Gold Coast Web Designers - & Web Marketing Experts

Big Boost For Jack's Ride

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:45:00 +0000

We've just received one of the local papers to find a massive front page article on Jack's ride across Australia, complete with cool graphics and a breakdown of the ride distances.

The great overview of the ride continued onto page 4.

Fantastic publicity to help Jack raise as much as possible for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Australia (and yes, that's a hint if you'd be so kind!).

Donate here!

Cheers

Brendon

Kerry O'Keefe Got A Break

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:49:00 +0000

Kerry O'Keefe is an ex-national player in Australia's national sport - cricket.

Mel and I went to a charity lunch yesterday to help raise funds for the Spinal Injuries Association where Kerry was one of the speakers.

What Resonated More Than The Jokes

Kerry made the usual funny speech he was rolled out for but mentioned something that really resonated with the crowd of 321 businessmen and women.

You see, when Kerry was 49 (he's 57 now) he had a mortgage he couldn't pay most weeks and could only get work as a security guy (not that there's anything wrong with that) earning $19,000 a year.

Kerry was invited on one of those panel style talk shows where he had just 2 opportunities to talk - both times he showed what can be described as a "distinctive" sense of humour, along with a very distinctive laugh/giggle.

(Kerry was asked a question about Australia's wicketkeeper of the time - Adam Gilchrist) and responded with "Adam Gilchrist is a triumph for all kids who have been pulled out of the womb by their ears." - Adam has ears like Dumbo the elephant.)

Kerry Has A Point Of Difference

Kerry's points of difference - a self-deprecating sense of humour and a ridiculous giggle - were enough to give him a chance in the world of celebrity and he now commentates on the cricket, leads cricket tours around the world and is in big demand as an after dinner speaker.

He told the crowd that 2 weeks after his first TV appearance he'd quit his $19,000 a year job.
And then he said this: "Never, ever give up."

It comes across that Kerry's experiences in not having post-cricket success (until now) has given him a terrific appreciation for what he has now. And that sometimes a rare thing in sports stars.

2 key points from Kerry:

Never give up
Have a point of difference

Cheers

Brendon

P.S: Here's a joke from Kerry during a commentary stint.

Protecting Your Brand - Not Being Grumpy

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:44:00 +0000

I took down a post I wrote yesterday - it was meant to a helpful post but, I think because I wrote it quickly, it came out sounding like I'm a grumpy old man.

Happens sometimes.

Because I don't want to sound like a grumpy old man (I reserve that just for my kids) I took the post down.

Because being seen as grumpy doesn't help anyone.

Cheers

Brendon

The Psychology & Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:26:00 +0000

As you might know, my son Jack and I are training to cycle across Australia (4,500 kms) in 30 days starting September 11 this year.

We had an interesting day today when we went and had a chat with renowned Australian sports psychologist Dr Phil Jauncey. Phil provided us with some wonderful knowledge and tools that really contribute to the success the ride will be.

Here's a bit of Phil's work:

Best Cycling Sunglasses

After a ton of research Jack and I identified Oakley sunglasses as the best for cycling in the very harsh conditions we'll encounter on our ride.

One of the things we're very particular about is the equipment we're using - for a ride like this you can't afford to compromise as you need absolutely everything going your way to succeed.

Oakley Are Our New Sponsor

We approached the guys at Oakley and mentioned what we were doing and were thrilled when they jumped onboard as a sponsor.

Jack and I selected some Oakley RADAR sunglasses today - they're being provided in specific colours to match the ride kit. The Oakley team also provided some casual sunglasses for wearing when we're not on the bike.

Don't be shy - you can join Oakley as a sponsor by donating here!

Cheers

Brendon

Thanks For Reading This Blog Post - That'll Be $98

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:37:00 +0000

This makes you wonder how some lawyers sleep at night.

Cheers

Brendon

Unsettling But On Target

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:19:00 +0000

I occasionally pop up cartoons from brilliant caricature artist Phil Spratt. Phil's just shot me through his latest and it makes me feel a bit unsettled.

I don't really like it, but it's very effective at making its point.

Brilliant work from Phil as always.

P.S: Phil's always happy for his cartoons to be displayed as long as you give me a link back to his site.

Congratulations Mathew/Matthew - The First Jerk For .com.au

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:15:00 +0000

Here in Australia it is now possible to onsell .com.au domain names.

In the past if you wanted to sell a .com.au domain name license you had to sell the business that owned the domain name.

Today I received my first piece of spam from some guy trying to flog his domain name: Congratulations to Matthew G!

The first line has the obligatory "This is not spam as it has been directly sent to this address as a single email and complies with the spam act 2003."

Ummm, it's unsolicited commercial email = spam.

If It Says It's Not Spam It Usually Is

If it looks like spam, smells like spam, tastes like spam and says it's not spam: it's spam.

Mathew/Matthew (he spells his own name wrong in the email) then proceeds to try and flog his domain name - www.domainregistrations.com.au - with this gem:

".....currently has a first page page rank in Position 1 and 2 for the search term in google.com.au "Free DNS""

Big deal.

The fact it comes up 1 and 2 for that term means nothing. Whole the hell searches for "Free DNS"?

Hardly anyone, that's who.

So few in fact, that using various keyword tools I still failed to find one that showed me it gets searched for at all.

This seller then finishes with "Please consider your Environment before printing."

Ummm, here's a tip:

Please consider the number of people you're annoying with your spam before sending. Just an idea.

Cheers

Brendon

Flag Poles on The Rise!

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:22:00 +0000

Let's say you sell flag poles.

When is a good time to market them?

We'll logically it would be at a time of great national pride - when the Australian Socceroos played in the 2006 World Cup soccer tournament springs to mind.......and let's not get in an argument about how dopey it is that national pride is at its highest for a game of soccer!

Flag poles sales would be on the rise then, I'd think.

So you start marketing your flag poles web site then right??

In a word, no.

Too Late

Then is too late.

If you're targeting a specific period of time then the time to start is now. You need about 6 months of pretty solid work (depending on your niche of course) to be in best position to take full advantage of events of major interest.

I'm thinking Christmas or Mother's Day or Valentine's Day, etc.

Start today. Don't waste another day.

Cheers

Brendon

Bloody Hell, That Didn't Work

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:30:00 +0000

Here's the oldest marketing trick people fall for every time.

If it gets attention, it must be good.

A couple of years ago here in Australia, we had a toruism ad that had a beautiful girl say to the camera "Where the bloody hell are you?"

The makers of the ad knew full well the ad would be banned in the market it was going for, but did it anyway. Their strategy was obviously the PR focus.

So the promoters got the ad banned (like they knew they would) and then kicked up a hell of a stink to get awareness of the ad.

But that doesn't mean it was a good ad.

The only measurement is this: Did it do what it was meant to?
Not "How many Ad Awards did it win?"

The ad didn't do it's job of attracting more tourists.

"The number of tourists visiting Australia from the three countries that had most exposure to the campaign - Japan, Germany and Britain - fell in the months following its launch."

So it's a rubbish ad.

And now it's being described as "rolled gold disaster".

Measure what you do. If it doesn't work try something different.

Cheers

Brendon

New Eczema Site Launched

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:26:00 +0000

As regular readers might know, part of our business is our own e-commerce stores.

Mel runs Eczema.com.au - a site selling a range of eczema and psoriasis products.

We've just relaunched it today with a new look, a new cart system and much more. We're celebrating the launch with the biggest sale we've ever had - so if you have an itch we can scratch it!

We also did something a bit more interesting than the usual corporate dull blurb on the About Us page - I really like these personal kind of pages. Let me know what you think.

Cheers

Brendon

Just Great - Us Sinclairs Make The News Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:40:00 +0000

Whilst I would like to stress (and stress and stress and stress!!) that this guy is no relation, it still makes me cringe when I read a story about some idiot and his name is Sinclair.

As appalling as this guy seems, his lawyer (Montgomery Blair Sibley) comes up with one of the most hilarious responses when asked why he was wearing a kilt.

I couldn't possibly repeat it - you have to read it for yourself.

The moral of the story - an idiot can get attention. But not every idiot can get the right sort of attention.

Cheers

Brendon

We'll Get You Onto Google Maps For $495!!

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:19:00 +0000

....or you can do it yourself in 30 seconds for free. Or we'll do it for you for free if you're a client of ours.

One of the most time consuming parts of our business is fobbing off idiot web marketing companies who try and take advantage of clients.

Domain Name Scam The Most Annoying

There are so many (the domain name renewal scam is the most annoying) that I'd say we spend a couple of hours a week explaining to clients why they shouldn't take the deal offered.

The latest one is from a web marketing firm who have made this offer to a client:

"We'll get you listed in Google Maps for just $495 - it's a special introductory offer we're making."

Getting listed in Google Maps is easy and free

The client asked us if this is a good deal.

Well, no it's not considering he's already in Google Maps and it takes about 30 seconds to get listed there!

Read here for a nice explanation on how to do it.

Cheers

Brendon

Yahoo Decisions Handing Themselves To Google

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Microsoft tried to buy Yahoo for a great price a few months back.

Yahoo fought them off with illogical measures, but kept them away from ownership.

Now Yahoo is a train wreck and they seem to be handing their business to Google.

Read TechCrunch for a detailed look at what's going on.

It's a train wreck!

Cheers

Brendon

The Difference In Business - This Guy Cares

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:34:00 +0000

As regular readers might know, my 15 year old son Jack (and I) are cycling across Australia in September. That's 4,500 kms in just 30 days.

Our training has included 400 kms a week on the bike, physio/chiropractic (for me!)/massage sessions, stretching sessions and up to 3 sessions a week with our personal trainer, Chris van Hoof of Chisel Fitness.

These sessions vary from:

tough circuit work,
running through thigh-deep water whilst holding a 5kg medicine ball above our head,
exhausting strength work.

Yesterday's ride for Jack and I was a tough 104 km to the top of a mountain and then to the top of "Best of all Lookout" (and home).

You know it's going to be a big hill when it's named "Best of all Lookout"!

Chris offered to come along for the ride just to see how Jack would go on this very hard ride in an effort to see just how fit he is at the moment, and to assess what else he (Chris) might need to focus on.

Parts of the road are so steep you just look up and wonder how you could possibly make it.

I'd be thinking "There's no way Jack could make it up here!"

Jack and Chris conquer Best of all Lookout

Then I'd look behind me and there is this little 15 yo guy grinding away up this massive climb (probably thinking "There's no way my old man will make it up here!").

Why Chisel Fitness Is Booming

Chris coming along on the ride is one of the reasons his Gold Coast personal trainers business is booming.

It's because he actually cares - not many trainers would go on a 5 hour tough, tough bike ride just to see how a client is applying the training and offer some encouragement.

But Chris does and he does it because he genuinely cares about how his clients are going.

Just like when he started training Mary - her goal was to get fit enough to climb a local mountain called Mt Warning and see the sunrise.

A few months later and Chris is picking Mary up at 2 am to walk with her to the top of Mt Warning.

Actually caring is a great business strategy.

Cheers

Brendon

Sometimes You Just Pick The Right Business

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24:00 +0000

Here in Australia we have a chicken store called Lenard's.

The founder is Len Poulter.

That one had the kids giggling for ages.

Cheers

Brendon

Cool Video Tool - Perth to Paradise Ride

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:36:00 +0000

Check out this cool video I made for Jack's Perth to Paradise ride using the Animoto web site.

Simply upload the images, choose the photo and their amazing software does the rest.

Cheers

Brendon

New Bike Storage Gadget

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:42:00 +0000

For all you bike lovers out there looking for a brilliant bike storage solution check out Store Your Bike.

I bought one of these a few months back and loved it so bought the company - not quite, but I have become a retailer for them here in Australia.

So if you have a few bikes cluttering up the place and a high ceiling, the bike storage hoist is a must.

Cheers.

Brendon

iPhone Will Take Over The World Within Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:33:00 +0000

iPhones for just $314.50 here in Australia.

They'll soon be taking over the world.

Brendon

I Get It, I Get It!!

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:57:00 +0000

I've never really got Twitter.

But I've just started Plurking and I think I get it (finally).

I'm so Web 2.0!

Cheers.

Brendon

P.S: Follow me on Plurk.

Tapping Out A Different Beat

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:42:00 +0000

I've heard a heap of musicians over the years and when I lived in my home town of Hobart I'd only go out of my way to listen to a guy called Cameron Tapp play at Nickelby's - a great bar owned by my mate Thommo.

You owe Me 50 Bucks Bob Dylan!

There are some crap performers out there - yes, Bob Dylan you doped out moron. I'm referring to the time you stole 50 of my hard earned $ at the Derwent Enterainment Centre all those years ago (I'm still angry!).

Anyway, Cameron was a young guy just starting out back then and I was thrilled to read a nice story about him just now.

It's the tale of love, luck and using opportunities to promote yourself effectively.

Here's the song he'll be singing at the wedding (read the story to find out what wedding!).

Cheers

Brendon

New Promo Graphics - Which One Is Best?

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:22:00 +0000

When I wrote that last post and mentioned my Web Design Business Kit I included a link over to the kit page.

When I went to get the link I noticed 3 new creative pieces for the promotion of my Kit.

Which one is the best design?

The correct answer is, of course, the one that works the best.

The job is to attract interested people to check out the kit.

Ugly,
Beautiful,
Bold,
Subtle.

None of it matters.

What matters in design is does it do the job it is meant to?

Cheers

Brendon

Web Designer in Shepparton Takes A Swipe!

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:31:00 +0000

Steve Nicel is a web designer in Shepparton, Victoria here in the land of Oz who has just given me the best back-handed compliment ever delivered to my cherub cheeks.

"Hi Brendon.

I've just read your Web Design Business Kit and it is terrific. Really surprised me!"

Oh bloody hell Steve - Meooooooooooow!!

That's Steve writing the message to me on the left!

"I Didn't Mean It That Way."

Steve called up to say he didn't really mean it that way! Sure, sure.

Too late to back out now buddy!

Anyway, Steve and I chatted about his web design business near Shepparton and the difficulties of working from home. It's something a lot of web developers do and it's something a lot of them struggle with.

When we first started close on 10 years ago, we started from home. It's a tough gig with plenty of distractions.

The Best Thing To Do When Working From Home

The best thing you can do working from home, I found anyway, is get out and join those business clubs, golf clubs, have breakfast with friends once a week, etc.

Get away from home, clear your head and you'll find yourself so much more effective and efficient.

Cheers and thanks Steve for the kind (??) words!

Brendon

Google Ignores Pesky Law

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:24:00 +0000

Google won't post a home page privacy link on their site despite being required to do so by law.

John Andrews writes a terrific post about the reasons they might not be doing that.

A part of the post I particularly like is where he says:

"If there is a law requiring the link, the wise business decision is to weigh the relative risks and rewards for compliance, and act in accordance with the corporation�s best interests.

All is not black and white in business. Any law is arguable, and arguing costs money. The balance has to be in the corporate favor."

Basically, the more money you have the more powerful you are in business because you can ignore pesky little laws that might reduce your profit.

Cheers

Brendon

It Looks Like Spam, It Smells Like Spam, It Tastes, Like Spam...If

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:41:00 +0000

....then it usually is.

I reckon it's a giveaway that it's spam when the email starts with:

"NOTE: We are not spammers and are against spamming of any kind.

We are sending this mail with sole objective of link exchange for reciprocal benefit.

If you are not interested in Link Exchange then you can reply simply "NO", we will never contact you again.

Dear Webmaster, We recently came across your site while searching for potential link partners for a client site I am currently promoting ......."

And Then it Finishes With....

"We are waiting for your possitive & soonest reply"

.....then you just know it's spam!

Cheers

Brendon

Free Anti-Virus Software

noreply@blogger.com (Brendon) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:01:00 +0000

Our Gold Coast computer repairer Steve, was telling us to today that AVG anti-virus software from Microsoft is s used by about 50% of computer users worldwide.

Wow!

It's because it works and it's free.

I wonder which one is more important??!

Cheers

Brendon