Johnnie Moore's been busy moving his blog to a new address, but he had time to think up some seriously funny musings on the dangers of Sethaholism. And of course with the BBBT in full swing, many of us will be on a Sethahol binge for two full weeks. I'm a bit worried. I have an appointment to get my hair cut tomorrow.
The Business Blog Book Tour is underway with Seth Godin. The book is a kick in the pants to read and I'm looking forward to the next two weeks as Seth makes the rounds. He'll be here on May 13th. Today, he's Todd's guest on the "A Penny For..." blog.
Seth Godin is one busy guy. A new business book is about to hit the shelves and now he's posted an eBook on his site with a directory of companies that can help you make a Purple Cow.
The Business Blog Book Tour for Free Prize Inside starts Monday and I'm delighted that Seth will be stopping by here on the 13th to talk about his latest book. The eBook has a summary of Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside that will whet your appetite for more.
Back from a business trip and now I've got time to actually post something. I'm a relative newcomer to the blogosphere, having been exposed to it during a graduate class on cyberspace last summer. I got my TypePad account the day they became available and have created and deleted about half a dozen blogs just to experiment.
I've found that explaining blogs is not an easy thing. My book is really a one-hour answer to the question, "What's a blog and why should I have one?" It is not a how-to book. It is a why-to book. There is nothing technical in the book and if you already have a blog, you probably won't learn much from it. However, you will have a tool to hand to someone who just doesn't get it.
My background and experience in small markets tells me that just about every business should be blogging. Why should a local retailer pay a bunch of money for design when she can start a blog for a few bucks a month? I've talked to many people who have cool web sites AND a blog. Guess which site gets the traffic? That's right, the blog.
Because it's a conversation with your customers.
So, don't buy the book to learn new juicy technical tips on blogging. If you find yourself having difficulty explaining this blogging phenomenon, buy the book and loan it out. Better yet, buy a dozen and give them away.
Buy this book!
Buy it today!
Buy it by the dozens!
It's my first book. I feel like a new daddy.
Here, have a cigar!
Why and how radio advertising is effective.
Business owners are hit up every day by an onslaught of media sales reps.: Direct Mail, Internet, Newspaper, Yellow Pages, Billboard, Television, Radio and more, each having “the answer” to solve all sales problems. In my consulting group we use most of these outlets. For many of our clients, there are reasons we use radio for either all or part of campaigns with dramatic results.
There are advantages and disadvantages of each type of media.
Direct mail is really the only way to target a specific group of people. You can literally send a piece of mail to all people in a specific ZIP code who are 65 years old and own a Harley-Davidson. It is important for you to write something on the outside of the mailing that will interest the recipient enough to open it. If you are unsure of how much bulk mail is thrown away every day, stop by the mailbox center of any apartment complex. In the corner you’ll find a large trash can full of mail they weren’t expecting. We call it junk mail.
Internet advertising: In my opinion, it is still in its infancy. I believe your web site is there for people to get information or to buy products. If you have the ability to say something interesting or persuasive while people are visiting your web site, good for you. Most advertisements I see on the Internet are flash images and pop-ups that frankly make me want to say ugly things.
Print advertising is very popular because many advertisers get an immediate response for the money they spend. The best way to use newspaper advertising is for an upcoming sale or to dump excess inventory quickly. The only people who will see your ad in print are people who are currently in the market for your product or service. Make sure your ad is clear. Have a picture of what you are offering, a clear price and your contact information.
Yellow Pages are considered to be advertising by the people who sell them. I consider Yellow Pages to be a directory of services, nothing more-nothing less. There have been many times in my own life I have gone to the big yellow book to find one specific business or service and ended up calling a different one. Why? Because I found someone else and didn’t have enough loyalty or good feelings about the business I was originally looking for.
Billboards give you the best cost per 1000. Which means you can reach the most people for the least amount of money. The downside is people can only read about eight words as they are driving by. Billboards work best as a complement to an ongoing advertising campaign currently being delivered by television or radio.
Television intrusively reaches the most people. You have the advantage of both sight and sound. The downside is the huge expense of reaching a large group consistently. Another consideration is the expense and time it takes to produce a quality commercial. That is, a commercial that doesn’t make you look like the village idiot. (You’ve seen Darryl introducing his other brother Darryl standing in front of their products, right?)
Radio is my main choice for several reasons. First, it can be used effectively no matter what size your budget. Hour by hour, radio has a fairly consistent audience and a very good ratings delivery system to find out how many people listen to each station in each market. With today’s computer technology and a small amount of talent, a local production director can make a local commercial sound like a national one. Many times your local station will produce your ads at no charge. If you have the need, your ads can be changed or modified within 24 hours. Again, why radio? Because it is a vehicle to deliver words intrusively through your unclosable ears.
"Words start wars and end them, create love and choke it, bring us to
laughter and joy and tears. Words cause men and women to willingly risk
their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Our world, as we know
it, revolves on the power of words." - Roy H. Williams
Chapter 1
The Ears Have It…
When my wife was in college, her psychology professor challenged the class....
