Gold Coast Web Designers - & Web Marketing Experts

A Story About A Real Teacher

2008-07-18T21:29:00.004+10:00

Some people can have a very profound influence on others.

One of my son's teacher is a guy called Glen Hogan.

Mr Hogan is a young teacher who asked my great son Harry and 3 of his mates if they'd like to have a go at doing the Kokoda Challenge - a 96 km trek through the hilly Gold Coast hinterland.

They're walking it tomorrow.

It's a fundraising walk and gives the teams a taste of the efforts of the Australian soldiers on the legendary Kokoda Trail.

My son Harry is 14. His idea of a big physical challenge was to have a game of soccer.

But Mr Hogan is obviously a guy he respects, a guy he admires and a guy who has inspired him tremendously.

Mr Hogan's preparation for the trek was enough for Harry to understand he was in for a hard, tough challenge.

Trained Relentlessly

For the past 6 months Harry has trained relentlessly to prepare for this bush walk.

6 am runs in the freezing cold with Chris (our personal trainer on the Gold Coast).
25 km training walks in the bush.
A 28 km run he did just to see how far he could go.
A 100 km bike ride with Jack and I,
Run the Gold Coast Half Marathon (that's him and his mum at the finish).

Harry's a lot more confident in himself, he has a ton more initiative and he has a lot more self-awareness.

This is so much more than a walk - Mr Hogan has taught the lads about:

teamwork,
respect for each other,
caring for each other,
sacrifice,
goal setting,
self-discipline and so much more.

He's one of those lucky kids who has found the inspiration to push himself hard and had the discipline and courage to understand that you need to persevere and push on.

And all that's due to Mr Hogan. He's taught Harry and the other lads skills and tools that can enrich their lives forever. Terrific stuff.

The Team Name....

I must admit I was thrilled to hear the team name:

Hogan's Heroes (what a show that was!)

Cheers

Brendon

Check out the Tin Man Journey

2008-07-18T16:25:00.002+10:00

Chris from Chisel Fitness has been training Jack and I for our across Australia ride for 8-9 months now.

Chris himself is embarking on a journey - he wants to compete in next year's Australian Ironman Triathlon.

Hmmmmmmmm.

I'm not sure whether he wants to be known as a Man of Iron...or Tin Man??

You see, I just don't know if he's up to it.

Doing an Ironman is about commitment, dedication and resilience.

Pushing yourself to the limit and then just keep going.

Chris seems to sook about at every opportunity.....and conveniently not mention the full facts of his training hwne those facts don't make him look good ;o)

Check out his journey here, paying particular attention to this post (I've commented on this one with some free advice).

Cheers

Brendon

Hot Female Bloggers Might Be Getting Naked For Playboy!

2008-07-18T10:04:00.002+10:00

Mike Arrington over at Tech Crunch has a story about a current poll on who is the sexiest female blogger (obviously if it was the sexiest male blogger I'd top the poll......don't blame me, I'm just naturally hot!).

The woman featured in the spot were asked (and gave) for permission to be included in the story.

Now a few are kicking up about the fact that Playboy has said they'll be asking the winner to pose nude.

Shock, horror, disbelief! Imagine Playboy doing that!

As Mike reports, one blogger, Sarah Austin, emailed Playboy and said: "My parents found out about this feature on playboy and are not happy about it. I�d like you to remove me from the contest."

Mmmmm Sarah. I think it's a little late for that don't you?

Think Strategy Stupid!

Every businessperson has to be aware of the strategic nature of the decisions they make.

For example, every single word I write on this blog has the ability to benefit my positioning in the marketplace or negatively impact.

The benefits can be in the form of a lead because someone likes the way I write or what we offer.

The negative is usually the morons/haters who email me abusive stuff because they don't like what I wrote, don't like a strategy I've employed or are just grumpy because they're stupid! ;o)

Like this after I wrote in the SitePoint Tribune and said "When we come across prospects like these, all is not lost. There are numerous ways to skin a cat, as I explain below":

This was the bit of feedback:

"I just signed up for your newsletters yesterday and received my first issue this morning.

As one who has two pet cats in my household, whom I consider to be near and dear to my heart, your repeated references to skinning a cat are, at best, repulsive.

Surely you could have found a better metaphor. Call me what you may; but, by standards of first impressions I'll never read a SitePoint newsletter that I won't have a bitter taste in my mouth as a result of this initial encounter."

What Did These Bloggers Think Would Happen

These female bloggers in the Playboy poll sold out to get the link from Playboy and to get the lift in their profile.

And now some have the audacity to bitch and whine that Playboy will be offering the winner a nude photo shoot.

It's not like they have to accept.

But, let's face it, they've already shown they'll be willing to be associated with Playboy for a benefit (that link and the exposure) so history tells us they may well go naked for $$$.

Lot of exposure for a bit of exposure (and $$$)!

It's all strategic. Everything.

Cheers

Brendon

Queensland Freeway Slips off Face Of The (Google) Earth

2008-07-18T09:50:00.002+10:00

In the local newspaper today we have a State Minister complaining that Google's coverage of the Gold Coast area is out of date.

".....if you believe your eyes when you look at the site you'd think our big infrastructure projects had simply fallen of the face of the earth," said Paul Lucas, Deputy Premier.

You'll be relieved to know that Lucas has written to Google requesting it update it's imagery.

Yep, I'm sure that'll work!

About as sure as I am that Mr Lucas has sent out this media release to let people know his government has built a few things - like a new freeway and a sports centre.

Just goes to shown there are a million angles for just about any story.

Cheers

Brendon

Dick held on sexual battery charges - The greatest sub-editor ever??

2008-07-17T09:18:00.002+10:00

I often talk about grabbing attention with good copywriting.

Masters of this art are, of course, newspaper sub-editors. They're the guys who come up with the headlines on newspapers.

Well, one of the great sub-editors has been at work. This from the News.com.au site:

The heading leads here.

Your marketing needs to grab attention. Copywriting is essentially marketing.

Cheers

Brendon

Not Your Usual Music Video Clip

2008-07-16T08:35:00.001+10:00

Just something different.

(When it's different it gets attention.)

The Artist Is Stripped Bare

2008-07-14T09:14:00.003+10:00

I've written about the artist Banksy before:

here
and here.

Well, it seems he has finally been unmasked.

As the article says, his "fiercely guarded identity only adds to his subversive appeal".

Now everyone knows who he is, will his marketability drop?

I reckon it will. Being unknown was all aprt of the story. The story loses a bit of its shine now.

Cheers

Brendon

Speaking Of Dumb.......

2008-07-11T09:45:00.002+10:00

.......read this brilliant email from a Yahoo employee on the debacle going on there at the moment.

My favourite bit is:

"As for the Microsoft offer, well, I can�t emphasize how relieved we are that we did not sell ourselves short. All of us who are working in the trenches know the full potential of Yahoo!

Sure, we may be losing market share in search to Google (GOOG) every month and we may be losing market share in pageviews to social networks, but our future has never been brighter!

As the market grows and our share declines, our opportunities for growth only increase! Simple math there.

We have another 80% of the search market left to capture - Google only has about 30%. Now, whose future is truly brighter?"

Then check out the first 2 comments - looks like these dummies missed the humour!

Oh Pammie - You're So Stupid It's Almost Loveable

2008-07-10T21:15:00.004+10:00

Pamela Anderson - the plastic Canadian - appears to be so stupid it defies belief.

Pamela is in Australia appearing on a TV show that's sponsored by KFC.

She happily takes their money that she readily admits is "Much more than I'm worth. I had to come. I can't believe it," she said.

But then she delivers a protest letter to a KFC store.

She probably even expects people to take her seriously.

She can't really be that stupid can she???

Cheers.

Brendon

P.S: But I guess this is the same woman who stopped wearing ugg boots because these sheepskin boots were.....wait for it........made from sheep skin.

Mmmmmm, Pammie. Another tough one.

"I used to wear them with my red swim suit to keep warm - never realizing that they were SKIN!" she said.

Here's A Successful Marketing Technique

2008-07-10T18:08:00.003+10:00

My mate Phil is a brilliant caricature artist. He also does cartoons.

Phil shoots me through cartoons all the time and I sometimes put them up on this site.

Phil shows off his skill to a new audience, gets a link to his site and aids his branding.

Simple, cheap and effective marketing.

2008-07-10T17:03:00.002+10:00

This is Jo.

For the past 3 years Jo has worked in London.

She now works with us on the Gold Coast, Australia.

The sun-drenched capital of Australia.

You'd think Jo would be used to cold weather but.........this is Jo in the office this morning.

She's wearing:

singlet
tshirt
vest
jumper
jacket
coat
gloves
scarf

And, you won't believe this one, a hot pack on her back.
And yes, she's has a heater right beside her.

We always like people to meet the staff - but this is a little wimpy!

Flag Poles Is The Word.....Or Is It?

2008-07-10T13:35:00.003+10:00

I was talking with a client who has a flag poles business and we discussed what people we thought would search for most.

I thought flagpoles and she thought flag poles.

But, as usual, in any discussion of what works best in marketing, no-one cares what we think!

Testing and measuring tell us the truth.

With a simple Google AdWords campaign we had our answer within 48 hours. 14 days later and the answer has been more than confirmed.

Simple A/B Test Saves Thousands

A simple A/B test was enough to give us the information we needed to make the right decisions and save hundreds, possibly thousands, of $ down the track.

Cheers

Brendon

Mel & Harry Do 1st Half Marathons

2008-07-09T13:44:00.007+10:00

My lovely wife and great 14 yo son (Harry) completed their first Half Marathon on Sunday at the Gold Coast Marathon.

Harry put together a video of their run and my daughter's (Laura) run in the 10 km race.

Chris' Different Writing Style Positions Him Differently

2008-07-08T17:29:00.001+10:00

Chris van Hoof is the guy who has been training Jack and I to an inch of our lives as we prepare for our ride across Australia in just 9 weeks.

Chris is on his own journey to complete an Ironman Triathlon next year.

Chris has a blog off his main Gold Coast personal fitness web site and it's well worth a look.

Not only for the fitness tips and inspiration, but the different style Chris is using in his writing for this much more personal story.

You can see how Chris has positioned himself quite differently.

I think this blog is more compelling and interesting than his 'corporate' site because of that. It's a terrific example of the way your writing style positions you in the eyes of your market.

Cheers

Brendon

Big Boost For Jack's Ride

2008-07-04T09:45:00.003+10:00

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

2008-07-03T07:49:00.003+10:00

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

2008-07-03T07:44:00.002+10:00

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

2008-07-01T21:26:00.004+10:00

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

2008-07-01T20:37:00.002+10:00

This makes you wonder how some lawyers sleep at night.

Cheers

Brendon

Unsettling But On Target

2008-06-26T00:19:00.002+10:00

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

2008-06-25T23:15:00.004+10:00

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!

2008-06-25T14:22:00.002+10:00

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

2008-06-25T07:30:00.000+10:00

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

2008-06-24T18:26:00.003+10:00

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!

2008-06-20T08:40:00.002+10:00

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