There is one general rule that can be applied to virtually every successful product or service that has ever been sold. Most people refer to it as KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid. Any product that seems to have the potential to simplify a person’s life has a much greater chance of succeeding.
I give credit to Apple Computers for “hacking” into this idea. Their recent marketing campaign has pounded into everyone’s head that their computers will simplify everything. Even stressing the fact that they only need to ship one box is clever. Granted, I am still sadistically typing away on my PC at the moment. However, I do plan to at least consider an iBook for my next laptop.
The KISS rule is something that all businesses need to consider when developing products, and later when developing their marketing strategy. This rule must be understood by everyone from the CEO to the mailroom. If every employee cannot convince someone of the product’s worth in less than thirty seconds, some major work must be done to change its image.
Apple Computers KISS– thinking Outside-The-Box
~Ryan Bendinelli, Associate Marketing Director
Monday, August 07, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Why is MySpace better than yours???
www.myspace.com/dreamscapemarketing ...go ahead and make us your friend! This popular website, myspace.com, has been an icon in recent pop-culture over the past few years as it allows people of all ages to design a user profile and invite others to be friends based on common interests in their profiles. This site is also very similar to the popular college-targeted Facebook.com online community.
The success of myspace.com at building an interactive online community has been more than substantial and continues to grow. It is growing so much in fact, that groups ranging from small-time garage bands to companies like Nike and Scion are creating communities based on music or sports interests and distributing free samples of music, products, games, or other promotional gear.
With a willing audience of web-savvy members, the sky is the limit in terms of advertising on the MySpace website, or creating a company profile and promoting your offerings through the online communities hosted by MySpace. Don't tell Blogspot, but you can even host your own blog from www.myspace.com!
MySpace.com--thinking Outside-The-Box
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
The success of myspace.com at building an interactive online community has been more than substantial and continues to grow. It is growing so much in fact, that groups ranging from small-time garage bands to companies like Nike and Scion are creating communities based on music or sports interests and distributing free samples of music, products, games, or other promotional gear.
With a willing audience of web-savvy members, the sky is the limit in terms of advertising on the MySpace website, or creating a company profile and promoting your offerings through the online communities hosted by MySpace. Don't tell Blogspot, but you can even host your own blog from www.myspace.com!
MySpace.com--thinking Outside-The-Box
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
There's a war out there! How will it gain me market share?
Politics and marketing are often closely linked... although the wars one fights in marketing define victory as a percentage of market share.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! A little patriotism goes a long way in war time. The simple effort of publicizing your support for the brave troops defending our nation and interests abroad in the Middle East and elsewhere makes a lot of difference in the eyes of consumers.
It might even be a good idea to send care packages to the boys of the local 101st to show that you and your business care.
This is a patriotic and compassionate way to take on an active role in the local and national communities. It is a small public relations effort that could make a big impact on the minds and hearts of your customers and help you to feel like a more active member in the American business community.
This same strategy can be applied to a lot of other situations as well, including tragic events like Hurricane Katrina or the Tsunami in southern Asia. Make your customers aware of your business' heartfelt contributions towards these aid efforts as well.
Support your market share by supporting our troops!--thinking Outside-The-Box
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! A little patriotism goes a long way in war time. The simple effort of publicizing your support for the brave troops defending our nation and interests abroad in the Middle East and elsewhere makes a lot of difference in the eyes of consumers.
It might even be a good idea to send care packages to the boys of the local 101st to show that you and your business care.
This is a patriotic and compassionate way to take on an active role in the local and national communities. It is a small public relations effort that could make a big impact on the minds and hearts of your customers and help you to feel like a more active member in the American business community.
This same strategy can be applied to a lot of other situations as well, including tragic events like Hurricane Katrina or the Tsunami in southern Asia. Make your customers aware of your business' heartfelt contributions towards these aid efforts as well.
Support your market share by supporting our troops!--thinking Outside-The-Box
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
So I've got a website, now what?!
Aren't there supposed to be millions of people on the internet? Why aren't they visiting my company's new site??? I paid big bucks for this thing!
Relax, the hits will come. It takes time, sometimes months, for a website to be found by the search programs used by search engines. There are shortcuts to building up traffic to your website however. That is where internet marketing comes into play, which in more cases than not involves an effort to improve search engine rankings.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is understood by a select few web developers who understand how search engines actually work. Other than links and paid advertisements, it is the only way to build new traffic to your site and improve your website's position in search engine rankings.
Programmers can analyze your website and find keywords in the text or title of your site that are most commonly searched by web users. They are even able to add selected keywords to your website that will be given priority status by search engines.
The goal in all of this is to make your website show up in first place on search engine rankings. Just program in the magic keywords, and first place is yours.
SEO+Keywords=thinking Outside-The-Box
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
Relax, the hits will come. It takes time, sometimes months, for a website to be found by the search programs used by search engines. There are shortcuts to building up traffic to your website however. That is where internet marketing comes into play, which in more cases than not involves an effort to improve search engine rankings.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is understood by a select few web developers who understand how search engines actually work. Other than links and paid advertisements, it is the only way to build new traffic to your site and improve your website's position in search engine rankings.
Programmers can analyze your website and find keywords in the text or title of your site that are most commonly searched by web users. They are even able to add selected keywords to your website that will be given priority status by search engines.
The goal in all of this is to make your website show up in first place on search engine rankings. Just program in the magic keywords, and first place is yours.
SEO+Keywords=thinking Outside-The-Box
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
Get a website, but get it right!
Small businesses, this means you! A website is a limitless resource in terms of the audience it has the potential to reach. A mom-and-pop shop can reach a national or even global market place by creating a simple and informative website. Web design however, much like interior or fashion design, must be custom and tasteful or you risk scaring away just about everyone who comes across your website.
Don't you just love those 2-minute long flash animated introductions to a website, and you still have to click "enter" at the end as though you weren't certain you wanted to enter the site in the first place?
Or worse, you visit sites of "financially conscious" business owners who think that tossing up a quick website from a do-it-yourself template for $50 is the answer to building a web presence on the mystical, magical internet.
A website needs to be viewed as an investment; an entire online storefront. It is a 24-7 sales representative for your company and needs to promote your brand, your desired professional image, and the information your customers want about your products and services in a clear, concise, and attractive manner. Trust me when I say, it will pay itself off in the very near future. It is a one time design cost with minimal maintence involved, so have your website professionally developed on a reasonable budget so that it is as user-friendly, informative, and attractive as possible.
Website=Investment, Not Cost--thinking Outside-The-Box
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
Don't you just love those 2-minute long flash animated introductions to a website, and you still have to click "enter" at the end as though you weren't certain you wanted to enter the site in the first place?
Or worse, you visit sites of "financially conscious" business owners who think that tossing up a quick website from a do-it-yourself template for $50 is the answer to building a web presence on the mystical, magical internet.
A website needs to be viewed as an investment; an entire online storefront. It is a 24-7 sales representative for your company and needs to promote your brand, your desired professional image, and the information your customers want about your products and services in a clear, concise, and attractive manner. Trust me when I say, it will pay itself off in the very near future. It is a one time design cost with minimal maintence involved, so have your website professionally developed on a reasonable budget so that it is as user-friendly, informative, and attractive as possible.
Website=Investment, Not Cost--thinking Outside-The-Box
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
"How does website ad revenue really add revenue?"
Since technology gifted us with the ability to block the horrifying creation of pop-up ads, internet advertising has taken a turn for the better. Website managers are able to organize pay-per-click advertisements through programs like AdSense that only display ads on their website that are related to the topics contained in that site.
Users don't have to click any ads if they don't want to, and ads are usually out of the way and non-intrusive to the website's layout.
The ADvantages to this system are providing both users and website managers with added value. A user is not bombarded with irrelevant ads, and a website manager is often able to provide the services contained in their website for free to users since advertising revenue covers the costs of these services.
Recently, AOL decided to make a bold move away from their classic monthly billing systems and move towards providing free service for its users supported by revenue streams from well-placed advertisements... Evidence that this idea can work even for well established companies.
Ad revenue, add value--thinking Outside-The-Box
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
Users don't have to click any ads if they don't want to, and ads are usually out of the way and non-intrusive to the website's layout.
The ADvantages to this system are providing both users and website managers with added value. A user is not bombarded with irrelevant ads, and a website manager is often able to provide the services contained in their website for free to users since advertising revenue covers the costs of these services.
Recently, AOL decided to make a bold move away from their classic monthly billing systems and move towards providing free service for its users supported by revenue streams from well-placed advertisements... Evidence that this idea can work even for well established companies.
Ad revenue, add value--thinking Outside-The-Box
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
How did 'Google' get added to the dictionary???
Simply put, people like the ability to respond to the question of "how did u know that?" with an all-encompassing "I Googled it!"
-"Google" is listed in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as: Google(n)(goo-gle): an internet search engine; (v) to search for information on the internet; esp. using the Google search engine
Google is arguably the simplest website on the internet today and yet its name has become a marketing masterpiece built around a word that never existed...until now! Even the initial public stock offering for the company focused on marketing as the number of shares offered was based on the number 'Pi' so that everyone could have a piece of the proverbial 'pie.' An unknown word has become an everyday expression.
Business owners beware: making up just any old word might not have the same effect, but if you'd like to know more about this unique branding strategy, Google it!
Google--thinking Outside-The-Box.
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
-"Google" is listed in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as: Google(n)(goo-gle): an internet search engine; (v) to search for information on the internet; esp. using the Google search engine
Google is arguably the simplest website on the internet today and yet its name has become a marketing masterpiece built around a word that never existed...until now! Even the initial public stock offering for the company focused on marketing as the number of shares offered was based on the number 'Pi' so that everyone could have a piece of the proverbial 'pie.' An unknown word has become an everyday expression.
Business owners beware: making up just any old word might not have the same effect, but if you'd like to know more about this unique branding strategy, Google it!
Google--thinking Outside-The-Box.
~Daniel Gemp, Managing Partner
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