Online Marketing
Might as well market…
We’re having a heat wave! It’s about 13 degrees warmer today than yesterday!
My desktop reveals that it’s snowing. Again. And a quick glance out the office window makes me want to — close the blinds! Schools are closed. Some businesses are, too.
So why does my phone keep ringing? And why do I keep getting emails? [...]
Cliche of the Day – Industry Standards
Don’t hide behind industry standards! I often bristle at my least favorite corporate cliche – “industry standard.” I advise clients to banish the phrase “industry standard” from their online marketing vocabularies.
Why talk about “industry standards” in your online copy – when your customers don’t know what they standards are? And if they do — so [...]
Don’t copy your competitors!
Track your competitors online with 3 basic online techniques.
By all means, sign up for free Google News Alerts to find out when your competitors release news, as well as to keep tabs on mainstream media and blog mentions.
Subscribe to competitive blogs — anonymously — with RSS aggregators like Bloglines.
Use services like compete.com to find [...]
Check out my new blog design!
Busy morning — new web host, new design. What do you think?
I transferred the whole kit and caboodle to a new webhost. Upgraded to the newest version of WordPress. And of course, completely changed my design.
Now that all is new, I’m sure I’ll find a bug or two to clean up! If you find them [...]
Word of the Day – Bot
Last week, friends mentioned the Web Bot project – it predicts the end of the world in 2012. So if you’ve been slacking on your 401k, good for you!
On the web, Bot is often thought to be short for “robot” — an automated program that crawls the internet and performs automated tasks.
But then there’s another [...]
Web 2.0 Content: Free at Last?
Free means more than “no cost.” After all, there’s the kind of freedom Martin Luther King was talking about…
And there’s the kind of freedom that frees your web content from the shackles of oppressive html and Flash design…
…so that your ideas can spread farther and faster.
…so that your company can develop stronger client relationships.
If spreading [...]
Non-Profit Organizations and Slavery
I don’t work for free. If I did, that would be slavery. I’m not a slave.
Slavery is illegal. And unethical.
When any organization (non-profit or profit!) asks me to work without payment, that’s a red flag.
I don’t work for organizations that support and promote slavery. Those organizations usually get the kind of work they deserve.
PS – [...]
I Smell a Non-Profit Web Design Disaster…
“I’m going to design a website for our club,” happily announced a crazed friend of mine. “I just bought Microsoft FrontPage, and I’m learning HTML. This is easy!”
Not so fast, cowboy.
Turns out he skipped defining the web goals before he started flailing around, making things look quasi-pretty in FrontPage.
Turns out that 9 different club members [...]
It’s still a pop-up. And it’s still annoying.
It’s 2008, and I’ve officially had it. No matter how much I like a website, or want to read the link — if I’m forced into de-activating my pop-up blocker to open up a new browser window to do it, I’m not going to.
I’m done.
Webmasters, you’re on notice. If you force me to open up another [...]
December Means…Holiday Marketing Mayhem!
December is a ridiculously busy season for internet marketers. I haven’t been blogging much, though I have much to blog about! Maybe next month!
In the interest of time, let me use this space to quickly answer three burning holiday marketing questions clients have been asking this week. I won’t repeat the questions, just the answers:
Sure, it’s OK [...]
