Archive for December, 2006

There is a lot of uninspiring web content out there.

Now, I’m not pointing any fingers (I was raised up in the south and that’s considered very unladylike behavior). I’m just as guilty as the next guy…or, girl, rather, of optimizing copy focused on keywords and search phrases that lead to content that is a bit lackluster.

Okay, okay, let’s just call it what it is…DULL…FLAVORLESS…BORING. There, I said it.

As synchronicity would have it, I was contemplating the uninspiring web content problem when I came across a word used on a post that made me stop and think. The word was “provocative.”

Provocative. I like it.

It carries a certain connotation. It can be sexy. It can be stealth. It can be mind-blowing. It conveys an experience that speaks to human nature. It sort of makes you want to know more. What is provocative? The movie you watched last night, that gallery opening you just attended, or heck, maybe it’s that 4X4 monster truck you’ve had your eye on for a while now. The point is there has to be a way to make web copy provocative, make the words jump off the page, yank people in and give them such a fabulously delicious experience they won’t ever want to leave.

Optimized content might help get people to the site but provocative, well-written, exciting content will keep them there, lead them through the site, close the sale, and ultimately be the vehicle that keeps your conversation going via word of mouth.  It’s the tone of voice that will keep them coming back for more.

There are a few sites out there doing it right. I’ve mentioned Biznik before. Their manifesto is top-notch. The TieBar FAQ page is another but the examples are few and far between. E-Commerce niche sites (my specialty) are notoriously difficult to write for simply because the content absolutely has to be keyword rich and highly optimized. I mean there are only so many descriptive, make you want to buy, deliriously exciting words you can use for say “wall mount pot racks.”

It's a connundrum to be sure. But to create a formula for meshing the two together would be a truly fabulous feat. Can I get a drumroll, please? My working theory is optimized content + compelling tone of voice = action (the action being the sale, the signup, the "thing" you'd like your web visitors to do before they leave).

I like the idea of mixing up theories and ideas until I get something that is workable. I'll be testing this one out. My newest project is a niche website that is slated for a whole new line of product offerings and, yes, I will be optimizing for wall mount pot racks - make that "candy apple red wall mount pot racks that bring warmth and conversation to any kitchen setting…"

I am completely in love with Biznik.

With a manifesto that reads like a revolution in the making…how can I not?

Check this out – straight from the Biznik pages.

“We Believe that Most Business Networking Groups Suck.

Actually, we don't believe this. We know it. We've been there. We've suffered. We've gone to "lunch bunches." We've had "power partners." We've scanned the room full of dead-eyed real estate brokers, desperate financial planners and failure-focused "nontrepreneurs" and we've had enough. Biznik doesn't suck. Biznik will never suck. If Biznik starts to suck, tell us. We'll either fix it or we'll burn the damn thing to the ground and dance barefoot in the ashes.”

Who can pass up a business networking site that has that kind of gusto and passion?

The best thing about Biznik is that it is exactly what it says it is - no hidden agendas, no money switching hands behind the scenes, no jacking up the price to get a listing after you’ve joined, just a tool for collaboration between independent contractors and entrepreneurs (designers, marketers, technology geeks, self-proclaimed gurus…anyone, really). And everything about Biznik is completely transparent. The whole manifesto is here. Go read it. You don't want to miss this. It's that good.

While the home-base for Biznik is in Seattle, WA, no one is excluded and everyone (no matter what part of the world) is invited to participate. It’s small compared to a linkedin or zoominfo  but it’s fun and has a real grassroots feel to it.

I set up a profile (free, of course) and to my amazement, several members queried me and checked out my profile before it was ever complete. It's sort of like being the new kid in school. Everyone wants to know who you are and what you are all about.

The best part about Biznik, though, is that it's truly transparent and in today's online world that's what it is all about. There are many other business networking sites but I haven't come across one quite like this. If you have, let me know. We'll post it here, analyze it and pick apart the services and offers. Maybe we'll even get an interview out of it or make it a two-part series. 

A brief note from one of our affiliates…

The 642-523 exam is associated with Cisco certified security professional and Cisco Firewall specialist. The 642-901 exams with 90 minutes duration tests the ability required for building scalable Cisco internetworks. 70-270 exam tests the knowledge of Microsoft Widows XP Professional. The 70-282 exam deals with the knowledge required to support and maintain Windows small business server 2003. The CISSP is a certified systems security professional governed by ISC require building all technical capabilities. The 70-536 exam measures skills required managing data in .NET framework. . 70-292 deals with managing and maintaining windows server 2003 environment for an MCSA certified on windows 2000.It tests the skills for managing users, computers, groups and access to resources, maintaining server environment and disaster recovery.

So, last week I was “tagged” (or I received a “meme” as bloggers sometimes call it) and totally missed it.

Most likely, I was out holiday shopping but I can’t remember what happened yesterday, much less last week, to give you any kind of detailed explanation as to why I missed it. Just suffice it to say, I’m relatively sure I had a pretty good reason for missing the tag. So, today, I’m making up for lost time!

Anyway, if you don’t know what a meme is, it’s the blogger’s version of the game of tag you played as a kid with a grown up twist. Toby Bloomberg  over at Diva Marketing tagged me only I don’t have to freeze or anything (see freeze tag) but I am IT. And I do have to follow the rules which go something like this…

• I have to tell 5 things about me that you’d have no way of knowing.
• I have to tag a couple of other bloggers to do the same and they can be bloggers I know or bloggers I’d like to know more about. So, here goes…

5 Things you Didn’t Know About Me (and maybe never wanted to)

1. I started going grey when I was 16 years old. Not kidding. My friends thought I had some strange looking highlights. By the time I hit 25 I had a good dose of white going on and now it’s pretty much white all over…like Storm on X-Men  white. It’s some genetic anomaly me and Anderson Cooper share.
2. I was a programmer in my previous life. But I’ve overcome and worked out my karma  and now I’m in marketing. (just came up with that one so even I didn’t know that about myself till just now…lol – but it does explain my fascination with all things technological)
3. Every year I go to the beach with a group of women I call the church ladies. You know the commercials - What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas…
4. A few years ago I found Gilligan’s Island . It’s now called Kauia, Hawaii  and turns out a lot of other people found it too.
5. I love the idea of going green. I live in a very hippie-fied area of the country (Asheville, NC ), I recycle, I have an organic flower garden and I used to be vegetarian so it only makes sense.

TAG, YOU’RE IT!

Holly Buchanan because I really like her blog and she knows how to keep it real!

Todd Tweedy over at BoldMouth because he has a lot to say about word of mouth marketing and socialization on the web.

Jim Boykin because I love SEO and he’s pretty darn good at it (although he might have been tagged, already)

Debbie Weil because her book is really good, she knows her stuff and I want to get to know her better.

Alex Harris because he's an excellent designer and really understands what eCommerce is all about.

After months of interviews, research and pulling together information from marketing and technology gurus, the book I’ve been writing in conjunction with ProjectThunder (eCommerce Unveiled – Secret Strategies used by Innovative Marketers to turn Web Browsers into Buyers) is officially out!

The press release was sent via PRWeb. The podcast is scheduled and the shopping cart is all set up with the book via the ProjectThunder.com web site. We chose an eBook format for easy, instant access, a topic that needs to be discussed and tips, tools and strategies that actually work.

Since this blog is about innovative marketing techniques, I feel it’s only appropriate to offer a bit of shameless self-promotion and toot my own horn. So, here goes…the book is fabulously written and overflowing with cutting-edge, must-have information and secret strategies. You should go buy it!

Okay, if that didn’t work…well…hmmmm. I guess I could let you read an excerpt. You can get a look at it here: eCommerce Unveiled.

Happy Reading!

Oh, and if you decide you'd like your own version use the coupon code "sonya" (without the quotes) and you can pick up a copy immediately for $29! Enjoy!

You might need a Bahamavention. I sure as heck do.

If you exhibit any of the following characteristics then you are a prime candidate for a Bahamavention.

• Overworked
• Stressed
• In dire need of a mind altering escape from everyday life

Click here - Just launched, this national campaign is causing quite a stir.

When you pick yourself back up off the floor, let me know what you think! 

I literally stumbled across this idea a while back and I’m curious about the buzz effect it actually has for advertisers and if, when incorporated into a word of mouth marketing campaign, it really works.

The idea is to connect customers to advertisers and build traffic to the advertiser’s site. So, in effect, if you wanted to drive customers to your storefront you would select from a pool of well-respected bloggers who post regularly on topics of interest to your customers from one of the following resources:

• PayPerPost.com
• ReviewMe.com
• And the (not quite ready yet) LoudLaunch.com 

Then you pay them – anywhere from $60 - $250 per post based on the popularity of the blogger, blog ranking in the blogsphere/search engines and traffic coming into the blog. Pricing, of course, varies depending on the promotional vehicle you are using. PayPerPost begins at $10 per post. ReviewMe begins at $60 per post. And LoudLaunch, well, we are still waiting…

This is a relatively new phenomenon with PayPerPost (the first of its kind) launching just this past summer. The kicker is that it runs contrary to what hard-core bloggers hold near and dear to their hearts – truth, honesty and transparency.

In essence, by opting to participate and be listed among the pool of bloggers, they are selling their readership. This is a big can of worms. However, when looked at from a marketing perspective, it could be effective…notice I said “could.” I’m not totally convinced.

So, I decided to take this concept for a little spin.

I signed up as an advertiser and began to peruse the list of bloggers in ReviewMe.com to see if any were a fit for the marketing of a particular product I had in mind – an eBook (you can check it out here). I was pleased to see that there is a scoring/rating system and it made sense that the better, more respected, higher trafficked blogs had higher fees than say the new blog on the block.

Since the book offers an affiliate program, and I want to reach affiliate sellers, I chose to focus on marketing that aspect for my trial. I did a search for blogs with the term "affiliate marketing." Most of the blogs that came up were marketing blogs where a post or two had been made about affiliate marketing.

Then I came across one of my favorites…Dave Taylor’s blog. Now, he doesn’t hide the fact that he makes a decent living off blogging and adsense and I’m definitely not finding fault with him or anyone else who does this. Might even do it myself one day. However, I have to say I was a bit bummed. I felt betrayed, sold out and disheartened.

While I know he is most likely hit up regularly to blog about products and services and I don’t fault anyone trying to make a living…still, there was something just not right about it. I wondered if I could trust him to offer up “real” information. How would I know his words weren’t purchased by some advertising guy wanting to sell a product to me? His credibility took a bit of a nosedive.

But then the marketing wonk inside me took over…I mean, let’s think about this for a minute…if I want him or any other blogger in the network to give me a positive review about this eBook, I can just PAY him to do it? And, all those lovely people looking for information served up from Dave Taylor who hang on his very last word will think it’s grand and (hopefully) be compelled to purchase the book?

As any good blogger would, Dave wrote a post about it here detailing some of the pros and cons.

Hmmmmm…I’m going to try it, just to see what happens. After all, this is all about running a test, looking at word of mouth, measuring how it spreads across social areas on the web…

A brief note from one of our affiliates…

The 642-432 exam tests the knowledge required for voice integration solutions at the network access level. The 642-552 exam deals with information required for securing Cisco network and devices. The 642-845 exams include topics such as Cisco VoIP implementation, QoS considerations, and implementation of Auto QoS. The 70-431 exam tests the knowledge about Microsoft SQL Server 2005, its high availability and disaster recovery. The 70-292 exam tests skills in managing users, computers and groups, server environment and access to resources. The 70-284 exam deals with installing, configuring, and troubleshooting exchange server, exchange organization and exchange environment. 70-270 exam tests the knowledge of Microsoft Widows XP Professional.

1. Community of Customers

Socialization is big. Looking at your customers as a community of individuals with whom you are having a conversation is what today’s personalized marketing is all about. Taking this trend to the next level are technologies like Bazaarvoice and PowerReviews who are actually seeking to exponentially increase the conversation in your community of customers through reviews and honest information exchanged about products on eCommerce web sites.

2. Green Living (what I like to call the Green Revolution!)

The demand for eco-friendly, environmentally sustainable products and services will only grow over time. This market area tends to span demographics and really can’t be pinpointed to one specific area. While there is growing interest in these products across the board from a consumer standpoint, there is also growing interest by savvy marketers on how best to capitalize on this trend. My bet is you’ll be seeing more and more about “green” living in marketing campaigns in the very near future.

If terms like photovoltaic, hydroelectric and carbon neutral are foreign concepts, check out treehugger where a pretty cool group of individuals are on a mission to make the whole concept of “green living” mainstream.

3. Affluent Women

According to The Media Audit, affluent working women with family incomes of $75,000 or more are growing in number, and 94.3 percent access the internet during an average month. Not only are they growing in numbers but they are web savvy and actively look for information, resources and products on the web. Gearing marketing efforts to capture this market is a must for 2007. Reaching these women takes skill and credibility. They are well-educated, enjoy quite a bit of purchasing power, are comfortable making decisions and are looking for experiences that are real.

Here are some of the best places I've found to get very pertinent and targeted information about affluent women and marketing to women in general. These women really know their stuff!

• Marketing to Women Online
• Wonder Branding
• How to Reach Women
• Diva Marketing
• Learned on Women
• Lip Sticking

4. Word of Mouth Marketing

Everyone wants to create buzz! A Lucid Marketing study, "U.S. Adults: Word of Mouth Communications" concluded the following…

• women are more likely than men to share a positive experience with a business
• full-time employees made substantially more daily contacts than those not in the workforce
• people with household earnings of more than $100,000 were more likely to make recommendations than those earning less.

The biggest dilemma in word of mouth marketing is how to accurately track word of mouth marketing (WOMM) campaigns. There’s a new on demand service called buzzlogic that tracks and measures where your campaign is being talked about (web sites and blogs) and who is doing the talking (bloggers).

Just a note… There IS a bit of a debate about the difference between “buzz” and “viral” marketing among word of mouth marketers.