Marketing - The Bold Approach Method: Two Must Read Marketing Books

My friend Dave Lakhani of bold approach is a genius.

How do I know.. he's recomending the same books as me.

Read his thoughts on this blog entry, and subscribe to his newsletter.

Two Must Read Marketing Books:"Two Must Read Marketing Books

This note will be very quick. I just finished reading two great books that I thought you should know about because they'll radically impact your business and profitability."

EmailSherpa.com : email marketers & newsletter publishers

EmailSherpa.com : email marketers & newsletter publishers: "Email Marketing Brings In $15.50 per Campaign Dollar

Tell that to the next corner-office stuffed shirt who doesn't think email marketing pays off.

That $15.50 per email-marketing dollar spent is roughly 17% more than in direct-mail campaigns and 73% more than telemarketing campaigns, according to a new study from the Winterberry Group, a New York-based research and consulting group.

Winterberry also predicts that email sales will go up to $16.70 per dollar in the coming year, compared to $14.60 generated per DM dollar, and $9.71 in sales per telemarketing-campaign dollar."

Google's Scan Plan Hits More Bumps - Forbes.com

What is it about these big corporations? (yes, a University Press is a corporation) They are always fighting any type of progress.

You'd think that the library people should want the knowledge accessable in any way they can... especially with Google's safegaurds against illegal copying.

I'd much rather see Google do this than a P2P factory in the third world that doesn't care about copyrights.

Get used to it.. progress is going to happen!

Google's Scan Plan Hits More Bumps - Forbes.com: "If Google scans copyrighted books into its library database, the digital copies might be misused and laws will be broken, says Peter Givler, executive director of the Association of American University Presses. He wrote, 'Google cannot legitimately claim to advance the public interest by increasing access to published information if, in the process of doing so, it jeopardizes the just rewards of authors and the economic health of nonprofit publishers.' "

$350 Tablet for "Couch Browsing" over WiFi

From a new article at LaserPage.com

Nokia 770 $350 Couch Brower

Nokia announced a non-phone device that connects to you 802.11
wireless network.

Positioned somewhere between a iPod and a pda.. on sale this fall

It is supposed to do all these functions

Web Browser

Flash Player version 6

Email Client

Internet Radio

News Reader

Media players, Image viewer

PDF viewer

File Manager

Search

Calculator

World Clock

Notes

Sketch

Games

For more info on the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. Look at the Nokia web site. They have pages of info on the operating system, why you should use an Internet Tablet, and why the Nokia 770 might be your tablet of choice for couch browsing

Nokia - Nokia 770

Tinu Called and Mentioned Me in Her Blog

It's always nice to hear from friends.

This time, I heard for an Internet marketing expert because I sent a postcard!

Thanks for the kind words

Free Traffic Tips - the blog: Money Mondays : Just got off the phone with Warren Whitlock: "The number one thing? Send out mailings in the post! And I do this from time to time but I'd forgotten how wonderful it feels to be on the receiving end of these contacts - particularly when the other person remembers you and how you first came to interact. "

North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County News

North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County News: "ATLANTA ---- Book sales are up 20 percent at Paradies Shops since the airport-based stores started giving customers a 50 percent refund on returned books, a company spokeswoman said."

Drug Marketers Try a Lie That Doesn't Work

Accourdiing to Seth Godin ("All Marketers Are Liars") we don't care about the technology.. just the story.

As we see in this example, just telling a story isn't enough.. it really can't be a lie (fraud), it has to be an authentic lie (story)

The map is NOT the territory.. but the drug companies haven't learned that they don't get to control the story.

Direct-To-Consumer Advertising Takes Direct Hit From FDA - Yahoo! News: "'People don't see the new technology behind the pill,' he said. 'All they see is what's on TV. If that creates a bad image, it hurts the industry.'

A bad image is exactly what many drug ads have created, says Bruce Vanden Bergh, professor of advertising at Michigan State University. In an effort to build business, too many ads raise consumer anxiety.

'Some ads create the ailments they purport to cure,' Vanden Bergh said. 'This is what advertisers do when they're heavily regulated. They can't make specific verifiable claims, so they make their messages ambiguous."

All books will be accessable on the web soon

I've talked to publishers and authors who are resisting it.. but a web based search of EVERYTHING is going to happen.

Here's the announcement from GOOGLE

Yesterday, we launched the Google Print search service -- a new way for Google users to search exclusively for books. Now users can go directly to http://print.google.com/ and search the ever-expanding collection of titles in Google Print. No web or newsgroup results: just books, and nothing but the books. This means your books will be visible to users whether they run a general search on Google or a specific search on Google Print. It's one more way of helping potential buyers find your titles.

We're also integrating Google Print with Google Accounts, our new user account management system.

Here's how it works: most of your selected book pages will remain visible after search by all users, but some pages will now be fully viewable only if users sign in to their Google account. This gives your books an extra level of security, as those who want to see multiple pages must sign in to do so.

Whether they sign in or not, all users are still restricted to viewing only 20% of all available pages as provided through the Publisher program. As always, our goal is to help users search for, discover, and buy your books. Although Google Print is still a beta program, allowing users to search exclusively for books is an exciting step toward that goal.

If you have any questions about today's launch, please feel free to contact us at print-support@google.com

It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It

The Michel Fortin Blog: It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It: "They help to direct the reader's eyes. They also help to drive important points home. But above all, they help to replace the cues, nuances and nonverbal subtleties that occur in traditional, face-to-face sales encounters."

Apple Matters

Apple Matters: "Seth Godin: I think the worldview of the Mac user is fundamentally different than the worldview of the MS user. Apple has to hope that it survives long enough for that worldview to change, though it might take a generation. There�s no question in my mind that Apple is unable to change that worldview on their own. "

Does the Worth of Reviews Lie in How Many Books They Sell? Are They Mere Marketing Tools? Or Culture Drivers? A New Twist on 'Critical Mass'

The Book Babes: Does the Worth of Reviews Lie in How Many Books They Sell? Are They Mere Marketing Tools? Or Culture Drivers? A New Twist on 'Critical Mass': "A deflating piece of news floating into my �in� basket the other day: In a press release promoting The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors and the Editors, Agents and Booksellers Behind Them, up popped this revelation: Reviews don�t matter�not as a sales tool, anyway. A blow to those of us engaged in the righteous crusade of book criticism. "

i-Newswire.com - Press Release And News Distribution - 400 Reasons to get it right: By Arts Editor Pamela Faye

i-Newswire.com - Press Release And News Distribution - 400 Reasons to get it right: By Arts Editor Pamela Faye: "Daniel said, �There are so many creative people who are held down by their own inabilities to promote, not only their books but themselves as well. �Book Marketing from A-Z� shows the successes, and pitfalls, of authors from around the world, and give fledgling authors choices on what may work for them in their attempt to create a path to become not on published but also celebrated authors.�"

PublishersWeekly.com - Getting Published Now Even Easier Than Getting Read

PublishersWeekly.com - Getting Published Now Even Easier Than Getting Read: "Bowker revealed its annual count of books published in the U.S.recently and it proved the maxim of the headline even more than usual. The country saw a whopping 195,000 new titles in 2004, up 14% from the previous year.

The growth in title production is being driven mainly by mid-sized and small publishers—and likely on-demand and vanity presses. According to Bowker, the number of new titles released by the largest trade houses rose 5.4%, the largest increase since 2001, but still relatively small. And the number of new publishers registering with the U.S. ISBN Agency rose about 5% as well."

WSJ.com - Put Away the iPod: 'Harry Potter' Unlikely as a Download

this is the kind of backwards thinking what will make the Harry Potter series an easy target. If the author and publisher doesn't make it available, someone else will. Illegal, but predictable.

WSJ.com - Put Away the iPod: 'Harry Potter' Unlikely as a Download: "In fact, Ms. Rowling has been burned by unauthorized digital publication of her five earlier novels. 'You should NEVER trust any Harry Potter e-books offered for download from the Internet or on P2P/file-trading networks,' she wrote in January on her Web site, www.jkrowling.com. She urged readers not to fall for these 'scams.' She ended her warning with a quote from Mad Eye Moody, one of her characters: 'Constant vigilance!'"

Hits and Niches

Hits and niches: "Book sales flat


The move toward narrowly defined audiences is a response to an increasingly competitive market.


After strong growth in the '90s, book sales have stalled. In fact, the number of books sold dropped by nearly 44 million in 2004 from the year before.


'Dollar sales have been persistently flat, while numbers of books being published rise, meaning dollars are generally spread out over more product,' says Michael Cader, founder of PublishersMarketplace.com."

NPR Audio : Web 'VidLits' Used to Promote New Books

NPR : Web 'VidLits' Used to Promote New Books: "There's a new marketing tool for book publishers: Trailers on the Web that promote their books. They're called 'VidLits.' One example: Yiddish with Dick and Jane."

Word-of-Mouth Communication Study

Word-of-Mouth Communication Study: "Gabriel Weimann's The Influentials: People Who Influence People -- needed to be returned. As I was on my way to the library I noticed a post-it note next to a sentence I had marked off. The sentence was written by Elihu Katz, a pioneer in researching the concepts of personal influence and opinion leaders. The quotation was:

'Find an opinion leader and you find a conversation.'"

'Marketing Fusion' Fuels Growing Businesses

'Marketing Fusion' Fuels Growing Businesses: "'Marketing Fusion' is not a 'how to' textbook. Instead, the book highlights seven strategic elements that, when correctly fused, can ignite growth in any business.
The seven closely linked elements include learning to develop an overall strategic marketing program; creating a magical consumer experience; how to be brand driven; generating a kaleidoscope of public relations opportunities; 'wowing' your clients at every turn; readying your team to serve as brand ambassadors; and balancing the right elements for blastoff.
Neighbors, an alumnus of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Leadership program, is a past president of the Las Vegas chapter of the American Marketing Association and has been active in the Public Relations Society of America, Legal Marketing Association, Leaders Network and Strategic Coach program."

WSJ.com - Google Introduces Web Service For Users to Customize Pages

WSJ.com - Google Introduces Web Service For Users to Customize Pages: "Google Inc. is introducing a way for consumers to create personal Web pages with customized news, stock prices, weather, and other information, marking a further foray outside the pure search business and competing even more directly with Yahoo Inc. and other Web portal sites.

The new service, to be released in a test version (at labs.google.com), allows individuals to view information from different Google services -- such as weather forecasts or messages in their Gmail email inbox -- on a single Web page."

Barnako.com: Report Says Blog Boom Has Stalled

Big companies still don't get it..

Barnako.com: Report says blog boom has stalled: "A research report on the business of blogging cautioned companies Friday to be wary of investing resources and time in producing Web logs. EMarketer Inc. said just 4% of major U.S. corporations have blogs available to the public for purposes such as corporate marketing, communications or advertising. 'Thus far, the financial and economic impact of blogging is minimal,' said Ezra Palmer, the research firm's editorial director."

How You Can Get $1000's in Free Publiscity

Don't borrow until your read these expert mortgage tips

Blog Search Engine : The Official Blog Search & Directory

Blog Search Engine : The Official Blog Search & Directory

About Popdex

About Popdex

7 Truths of Niche Marketing you Haven't Heard

Kevin thinks he has a contrarian view.. but all the smart people I know agree. Don't find a market for a product.. find a product for your market.

Niche Marketing

Thomas Edison Million Dollar Invention Strategies

Edison's 10 tips to building your brain

Thomas Edison million dollar invention strategies

Marketing Results - more leads, conversion, sales and profits

Marketing Results - more leads, conversion, sales and profits

Online Ad Boost SEARCH Response

DMNews.com News Article: "A Yahoo Inc. study released today analyzing financial adviser client HarrisDirect's campaign claims that online display advertising increased the number of relevant searches by more than 61 percent.

Clicks on sponsored search advertising links leading directly to HarrisDirect's site at theharris.com also jumped 249 percent after a user was exposed to a display ad campaign, Yahoo said.

The study found that consumers exposed to the display ad campaign clicked on 139 percent more links to the HarrisDirect site via both sponsored and algorithmic links."

Corporate Sites Seem to Skimp on the Facts

Number one mistake? No media contact information on the media page.

Compressed Data: Corporate Sites Seem to Skimp on the Facts: "On average, the 20 journalists who participated in the study said they succeeded in finding a public relations phone number only 55 percent of the time, company financial data 60 percent of the time, and information about management 66 percent of the time.

'The study found that nearly every company we looked at had made a lot of mistakes in their rush toward more glamorous things on the Internet,' Mr. Nielsen said. "

Identifying the Business Value of What We Do

Identifying the Business Value of What We Do: "A Simple Trick: Take It Away

How do we tell what the contribution of registration is to our business? One simple trick is to play with the idea of taking it away.

If we removed the registration process entirely from the site, what would the effects be? Well, because almost everyone who uses it is frustrated, we’d be eliminating their frustration right off. And it probably wouldn’t cost too much to just pull it off the site.

However, what would we lose? Would the absence of new names hurt our marketing efforts? Would it make customer service more difficult? Could we quantify what the long-term effects of the lost functionality would be?

Often the simple exercise of pretending to remove the functionality and looking for the downstream effects can help us understand how important a feature is to our business. With a little research on the feature’s impact, we can start to quantify the true value of the functionality. This trick doesn’t always work, but when it does, it can be extremely insightful."

The name (title) matters

The Globe and Mail: MUSCLE MARKETING: "the average supermarket carries about 45,000 separate products, up from 12,000 to 15,000 only a decade ago. And a recent study by Boston communications company Schneider and Associates found that consumers are increasingly unable to recall any of the new items by name. No wonder Adidas's cologne is called Adrenaline; today's products have to get in the game -- or at least yell from the sidelines -- for us to take any notice.
'The reason all these names are jumping out at you is that they're verbs,' explains Sutherland, who is based in Toronto. 'Eighty per cent of the words in the English language are nouns, so when we see verbs, we tend to notice them.'
His co-author, the New Jersey-based Rivkin, describes such action words as essential in marketing. 'The motivation in general is to inject a sense of urgency,' he says. 'A product with an imperative conveys this idea to the consumer that something is happening that they don't want to miss out on.'
The current crown prince of naming is David Placek, president of the California-based Lexicon Branding, which gave good name to, among others, Dasani, Swiffer and BlackBerry. 'A good name gets your attention,' it says on the company's website. 'A great name changes your thinking. Like a well-written poem, a great brand name has a purpose; it provokes, inspires, uplifts.'"

Getting a Buzz On: How Publishers Are Turning Online to Market Books

Getting a Buzz On: How Publishers Are Turning Online to Market Books: "

Getting a Buzz On: How Publishers Are Turning Online to Market Books
May 06, 2005
By Rachel Deahl

�Buzz� is close to supplanting �love� as an overused, devalued�but very effective�term. In the book world, it�s credited with being the reason some titles become bestsellers while others, well, don�t. It was buzz that pushed Curtis Sittenfeld�s late-blooming Prep, which sold slowly when if first hit shelves but picked up steam (i.e., buzz) from good reviews, to move 94,000 copies to date, according to Nielsen BookScan. It�s buzz that has made The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini�s fictional account of an Afghan coming of age in the 1970s, into a publishing fairy tale: Released in April 2004, the literary novel sold an astonishing 500,000 copies last year�and then went on to truly stratospheric success this year, having remained in the Top 15 of The Book Standard�s Fiction Bestsellers Chart since Jan. 16. These kinds of success stories have driven publishers like William Morrow, which recently launched a successful marketing campaign to promote one of its latest titles, Freakonomics, to focus on generating buzz for a book above all else. And to do it online"

Wired News: Judging a Book by Its Contents

Wired News: Judging a Book by Its Contents: "Benjamin Vershbow, a researcher at the Institute for the Future of the Book, sees Amazon's SIPs as an automated version of tagging, a concept that fuels sites like del.icio.us, a bookmark-sharing site, and photo-sharing site Flickr. Both rely heavily on users attaching descriptive names to websites or photos so others can discover them."

Perfecting Your Expert Pitch for the Media

PR Fuel: Perfecting Your Expert Pitch: "The most important facet of positioning yourself as an expert is proving it. In my email blasts to reporters, I always include a direct quote which serves to show off what journalists can expect me to say, and I also include a brief analysis of the news or subject. A simple email saying you're an expert and giving your background will not suffice; you need to prove in writing that you know the subject. As evidence of this point, all three quotes I received for the Comcast story last week came directly from my email. I spoke to only one journalist on the phone, and he simply wanted to confirm the information I sent. You can't beat a cut & paste quote."

E-Mail Marketing: Alive and Well

Online advertisers and users agree.. email is here to stay

E-Mail Marketing: Alive and Well

Stop Setting Goals! (Free Book)

Just got an email from Michel Fortin. He's giving away a 78 page book he wrote 9 years ago.

"This is not your average marketing book.

It's really a little "out there" for some people. A little metaphysical. A little spiritual. A little motivational. A little "higher consciousness" related.

This might not be appealing to some of you. But for others, this book about how to stop setting "goals" and start setting "guides" instead (i.e., your priorities) might be the most powerful, life-changing book you have ever read. "

The Michel Fortin Blog: Stop Setting Goals! (Free Book)

Pop Art Toaster

Available now as a promotional item, or just for a fun breakfast

Pop Art Toaster - Iconoculture

How am I doing in the search engines?

I was just reminded of a site that give you your rankings in several search engines all at once.

It's not a full blown SEO tool, but it's free, and much more fun than visiting a dozen sites

Free Web Submission: Free Search Engine Submission and Site Promotion

Micro Persuasion: NYC Geek Dinner Monday Night

Micro Persuasion: NYC Geek Dinner Monday Night

http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/2366290

You Could Get 10 Million Free Ads From Yahoo

A promotion with Richard Branson, advertising the advertising available for local businesses is going to give someone 10 million free ad impresssions.

Yahoo! Search Marketing: Think Big

My Blog on Blog Marketing

Regular readers of this blog will know that one of the major benefits of blogs is a chance to promote other content, and have it ranked in the search engines.

This entry is an announcement of one of my newer blogs. A blog about blog marketing (note how often I blog the word blog).

I'll write more on blogs and blog marketing later... in the mean time, you can read my new blog at the blog link below:

my blog on blog marketing