Archive for September 2008

5 Ways to "Back off the sell and amp up the entertainment."

Love that quote. It’s from Forbes article called “Try These Innovative Marketing Techniques.” The article has some great case studies about how content that’s valuable to your target audience — like ebooks, enewsletters, and videos — can attract a lot of eyeballs and a lot of buzz.

Need your own content … continue reading 5 Ways to "Back off the sell and amp up the entertainment."

How to Open the Closed Minded

Friday night I attended a 10-year photo studio anniversary party in Seattle. A couple hundred people; most I didn’t know. But they had Web sites, and they were all asking me what I do.

Aha. Perfect opportunity to perfect my elevator pitch.

Half the time I was received with “Yes! We need … continue reading How to Open the Closed Minded

Is E-Mail Dead?

Not yet, apparently.

“Using email to drive sales offers the highest return on investment of any direct response marketing method,” wrote Troy Foss, Director of Eventful, for Vistage Intl. (Coincidentally, Vistage is a CEO advising company I used to work with.)

He goes on: “The Direct Marketing Association estimates that email marketing … continue reading Is E-Mail Dead?

Mobile-Me: How do you look on the iPhone?

I recently took some of my own advice and shared my site with friends and colleagues for a little free usability review. One designer friend said, “I’m impressed. Your site looks really great on my iPhone,” which he pulled out and insto-presto, there it was — a mini version of … continue reading Mobile-Me: How do you look on the iPhone?

What's All This?

I’ve realized that my small business clients need about 50% customized content and strategy and 50% time-tested best practices for web. As they ask those broad best practice questions, I post my answers here. That way, you’ll have a convenient archive — bookmark or RSS me for the latest.

For customized … continue reading What's All This?