Thursday, July 31  

How a Hot Tomato will beat the Sea and Gold

Things are about to be all shook up in the Gold Coast radio scene with the launch of new FM radio station Hot Tomato over the next few days.

Hot Tomato is the new kid on the block of FM commercial radio and looks like providing stiff competition for the current leaders, SEA and Gold FM.

The new owners paid what I believe was an Australian record for...click here for more

Speech to Tweed Valley Home Based Business Group

I've just come back to the office after a speech to the Tweed Valley Home Based Business Group and was asked some great questions.

I talked extensively (that means I went on for too long - sorry Alison!) about web marketing, specifically search engine optimisation. A question asked was:

"How do you know, as a person not up with the latest in internet marketing, if the person you employ to market your web site actually knows what they are doing?"

Excellent question!

I guess the answer is to see if the person has had any success previously (the best indicator of future performance is past performance) in marketing sites.
But people can fluff that up to sound impressive.

Maybe a success-based contract would be best - based on a criteria such as visitor numbers. But that has it's own issue of what if it is a niche site and won't get a lot of visitors (although they will be targeted).

The big 4 of marketing a web site are (and these don't ring true for absolutely everyone):

1. Search engine optimisation
2. Links from other sites
3. Word of mouth
4. Print media

Cheers.

Brendon

Thursday, July 24  

Swear words work a treat!

Interesting heading on that last blog.

The swear word gets an emotional response. I've had 3 people say what a good headline it was, and 3 people say how terrible it was. People usually never make a comment.

I remember reading some research from the TV quiz show 'The Sale of the Century'. The format of the show was they had a 'carry-over' champion who kept playing night after night if he/she kept winning.

The makers of the show didn't mind if you loved or hated the champion. The problem was those feeling indifferent. If you hated the champion, you watched hoping he/she would lose. If you loved him/her, you watched hoping they would win. If you were indifferent to the person then you didn't bother watching.

Same with radio 'Shock Jocks' - people listen longer to hear what disgusting thing will be said next.

The point of all this?

# 1: I ramble on a bit!

# 2: Marketing is about doing what works. Not what you like, or I like. It's about what works.

So do that.

Cheers Big Ears (but insulting your audience is a no-no. Oooops!).

What a complete and utter load of crap - what really PISSES ME OFF about the crap written on making a web site profitable!

I have three- (3) things to say here. And three- (3) things only.

1. I run a couple of web sites that make good money. So what you are about to hear is from someone who actually knows what he is talking about. Yep, I know that's unusual in this world of hyper hype, but there you go!

2. Content is king. There is nothing - not pretty graphics, not a Flash movie, not groovy navigation - nothing at all as important as content.

Great content (really, really useful information for your market) will get plenty of people to your web site. Get people to your site and they can buy. If they don't visit your site they can't buy.

My most successful site ever looks horrible and yet sells many, many $$$ worth of product each and every day. It's packed full of content.

3. Good writing is important on your web site. Get a different headline like the one above! I'd be happy to bet you that the headline above took your interest. And the important thing about that headline is it doesn't matter if you loved or hated it (actually it's good if you loved or hated it).

If it got a strong emotional reaction - good or bad - then the chances that you'll keep reading will go through the roof. And that's what the writer wants.

That's it for developing a profitable web site. Content, content and more content.

Cheers.

Friday, July 4  

These are my stories

1. Thanks to those kind people who let me know that some of the archive links don't work - I'm onto it. Trust me....... I'm a man.

2. I'm having this site redone. I've had some feedback that it looks, for want of a better term (!), crappy. Before we put up the new site I want to tell you this story:

We used to have a 200 page databased site with a huge amount of info on marketing and web stuff and media work. It took us about 10 hours a week to maintain.

One day the server crashed. I designed this site myself in about 5 minutes (and I cannot design at all!).

We made more sales from this site in a week than the bigger and better site had made in a year.

Why? I really have no idea. I kind of think it's the no BS approach - I think that a lot of people (like me) have had enough of the overhyped firms out there.

The moral of that story is that sometimes you'll be surprised at what works.

3. Marketing 101 - I have a gorgeous 12 year old daughter. Laura plays hockey and they are fundraising at the moment. It's the old "Selling chocolates" trick. My daugher (Laura) brought the chocolates into the offices for us to sell. I sat the box on the coffee table in the reception area. We didn't sell any at all.

Then Jo, the Manager, took 4 chocolate bars out of the box and put them on the table. She then handwrote a sign saying "Chocolates $2 each." We sold 12 chocolates in 2 days.

The lesson: tell people what you are selling. Make them an offer. You sell more that way. Do you advertise? Do you advertise to the right people? Do you advertise enough?

4. A salute!

I may well starve over the next 2 days. I won't get enough sleep. I'll spend more money than usual.

My wife's uncle died this week. She flew the 2,500 kilometres to attend the funeral yesterday. She comes back on Saturday. My children are on school holidays and I've work myself to the bone trying to get everything organised. How do single mom's and dad's do it??!! I have no idea on this one either! My wife seems to do everything so effortlessly.

I barely have enough time to feed everyone, work and sleep - forget about cleaning the house, school work, recreation time.....in fact, anything else at all.

So to all you single mom's and dad's reading this - good on you.
To my wife - hurry home. I'm begging you!