PERSONAL BILLBOARDS (AND CONVERSATION STARTER?)

I was working on my laptop the other day in at a Paradise Bakery in Phoenix (free Wi-Fi and an excellent "frequent flier" program) when I looked around at several other people, like me, all busily tapping away at their laptops.

Whether it was the potent mix of a particularly strong coffee coupled with a ray of sunshine that hit me just right I do not know, but I suddenly thought…"hey – all that advertising space".

• How many people have laptops?
• How many people use them in public places?
• How many people glance at them while walking by?

Imagine a simple ad on the back of the laptop lid…

"Ask me about…[insert product or service]"

or "Need [insert product or service]? Visit www.[insert website].com"

Nothing elaborate, and something that can be read from ten to twenty feet away. Buy a simple clear or white weatherproof label, print, stick and voila!

In this economy, anything’s worth a shot, right? Who knows what sort of conversation might ensue…

READ ‘EM AND WEEP

It’s funny what you can come across when browsing for something completely different, but then again, it shows what a good blog article title can do…

BLOGGERS BUSTED BY COURTS

The article on legalzoom.com (here’s the link), discusses the 2009 case of Liskula Cohen, a model, who was called some rather unpleasant things in several anonymous blog posts. She decided to sue. Since the poster was unknown, her attorney’s had to go after Google, owners of Blogger.com where the comments were made.

The case made it to the New York Supreme court where it was decided that the comments had been defamatory and Cohen had rights to claim compensation. More specifically, they quoted a similar Virginia case and stated that anyone suffering "damages" as a result of "tortious or other actionable communications on the Internet" should be able to "seek appropriate redress by preventing the wrongdoers from hiding behind an illusory shield of purported First Amendment rights."
Back in 1995, the US Supreme Court had ruled the opposite, citing that the First Amendment guarantees protection, is vital to any democracy and "Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority".

A quick Google search for “bloggers sued” brings up a host of results (add 2009 to the search for more current stories) from here and abroad. It that there isn’t a part of the world that doesn’t have a blog-related lawsuit in progress somewhere.

So, what does it all mean?

Well, other than I shouldn’t be so easily sidetracked, it goes to show that "anonymous" isn’t necessarily so. Of course, many of us already know that once we step foot into the Internet world, we’re about as anonymous as a polar bear at a penguin convention. Yet, that aside, it also goes to show that what you say really can matter online. What you say can come back to haunt you, whether it’s a comment you make on a personal level, or, I’m guessing, a professional one too. The "offense" may not have been intended, but that’s up to the "offended" party. There are, I’m sure, some very legitimate cases that deserve a look, but that has to be balanced by the First Amendment (or other freedom-of-speech laws around the world) and allowing people to say what they want to.

The legal lines are very shaky in this regard. Quite literally, the jury is out when it comes to what’s okay and what’s going to end someone up in court. As an enthusiastic blogger and writer myself, I hate the thought of censorship at any level, but such is the world we live in. It’s going to be interesting to see how it develops, but in the meantime…if it’s something I wouldn’t say I loud in a public forum, it might be worth keeping to myself…that makes sense to me.

Oh – and this blog is my opinion and is not intended to offend anyone…sigh.

I write about different marketing strategies and techniques, both traditional and non in my online newsletter Webby’s Updates which you can read at www.JDELtd.com and subscribe to if you so choose. You can download this and other articles from by Small Business GENetics site, www.sbgenetics.com

A GOAL A DAY…

What is it about that "Friday Feeling"? The anticipation of two days of no work? Having survived another week of the rat race? Sleeping in? Happy hour?

What ever the underlying cause for that slightly excited 4pm sense of excitement, many people feel a sense of accomplishment; and many wish they could feel that way every day. While this post comes under the broad heading of "marketing", it can apply to other aspects of personal or professional life.

The old proverb "an apple a day keeps the doctor (or dentist) away" has some conventional wisdom within. Take the proverb and substitute "goal" for "apple" and "apathy" for "doctor" and we’re on to something.

Last week I posted an article comparing a marketing campaign to a military one (see VENI, VIDI, VICI). In the article I illustrated that, like it’s military counterpart, a marketing campaign is comprised of a series of goals, each building on the former to achieve the ultimate goal.

Okay Dave, but what’s this got to do with-

Hang on – I’m getting there.

Take a look at your marketing campaign plan. Hopefully it’s broken down into strategic milestones, monthly or weekly goals. If not, perhaps you could consider doing so, and while you’re at it, break into daily goals too.

That’s a lot of work, Dave…

Is it really? The more detail you can break a plan down to, the easier it is to adjust the smaller components. But most importantly, you can set daily goals. This might be something as routine as "complete 10 marketing calls" or "5 ideas for flyers", but at the end of the day, it can be something you can put a line through and say "done". It’s a part of your campaign. You’re a step closer to reaching your goal and getting where you want / need to go.

Is it a "Friday Feeling"? Perhaps not quite, but you can look back at the day with a sense of having achieved something relevant to you and your business.

Happy Friday.

I write about different marketing strategies and techniques, both traditional and non in my online newsletter Webby’s Updates which you can read at www.JDELtd.com and subscribe to if you so choose. You can download this and other articles from by Small Business GENetics site, www.sbgenetics.com

VENI VIDI VICI : MARKETING ACCORDING TO JULIUS CAESAR

"VENI, VIDI, VICI"

Julius Caesar is attributed with saying these immortal words (translation "I came, I saw, I conquered") in 47 BC. The Romans, for a many years, quite literally conquered the world; and they did it one battle at a time.

A marketing campaign is like a military campaign: there’s a short-term goal and a tactic for achieving it. Notice I said "short term". A war is (alas) medium or long-term and a marketing program likewise. A marketing program (like the a war), is made up from a series of campaigns, each leading to what is an ultimate objective.

VENI

Now, this is "marketing according to Dave Segrove", not something I read somewhere else. While I consider long-term marketing strategies okay, I think they belong in the realm of larger companies or, preferably, nowhere.

Ooh – he’s picking a fight…

Not really, and here’s why.

I see this particularly with small companies, but the marketing plan (or campaign), becomes another word for "vision" : In two years, by doing this and that we’re going to achieve….

In order for a marketing plan, like a military campaign, to stand a chance of working in a small company (in my humble opinion), is should:

1. be short term (less than six months);
2. have clearly stated and immovable and tangible goals;
3. have a start and end date;
4. include a method to measure success;
5. have a plan to get there;
6. includes the necessary resources;

VIDI

The immovable and tangible goals should be engraved in stone. Again, I go back to the military analogy. The campaign to conquer a city will help win the overall war. Once the objective has been stated, is should not really be changed. The other parts of the plan may change, heck, plans do all the time, but if the goal changes, then a new plan must be called for.

When I work with clients, we often have to go back to basics, determining what their business goals are for, say the next couple of years, from which we can develop a marketing strategy, which is broken down into short-term plans. If plan A succeeds, we develop plan B. More often than not, we run several at once, building fail-over and backup into our game plan.

A marketing plan can be one page, but (in the Dave Segrove method), must include all 6 items. If you cannot develop a plan that includes all six, then perhaps you should question then plan idea and take a step back and look at your overall strategy.

VICI

With the proper planning and goals, you’re all set to go-a-conquering. Hail Caesar – and steer clear of anyone called Brutus.

I write about different marketing strategies and techniques, both traditional and non in my online newsletter Webby’s Updates which you can read at www.JDELtd.com and subscribe to if you so choose. You can download this and other articles from by Small Business GENetics site, www.sbgenetics.com

THE FORMULA AND INGREDIENTS FOR MARKETING SUCCESS

• You have a need.
• I can fulfill that need.
• Here’s how…

Sounds really simple, doesn’t it? But that is the essence of marketing.

• You need feed yourself and your family.
• Many stores sell food.
• You pick the most convenient (products, variety, value, location)…

The winner is the one who hits the “you need/I have” nail on the head.

Creative marketing may involve “developing” a need that someone didn’t know they had. Hate to say it, but it’s true – I mean just look at half the medicine ads on TV. How many times have you seen a “problem” and said “huh, I didn’t even know there was a condition called [insert ailment]“? Though some might find certain types of marketing questionable, it’s all fair. Developing a “perceived” need…it’s not “deceptive”, it’s “marketing”.

And the secret ingredient?

You. Whether representing a product or service, when you market, you present yourself as (part of) the solution to someone’s problem; you’re marketing yourself as much as your product / service. Makes no difference whether it’s in response to a “help wanted” ad or to offer your services to help someone find a home or build a website, or sell them a new car or medication. You’re the one who has to convince the client that yours is the product they need.

Marketing is 50% art and 50% science…oh, and 50% experience. You can never get it 100% right. So keep trying. Get out there. Don’t wait for them to come to you. They might not even realize that…

• Hey, you have a problem here.
• Good thing I’m able to help you with that.
• Here’s how…

I write about different marketing strategies and techniques, both traditional and non in my online newsletter Webby’s Updates which you can read at www.JDELtd.com and subscribe to if you so choose. You can download this and other articles from by Small Business GENetics site, www.sbgenetics.com

IS THERE ANYTHING POSITIVE ABOUT NEGATIVE MARKETING?

I supposed I had best define what I mean by "negative marketing". By this I mean, quite literally, making your product / service / self, look better by providing negative feedback about the competition.

Political campaigns are full of it (and not just negativity). "Attack ads" are commonplace, dare I say "normal"? The idea behind these are simply to make the opponent look bad. While commercial advertising may seem less aggressive, you do see comparisons made, especially in some auto ads…

"…we have 24 cup holders, that’s twice as many as you’ll find in a comparably-priced [insert name]…"

Some, I’m sure, would argue that comparing the benefits of your product / service / self with the competition allows you to demonstrate why yours is better. It’s an argument that has merit, but not one I completely agree with.

But heck, who put me in charge, right?

When you’re marketing yourself / product / service, I think you do yourself a disservice by "going after" the competition with negativity. I could be wrong, but if you can’t stand on the benefits of your product / service / self without resorting to pointing out what the competition doesn’t, then does your product / service / self really hold water?

There are going to be plenty of times when you are in a competition. Personally, I’ve found that by being positive and complementary about the competition tends to result in a more favorable impression made on the audience…thus the client.

Leave the competition to fight among themselves. If you believe in your product / service / self, you won’t need to do any negative marketing at all.

I write about different marketing strategies and techniques, both traditional and non in my online newsletter Webby’s Updates which you can read at www.JDELtd.com and subscribe to if you so choose. You can download this and other articles from by Small Business GENetics site, www.sbgenetics.com

VIPRE ANTIVIRUS +ANTISPYWARE : ALL HYPE?

I was fortunate to be able to review this product for free (courtesy of Amazon Vine) . I have to confess that straight upfront, because I’m not sure I’d have purchased it knowing the little I’d read about Vipre and the concern about what it might do to my PC after install.

Unlike other software "applications", protective software tends to get into the "nuts and bolts" of a computer. It needs to in order to protect, but this has been known to go wrong. I wish I could say I were not speaking from experience…

Anyway, Vipre arrived. Cool-looking box. The quick-startup directions suggest you remove existing anti-virus software first. Again, from personal experience, I’d learned this. When I’d made the move from Symantec to McAfee, many years ago, the software didn’t test for other anti-virus products and I ended up with two installations that were both convinced the other was malicious. On the positive side, my PC was probably the best-protected in the universe, but it was unusable.

So, this time I uninstalled McAfee and installed Vipre…fingers crossed…flip to "present tense"…

The installation takes time, mostly because after it installs from the CD, reboots the PC, it then has to download the latest version and definitions and reboot again. I found that doing other tasks while keeping an eye on the installation was a little more productive use of my time. On one PC, the entire installation process took about an hour.

Once installed, it’s almost impossible to tell Vipre is running (apart from the glaring "V" in the windows system toolbox). It certainly lives up to its claim of not slowing down the computer. After moving from McAfee, I noticed a very definite speed increase.

The user interface – FINALLY SOMEONE GOT IT RIGHT – is the best feature (besides the protection), designed for the novice and expert alike. There is a simple "at a glance" screen on startup which shows you what’s happened, what is active and a neat little "Worldwide threat level" box which actually does change as new worms and viruses come out.

As with many products in this category, you can "set it and forget it", just install and let it take over. If you’re like me, the fine-tuning options are a pleasure. You can quite literally tell Vipre what it should consider a "threat", how often and in-depth you want your scans to be, how your email is configured, manage quarantine and so forth. Yes, other products offer all this too, but the way that Sunbelt Software has brought it together in a simple, yet in-depth interface is what makes it stand out for me.

I’ve been a heavy user, both personally and professionally, of anti-virus software since it was invented, when there were products such as "Dr. Solomon’s Anti-Virus Toolkit" – if anyone remembers that, you’re a dinosaur to – and I’ve found that as the solutions have become more integrated, they’ve become a bigger drain on system resources. I moved from Symantec (after 10 years) to McAfee when I found the Symantec interface and stability problematic (and my ISP offered McAfee for free).

- Please note that this review isn’t intended to devalue what McAfee and Symantec security products offer, on the whole, they are very good. I’ve been very happy with McAfee, except for the overhead I feel it places on my computer, even after a lot of tuning and tweaking (and I’m a little technical). My decision to test Vipre was driven by this overhead and my decision to stick with Vipre (despite the promise of free McAfee from my ISP) is due to primarily to the performance. I do miss the anti-spam and firewall from McAfee and will end up getting these as separate products rather than part of an integrated suite -

Unfortunately, I cannot make an "apples to apples" comparison between McAfee and Vipre because Vipre doesn’t offer a "complete Internet security" package, but between it and the Windows firewall, I’m very satisfied. My next step will be to find a firewall application that is a little more robust than the Windows one and see how it integrates with Vipre.

Since installation, Vipre has caught a couple of incoming dangers and found several pieces of spyware during its scans. The nice thing is, it tells me and then leaves me alone, just how I like it. One final thing to point out is the license covers you for every computer in your house. In my case that is 6 – for the price of 1. In this economic climate, that’s certainly worth considering.

So, to conclude, it’s affordable, simple to use, fast and effective. I would recommend giving Vipre a chance if you’re looking to get something a little easier on the system than what you might be using right now…and shame on me for not having considered buying it.

I’ve run Vipre on a Dell Precision (4 processor / 3GB / XPP), Dell Dimension (1 processor / 2 GB / Vista HPE), Dell Dimension (1 processor / 2 GB / XPH) and HP Pavillion (1 processor / 1 GB / XPH).

MAGICJACK : 12-MONTHS LATER…

Well, it’s been a full year. My subscription expired yesterday. I wrote the following back when I first received the "as seen on TV" gadget that looked pretty amazing.

• MagicJack…Does it work? when I first got it.




• Magic Jack : Does it work? after six months.

So what’s the verdict?

I’m pleased to announce that it is GUILTY of working almost flawlessly!

But didn’t he say "almost"?

Yes, he did. The few "bumps" I’ve had have been more due to the PC or Internet that the device. For the past 12 months, I have used my MagicJack on two different laptops, one with XP and the other with Vista as well as three different desktops also with different Vista/XP combinations. Here’s a list of my findings:

• Regardless of the operating system, the "plug-and-play" feature seems to work just fine. When you plug the MagicJack for the first time, it self-installs the software and you’re up and running.




• Transferring the 911 location (very important) is a snap, just go the the MagicJack website, log in, and change your location. I do hasten to add that I’ve not had to use the 911 feature, so it’s not been tested in the field.




• Overall performance has been very good, for local and long distance. International calls are fine too. If you wish to make international calls, you do have to keep a balance on your account. Incoming international calls are not affected.




• Occasional "Max Headroom" like effects do happen, making the other person sound a little as though they’re trying to rap. This primarily happens when the Internet connection is being heavily used by other programs or the bandwidth is low.




• I’ve used MagicJack on wired and wireless computers with comparable results.




• On the current computer, the MagicJack has been running continually for about 2 months with only 1 reboot (required for service pack updates).




• The telephone number is tied to the MagicJack, not the computer, so if you plug the MagicJack into a new PC, the number transfers with it.




• The control panel on the screen is very simple to use. You can see outgoing and incoming call history, use it to dial or save numbers to your phone book.




• The voicemail is so-so. It’s usable, but not great, but it’s there if you need it.

I’ve heard mixed opinions about tech support and area code availability – two areas I’ve not had to experience problems in.

So, I’m certainly not saying it’s totally flawless, but on the whole I am delighted with my experience. For $50 you get a dedicated telephone number (plus you pick your own area code). Just add handset and Internet. I have just renewed my subscription for 5 years ($60).

For the price, the ease of use and quality is incredible value. Wherever you go, you take the same number with you. It’s perfect if you change locations like I do, or transfer from PC to laptop and back.

Personally, I am very hapy and will continue to use MagicJack and even get another…and no, I still don’t own stock in the company

You can learn more at www.magicjack.com.

LEANER, MEANER…AND QUITE DIFFERENT

In a recent conversation with a colleague, I commented on how I felt the business dynamic was changing. Permanently. I went as far as to predict that:

In a few years, there will be a handful of "mega corporations" responsible for everything from food production to financial services and media. Many of the "big corporates" today are learning the "merge or die" lesson, just look at the headlines that would have been unbelievable just five years ago. In my (very humble) opinion, these large corporate entities are going to form the basis for our economy. They will be the foundation, or "backbone".

"Brick and mortar" firms are changing too. They are either being swept up like rocks in a glacier, or going out of business. Sure, some are changing, but only then to become part of the "corporate glacier".

I think the "traditional" job will change. I see things such as benefits (healthcare, pensions etc) go by the wayside. I’d even hazard a bet that in the foreseeable future, "W2" style employees will be much rarer than 1099. After all, it makes sense for companies who need to be leaner, contain costs and reduce risk. Shift the burden of benefit costs to the employees.

On the flip side, employees can become business owners in their own right. Now, at least in theory, they are "vendors" who can charge for services provided. Work 40 hours, bill for 40 hours. Work 45 hours, bill for 45 hours. With no benefits to pay for and seeing the "employee" as a "vendor", even overtime becomes a cheaper option for companies than worrying about the "encourage unpaid overtime" that anyone who has worked in corporate knows about.

Not everyone is going to want to, or necessarily be able to, set up their own company or be a self-employed entity. Hence, for a while at least, traditional W2-style employment will be the norm, but, as we’re seeing, there will be fewer jobs with fewer benefits.

It doesn’t have to be all negative. Companies can (and already do) form organizations with collective bargaining power to obtain half-decently priced benefits such as healthcare. Personally, I see this as a help rather than a hindrance. Group insurance will be a little different, but it may be an option to self-employed people who belong to associations who are able to get "group" rates.

With so many self-employed / small companies, out there, there will be room for innovation and even more specialization. Consider this: a company wants a product. They hire a small company that is a specialist in developing a product. The small company gets a mandate and goes out to bring in just those resource companies that can develop the product. At the end of the project, everyone goes their own way. No expectations beyond the project. You’re paid for what you do, and off you go.

This more "modular" type of company / project / service scenario will suit the upcoming generations who are used to the technology and cultural mindset that will be required.

Of course, this prediction is open to suggestions of being rather "Orwellian" or, dare I say "socialist"? Except I see it evolving already. Look around you at the number of smaller companies, self-employed people and the number of "super corporations" that are getting bigger and bigger.

This isn’t intended to scare anyone, in fact the opposite. It’s just my opinion, but the business world is changing. We can fight or we can do what we do best: adapt and innovate.

MARKETING FOR MARKETING

An advertisement idea for a new marketing campaign about marketing.



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