Yahoo launched Shine, a fashion and beauty site targeted at women, and the move illustrates one of the biggest assets the portal could bring to Microsoft–some media sense and the ability to target demographics.
While Google is the search giant Yahoo has always been a media company. Google wants to organize the world’s information. Yahoo could […]
Notable headlines:
Paula Rooney: Microsoft’s OOXML gets ISO approval … maybe
Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft OOXML standardization bid: The clock is ticking
OOXML standard vote down to the wire
Christopher Dawson: OOXML vs. ODF - Should Ed Tech care?
Ryan Stewart: Adobe AIR alpha for Linux is out Paula Rooney: Adobe brings AIR RIA tool to Linux
Limo debuts first mobile […]
by Debra Mastaler
Have you seen the new social networking site Starbucks
launched several weeks ago called MyStarBucksIdea?
The
media release Starbucks issued calls it an online community network but
after going through it, it does seem like a glorified
customer feedback form.
Since I prefer Diet Coke as my caffeine poison of choice, I don’t
really care what Starbucks is calling their new venture but I was very
interested to know how they were going to sell the concept to their
customers.
I’m a big believer in cross promotion and incorporate offline
advertising into all the custom linking services I offer. IMO, it’s smart to
advertise to your demographic offline because people assign credibility to what
they read and transfer that trust to an online brand when they see
it.
And we know trust
helps to build links. So I figured I’d learn a thing or two from a company
that managed to make paying $4 for a paper cup of coffee at any time of the day
an unconscious part of our routine. I was curious to see how this retailer was
going to promote a new online opinion venue to a customer base that’s
predominately offline. I headed over to our local StarBucks cafe to see if they
were displaying any in-store collateral supporting the new networking
site.
Surprise surprise - they weren’t and the counter clerk didn’t know
anything about the site either. Which sincerely surprised me as I always had the
impression StarBucks was marketing savvy.
I’m sure StarBucks spent a ton
on money on creating this new Web2.0 platform so it’s a surprise to see they’re
not taking advantage of in-store collateral annoucing it’s creation. I know it’s
perceived to be cool to have a social media tool in
your marketing arsenal and while I applaud StarBucks for making an attempt to
build community, I’m shocked at their lack of basic Marketing 101.
I know
that sounds a little harsh but I really feel that way. Everyone wants to use the
latest toys and look cool because when you’re cool people talk about and admire you. But I have to
wonder… here’s a company with an almost 100% offline presence and they go and
launch an online social networking site to build a — community? They already have community in their stores everyday.
Which is why they
should capitalize on it to market the new online venue. If they launch a new
coffee, where do they promote it?
In the stores of course. So why
wouldn’t they promote a major new portion of their business in-store as
well?
I know, I know, just because our local StarBucks aren’t pimping the
new site doesn’t mean it’s not happening elsewhere. It SHOULD be happening here,
Williamsburg is a hot tourist destination and was visited by the
Queen last spring so we’re not total hicks. Starbucks owns thousands of
offline stores — thousands. Are they using them to promote a new marketing tool
designed to listen to customers, the very people they want becoming part of
their new community?
From what I can see -no. Too bad
too. If the idea is to use the social networking site to empower customers,
they’re not doing it at the most effect level - the storefront.
Now I ask
you, is that cool?
People turn from being
customers to brand evangelists when they feel they empowered and part of
something. Think about your loyalties and why you have them, do you feel the way
you do because someone listened and acted on your opinion? Probably. 
If you have an offline store supporting an online presence, or even if
you exist only online, it makes a world of sense to cross expose your
URL/promotion at every opportunity.
If you’re going to go through all the
trouble of creating something as detailed as a social networking site or as a
simple as a magnetic sign for the side of your car, be sure it’s going to be
seen by the people who can make a difference and in a format that reinforces
credibility.
You want to look cool? Buy sunglasses. You
want to grow your company and your link base? Advertise in on and offline
publications and venues reinforcing your credibility.
Time for a fresh
diet coke.
Learn something from this post?
Come and experience Search Engine Guide style teaching in person! Join us for our first ever Small Business Marketing Unleashed Conference in Houston, Texas on April 21st and 22nd.
by Debra Mastaler
Have you seen the new social networking site Starbucks
launched several weeks ago called MyStarBucksIdea?
The
media release Starbucks issued calls it an online community network but
after going through it, it does seem like a glorified
customer feedback form.
Since I prefer Diet Coke as my caffeine poison of choice, I don’t
really care what Starbucks is calling their new venture but I was very
interested to know how they were going to sell the concept to their
customers.
I’m a big believer in cross promotion and incorporate offline
advertising into all the custom linking services I offer. IMO, it’s smart to
advertise to your demographic offline because people assign credibility to what
they read and transfer that trust to an online brand when they see
it.
And we know trust
helps to build links. So I figured I’d learn a thing or two from a company
that managed to make paying $4 for a paper cup of coffee at any time of the day
an unconscious part of our routine. I was curious to see how this retailer was
going to promote a new online opinion venue to a customer base that’s
predominately offline. I headed over to our local StarBucks cafe to see if they
were displaying any in-store collateral supporting the new networking
site.
Surprise surprise - they weren’t and the counter clerk didn’t know
anything about the site either. Which sincerely surprised me as I always had the
impression StarBucks was marketing savvy.
I’m sure StarBucks spent a ton
on money on creating this new Web2.0 platform so it’s a surprise to see they’re
not taking advantage of in-store collateral annoucing it’s creation. I know it’s
perceived to be cool to have a social media tool in
your marketing arsenal and while I applaud StarBucks for making an attempt to
build community, I’m shocked at their lack of basic Marketing 101.
I know
that sounds a little harsh but I really feel that way. Everyone wants to use the
latest toys and look cool because when you’re cool people talk about and admire you. But I have to
wonder… here’s a company with an almost 100% offline presence and they go and
launch an online social networking site to build a — community? They already have community in their stores everyday.
Which is why they
should capitalize on it to market the new online venue. If they launch a new
coffee, where do they promote it?
In the stores of course. So why
wouldn’t they promote a major new portion of their business in-store as
well?
I know, I know, just because our local StarBucks aren’t pimping the
new site doesn’t mean it’s not happening elsewhere. It SHOULD be happening here,
Williamsburg is a hot tourist destination and was visited by the
Queen last spring so we’re not total hicks. Starbucks owns thousands of
offline stores — thousands. Are they using them to promote a new marketing tool
designed to listen to customers, the very people they want becoming part of
their new community?
From what I can see -no. Too bad
too. If the idea is to use the social networking site to empower customers,
they’re not doing it at the most effect level - the storefront.
Now I ask
you, is that cool?
People turn from being
customers to brand evangelists when they feel they empowered and part of
something. Think about your loyalties and why you have them, do you feel the way
you do because someone listened and acted on your opinion? Probably.
If you have an offline store supporting an online presence, or even if
you exist only online, it makes a world of sense to cross expose your
URL/promotion at every opportunity.
If you’re going to go through all the
trouble of creating something as detailed as a social networking site or as a
simple as a magnetic sign for the side of your car, be sure it’s going to be
seen by the people who can make a difference and in a format that reinforces
credibility.
You want to look cool? Buy sunglasses. You
want to grow your company and your link base? Advertise in on and offline
publications and venues reinforcing your credibility.
Time for a fresh
diet coke.
Learn something from this post?
Come and experience Search Engine Guide style teaching in person! Join us for our first ever Small Business Marketing Unleashed Conference in Houston, Texas on April 21st and 22nd.
Firefox is faster, more secure, and can easily be customized to look and perform just how you want it to. There are thousands of add-ons, extensions, and themes to download to personalize your browser’s look, feel, and use. Whether you use the internet for fun or serious work, there are tools to make your daily […]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “33 Must-Have Firefox Extensions”, url: “http://superbloggingtips.com/2008/03/33-must-have-firefox-extensions/” });
by Jennifer Laycock
Sean D’Souza at Copyblogger calls them “a few measly words.” I like to refer to it as “Thesaurus surfing.” Either way, Sean offers up a couple of fantastic examples of how adding a target and some adjectives to your article titles can go a long way toward tightening up your content and enticing readers to click through and follow you along for the literary ride.
What makes Sean’s post a little different is that he’s not just pushing title changes for the sake of gaining more clickthrus. We’re not talking about a link-baitey “here’s how to get a bunch of clicks to a random article” type of post. Instead, Sean’s aiming to help you understand how putting some serious thought into your article title will also make you put some serious thought into the content. Fleshing out the expectations for your readers will also flesh out your expectations as a writer.
And it’s a simple process.
Sean explains:
Let’s start off by taking a random topic…
So let’s take a topic such as: Why article writing is the key.
But the key to what?
Most writers leave out the core detail. They miss out telling you where the article is going in the first instance. And these writers don’t leave out the core detail on purpose.
They just don’t realize the importance of the core detail. And the core detail should usually contain what we’d loosely call a target.
A target is simply who or what are we speaking about?
Let’s me demonstrate what I mean, by doing a little addition.
So instead of: Why article writing is the key…
We say: Why article writing is the key to getting strategic alliances.
He goes on to give some excellent examples of how adding an adjective to describe the target or goal makes an article title look even more enticing. Sean wraps it up with some powerful advice. (And when I say that I mean: if you weren’t already convinced he was right, here’s the thing that will do it.)
…as you can plainly see, they’re three completely different articles, going in three completely different directions. But when you have a vague headline, it’s almost impossible to keep the content of the article focused. When you have a specific headline, it’s darned impossible to go off track.
Sometimes, a writer’s worst enemy is themselves. We worry about covering every angle instead of realizing we can cover another angle the next time we write. Why put out one average article when you could follow Sean’s advice, tighten up your title and turn out three (or more) excellent and highly focused articles?
Learn something from this post?
Come and experience Search Engine Guide style teaching in person! Join us for our first ever Small Business Marketing Unleashed Conference in Houston, Texas on April 21st and 22nd.
by Jennifer Laycock
Earlier this week I wrote a post reminding small businesses why it’s so important to consider launching a blog to go with their web site. At the time, I pointed out the benefit of ever-changing content. Today, i ran across a great post over at ProBlogger exploring nearly two dozen types of static pages you should consider building into your blog. While the idea of creating static pages on a blog may sound counterintuitive, it’s actually an important part of blog creation many people miss.
Darren points out WordPress’s ability to generate static pages through the program’s dashboard. These static pages become part of the navigation on your blog and can serve as a powerful way to add value and information for your readers.
(Sidebar: It’s important to note static pages are different from blog posts. The blog posts you create are dated and show up on your blog in reverse chronological order; your most recent post display first. The static pages sit on individual web pages and are linked to from the navigation bar of your blog. These pages never move and the content stays the same until you update it again.)
In his post, Darren outlines twenty different types of static pages that might be appropriate for your blog. I’m not going to summarize all of them, but here are some of them I think most every blog could benefit from.
1. About Page - perhaps one of the most common uses of the ‘page’ function on WP is the good old ‘about page’. Having an about page is essential in my mind as it gives new readers to your blog a snapshot of who you are and why they should subscribe to your blog.2. Contact Page - I’m amazed how many bloggers don’t have any way of contacting them on their blog. While I understand the temptation not to have one you could be missing out of wonderful opportunities by not giving readers, potential partners, press, other bloggers a way of contacting you.
6. Subscribe Page - having a page dedicated to how people can subscribe to your blog can be very useful. I find that having a page like this can be useful as some readers don’t understand the idea of RSS or can be worried about issues of privacy or what it means to ’subscribe’.
17. 404 Page - when people arrive on your blog to a page that has been deleted, follow a dead link etc and end up on a default error page on your blog you’ve got a wasted opportunity on your hands.
Darren lists quite a few other options as well, though many apply only to certain types of blogs. Chances are good you’ll stop at least one static page idea you haven’t already implemented. If your blog is heavy on the content side of things, check out #8 and #9 (Series pages.) If your blog is used to promote functions or you’re a requested speaker, consider adding #16 (Event pages.)
For that matter, read through Darren’s list and come up with an entirely new idea, simply because you’ve started to consider what your readers might want quick and easy access to. Either way, your blog will be better for it.
Learn something from this post?
Come and experience Search Engine Guide style teaching in person! Join us for our first ever Small Business Marketing Unleashed Conference in Houston, Texas on April 21st and 22nd.
by Jennifer Laycock
Earlier this week I wrote a post reminding small businesses why it’s so important to consider launching a blog to go with their web site. At the time, I pointed out the benefit of ever-changing content. Today, i ran across a great post over at ProBlogger exploring nearly two dozen types of static pages you should consider building into your blog. While the idea of creating static pages on a blog may sound counterintuitive, it’s actually an important part of blog creation many people miss.
Darren points out WordPress’s ability to generate static pages through the program’s dashboard. These static pages become part of the navigation on your blog and can serve as a powerful way to add value and information for your readers.
(Sidebar: It’s important to note static pages are different from blog posts. The blog posts you create are dated and show up on your blog in reverse chronological order; your most recent post display first. The static pages sit on individual web pages and are linked to from the navigation bar of your blog. These pages never move and the content stays the same until you update it again.)
In his post, Darren outlines twenty different types of static pages that might be appropriate for your blog. I’m not going to summarize all of them, but here are some of them I think most every blog could benefit from.
1. About Page - perhaps one of the most common uses of the ‘page’ function on WP is the good old ‘about page’. Having an about page is essential in my mind as it gives new readers to your blog a snapshot of who you are and why they should subscribe to your blog.2. Contact Page - I’m amazed how many bloggers don’t have any way of contacting them on their blog. While I understand the temptation not to have one you could be missing out of wonderful opportunities by not giving readers, potential partners, press, other bloggers a way of contacting you.
6. Subscribe Page - having a page dedicated to how people can subscribe to your blog can be very useful. I find that having a page like this can be useful as some readers don’t understand the idea of RSS or can be worried about issues of privacy or what it means to ’subscribe’.
17. 404 Page - when people arrive on your blog to a page that has been deleted, follow a dead link etc and end up on a default error page on your blog you’ve got a wasted opportunity on your hands.
Darren lists quite a few other options as well, though many apply only to certain types of blogs. Chances are good you’ll stop at least one static page idea you haven’t already implemented. If your blog is heavy on the content side of things, check out #8 and #9 (Series pages.) If your blog is used to promote functions or you’re a requested speaker, consider adding #16 (Event pages.)
For that matter, read through Darren’s list and come up with an entirely new idea, simply because you’ve started to consider what your readers might want quick and easy access to. Either way, your blog will be better for it.
Learn something from this post?
Come and experience Search Engine Guide style teaching in person! Join us for our first ever Small Business Marketing Unleashed Conference in Houston, Texas on April 21st and 22nd.
by Sage Lewis
Professional and comedic props go to Stoney deGeyter of Pole Position Marketing this week for his article “The Anatomy of a 12-Month Link Baiting Campaign.” Stoney clearly defines his step-by-step process for becoming a “household name” over the span of a year. His humor and bares all attitude make the article both amusing and informative.
Learn something from this post?
Come and experience Search Engine Guide style teaching in person! Join us for our first ever Small Business Marketing Unleashed Conference in Houston, Texas on April 21st and 22nd.
by Sage Lewis
Professional and comedic props go to Stoney deGeyter of Pole Position Marketing this week for his article “The Anatomy of a 12-Month Link Baiting Campaign.” Stoney clearly defines his step-by-step process for becoming a “household name” over the span of a year. His humor and bares all attitude make the article both amusing and informative.
Learn something from this post?
Come and experience Search Engine Guide style teaching in person! Join us for our first ever Small Business Marketing Unleashed Conference in Houston, Texas on April 21st and 22nd.