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Viral marketing online is a decade old this year and it’s getting hideously same-old, same-old boring. Which spells trouble, because viral’s all about not being boring.
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Category Archives: Marketing
Ad Scientists Stir Up Online Brew
Targeting cable TV ads to a particular neighborhood has always been tricky. In the past, if a local gas station wanted to advertise only to nearby households, the ad had to be cued up manually in the equipment shed where the area’s cable lines met. But Ted (a Visible World client) used a clever trick. The airline embedded every version of the ad into a single metacommercial and sent it out over Comcast lines like a “choose your own adventure” book. When the file hit special routers that Comcast installed at the edge of Schaumburg, for example, the commercial morphed into “Viva Las Schaumburg.” The ad also responded to commands from headquarters: When seats on the Vegas routes filled up, the destination was easily changed to Florida.
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7 steps to a good company name
In 2003, the only other company that I was aware of that used a number to start off their company name was 37signals. I am sure there were more, but at that time on the web they were the only ones I could think of and therefore I didn’t see any issues with using a number for my company. If I were to start all over today I would think twice about using a number simply because there are so many sites and companies out there that employ this naming scheme.
So what are the criteria for coming up with a godo company name? Well the list is short and sweet, but that doesn’t make the process any easier. So many names have been taken up that now you are either starting to see some recycled goodies or names that come from words that don’t even exist.
In his book The Brand Gap, Marty Neumeier has come up with a wonderful list of seven characteristics that you should consider while coming up with your company name. Here they are along with my own thoughts.
1. Distinct. Is it unique and does it help you stand out from the crowded field that you are more than likely entering?
2. Short and sweet (aka brevity). Can people get it out without having to take a breath in between words? The longer the name, the more likely people will come up with an abbreviation that probably won’t make sense to the person they are talking to. Does anyone even care what IBM, GE, or GM even stand for anymore?
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9 Ways to Recycle a Press Release
Stop letting good press releases go to waste! Put them to work for you with these nine tips for reusing your press release content.
What do you do with your press releases when you’re done with them? Do you file them away and forget about them? Or do they just get tossed in the trash? Well, don’t dismiss those press releases just yet. Consider these nine ideas for getting more use out of them.
1. Use them as web copy. Extract facts, statistics and quotes from experts, and use them as supporting website content. Weave into your website comments from satisfied customers or people who’ve tested your product or service as testimonials.
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10 Modern Marketing Facts
1. The consumer is in control.
“We need to embrace the urgent implications of consumer control.” Jim Stengel, Global Marketing Officer, Procter & Gamble
2. The consumer is sceptical and increasingly resistant to advertising.
“In the US 69 per cent of consumers are interested in products and services that allow them to block, skip or opt out of advertising and marketing messages.â€Â Yanklevich Partners
Carnival of the Capitalists at Decker Marketing
This week sees a marketing approach to the travelling business show, recognized by one and all as Carnival of the Capitalists makes a visit to Sam Decker’s (pictured below left) high quality business and marketing blog known as Decker Marketing.This week’s edition of Carnival of the Capitalists highlights some of the best bloggers writing on the internet today. Blogging topics presented include entrepreneurship, management, market trading, internet commerce, marketing, the national and global economies, and technology.
As you would expect from Decker Marketing, there are many discussions of business, marketing, and leadership. It’s always great to read and discover the many high quality blogs out there in the blogosphere.
We don’t always get to them all, and this edition of Carnival of the Capitalists has introduced many of us to some brand new ones. I have an entry in this week’s Carnival of the Capitalists as well.
My post is titled “Visitor traffic logs: Put them to work for you” where I discuss how visitor logs provide useful information on the activities of your visitors that can helpful in adding fresh content to your site and in improving conversion rates from tire kicker to customer status.
If you wish to submit an entry to next week’s, or any Carnival of the Capitalists edition, e-mail your entries to the new address:
cotcmail -at- gmail -dot- com
You can always use the handy entry form at Gongol.com where all you have to do is fill in the blanks. Talk about making it easy to be included!
Another brand new form for sending entries to all of the internet carnvivals is provided by The Conservative Cat. This is a great one stop entry drop, for all your blog post entries, for every blog carnival.
Note as well that Carnival of the Capitalists. has a new URL at http://thecotc.com/. Be sure to update your links and bookmarks.
If you are searching for new and exciting ways to expand your blog’s readership, you should seriously consider sending an entry to Carnival of the Capitalists.
Merely being included in the company, of the first rate regular Carnival of the Capitalists contributors, will enhance the reputation of your blog.
The extra visitors sent to your blog won’t hurt either! The growth and staying power, of Carnival of the Capitalists, is beginning to catch the attention of people outside the blogging community. Each hosting, brings a fresh assortment of new readers, to the various blogs involved. The visitors aren’t only bloggers anymore.
Readership is expanding to include the mainstream media, various government and private organizations, many businesses, and other interested people from beyond the blogging community. Many people are introduced to some tremendous blogs that they might otherwise have missed.
Next week’s Carnival of the Capitalists will be at Rob May’s and Jay Solo’s carnival partner business news blog known as Jotzel. In the meantime, click that mouse over to the Decker Marketing hosting of Carnival of the Capitalists.
If the great posted entries don’t convince you to click, or the possibility of finding some brand new blogs to read doesn’t do it, then Carnival of the Capitalists certainly will offer some ideas to get some software in your hardware. (groan)