I’d like to find out if people choose to add their work colleagues to Facebook.
If you could spare five seconds to vote in my poll below, I’d be very happy!
Twitter Romeo & Juliet 'not cut it?'I disagree.
April 28, 2010 by
Last night I read a very cynical article on The Guardian’s Arts Diary about the Royal Shakespeare Company’s latest Twitter project, ‘Such Tweet Sorrow.’ 
The article reads:
It is possible that I am just too old for this kind of thing. But for a start, Twitter’s public, right? So it somewhat stretches credibility to think that Romeo and Juliet would use it to conduct their secret love affair. Second – the whole thing’s interminable. It’s been going for a fortnight, and we’ve only just had Romeo and Juliet falling for each other. And third, didn’t the original have something to do with poetry? Does a tweet like “Goooooooooood morningggggg :):):):):):) It happened….. with THE most beautiful boy alive…. IT happened :):):):):)” really cut it?
Source: a plague on the Twitter Romeo and Juliet
I think the above article, penned by Charlotte Higgins, fails to see the potential of the RSC’s Twitter project. Personally, I’m pleased that the RSC are putting something out there that makes Romeo and Juliet (and indeed Shakespearean literature) accessible to youngsters. No, not people in their twenties or even late teens, I’m talking about the 12, 13, 14 year olds who DO talk in this way and who DO conduct most of their relationships over social networking sites in public. OK, perhaps not secret relationships like Romeo and Juliet, but at least the story becomes more relevant and more interesting to this age group.
A quick look at some of my younger connections’ Facebook profiles and I find the the writing style of Romeo and Juliet isn’t too far off the mark. Plus, who cares if ‘the whole thing’s interminable, it’s been going on for a fortnight?’ The Tweets will be archived, and in a year or so, kids will be able to go through the website and read them all like a book. I’d even encourage the RSC to get their project printed up into book!
What’s your opinion?
Are you still at school? Would you rather read the RSC’s account of Romeo and Juliet on Twitter or do you prefer a bit of Shakespeare? Do you think it’s easier to understand? Or is it a bit lame? Let me know what you think!
Google April Fools' Day Jokes 2010
April 1, 2010 by
I have to admit Google gets all my points for April fools’ day jokes this year!
Google Translate for Animals:
The ‘Translate for Animals‘ application for the Android phone is my personal favourite, though I knew right away it was an April Fools’ Day joke!
If you’ve not yet seen the video, watch it below.
I wish it was real; it would really help me understand if Archie is happy, whether he’d like MORE walks and if he really likes eating kibbles.
Sadly, it’s a fake. Were you convinced by it?
Google Street View 3D:
My second favourite April Fools’ prank was Google’s Street View 3D:
Whoa! That bus is coming right at me!
See it for yourself by entering Street View and clicking the man in the 3D glasses on the left.
I’ve not put on my 3D glasses yet, but I’m pretty certain it won’t actually work. Have you tried? Does it work?
Also, I’m not sure how useful Street View 3D would be in real life – though it would be pretty cool to play with after a couple of beers!
And finally…
A few more notable Google gags included using the power of Dr Wave’s ‘waving’ to notify you of new ‘Waves‘ and Google renaming itself Topeka.
Plus, today Google has been showing strange units of time, regarding its speed returning queries:
Results 1 – 10 of about 1,830,000,000 for Google. (0.16 centibeats)
I’ve also been getting speedy results in ‘warps’ and ‘jiffies.’
Those crazy Googlers have farrr too much time on their hands!
So, tell me:
What was your favourite April Fools’ joke this year? Did you fall for any jokes? Did you create any genius jokes that fooled lots of people?
[Video] Seth Godin on Being Remarkable:
March 27, 2010 by
What do giant lava lamps, giant dog-shaped shrubbery and purple cows have in common?
They’re all remarkable.
Apologies if you’ve seen this video before, it is from 2003. I’ve only just stumbled across it and I think it’s a great resource for anybody interested in marketing.
Have you seen anything remarkable recently?
I particularly like the milk-not-milk example. I’ve spotted it myself since watching the video, while shopping in the supermarket!
Free follow links from Aboutus.org
March 26, 2010 by
Aboutus.org have now started giving away follow links for FREE.
They’ve launched a new ‘Profollow‘ scheme, which I seriously recommend all SEOs take advantage of!
The scheme encourages users to create unique and valuable content on Aboutus.org and in return they’ll get follow links for free.
You can read Aboutus.org’s reasoning behind the scheme on their blog post entitled ‘Aboutus wants to give you link love!‘
But hang on…What is Aboutus.org?
Aboutus.org is a collaborative wiki where users can edit pages about websites.
It’s essentially a Wikipedia for pages on the World Wide Web.
If you’ve never heard of aboutus.org, let me quote their mission statement:
To build the world’s most comprehensive, collaborative guide to the best places on the world wide web. We invite everyone to engage with our wiki: whether you’re an organization, business, non-profit or individual. Come see why the knowledge of many makes us one of the fastest-growing and most powerful websites on the internet today. It’s easy to participate because you can edit our pages!
How to get your FREE follow links:
All you have to do is log-in to (or create) your account, find the Wiki page for your website, edit the default description for your site (usually based on Meta Data which it scrapes) and email the team to say you’d like to be rewarded with free follow links for your efforts! Of course, don’t spend two minutes making changes; write as much as you can and make sure it’s unique content. Above all, make your page interesting – you want to captivate random visitors and MAKE them click through to your site.
Is it worth it? Why should I bother?
Free follow links are a great reward for taking the time to edit wiki pages about your site. Billions of page authors won’t take up this opportunity, so make sure you do! Google will notice that Aboutus.org ARE following you and not thousands of others, so they’ll see the link as a positive vote!
But that’s not all:
The unique content you write will lead to more coverage in the SERPS: if you’re in first place for your keyword, let your Aboutus.org page be second. More coverage for you equals less exposure for your competitors!
Use your aboutus.org page to tell people what your site is about. This will help people who aren’t sure what your mission is and who don’t really understand why they need to sign up with you.
Finally, a nice glowing aboutus.org page can help your reputation. If your site has some less-than-lovely reviews, you may want to embark on a bit of reputation management. Use sites like Aboutus.org to boost good things in the search engines and knock that bad press off Google’s first page. (Of course, if all other 199,999,999 results in Google for your company are bad reviews, you might want to start listening!)
Feel free to show off your Aboutus.org pages in the comments below!
Can Gravity be BIGGER than Twitter?
March 24, 2010 by
Today, I received an invite to the new social networking website ‘Gravity’. It aims to connect people with shared interest and help them spark up conversations. In their own words:
Gravity connects you with people you should know and should be talking to because they share your passions.
Since signing up, I’ve decided Gravity could possibly be a rival to fellow social networking website, Twitter – but only if it’s marketed to the correct people.
Why?
I think Gravity does everything Twitter does, but fills in a couple of gaps that could leave first time Tweeters confused. After signing up to Gravity, you’re not left thinking ‘OK, what do I do now’. For that reason, I think Twitter quitters and Twitter avoiders will ‘gravitate’ towards this new site! (Hahah, get it? Gravitate!)
Why Twitter Quitters will prefer Gravity:
I have dozens of not-too-techy friends who have joined up to Twitter because of the hype. They’ve joined up to see what it is and they’ve just posted one thing, usually along the lines of:
“I’m on Twitter. So, what do you do now?”
And then they quit. In fact, a Nielsen report from April last year claimed a staggering 60% of new Twitter users quit after the first month.
Some people just don’t get Twitter and they’ll ask stuff like:
- What’s it meant to be used for?
- What do you do on it?
- How do I find people to talk to?
With Gravity, new users bypass those hurdles; right away they can connect to people with similar interests with very little effort. For example, I invited my Mum so she can talk to people following the Dressage topic in the ‘animal world’ (she’s a horse enthusiast.) I am currently talking to people about SEO, new technology and blogging.
By using a forum-like structure, Gravity cuts out all of the ‘noise’ of other people’s off-topic conversations. You won’t read what everybody’s having for lunch, unless you go and visit the ‘food’ section of the site and actively participate in that particular discussion.
You’re ‘pulling’ what you want out of the site while finding like-minded people who share your interests. It’s something that is very appealing about Twitter in theory, but in reality is harder to do. It can take you ages to find decent people on Twitter and have a conversation. Especially if you don’t already know people using the site in the first place!
It’s easier to get chatting on Gravity:
Conversation on Gravity is MUCH easier to follow. I find it hard to keep track of Twitter conversations sometimes, even when using an app like Tweetdeck.
Starting conversations is easier too, as you’ll be tweeting it to a board of people who are likely to be interested in your topic, thus they’re more likely to reply.
This is unlike Twitter, where you simply broadcast your message out and hope your followers (or random people) will reply. Often responses are few and far between for newbie’s on Twitter as they only have a handful of followers.
As you interact with the site more, Gravity starts recommending topics you’ll probably be interested in. Each topic will have lots of lovely people participating in them, making it easy for people to meet more like-minded people.
Reward based system:
Gravity allows people to collect shiny badges for their profiles. While at first this isn’t the number one reason for using Gravity, it certainly will help first time users start to interact with the site more giving them reason to explore. The more you do, the more badges you get. Clever, eh?
But, wait? Isn’t this just a forum?
Essentially, gravity is nothing more than a fancy forum with a fancy recommendation engine and a couple of shiny badges. It needs to be marketed correctly so people will sign up in droves.
I don’t think marketing it to Twitter/Tech lovers is the way forward: Hardcore twitter users are happy with what they’ve got. The secret to Gravity’s success will be marketing to the Twitter Quitters and looking for people ‘who don’t get quitter’ and getting them on board.
I think the video on the homepage nails this effectively. I got straight away what the site is used for – and the video doesn’t even contain words – it’s fantastic.
Monitising Gravity:
I’ve no idea how Gravity are planning to turn a profit, but with a recommendation engine that knows you’re interests probably better than you do, I think it’d be wise to add some contextual advertising. For example, Gravity could input a sponsored recommendation tactically for a product or service where people are discussing a particular need.
For example:
X tells Y that they want to set up a new website soon. Gravity knows they like technology and new trends, Gravity shows an advert for cloud hosting.
It’d certainly be better than the ’25 and like pink?’ adverts I get on Facebook!
If Gravity makes enough money without annoying users, it could become extremely profitable, perhaps leveraging it above Twitter. If Gravity had more users than Twitter and higher rate of participation, would Google, Bing and Yahoo take notice? Would we instead see a deal for real time ‘Gravity’ search in the search engine results? Interesting.
Get your hands on a Gravity invite:
As Gravity is currently in private beta, you need to be invited before you sign up. I still have five invites left if you’d like to give Gravity a try. The first five people who ask for an invite on this post can have them.
Your opinion:
Do you agree or disagree that Gravity could be bigger than Twitter, if marketed to the Twitter Quitters? Have you used Gravity yet? Do you like it or not?
Let me know your comments.
[All images copyright to Gravity and used here for illustration purposes.]
[eShop Series] Five questions to ask yourself – Pt.5 Memorability
February 25, 2010 by
Hello! Welcome the last article in my eShop series. Yep, it’s taken over a month for me to get it out, but I hope you’ll find it’s been worth the wait. You can view the previous posts by clicking here. Subscribe to my blog to receive future updates.
Let’s get started:
Day 5 – ask yourself ‘Will my customers remember me?’
We’re going to learn to focus on repeat custom. Do you think you could be overlooking the potential of repeat custom?
You shouldn’t be, especially if you’re spending hundreds on Adwords to break even with sales from new visitors.
But what if those new visitors purchased two or three times again?
You’d turn your £100 investment into £1,000!
You see, it’s all about branding, good customer relationships and providing value.
So, read on and I’ll tell you step-by-step how to make the most out of your current customers and how to get them to buy from you again in the future. (It’s actually pretty easy!)
Be memorable:
Let’s start right at the beginning with a logo and tagline, the foundations of building a brand.
If I say Nike, do you think ‘swoosh?’ If I say MacDonald’s, are you immediately thinking about those golden arches?
What about your business? If I said your business’ name, what comes to mind?
Do you have a logo?
No? Then spend some time thinking about how you can make your shop memorable too. Hire a designer and get a logo as soon as possible!
If you’ve got a logo already, think how it represents your company? Old fashioned? Sleek? Expensive? Luxurious? Budget? Colourful? Happy? If your logo is communicating one thing, but your brand is about another, think about swapping or updating the design to something more appropriate.
Taglines: ‘We buy any car . com’
Every website needs a tagline. If your site doesn’t have one, you need to start creating!
Readers in the UK will have all experienced that annoying (but memorable!) ‘WE BUY ANY CAR . COM’ advert – it’s catchy, it sticks in your mind and as a result it’s engrained into my mind. In fact, I’d probably look there first if I were to sell my car today.
Your tagline doesn’t need to be clever or fancy, it just needs to communicate what you do. Though, you’ll get points if it’s particularly memorable.
Freebies:
I like to buy bits and pieces from Etsy.com and sometimes sellers will send me a couple of freebies with my order. I love it and I must admit, I prefer to order from them again.
Why?
It’s all about value. You feel like you’re getting more for your money.
Additionally, the sample may contain something fantastic that I’ll want to buy again and it helps me remember that seller in the future.
So give it a try – give away a free sample when you ship out products. Anything from trial bags of dog food to perfume samples, it’ll help increase your revenue.
Enclose business cards or stickers with the parcel:
You must enclose tangible representations of your business into parcels you post, so customers can be reminded of you down the line when they want to buy similar products again.
Business cards are great, but what about stickers or postcards? Fridge magnets?
Do you sell books? Instead send out bookmarks with your company details on.
Whatever you send, ensure it represents YOUR business. Think outside the box – be quirky and be memorable. You’ll get points if you can think of an item that costs the same price as a business card, but will get used again and again…
Pretty packaging is pretty important:
Don’t just shove items into a Jiffy bag.
Put some thought and attention into it, especially if you sell luxury, exquisite or expensive items. The extra care you put into your wrapping will help people to remember your brand in the future. For example, I always remember that TopShop ship out their clothes in cute brown paper parcels with polka dots on. I’ve only ever bought one item from there (and that was 14 months ago) but it’s stuck in my mind!
If you hand-make your own products, look into making your own wrapping too, it’ll be quirky and unique. A great way is to stitch small squares of interesting papers together using a sewing machine.
Of course, if you’re selling something less exciting, like computer components, car parts or stationary, think about something simple, like leaving a ‘thank you’ note on letter-headed paper in the envelope.
Email marketing:
It’s worth collecting the email addresses of people you’ve sold to previously. You can design a template and send out communications detailing your new product ranges, great offers and interesting news. Reminding people you exist is a great way to get repeat business from the customers who didn’t bookmark your site after purchasing on a whim, or after conducting a quick Google search.
Snail mail:
This follows on from the above point. If you’re posting goods to your clients, you have their address. So, occasionally remind people you exist. Send out a brochure, postcard or pamphlet about your new range and watch as the repeat orders fly in from past customers!
Have a chat!
Encourage conversation with your past clients. Invite them to join your fan page on Facebook or add you on Twitter. Find out what they liked about your service and more importantly, what they didn’t. Chat with customers, build a rapport and learn from their comments.
Any problems that arise from conversations are your chance to shine: make sure you use it as an opportunity to put things right, not to post a rebuttal or send an angry comment back!
Chat to your customers and get their feedback on what they’re looking for and then provide it. If you listen to them, they’ll only want to buy from your shop in the future.
PLUS they’ll recommend their friends and family.
And what if you offer the same great service to your customer’s friends and family?
They’ll recommend you to their friends and family too.
You’ll find eventually that your current customers are actually finding new customers for you. And at this point, you’ve cracked it.
Word of mouth advertising will save you spending money looking for brand new customers and you’ll further increase that initial investment.
Think about offering discounts for new customer referrals to encourage it.
Email vouchers or coupons to your customers and allow them to be shared online. They’ll soon spread virally; you’ll find them shared to Facebook and Twitter within hours (which is more FREE advertising for you!)
Finally:
I hope this guide has given you some ideas about customer retention and helps you to be in a position where repeat custom pays for the initial investments you’ve made in your eShop.
I also hope these tips from my eShop series have helped you in some shape or form, please do let me know if you’ve tried any of them. I’ll even post ‘success stories’ right here on my blog.
[eShop Series] Five questions to ask yourself – Pt.4 Uniqueness
January 21, 2010 by
Hello and welcome the penultimate article from my eShop series. You can view all the previous posts by clicking here. Do subscribe to ensure you’re able to read the final article as soon as I hit publish.
So, let’s begin.
Day 4 – ask yourself ‘Why should they choose my eShop?’
I’ve seen a million e-commerce sites like yours, selling a similar product line to you.
Have you ever thought about what it is that makes your shop different? What makes you the best choice?
Why should I choose to buy from you? All valid questions that other visitors will be asking too.
You might know why, but do your website visitors?
Think about the above questions and start S.P.E.L.L.I.N.G it out to your visitors: You need to make sure you’re telling them why your shop is the best.
Find something unique about your company (that your audience will appreciate) and shout it from the rooftops. Make sure that competing eShops aren’t saying the same thing. One trustworthy and established jewellery shop is better than six shops exclaiming to be the cheapest online.
What’s your best feature?
So, what does your company do better than all the rest?
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Are you more secure/safer than your competitors?
- Are you open longer than your competitors?
- Can your buyers reach you by phone, but not your competitors?
- Do your competitors charge, and do you deliver for free?
- Do you have multilingual staff on hand to help, unlike your competitors?
- …
What sets you apart from the other eShops? Write a list and prepare to tell your potential buyers!
Just remember: keep it truthful. If you think your hand-knitted dog jumpers are the cheapest, do your research and check your facts. Perhaps you think your shop is the most safe and secure in your niche? Where’s your proof?
How to prove you’re the best:
Once you’ve come up with a unique selling point for your company, work into your ‘about us’ page or tagline.
Post evidence: Look for press clippings, testimonials and reviews to help you back up any claims you make. If your claim is about security, write down the measures your company takes to ensure visitors are safe.
When comparing your shop to competing businesses, your visitors should be able to see why yours is better straight away – it’ll clench the sale!
Summary:
- Think about what makes your company different,
- Find evidence that backs up your claim,
- Work this into your about us page/tagline/sales copy.
Update: I found this article for eShop owners: tips for opening a successful eShop. Enjoy!
[eShop Series] Five questions to ask yourself – Pt.3 Benefits
January 19, 2010 by
This is the third instalment of my eShop series. If you’re in e-commerce you’ll benefit from these tips. Subscribe to ensure you don’t miss the final two parts.
So let’s get started.
Day 3 – ask yourself ‘do I list my product’s features AND benefits?’
Today we’re going to spruce up your product descriptions by adding in ‘benefits’.
You’ll show your audience how your product’s features will positively impact their lives and hopefully, they’ll buy from you!
But didn’t we do this in the last article?
Nope, we looked at problem solving. We thought of scenarios in which your audience would need to buy your product.
Now we’re looking at your product’s specifications (features) and detailing why they’re important, how they’ll make life easier and why they’re great value for money.
People will see exactly what spending money on your product gets them.
Getting started: Finding features.
This is probably going to be the easiest part. Write a huge least of things about your product.
Think about the following to get you started:
- Your product’s design specifications,
- Accessories your product comes with,
- What your product can be used for,
- Its functionality,
- How it is priced.
Take a look at the benefits of these, and write them next to the features. Think about what makes each feature you’ve just written down good, why would anybody care about it? Who would it help them most?
If you’re struggling, look at the example below.
A practical example of features and benefits online:
Let’s go back to my pet store analogy. During my research, I found the following website that sells cool stuff for dogs, including these dog life jackets: http://www.kooldawgtees.com/fido_float_extreme_dog_life_vest.html
Look how the shop owner has detailed the product’s features. A bog-standard dog buoyancy collar suddenly becomes a useful, potentially life-saving aide:
U-shaped buoyancy collar keeps your dog’s head above water
Here are a couple more:
Bright vest colors for added visibility
Mesh underside for additional comfort & support
Instead of listing the vest’s ‘bright colours and mesh underside’ we now feel safer about the added visibility and we know our pet will be comfortable and supported.
Try it yourself:
Find a product you sell and take a look the product’s features/specifications. Write down on a sheet of paper how each feature/specification will benefit the person buying it. Now edit your site’s copy and work these in!
Summary:
- Talk about your products’ benefits,
- Drill home what it is these features will do for your buyers,
- Add them into your web copy.
Some great resources:
Marketing Features Vs. Benefits
Close the Deal with Logical Benefits
Newbies Guide to Marketing
Marketing Dictionary
[eShop Series] Five questions to ask yourself – Pt.2 Problem solving
January 8, 2010 by
This is part two/five of my eShop marketing guide, perfect for e-commerce newbies and online shop owners with no marketing experience. We’re looking at ways you can increase your shop’s conversion rate, which will mean more sales for you!
Here’s yesterday’s post on ‘audience’ if you missed it. I will be posting the rest of the questions over the next four days Edit: I’ll be posting these during the week instead now, thanks. Please subscribe to ensure you don’t miss out on any advice.
Let’s begin!
Day two – ask yourself ‘am I helping people solve problems?’
Look at your shop’s copy. Do you list specifications or do you tell your audience how your product will solve their problems? In reality, you should be doing both.
After identifying your target audience, use your product description and website copy to solve their problems.
Remember yesterday when we hypothesised about owning a pet store? We created a ‘Paris Hilton’ persona and thought about how we’d sell to her.
So, with ‘Paris’ in mind, start thinking about potential problems she could be having as a dog owner, and how your products will solve her issues.
Where should I start?
Start with your product. Think about what it actually does.
What’s great about it compared to the alternative? Imagine situations where your audience would need to use your product. What would they be using it for?
Don’t worry if you’re unsure, read the example below and it’ll give you some ideas.
Solving people’s problems – a practical example:
Think about those dog poo bag holders we sell in our hypothetical eStore. Why would our Paris Hilton wannabe audience need to buy those? To pick up dog poo, is the obvious answer.
So, let’s dig deeper. Think about the alternative to your product. Instead, Paris could recycle her used carrier bags to pick up dog poo.
Would your Paris Hilton wannabe enjoy walking down the road with holey plastic carrier bags from her local shop? Probably not. It’s hardly glamorous.
At last, something to start with. So let’s look at working it into our description.
We’ll change it from:
‘Pink bone-shaped canister comes with refill (25 bags)’
To something that will solve Paris’ problem:
“Sick of carrying plastic, hole-ridden bags to pick up your dog’s poo? This cute pink canister holds 25 bags and clips to your lead so you and your pooch can go for walks in style. You’ll never forget your dog poo bags again, so no more embarrassment when he’s caught short in the middle of the street! Only £2.99”
Can you see the difference? She’s not just buying a poo bag canister, she’s buying a solution to a problem too. We’ve solved another problem in there too! Using the handy clip attached to the canister Paris will never forget her poo bags again!
Bonus point: Did you pick up on the language I used? I purposely targeted the description to our Paris-wannabe audience (“walk in style”, “cute”.)
Still unsure? Take a look at this second example:
It’s for a hypothetical website that is selling a top of the range computer:
Audience: Designer.
Problem: Does it take you days to load up Photoshop and design huge images?
Your solution: Upgrade to render your images quicker than before – save time and never wait for loading programs again.
Audience: Hardcore gamers.
Problem: Is your slow processor holding back your gaming experience?
Your solution: Encounter your games exactly as intended – with exceptional horsepower. Upgrade today.
Can you see the difference? We know our audience, we know their problems and our products can solve them.
A quick practical exercise:
Have a go yourself, write descriptions targeted at casual computer users who don’t venture past Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer on a daily basis. What problems might they encounter? Why would an upgrade to a faster machine solve those problems. Think about up-selling too – could you convince them to buy an upgrade of Office from you at the same time?
Summary:
- Imagine situations where your ‘persona’ would need to buy your product
- Think how your product would help in those situations
- What problems would your product solve in your persona’s life?
- Work these into your store’s copy.
Image credits: [Dog jigsaw]