'll send you a copy as soon as the book goes to press. It will sell for $30-35, so…
Continue Reading My First Book, and a Good Deed »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 31, 2006 by ian
I am rereading Tested Advertising Methods, by John Caples. It's the definitive work on effective advertising, copy and ad testing. If you want to learn all there is to know about successful ad campaigns, read this book. It provides great insight into testing ad campaigns and then adjusting those campaigns for the best results. Here's the punchline, though: It was written over 60 years ago. Yes so few ad agencies follow Caples' lead. Why is that?…
Continue Reading Tested Advertising Methods »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 6, 2006 by ian
Nothing else needs to be said, really: www.milliondollarhomepage.com (note - as of 1/13 this site appears to be having some bandwidth issues, so you may get a 'not found' or 'site busy' error when you click the above link)…
Continue Reading Why didn't I think of that? »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 27, 2005 by ian
Google's been dabbling in print ads, and the results so far haven't been great, says Business Week. They cite lack of flexible pricing, higher costs and an inability to target ads the same way Google Adwords does online. I think there's a different reason: Measurement.…
Continue Reading Google Print Ads: No Measurement, No Joy »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 14, 2005 by ian
Standard & Poor's is predicting a terrible 2006 for every advertising medium except one: The Internet. It's not hard to figure out why: With the focus on leaner/meaner/faster everything, the Internet is the logical marketing medium. It's the only one where organizations can measure their audience, place an ad, and then measure exactly how well that ad is performing.…
Continue Reading 2006 Advertising: Internet's Up »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 1, 2005 by ian
ZDNet has a new article up that refers to 2005 as the 'turning point' for online advertising. I look at 2005 as even more - it was a watershed year for online marketing. Organizations are catching on: In an age when consumers are skipping TV commercials, cancelling newspaper subscriptions and replacing their radios with iPods, the Internet may be the most effective marketing medium. The success of Internet marketing has brought online advertising along for the ride. You can read the whole article here.…
Continue Reading 2005: Online Marketing Tipping Point? »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 16, 2005 by ian
Sometimes you're better off saying nothing at all: www.ralesforsenate.org/issues.html The page shows 'under construction' for his 'issues' page. All jokes about honest politicians aside, couldn’t someone have taken 2 minutes to write a few bullet points? The first rule of good Internet marketing or political speech: If you have nothing to say, say nothing. This page makes the candidate look completely out of touch, disorganized and simply not aware of how his potential constituents communicate. I guess he’s hoping none of the voters in Maryland — folks who live and work near Washington DC — use the Internet. I KNOW…
Continue Reading Sometimes Silence Is Better »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 13, 2005 by ian
Tuesday, November 15, I'll be speaking to the Seattle Chapter of SMPS about blogs as a marketing tool. It'll be pretty free-form, but I'll cover what really makes a blog a blog, how to decide if you need one, and a few do's and don'ts... You can get the full information at http://www.smpsseattle.org/calendar/111505.html…
Continue Reading SMPS Blogging Luncheon »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 19, 2005 by ian
Dang, looks like I missed another chance to coin a trendy term and make millions. Apparently Micropublishing is the new wave in advertising. Apparently that's using blogs as an advertising vehicle. Put another way, it's all about buying ads on lots of small, topical sites and then measuring the return. What a shock.…
Continue Reading Another Term Opportunity Slips Away »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 14, 2005 by ian
Seth Godin's latest ebook, Everyone's an Expert (On Something) states that the current version of the Web "is about enabling people to share meaning." The many blogs, customer reviews and online bids are ways that individuals share the meaning they attach to something. Hence, he says, everyone's an expert about something. His upcoming service, Squidoo will employ that principle. I'd add to that: Everyone's a barometer, too.…
Continue Reading Everyone's A Barometer, Too »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 4, 2005 by ian
My article on measuring Internet ROI made it into this month's Direct Magazine. You can read it at this address. But my obsessive compulsive side is coming out, and I can't help but point out that Direct could improve their production standards a bit. On my trusty Powerbook, running Mozilla FireFox as my web browser, headings don't space correctly, nothing is aligned, numbered and bulleted items are mis-spaced, and the whole page is a search engine optimization nightmare. It's a great publication, but they're sacrificing some potential subscribers, I think. Maybe they'd like to hire a firm in Seattle to…
Continue Reading ROI Article in Direct Magazine »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 4, 2005 by ian
What is it about Internet marketing that has everyone so confused? Not the technology - you can always find folks to explain that. Not the creative, either. It's how you blend them that drives marketers and technologists nuts. It's a division between the creative and the technical. Some folks see their web sites as big IT department projects. Others see them as a creative playground. Very few tie the two together.…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing: Tools or Message? »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 28, 2005 by ian
Just wanted to let everyone know that my next Conversation Marketing Breakfast is next Wednesday, October 5, at 7:15 AM. The topic this time will be, appropriately enough, Conversation Marketing. If you're looking for a chance to see how the whole Internet Marketing equation comes together, this is a good one to attend. The discussion will likely trace the outline of my upcoming book, due out in November (or December, depending on kids, contracts and life in general). Breakfast is free, as always. Complete information is at http://www.conversationmarketing.com/colloquium.htm. Hope to see you there.…
Continue Reading Conversation Marketing Breakfast #3 »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 10, 2005 by ian
Most traditional advertising agencies bill their clients for a percentage of total advertising buys. So if you hire an agency and they buy, say, $100,000 worth of television time, you'll pay them about $10,000. What's their incentive? To buy more advertising, and do cool, creative stuff that wins awards. They have very little incentive to take a long, hard look at whether a specific asset in a particular medium generates any real return for your business.…
Continue Reading The End of Traditional Ad Billing »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 7, 2005 by ian
A friend/client last week told me that they felt their marketing campaign hadn't worked because their audience just didn't 'get it'. She said this in a tone of total frustration. Clearly, she felt her potential customers needed to get with the program. We've all felt this way. I often catch myself grinding my teeth when someone gets completely the wrong idea from a campaign that took me weeks to create. But remember: When it comes to messaging, the customer who gets it wrong is always right. Always remember: Marketing messages are not created for you, the marketer. They're created for…
Continue Reading Marketing Messages: Who has to 'Get it' »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 4, 2005 by ian
As an internet marketer, I've always hated phones. With a passion. Why? Because I can't tell why someone calls me. Did they find me in the phone book? On a search engine? From that e-mail I sent out? When customers call companies, the company has no way of knowing if they got the phone number from their website, the phone book, or some other source. It's untraceable, and you can't figure out how phone calls factor into ROI. But now I can fall in love again. Meet ‘click to call’ — the relationship therapist for Internet marketers everywhere. It's already…
Continue Reading Old Becomes New Again, Again: Click to Call »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 25, 2005 by ian
OK, maybe not completely modestly. The Puget Sound Business Journal did a piece on my firm, Portent Interactive. You can read it here: http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/salespower/2005/07/25/…
Continue Reading Bragging Modestly »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 7, 2005 by ian
I'm not one to gloat (hah) but I've scored big for a client in the Brag Modestly column, and thought I should point out the whys and hows of it. In short, consider blogs and other online news sources whenever you're Conversation Marketing. If you want the details, read on.…
Continue Reading Bragging Modestly: Internet Marketing and PR »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 6, 2005 by ian
I was talking to a friend today about the upcoming big screen adaptation of War of the Worlds. I'm hoping it isn't too horrifically bad... Regardless, I started pondering the success of War of the Worlds. Most people think it's a story told by Orson Welles. Of course, it was a book written by H.G. Wells (no relation) - it became notorious for a 1938 radio broadcast that convinced many Americans we were indeed being invaded by Martians. It may be the single most successful viral marketing gimmick of the 20th century. Which means viral marketing isn't such a new…
Continue Reading Viral Marketing: Old Becomes New Again »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 26, 2005 by ian
Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm hosting our second Conversation Marketing Breakfast on June 8, at 7:15, at the Seattle World Trade Center. The topic this time will be Internet Marketing ROI. Folks rarely measure the actual return generated by their online marketing campaigns; usually, that's because they don't think it's possible. But it is possible. In fact, it's far easier than in other media. We'll talk about the various types of Internet marketing campaigns - Viral, banner, search, and e-mail, to name a few - and then review how you measure whether your campaign is really working.…
Continue Reading Conversation Marketing Breakfast #2: ROI »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 17, 2005 by ian
Why does Internet marketing feel so, well, dirty? Internet marketing's been around for a while now - I've been doing it for ten years. I've helped lots of thoroughly reputable organizations grow using the Internet as a communications tool. I've never touched spam or other unethical methods. So why do I sometimes feel like I'm working in some seedy underground? Because most Internet marketing is focused on accumulating traffic, rather than selecting customers. The typical Internet campaign is handicapped by a blurry picture of who the audience really is, and tries to compensate through sheer volume of visitors. That leads…
Continue Reading Select, Don't Accumulate »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 11, 2005 by ian
Seth Godin has a new blog post that cuts to the heart of marketing versus advertising. He even says 'Good Marketers Measure'. Bless you, Seth! It also mentions marketing as a conversation a few times, but I'd add something: Online marketing is a real-time conversation between you, your audience, and between audience members. If you measure, be prepared to use the results to adjust your message, fast.…
Continue Reading Seth Godin on Marketing: The Conversation »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 15, 2005 by ian
A few months ago I raised Folksonomies like Technorati as an emerging online marketing venue. Well, now WebProNews has an article talking about Tagvertising.…
Continue Reading Folksonomies - I told ya so »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 9, 2005 by ian
As traditional search engines branch out to include images and other media in their regular results, as competition broadens among those engines, and as new ranking and classification schemes join the web (think folksonomies - if you don't know the term, Google it!), focusing on keyword-rich text won't be enough. It's time to get topical.…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing Strategy: It's Topical »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 7, 2005 by ian
Wired Magazine published an article in their last issue about the rise of right-brained thinking. It's the best case for Conversation Marketing I've ever heard. And I didn't even pay the guy...…
Continue Reading Internet Marketing in the Conceptual Age »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 13, 2005 by ian
Google has introduced a new search appliance, and I'm pretty damned happy about it. Those of you who know me know that that means a LOT. So what's the big deal? Usability...…
Continue Reading Google Mini Appliance »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 22, 2004 by ian
Sorry, everyone - due to a flood of comment link spam over the last two weeks, I'll be disabling comments for all future posts. I'd rather spend my time writing than deleting...…
Continue Reading No More Comments... »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 11, 2004 by ian
"Brag Modestly" is one of the tenets of Conversation Marketing. Here's a tale of someone who didn't read the memo: In principle, a modest boast means you've gotten someone else to brag for you. Here's an example: Me: Hi Fran, here's this guy, Will, I told you about. He's really good with search marketing and could help your business. Why don't you two chat? Fran: Thanks! Hi Will, let's talk! Will: OK, sounds great. Thanks Ian. On the Internet, the best modest bragging comes from search engines. If Google, Yahoo or MSN reward you with a high rank, they're saying…
Continue Reading A Word About Bragging Modestly »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 3, 2004 by ian
Well, the election's over. Bush won handily, when you consider how close things were, and his gains over 2000. So why is that? The pundits talk of the Ground War, and President Bush's appeal to the conservative right. But I don't think that explains it. Now, I'm going to put all partisan feelings aside, here, and propose a theory: Internet Power.…
Continue Reading Behold, Internet Power »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 6, 2004 by ian
A cautionary tale from the vice presidential debate last night: Part of any conversation is the point at which you make a connection. Give the wrong address, and you're hosed. Vice President Cheney, meaning to give the address for FactCheck.org, instead gave FactCheck.com. The latter redirects to an anti-Bush web site. Here's an article about it: Cheney Mean to Say 'FactCheck.org'…
Continue Reading Giving the Wrong Address »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 30, 2004 by ian
The Implications of RSS in a Marketing Environment The most tenuous moment in internet marketing comes when your audience is ready to leave your site. Will they come back? How will you keep in touch? The traditional answer is e-mail - a well-written newsletter is a powerful permission marketing tool that can inform, educate and remind your audience that you're a valuable resource. But in the age of spam and information overload, e-mail has limitations. First, audiences are often unwilling to sign up for one more piece of e-mail in their inbox. Second, even if they do sign up, overzealous…
Continue Reading Make a Connection With RSS »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 28, 2004 by ian
I just published a short piece about content management-driven sites, search engine optimization, and why the two don't have to be mutually exclusive. Having a good content management system is important in any Conversation Marketing campaign. So is SEO. It used to be the case that dynamic web sites were invisible to search engines - not any more. With a few basic steps you can make sure your site gets solid search engine results, even if it's database-driven. Here's the article Just a note - I am biased. I love the Ektron system. So bear with me...…
Continue Reading Content Management and SEO »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 24, 2004 by ian
I'm a Democrat. I'll just say that right now. So what I'm about to say in this article is said in the best possible spirit. Senator Kerry, I really hope you win. I really do. But your web site is awful. Let me count the ways:…
Continue Reading Reviewing JohnKerry.com »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 10, 2004 by ian
Editor's Note: Lenora Edwards is helping build the concept of Conversation Marketing - as part of that she's working with me in organizing and running the upcoming Conversation Marketing Colloquium. Read on to get her thoughts on marketing in general, Conversation Marketing specifically, and why dogs like dog food...…
Continue Reading The Colloquium »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 28, 2004 by ian
I'd argue Comdex failed because the conference organizers did not have an ongoing conversation with their attendees. In contrast to Comdex, Jupiter Media's Search engine Strategies conference is successful. Why? Well the Search Engine Strategies conference is linked with one of the leading web sites about search engines: SearchEngineWatch.com. SearchEngineWatch.com’s has a large subscriber base attracted by the sites in-depth content on all things related to search engines. This customer base of subscribers provides a platform to promote the Search Engine Strategies conference. And the Search Engine Strategies conference gives Jupiter Media the ability to cross promote SearchEngineWatch.com’s subscription service.…
Continue Reading Why did Comdex fail? »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 14, 2004 by ian
Why 'Observe and Adjust' is the most important rule of Conversation Marketing I've been chewing my marketing cud lately, thinking about Conversation Marketing, Internet marketing and where it all comes from. Conversation Marketing, while a concept I'm proud of, is purely derivative. I didn't just conjure it up out of thin air. Lots of people (like John Cass) helped me develop it. But most important, Conversation Marketing is built to address the strengths and weaknesses of prevailing marketing theory. The basic rules (find them on the home page) focus on what I believe is the biggest failure of traditional marketing…
Continue Reading Keep the Ball Rolling: Ruminations on Conversation Marketing »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 12, 2004 by ian
Hey, if you want to learn Conversation Marketing, start at the root: Learn how to work a room, first. Here's a piece that provides one of the best play-by-plays I've ever seen: How to Work A Room.…
Continue Reading Making Conversations Work »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 21, 2004 by ian
A few years ago, John Cass - one of the best Internet and permission marketers I know - and I were sitting around trying to figure out how to describe this business. Internet communications is half PR (as John will tell you), a quarter marketing and a quarter technology. What separates the Internet from other media, though, is the fact that you can actually measure and respond to your audience, even as they respond to your message. In other words, it's a conversation. And the rules for making that conversation work are pretty simple: - Dress appropriately - Sound smart…
Continue Reading What is conversation marketing? »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
