MARKETING ACTUARY: marketing

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May 27, 2014

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN BUSINESS VIDEOS WITH A PANASONIC GH3

We live in a visual world. Video makes a big impression. You can make nice recordings with your smartphone or a basic camcorder but are they good enough for business today? Let’s look at how you can create your own quality videos in full high definition (1080p).

The Equipment

For the best results, get the right equipment and learn how to use it. I did lots of research and also talked to video expert Nikola Danaylov of the terrific Singularity Weblog.

A DSLR camera works well most are optimized for photography. They have annoying limitations. For example, with the Nikon D5300

“Recording times are relatively limited, unfortunately, with only a 10 minute maximum recording time for High movie quality at 1080/60p (this increases to 20 minutes at Normal quality setting). ” — Imaging Resource

Camera

Consider a Panasonic GH3, a mirrorless camera optimized for video (review). You get

a separate record button for video
unlimited recording times (subject to the space on your memory card)
full HD (1080/60p) at hard-to-match bit rates as high as 72 Mbps

The GH3 is easy enough for a beginner and capable enough for a professional. Since the GH4 with 4K resolution is now available, the GH3 is an even better bargain. You might be able to find a used one. Use the savings on other equipment.

Lens

The lens is very important. You may change cameras but can keep using the same lens (unless you change systems).

The Panasonic HX025 Leica DG Summilux lens, 25mm/F1.4 ASPH is an excellent choice. The lens is a 50mm equivalent (review). That’s roughly what the human eye sees. There are two potential drawbacks

no optical image stabilization: not an issue since you’ll be using a tripod
no zooming: not an issue since you’ll move the camera closer, which also helps with sound quality

The lens aperture is f1.4, which allows lots of light gets in. That lets you get great results in situations with lower lighting. You also get a shallow depth of field: the background is out of focus, which puts attention on the foreground. You’ll see this used in movies and commercial photography.

Other

You’ll need a tripod designed for video. When you’re working in a controlled environment like an office, you needn’t spend extra for a lightweight tripod or even the latest model. I picked up a discontinued tripod from a camera clearance outlet.

As you gain experience, you may want to get an external microphone. A shotgun mic is a good choice (e.g., the Rode VideoMic Pro). Another option is a wireless clip-on lavalier mic (e.g., the Sennheiser EW 112P G3). To get more sophisticated, get a second camera and more lens!

The Editing

Editing is easier if you have good video, good audio and few mistakes. There are many editing tools. I’ve used Adobe Premiere Elements but don’t find it intuitive enough. I switched to Cyberlink PowerDirector. You’ll find good choices at TopTenReviews. Using the trial version will help you decide.

The Publishing

YouTube is an ideal place (e.g., my channel). Your video editor may even do the upload automatically.

The Result

Here’s a short video recorded in my office in a single take. The frame rate is a cinematic 24 frames per second and the light is from a window. The script took several days to finalize and memorize. This is not the first take.

What do you think?

April 15, 2014

CASE STUDY: LURING BIG PROSPECTS WITH SMALL GIFTS

For the sweetest deal in real estate, call me!

Part way through a coffee meeting, a real estate agent gave me a tiny box the size of a business card and the thickness of a deck of cards.

The page on top was more like photocopier stock than card stock.
It had two messages:

“For the sweetest deal in real estate, call me!” and
“Oh, by the way … I’m never too busy for any of your referrals!”

One business card was taped underneath. Below that was a small box that held three small football-shaped Lindt chocolates that looked nothing like the photo.

What Effect?

The agent’s intentions were good but was this approach effective?

Virtually anyone can use the same message: “For the sweetest deal in (fill in the blank), call me!” and who would refuse referrals?

If you get the sweetest deal, doesn’t the other side gets the bitterest deal? Maybe a sweet deal is better and leads to less cavities.

The Perfect Gift

The perfect gift is significant, personalized and unexpected, according to Robert Cialdini. Does chocolate qualify?

significant? No since we have lots of chocolate at home. Besides, I got a normal box of Lindt truffles at another event.
personalized? Partially since my name was added to a pre-printed sheet. I would have preferred a fully handwritten card.
unexpected? No since I saw the box the whole time and knew the purpose (best to hide it)

The chocolate was probably on sale at the nearby Lindt Factory Outlet. I paid for our coffees, which probably cost more. Also, I was spending something much more valuable, my irreplaceable time. I felt let down at what looked more like unsubtle manipulation than generosity.

The Ask

A tiny box of chocolates from an outlet is cheap. Real estate is expensive. How does one small gift lead to a big commission? Repetition helps but are we likely going to get chocolate on a regular basis. Do we even want more?

Besides, there are lots of real estate agents that look interchangeable. How do you pick one? Chocolate gives no indication of skill (e.g., in negotiating).

A Better Approach

Timely ongoing information makes a much more useful gift. The content could be about the area of specialty, real estate. Not the generic articles that come with the junk mail every month. But something original that shows a genuine desire and ability to help prospects. The value and name recognition builds with consistency.

Emailing information via a newsletter allows tracking and cost-effective scaling. Buying and delivering chocolate does not.

Standing Out

We've dealt with real estate agents for ages. Not a single gave such a small gift. Not a single one gave useful ongoing information either. There's an opportunity to stand out.

Asking for a referral when giving the chocolate is bold — too bold for a first meeting. Would small bait land a big referral?

How was the chocolate? I don't know. I gave it to a child who might appreciate something that small.

Links

PS Another gift, is paying attention to what your clients are doing and helping them succeed.

March 12, 2014

SPRING AHEAD, FALL BACK: CHANGING YOUR CLIENTS’ CLOCKS

Spring forward. Fall back. We adjust our clocks for Daylight Saving Time (DST) without much thought.

We're tricking ourselves when 7 AM [PM] magically becomes 6 AM [PM] or is it 8 AM [PM]? We accept the change because we benefit. During the short winter days, we’d rather have light in the morning than the evening. During the long summer days, we have enough light for the mornings and evenings.

Our clocks and smartphones might switch instantly to the “right” time but our bodies don’t. There may be more accidents after we “spring forward” because we lose an hour’s sleep. Or less because we’re driving with better lighting. There are also effects on productivity.

Conventions

Suppose you move your turn signal to a different location (say to 8 o’clock instead of 9 or 10). Customers will make mistakes especially if they drive different vehicles. The wiper settings mess me up. How do you spray the windshield? This is easy enough to figure out if your first guess is wrong. The harm is minimal. Imagine what would happen if the gas and brake pedals were not standardized.

If you follow norms how do you stand out from competitors? Android has a Back button but iOS hasn’t (except for the Safari web browser). Both systems are workable though you may prefer one. Apple stands out but companies making Android devices do not.

The Price

Changing your norm forces your current clients to undergo minor relearning (how do you heat the steering wheel now?). Your new clients skip this step, especially if you’re following conventions. Best to make the “right” decision at the outset.

How much as you asking your clients to change?

Windows 8 asked for too much. No START button!?! That was another reason to avoid Windows 8. Sales suffered. There were also reasons to avoid upgrading from Window 8 to 8.1.

The Speed

The ideal speed of change varies:

fast: e.g., to/from DST by an hour rather than 5 minutes a day for 12 days, a chiropractic adjustment, removing a bandage
slow: e.g., removing training wheels, shrinking snack packages without cutting the price, cheapening ingredients

What can you do to help your clients adjust? We don’t have a choice about adopting Daylight Saving Time but your clients may have a choice about switching from you.

February 19, 2014

MARKETING LESSONS FROM THE HYUNDAI GENESIS

Hyundai Sonata vs BMW 525i (click to see)

In 2007, Hyundai commercials suggested the Sonata was better than a BMW 5-Series at half the price (see the rationale for irrational behavior). Who would really believe that? There's a difference between specifications and real world performance.

I sat in a Hyundai for the first time ever, the 2013 Genesis sedan. The interior quality is comparable to a BMW 5-Series or Mercedes E-Class but you get more space. That's especially welcome in the rear row. Legroom! The Genesis costs much less than a comparably equipped German sedan. Value! What about the ride? It's good — well-suited to day-to-day driving in the city or on the highway. The coming-soon all-new 2015 is even better. I saw one at the Canadian Auto Show.

The Surprise

I didn’t expect Hyundai to create something as good as the Genesis (and more recently the Equus). Then again, who expected Toyota to succeed with Lexus? The first model, the LS 400 outsold the competition from BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz. The Genesis launch had impact too, winning 20+ awards including North American Car of the Year.

The Genesis isn't as good as a German vehicle but so what? Vehicles keep improving. Think of the Genesis as an older German car. There's much we can learn for our own marketing.

Lesson: Get Started

The first launch needn’t be perfect. You learn lessons which make the next version better. Momentum makes progress faster. The key is getting started. Keep waiting and the competition gets further ahead and harder to catch. Look at the too-little-too-late attempt to rejuvenate Blackberry.

Did the world need another premium car? No, but the success of the Genesis shows there’s room for new competitors and that catching up is possible. Hyundai already is a top manufacturer which gives them money to experiment and succeed.

What’s holding you back? You don’t need to be perfect in the beginning.

Lesson: Create A Halo

Developing a new vehicle takes years and in the case of the Genesis, $500 million (according to Wikipedia). Is the investment in a niche car worthwhile? Yes. By creating a standout, Hyundai raised the credibility and appeal of their entire line up. They got lots of free publicity.

What brings positive attention to you? Maybe you're associated with a cause (e.g., a charity). Maybe you're doing something relatively rare (e.g., blogging).

Lesson: Just Listen

When launched, the Genesis was very credible. Certainly an A for effort. Hyundai identified an underserved market niche: premium cars for people who care more about value than the emblem on their quickly depreciating car. Current Hyundai buyers and brand switchers.

The all-new 2015 Genesis addresses criticisms of the first generation. There is now All Wheel Drive and a better ride. In addition, there is more value than ever at their price points. Horsepower is down but torque is up. There’s innovation such as the first-ever CO detector as a tool for driver alertness (adds more fresh air as levels rise).

What does your market want?

Lesson: Keep Moving

The next battleground is the user experience. Premium vehicles like BMWs and Mercedes have their own dealerships. This helps meet the expectations of more affluent buyers. Hyundai looks committed to getting better. Using a separate brand would help but cost $2.5 billion and take 13 years.

The competition keeps moving. You eventually compete with yourself. Take the iPhone. Other phones are arguably better (e.g., larger screens, better Google integration) but there are dedicated iPhone buyers. Apple is really competing with Apple.

Right now, Genesis is competing with other brands but that will change, perhaps with the third generation launch in a few years. You can’t get there without getting started.

Links

PS Hyundai and affiliate Kia aren’t perfect. They’re settling class action lawsuits for overstating fuel economy: $395 million in the US and $70 million in Canada.

November 12, 2013

CHANGE YOUR QUARTERLY MARKETING MESSAGES TO MONTHLY

What marketing are you doing quarterly? Consider switching to monthly for better results and possibly less work.

Glossy magazines from BMW and Mercedes don't follow a pattern I can spot. They seem random. I don't anticipate them. I don't know if I've missed an issue. Compare that with Wired, which arrives monthly. I don't know the target date but I know the frequency.

If you're sending an electronic publication like a newsletter, a quarterly publication is very easy for subscribers to overlook. We get so much email. If you published monthly instead, you've tripled your chances of getting seen and read. Besides, you get readership results sooner.

Retailers

Staples has started sending an email on Monday to alert me of their sale starting on Wednesday. How annoying. I can peek at the flyer but don't bother since I can't buy. What they sell isn’t exciting enough to be worth the wait.

In contrast, Best Buy sends an email on Fridays and sometimes on other days of the week for special events. These are predictable and random. That works. You can usually buy right way, unless they’re having an “after hours” sale.

A quarterly publication likely takes more work but may not create the same impact since your readers may receive it at the wrong time for them. What if they wanted to buy last month?

Resources

What’s done quarterly feels like a project while monthly feels like routine work. More important, you build anticipation in your audience with a higher frequency.

We aren't constrained by page size or number of pages any more. We've eliminated the time and money that goes into printing. We can use a fraction of those resources to commit to a more frequent schedule.

Habits

You may feel you don’t have enough time to publish monthly. That's good because you’re then motivated to find ways to get faster. Maybe you compromise slightly on the quality (more like a blog post than a magazine article). Does that really matter? Remember the 80/20 rule.

It's easy to procrastinate if you publish quarterly. There seems to be so much time. Besides, if you're late by a day or two, who will know? With a mailed publication, they won't. With email they will. Worse, they can quickly refer back to past issues to see if you were consistent.

Example

I published a monthly newsletter on the second Thursday of the month at 10 AM for 42 consecutive months. I posted the schedule for the year online to make the commitment public (and as a reminder to me). After a while, you don't want to miss a date.

Blogging is similar. There's a fresh post here each Tuesday. Activities which are daily, weekly or monthly become routine and scheduled. Quarterly and annual are tougher.

Why not the first day or last day of the month? The pattern would be easier to engrain but the day of the week keeps changing. Some issues would go out on weekends or holidays. That might matter. Who's going to read on December 31st or January 1st? Also, scheduling your work gets more complicated since you're doing things on different days of the week each month. That may be suboptimal for your workflow.

If You Must Be Quarterly

If you must do some marketing quarterly, can you pick a memorable day? For example,

the start of a new season (Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec)
the second of Jan, Apr, Jul, Sep (the start of a new calendar quarter)
the first of Nov, Feb, May, Aug (perhaps less competition)

Boosting your frequency helps make a more lasting impression on your target market. Getting readership data sooner helps you make changes more quickly. Don’t you want both?

Links

PS Maybe what you’re doing monthly would be more effective weekly?

October 22, 2013

CASE STUDY: HOW TO LAUNCH A NEW BRAND (MONEY 50/50)

The desire for perfection and the fear of making mistakes both get in the way of launching a brand. They need not.

As a case study, you can watch me launch Money 50/50. It’s for a series of live TED-like talks with audience Q&A. The speakers are credible bloggers, journalists and authors known for objective advice. The intent is to make learning about money engaging. How’s that for a challenge?

I could have waited to make sure everything was ready before telling the world but thought the incremental approach would be more educational for you and more practical for me.

Protecting Your Intellectual Property

If you're worried about theft of your intellectual property, the incremental approach may be ideal. The format for Money 50/50 isn’t the work of genius but seems unique:

50% talking / 50% audience participation: that’s the key reason to attend in person. If there were no interaction, why attend? The audience could simply watch the talks on YouTube from home (which means they probably wouldn’t)
the speakers are writers: that means they have the courage to put their thoughts on display for public scrutiny. Because they’re local, they’re approachable.

As I started looking for venues, I became concerned that my format might be “stolen”. While anyone can use a similar format for their cause (please do!), I didn't want to look like the copycat. That's why the first public announcement described the idea and format: the perfect live event to master your money.

Step Zero

The very first step is finding a short name for the brand that’s available as a website and Twitter handle. That meant brainstorming and checking for availability with NameChk. This took days of elapsed time. You might want to get help from creative people you trust. You might need to fabricate a name (e.g., as I did with Riscario and Taxevity).

Eventually, I registered money5050.com even though a squatter has the Twitter handle @money5050. There are ways to reclaim a Twitter account from a squatter or impersonator. Showing you have a real brand helps.

Other Steps

Eventually you will see these things in order:

Website: money5050.com launched (using the same Google Blogger platform as this blog)
Twitter handle: @50u50 (for now)
Newsletter: powered by Mad Mimi (done)
Branding: using a simple placeholder for now
Ticket ordering: powered by Eventbrite
Community: on Ning or Google+

Clearly, all these elements are not needed at the same time, especially when you’re doing the work in your spare time.

If you're afraid that the world will see work in progress, are you over thinking? The world is busy. You can relaunch when you’re ready. In the meantime, you’re taking steps that will help you get noticed.

Links

PS You learn more while doing than while planning.

October 8, 2013

HOW TO BEAT GOLIATH WITH YOUR MARKETING

"What happens in wars between the strong and the weak when the weak side does as David did and refuses to fight the way the bigger side wants to fight, using unconventional or guerrilla tactics? The answer: in those cases, the weaker party’s winning percentage climbs from 28.5 percent to 63.6 percent. To put that in perspective, the United States’ population is ten times the size of Canada’s. If the two countries went to war and Canada chose to fight unconventionally, history would suggest that you ought to put your money on Canada." — Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

Who’s scheming to defeat you?

As Malcolm Gladwell points out in David and Goliath, you can’t fight conventionally … if you want to win. How strange that there’s still such desire in doing things the normal ways.

"When an underdog fought like David, he usually won. But most of the time, underdogs didn’t fight like David. Of the 202 lopsided conflicts in Arreguín-Toft’s database, the underdog chose to go toe-to-toe with Goliath the conventional way 152 times — and lost 119 times." — Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

Maybe getting an A for trying is seen as better than doing what’s needed to win.

Advertising

We can’t have a shoot-out without guns. We’d lose.
— Jason Statham (The Italian Job)

There are other ways to win. Consider advertising. That’s a conventional way to get attention. Maybe you can’t buy enough billboards or TV spots to make a lasting impression. Maybe you can’t afford any. Instead, you could earn attention by creating solid content that your network helps you spread. That is doable but less glamorous. You won’t win an award for the Ad Of The Year.

Google’s new Hummingbird smarter search algorithm helps smaller publishers with relevant content get found. YouTube puts you on the screen for free.

Old Boy Networks

Maybe you can’t make inroads into private clubs where big business gets done. New opportunities emerge.

Golf is considered essential for business … especially by golfers on expense accounts. Not every successful person golfs. I don’t. While the golfers are sweating or getting soaked outside, you can bond with the nongolfers.

Look at all the diversity in people these days. Which groups are a natural fit for you? If you get connected to the ‘rising stars’, you’re well positioned for successes the old boys won’t see. Besides, they’ll retire someday.

Bigger vs Better

Our cards were speed and time, not hitting power. — Lawrence of Arabia

The Goliaths are often slow and wed to the status quo. Be quick and experiment. They’ll know you hit them but not how to respond. You have a huge advantage when they’re unbalanced. Look at what happened to former giants like Blackberry.

Other Battles

Maybe you’re not a good writer? That’s fixable. The nature of reading has changed as we’ve moved from paper to screens. There’s more skimming now (notice how I use lots of subtitles?). There’s also more tolerance for minor mistakes. Besides, you’ll improve with practice if you get started and keep going.

Maybe you don’t have 20+ years of experience? You’re spared from unlearning the old, less relevant ways engrained into yesterday’s experts. With less mental clutter, you’re better positioned to adapt. You might have skipped the step from typewriter to desktop computer to laptop. Does that really matter in today’s world of tablets and smartphones? Some new services don’t even run on computers or web browsers (e.g., newsreaders like Zite or Google Currents).

Maybe you don’t have enough customers? That means you’re not bogged down with the wrong kind of customers.

Maybe you don’t have time or don’t know how. Who does? You could start small by investing 15 minutes a day. The learning and doing become simpler. Baby steps help you win the marathon.

We think of things as helpful that actually aren’t and think of other things as unhelpful that in reality leave us stronger and wiser.
— Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

You achieve a sweet victory when you turn perceived disadvantages into advantages. We root for the underdogs in the movies and real life.

Links

PS Maybe your biggest Goliath is inside you.

September 10, 2013

HOW HEALTHY IS YOUR MARKETING?

Boo hoo.
We don't have time.
We don't know how.
We might make mistakes.

These common explanations or reasons or excuses hold us back. Except when a sickness or another emergency rearranges our priorities

Equal

When you're sick, you're forced to make time. You're forced to learn how to get the treatment. You’re motivated to overcome mistakes that could delay or complicate your recovery. Sickness makes us equal. Even billionaires have to adjust (Steve Jobs “buttoned up”), though having money buys more attention and brings more options.

Paradox

How strange that we have time for sickness but not for health.

For health, we face no crisis or deadline. When sickness strikes fast, it's easy to blame bad luck, especially if you catch the latest disease that’s in the news. When the consequences come slowly (e.g. from poor diet, inadequate exercise, excessive stress) we know who suffers. It’s tougher to tell who’s to blame.

Lest We Forget

Soon enough, we go back to our normal. We forget that …
… we have lots of time.
… we have lots of know how.
… we we learn from mistakes.

You know of actions you could take to make your business better. Just because the steps aren’t urgent doesn’t mean they aren’t important.

Even today, you can do business without a website, without being on LinkedIn, without having a smartphone. It's just that your results will likely suffer. The longer you wait, the further behind you get. Once you decide to act, you're at a significant disadvantage. Spending money may not be enough. As with exercise, you need time and what you learn along the way.

As Bruce Cockburn sang, the trouble with normal is it always gets worse. That means we better get better.

Links

PS Start today. Tomorrow is 9/11.

August 27, 2013

HOW TO MOVE FROM OUT-OF-SIGHT TO TOP-OF-MIND

You can accelerate the process of becoming visible and then memorable. Networking alone isn’t enough because you won’t be seen by most of your connections --- the ones who weren’t there. When they’re out of sight, you’re out of mind.

Let's follow a "fake it 'til you make it" model.

Fake Familiarity

I read story in a book years ago but can’t find references. Let’s assume it’s true.

Home Depot asked customers which brand of hot water heater they preferred. The winner was General Electric. That’s remarkable because GE didn’t make any.

How did GE win? People are familiar with the company, which makes many consumer products including ranges, microwaves and fridges. Assuming GE made hot water heaters isn’t much of a stretch. Maybe the people surveyed didn’t know which brand they had and didn’t recognize the other choices. Maybe they gave the answer they thought the surveyors wanted.

Home Depot saw an opportunity to turn fake familiarity into real business. They approached GE and got exclusive rights to make hot water heaters under the GE name.

Show Up

To become more visible, start showing up at events. You needn’t announce your intentions. Simply start showing up and network. Consistently. You’ll start to get noticed.

You’ll become more comfortable and familiar. Soon, people will remember you as having been around longer than you were. They will even think you were at places you didn’t go because they’ll start anticipating where they expect to see you. You become like GE.

Imply

You gain little by saying you’re attending an event for the first time if people would expect to find you there (e.g., a trade conference). Why weren’t you there before? Maybe you didn’t know or didn’t see the benefits. Is either worth admitting?

Refer to yourself as having shown up.

For instance, if you say "I liked speaker X at this year’s Y Conference", your audience may infer that you attended in the past even if you're a first-timer. If you’re asked about last year, you can say that you couldn’t make it. That implies you normally attend.

Isn't this sneaky? You aren't saying you did something you didn't. You're letting people infer. Marketing is about the stories people tell themselves. Leave gaps and your audience will fill them in.

Spread The Word

As Yogi Berra said, “You can observe a lot just by watching.”

As you start showing up, you gather valuable information and insights. You then have a universal lasting gift that’s easy to share via a regular newsletter (e.g., Mad Mimi gives low effort results). Thanks to tracking codes, you’ll instantly see what’s working and with whom.

By sharing, you remind your fellow attendees about the event (not everyone takes notes). More important, you inform your larger group of connections who were not there. That’s leverage. As you become their eyes and ears, you become more valuable and visible even if they are out-of-sight.

Links

PS Buying a Home Depot “GE” water heater may not be a good idea …

August 20, 2013

PRE-ANNOUNCE OR SHIP? COMPARING STRATEGIES AT APPLE, BLACKBERRY, GOOGLE AND MICROSOFT

It’s tempting to announce what you’re launching soon, especially if a competitor has shipped something new.

Blackberry and Microsoft tend to pre-announce. Apple and Google tend to ship. Guess which approach works better?

Blackberry

Blackberry tried to buy time with pre-announcements about the BB10 hardware and operating system. Anticipation built and exceeded what Blackberry delivered. For instance, there are still no apps for Netflix or Instagram. The pre-announcement strategy didn’t work. The world won’t wait. Other smartphones kept improving. Blackberry was hitting yesterday's irrelevant target.

Blackberry is losing market share across the world, even in former strongholds (CBC News, Aug 19, 2013). The company is now for sale (Globe and Mail, Aug 12), which could net CEO Thorsten Heins $55.6 million (CTV News, Aug 16, 2013).

Apple

Steve Jobs was a master of surprise and kept tight control. He announced what was ready for launch. The speculation by others created interest. Not everything succeeded. Apple TV has yet to change the world. The thermonuclear war against Android failed.

While the post-Jobs Apple doesn’t pre-announce, there seem to be more leaks and less innovation than before.

Microsoft

Microsoft likes making big empty pronouncements. In December 1995, Bill Gates finally figured out that the Internet mattered and would be core to all their products. How has that worked out? Office only became web-based this year, which Steve Ballmer calls a “fundamental shift in our business” (CBC News, Jan 2013).

Strategies to dominate search are below expectations with a 17.9% market share for Bing (Search Engine Watch, Jul 2013). Windows 8 is best avoided and has flopped with only 5.4% market share (The Next Web, Aug 1, 2013). The Windows tablets haven't changed the world and led to a write-down of $900 million of unsold inventory (Computerworld, Jul 2013). The Windows phone is getting a toehold as #3, at the expense of Blackberry (ZD Net, Aug 14, 2013).

Google

Google has made tiny forays with big results. Imagine a search engine offering email. Now imagine a world without Gmail and all the plugins. Imagine a search engine creating a web browser (Chrome) and an free operating system for smartphones (Android). These odd steps started small and paid off big.

We’ve had other surprises like the Chromecast TV stick, Google Glass and the Moto X smartphone with always-on voice recognition. If Google made announcements months or years in advance, we'd be yawning now. And competitors would have had advance warning.

Which Way?

Can you think of any great reasons to pre-announce rather than make a splash when you’re ready to ship?

August 13, 2013

USE MAD MIMI FOR YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS

Marketing Reflections ran for 42 consecutive months. I stopped because the newsletter was

dated in design
time-consuming to create
cumbersome to maintain

There had to be a solution.

Within six months, I rediscovered the power of newsletters and launched Transparence using Mad Mimi. We’ll look at the well-featured free version which lets you send 12,500 emails a month to 2,500 people.

[Disclaimer: as usual, no affiliate links, no inducements offered or accepted.]

The Look

Many newsletters look like they’re based on stock templates … because they are. How does that set you apart?

I wanted a fresher, cleaner look optimized for smartphones.

At first, Mad Mimi looked too simple. The examples didn’t look like newsletters. Where is the column with links, contact information and a table of contents? At the same time, I liked the freshness and extensive use of visuals.

Was Mad Mimi too basic?

Monkeying Around

I decided to try MailChimp and quickly got overwhelmed with the options. I could easily create a “normal” newsletter with templates but did not like the results. There’s lots of online help available but I wanted something more intuitive (e.g., like private social network tool Ning 3.0).

In June, MailChimp introduced a new version which is “more efficient, mobile-friendly, and flexible”. Since Mad Mimi already was, I didn’t explore the changes.

Look Sharp

There’s no point sending out a newsletter that looks amateurish. If you’re a designer, you can

create a banner
select suitable fonts for the titles and text
choose the optimal size and placement for graphics

The two usual choices are to work from a stock template or hire a designer. Mad Mimi gives a third choice: they’ll do the work for you. For free. Even if you have a free account.

I wanted a banner that looked professional and consistent with the look of trustandyou.com. We went through several iterations before settling on this.
Transparence_a

They even created a sample newsletter from an example I sent. I cloned the result to create my template. That a time saver.

Simpler Terminology

Newsletters often talk about subscribers. Mad Mimi talks about your audience. This subtle distinction makes a difference. Subscribers feel like an asset you “own”. In contrast, an audience feels like a group you owe.

Amazing Support

Mad Mimi says that as a free user “you don't get our awesome support”. That’s fair but not true. You get great support. I had occasional questions and got quick responses by email. The live chat support is wonderful too. The team helps and welcomes suggestions.

Fair Pricing

While you can do email marketing for free, you get more features with paid plans — and support the service. Here’s a comparison:

Contacts	MailChimp	Mad Mimi
1,000	$15	$12
2,500	$30	$16
5,000	$75	$27

If you have an audience of 1,000 and add one person, MailChimp doubles your price. No thanks. Mad Mimi has better prices and is more fair in their tiers.

The Results

I could have imported my old Marketing Reflections mailing list into Mad Mimi but decided to start Transparence fresh by requiring the audience to sign up again (100% opt-in). I invited selected people in early July, which is prime holiday time. Even so, about half agreed without seeing the new newsletter.

I scheduled Transparence to go out at 10 AM. It was mailed at 10:01 AM. That’s fine. All copies got delivered (no bounces due to full inboxes or bad email addresses). No one unsubscribed or reported Transparence as spam.

Here are the statistics:

I’m especially interested in what’s read and who’s reading. Mad Mimi shows that type of information in an easy to understand format. Of the potential audience

62% viewed the newsletter
29% clicked on a link (actually 47% of the 62% who viewed)

The engagement may decrease as the audience grows.

Overall

Overall, Mad Mimi is a simple, powerful, inexpensive way to send email newsletters and track the results. Highly recommended — especially since you can start for free. Today I upgraded to a paid account to take advantage of extra features like automated drip campaigns and unlimited image hosting.

July 16, 2013

CASE STUDY: GETTING NEW TRAFFIC FROM OLD CONTENT

When you put content online, you have the opportunity to get traffic month after month and year after year. How green. What a great investment in time. Here’s an example of how that just happened.

Sep 2011

I wrote 9/13: prepare your disaster recovery plan now just after the 10th anniversary of 9/11. That decision was strategic: timely content is more likely to get read. For instance, a post about Valentines Day won’t have much appeal in the middle of summer but can have an audience each year around February 14th.

The 9/13 post got traffic with a spike around the annual anniversary of 9/11. This week is different. I didn’t use any techniques to boost traffic. Maybe the recent storms boosted interested in planning for disasters.

This Week

This graph shows that mere days ago, traffic jumped drastically because of the 9/13 post.

The scaling makes the baseline traffic look lousy. That isn’t the case but does show how much of a change took place.

This Month

This graph shows there was already a spike during the last 30 days because of a post on starting your own private social network. That post continues to bring in traffic daily.

Lifetime

This graph shows that traffic has been growing over the years, with occasional jumps.

You can’t tell what will get read. You can’t tell when it will get read.

More Examples

Here are the five posts with the most traffic over the last 30 days (in descending order):

Sep 2011: 9/13 Prepare your disaster recovery plan now
Jun 2013: Starting your own private social network
Nov 2009: Does your email address say you’re cheap, generic or inattentive?
Jan 2010: Hero or zero: the sad tale of Lenovo and UPS
Mar 2011: Why join the Toronto Board of Trade?

Only #2 was written this year. That doesn’t matter. Each visitor can read other posts or subscribe to receive updates. Getting quality traffic leads to opportunities and improves credibility with search engines for your other content too.

What you publish can get read. What you don’t, can’t.

Links

PS How can you lose by putting content online?

April 16, 2013

WHAT IF YOU GOT BAD PUBLICITY LIKE RBC?

RBC has more marketing might when we do. That was not enough to spare them from PR trouble with iGate last week. They certainly looked unprepared. Were you surprised?

The unwanted attention continues. Today’s most recent articles are about how journalists spun RBC (Huffington Post) and that RBC doesn’t owe us an apology but the federal government does (Toronto Star).

The RBC story shows how quickly bad news spreads via media and social networks. The attention was difficult to predict since many other companies (including banks) operate the same way. There is no way to squelch or delete them the reactions.

Apologies

Big companies have great difficulty making sincere apologies, especially if they don’t plan to change their business practices. Responses often come slowly and don’t feel genuine. They read more like an advertisement than a confession. There’s a reluctance to say anything that could bring liability or hurt share prices.

Here are some well-known but less-than-convincing apologies from Apple (IGN, Sep 2012) that even mega-fans would have trouble believing.

What Would You Do?

You don’t fix a leaking roof during a lightning storm. Ask yourself what would happen if you faced bad PR. You can pretend you’d be spared and stay unprepared. That's not a great strategy. The Internet has a long memory.

As a defensive strategy, you could behave well by doing the “right” thing. Your digital tapestry will show that an unfortunate event is an outlier. Most mistakes are forgivable.

You can't build a history the day you need one. You can start now. You build your history a day by day. You collect supporters in the same way. What are you doing?

April 9, 2013

ONE BILLION REASONS TO CREATE YOUR OWN VIDEOS

YouTube started in February 2005 (exactly two years before this blog) and already has one billion unique viewers each month. That’s 1,000,000,000.

Where are your videos?

There are lots of reasons to create video. Let's assume you agree. You don’t need to hire anyone. You can create your own.

Better Than Professional

You won't get the same look as a professional. You probably won’t use fancy green screens or specialized lighting. Instead, you’ll be authentic. That’s valuable and costs less.

A key reason to shoot your own video is the sheer flexibility. You don't need to worry about scheduling. You can do take after take. You can shoot more video and more often. You’ll get better with practice.

Equipment

To get started, you need a video camera, a tripod, video editing software, a computer, and an external hard drive. You may need lighting. For now, let's assume you use natural lighting.

The camera can be relatively basic. These days you can even shoot good video with a smartphone. You'll have trouble mounting one on a tripod though. Consider a “basic” video camera. You can upgrade later if you want.

You might even start with the webcam in your computer or tablet.

Stage fright

Appearing on camera is daunting. Practice helps. Try using your smartphone with a free app like Viddy which lets you record and post 15 second clips. Maybe you can get someone else do the recording for you. Here are my examples.

You need not appear at all. You can add a voiceover to a presentation from within PowerPoint (Microsoft explains how). A high quality external microphone USB is a worthwhile investment since audio quality is very important.

Video audiences keep growing, thanks to mobile devices. You’re losing opportunities if they can't find you.

October 9, 2012

THE ESSENTIAL WAY TO SHOW YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERTISE (Thanks LinkedIn)

Testimonials are essential but they have limited value. You need them as a sign of credibility but they read like fiction and look too general.

I’ve never had a client hire me because of a testimonial. I have received clients because of my skills and expertise. How do you show what you know. Your digital tapestry helps. Outside endorsements do too.

LinkedIn has introduced an elegant solution: endorsement of skills and expertise. (Let’s say “skills”, for short.)

The New Way

In the past, you could list any skills on your LinkedIn profile, even if you didn't have them. Likewise, resumes are also peppered with impressive words without signs of proof.

Now there's accountability. If you agree that a connection has a specific skill, you "vote" by endorsing them (like a Google "+1"). Their profile shows the number of votes and who voted. That's transparency.

A Simple Plan

Make sure that your LinkedIn profile shows the Skills and Expertise section. Make sure that you've got appropriate skills listed. If you’re not sure what to show, look at some of your connections for inspiration.

When a connection posts an update, take a look at their profile. See if you can vote for any of their skills. If a skill is missing, you may be able to add it. If not, ask your connection to add the skill so that you can endorse it. They won't mind.

Some connections are nearly invisible because they are inactive on LinkedIn. Review all your connections alphabetically (I'm at G). If you can't endorse each one for at least one skill, ask yourself why you’re connected. (Possible answer: you think they have skills but don't yet know from your own personal experience.)

Caveats

Protect your reputation. Do not endorse a skill unless you have evidence of it.

There are limits. Some people have too many votes in too many categories. These same people tend to have too many testimonials (and cross-testimonials). Who are they fooling?

Some connections claim to have skills they lack. Maybe they don't know they’re lousy at Public Speaking (say). That's a problem. Perhaps they're exaggerating. That's a problem too.

I'm planning to disconnect from questionable connections.

Mum?

If you're reluctant to endorse your connections’ skills, what's the problem? Maybe you're unwilling to show generosity. Why? When you do something nice, bad things rarely happen (outside of the movies). Writing a testimonial may be daunting but voting for a skill is not. Try it.

Bonuses

When you vote, you increase your visibility by showing up on another profile. That’s advertising of sorts and might bring you more visitors.

See who else has endorsed the skill of a connection. Maybe you want to invite them to join your network. Generous people make great connections.

Getting Votes

How do you get votes? By giving. The universal principle of reciprocity will bring you votes.

You may be surprised by the results. In the beginning, I had more votes for Blogging (a hobby) than Life Insurance (my vocation). Bad optics. I "cheated" by asking two connections who knew of my insurance skills for their endorsements. Luckily, they agreed. All other endorsements came without asking.

September 4, 2012

GET ‘BACK TO SCHOOL’ WITH YOUR MARKETING

Schools re-open today. Do you remember your lessons from years past? Not what you learned but how you learned. Those old lessons can help with your marketing now.

The Process

To succeed in school, you need to plan ahead. That means knowing basics such as exam dates and when projects are due. To remember, you also need to make a schedule. A combination of a Google calendar and a To Do list works well for me. You also need to stay on schedule. It's very easy to fall behind or (re-)establish bad habits.

Having a support group like a mastermind works well (here are lessons from three).

Learn

We're not done yet. You need to learn. That means to

be open to learning
study (sorry!)
share what you learn

If you're not motivated to learn, you won't. At least not very well.

You're not learning unless you're stretching yourself either. You may have loved Green Eggs and Ham. Maybe Dr. Seuss did too. He didn't stop there. His final book, Oh, the Places You'll Go! shows a definite evolution and also reaches a different audience than One Fish, Two Fish.

You don't really learn until you share what you’re learning. Blogging is one way, even if your readership starts small.

No Excuses

We were forced to attend school. If you aren't interested, too bad. If you don't have time for an assignment, too bad. If you're confused and falling behind, too bad. You may have more leeway today but that’s hardly permission to make excuses or procrastinate.

Grades

In school, our grades show our progress. In business, the marketplace grades us. We may think we're doing well because we don't get a regular report card. Are we fooling ourselves?

To get feedback earlier, show your progress. Seth Godin is doing this on Kickstarter for The Icarus Deception, his new book. He’s already posted 14 updates. Your market may find your process more fascinating than the results (though make them great too). It’s easy to communicate via Twitter and blog posts.

Scope

In school, we're told how many subjects to take. In business, we're already busy. We need projects or sub-projects we can complete in a reasonable timeframe. You might find that three months is just right — not too long, not too short. Maybe you plan by calendar quarter or season.

What's the right subject to tackle?

You might want to work on your strengths for mastery or on a weakness for outsized results. For example, I learned the basics of video editing this year (see YouTube). The results aren't amazing but they are a huge step for me. I'd like to get better but progress will be slower and take more effort. For hands-on experience, I volunteered to work on community television.

Help

How do you learn? Where do you go for help? You may like having a teacher or tutor. You may prefer learning on your own since there's so much available online and in books. If you're stumped, you can think, procrastinate or get help. Just like in school.

Links

PS Your first assignment is to figure out what you want to do. Class dismissed!

August 28, 2012

FIVE STEPS TO FRESHEN YOUR GROUP’S ONLINE APPEAL

Are you in a group that wants to retain and add members? Here are steps to become more effective online. The focus is on nonprofit, volunteer-run groups.

The actions are free or low cost, easy to maintain, and with measurable results.

Do they work? See for yourself. A similar process was used at Goodyear Toastmasters during my 2011-2012 presidency.

Step 0: Web domain

Get a web address. If you don't have one, buy one through Google Apps, which will also give you free email and other niceties without mastering terminology like DNS and CNAME.

Consistency helps. Use a service like NameChk, CheckUsernames or NameChecklist to find a name that’s available for multiple sites. This may not be easy or possible. Do what you can.

Example: goodyeartoastmasters.com

Step 1: Gmail

Your free Gmail account is your passport to the online world. Even if you're using Google Apps, the following steps will rely on having a basic Gmail account. Where possible, use Google services. They're free and probably help with the ever-important search engine rankings.

Step 2: Twitter

Twitter is essential for broadcasting what your group does. Follow all your members and encourage them to follow your group account. Twitter gives a way to promote members and the group.
You’ll need your Gmail address to activate your account.

Example: @gytm81 (since @goodyeartoastmasters is too long when tweets are limited to 140 characters)

Step 3: Google Analytics

Online, you can measure results and trends. Google Analytics is free, easy to use and widely supported. You’ll need your Gmail address.

Step 4: Blog

A blog shares the expertise of members with the world in a way that search engines love. Use Google Blogger to setup an account with your Gmail address. Connect to Google Analytics, even though Blogger already has analytics.

Draft and publish a post to make your blog live before completing the next steps.

Use Disqus for comments (and an indirect way to get traffic).

For sharing content, use AddThis (or ShareThis). There are plugins that go into your blog template. If you don't understand how to use them, you may need help. It's good to get these features incorporated at the outset before your content and traffic grows: mistakes and changes will have minimal effect.

Use Google Feedburner to make your content available by email and newsreader. Connect your Twitter account so that tweets go out automatically when a new post goes live.

Example: gytm.blogspot.ca (a weird web address but short and consistent with Twitter)

Step 5: YouTube

Create a YouTube channel using your Gmail account. This is the place to post your videos. You can then embed them into your blog posts and other places.

Example: www.youtube.com/goodyeartoastmasters (long but relatively easy to find on YouTube)

Website

Your group probably has a website already. If not, at least have a placeholder. Add life by using a design that incorporates your tweets.
If your needs are minimal, your blog can also be your website.

Example: goodyeartoastmasters.com (“obvious”, which helps with web searches)

Credibility

To show your content is believable, create accounts on

Klout: measures online influence (login with Twitter)
TrustCloud: gives a ranking of trust from 1-1,000 (like a FICO score)

Your scores will be low in the beginning but should grow over time. Add them now so that you don't need to worry about them later and to start your history early.

Optional

There's more you can do.

Facebook: page if relevant (example)
LinkedIn: business page (embedding Twitter), discussion group (post links to blog posts and encourage members to Like them; may wish to make this private)
Pinterest: if your group uses visuals (for photos, Google+ or Flickr may be better)
Eventbrite: if you have events with admission
Meetup: to attract guests, issue tickets, and allow member discussions (example: www.meetup.com/GoodyearToastmasters)

Challenges

You're not done and never will be. There are challenges with

maintenance: easier with volunteers, ideally more than one
participation: if members don't participate, the online efforts will fail or place a burden on the few participants

Depending on your technical skills, you may need help from other members. Consistent branding is also worthwhile but not essential prior to launch.

Bonus

There’s an important side benefit from renovating your group’s online presence: members may follow your lead and improve theirs. That’s a nice way to retain members and attract more.

Links

PS What would you add or change?