Google Wave, Twitter, Facebook, Latitude and Outlook: The Future

Posted By: dan | Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in The Social Media Phenomenon, the technical internet stuff

Have you seen what Google Wave is all about yet? It honestly will change the face of the internet forever. There’s no going back. Even if Google Wave fails, if no one uses it – there’s no way to put back the ideas they’ve presented.

Imagine if AOL had failed? Would the internet had failed? I don’t think so. The idea behind the collaborative sharing that AOL put together could never be forgotten and so it shall be with the Wave.

Will Facebook, Twitter and Outlook still exist now seeing what is possible? Or will they adapt and co-exist with this new technology? Can you imagine integrating Twitter with your Outlook account? What about integrating YouTube and Facebook with that?

And finally what really sets Google Wave apart – the blog. Turn an e-mail into a blog post instantly, and then allow commenters to be seen in your Outlook – and have people that know you on Outlook be able to comment on your blog without ever going there. And if they incorporate Google Latitude – you’ll never wonder where anybody is, where posts were made or where your true fans lie.

The saddest part about Google Wave is the fate of the engineers behind. They’ll be lauded in engineering circles. They’ll be applauded at Google conventions. And they’ll be heralded in internet chat rooms. But they’ll never be made into a poster on a teenagers wall.

There’s nothing sexy about genius, hard work – unbelievable ideas and concepts that will shatter what we know today. Nobody will take down their Lebron James poster. Nike will not feature Lars in a Superbowl commercial. And McDonald’s will not be giving out Google Wave Toys with the happy meal.

The price of genius is silence from our popular culture. So Cheers! Google Wave engineers. Thanks for this one big step for Google, one giant step for the Internet.

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Internet and DR Marketing: Do You Know Your Audience’s Level of Sophistication?

Posted By: dan | Tags: , , ,
Posted in The Buying Process

Eugene Schwartz, the guy who revolutionized direct response marketing – the guy who didn’t get paid enough for his copywriting skills – the genius of marketing, broke down this very important lesson.

As I reference in my previous post about understanding the buying process of your audience, it is also important to understand their level of sophistication.

This “level” is determined by understanding your market and your target market’s historical interaction with the product, your competitors and their overall advertising efforts.

What products are currently advertising in this market? What claims are they making? What is their offer? What has your audience heard over and over again?

Study that and you’ll start to understand Eugene Schwartz’s concept of “level of sophistication”.

Let’s take one of Eugene Schwartz’s products – memory supplements. If memory supplements were new, you might be able to say “take this pill and improve your memory”. But they’re not. People are hip to that – and thus you’d have to move on to the next level.

Perhaps you need to swell the promise, like: Take this pill and Improve Your Memory in 7 Days. That’d be taking it to the next level – making the promise bigger.

The problem in many markets is these kinds of claims have not only been made, but have failed. Bigger isn’t always better. So your marketing has to evolve to include something your audience can sink their teeth into. You need to give them a reason to believe: Take this pill – with 7 memory enhancing antioxidants – and improve your memory in 7 days.”

However, when this unique proposition (the 7 memory enhancing antioxidants) becomes ordinary, common and no longer unique – marketing once again must evolve. Mr. Shwartz calls this the final level of sophistication – and that is:

Now your marketing needs to resonate with the audience. This is where testimonials come in, where users tell their story. This is where the message is no longer objective – it’s personal. If you still use the phrase: Take this pill – with 7 memory enhancing antioxidants- and improve your memory in 7 days. , it will be restated from the customer’s point of view AND said by the customer himself.

This final “level of sophistication” is where Twitter, Blogs and Facebook got their start. If marketing still worked at the first level – these tools would not likely exist yet.

Now go back and read my post about the buying process. Then take what you learn about your service/product from that, and combine that with what you learn about your audience here.

When your marketing can mesh these two important principles – that’s when you’ll hit the home run.

Perhaps a

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Internet Marketing: Do You Know the Steps of the Buying Process?

Posted By: dan | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in The Buying Process

I recently read Todd Brown’s Article on “the Greatest Marketing Lesson”, which I thought useful, and it made me think about reiterating this important lesson to go along with it.

Todd actually wrote about a concept he learned from Eugene Schwartz regarding the “level of sophistication” your audience has achieved and how to tailor your marketing to that. When you’re finished reading this post, go read Todd’s.

What Eugene Schwartz doesn’t talk about in that lesson is knowing what stage of the buying process your audience is in. Without fully understanding these, you may still be sending the wrong message using Eugene’s marketing advice.

There are three basic steps in the buying process.

The First Step of the Buying Process
The first step is the education phase. That is the phase my Benefits-of-Resveratrol.com site speaks to. Anytime you’re learning the benefits or features of something – you’re in the first phase. Calling the site Benefits of Resveratrol speaks directly to that first phase desire: This is where you can learn about resveratrol. If you just googled “Buy Resveratrol Supplement” and one of the pages of my site came up in the results, your first inclination would be to click the GNC.com / HealthSupplements.com or other e-commerce sounding link before going to the benefits/wikipedia style site. If you do have an informational benefits/features site – you should recognize you’re marketing to Phase I consumers and should read Todd’s post about understanding the maturity of that audience.

The Second Step of the Buying Process
The second step is what Consumer Reports caters too. You already know the benefits of the digital camera you want, you’re ready to compare cameras to see which offer those benefits. Perhaps you could call this the comparison phase. Whether you’re comparing features, benefits, price, delivery speed, or website return information – you’re in the second phase. If you have a comparison site (where you feature 4 stars for your top rated product for example) then you are definitely catering to the Phase 2 crowd – but are probably seeing some of the “buying stage” customers as well. It’s important to recognize that much of your customer base isn’t at your site to buy. They may buy – but they are there to compare. Grasp That. Market to that need so well that they fell compelled to buy from you as well.

The Final Step of the Buying Process
The third and final step is the “buying phase”. You may still be comparing price a bit – but if you are, you’re likely comparing the price of a specific microwave oven on one site to that of another site. The final phase customers know what they want – they need a place to buy it. This is the phase that a 1800Flowers.com or GNC.com caters to directly. They pay for ads for specific products directing you to that product’s Order Now page. This is the phase that Todd’s post speaks to directly in terms of understanding the experience level of your customer base. If your customer is there to buy – they don’t need to be ’sold’ again on how much dirt your vacuum picks up.

Without combining Eugene Schwartz’s marketing message and your knowledge of your customer’s current buying process ‘mindset’, you may still be sending a mixed message. Know where your site fits into the buying process – and take that knowledge with you in determining the “sophistication level” of your market.

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Week 7 Day 3 P90X – My First Scheduling Problem

Posted By: dan | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in The Fit Life

So I’ve made it this far without too many issues. I did attend a several day conference in Atlanta where I did my P90X workouts in the hotel room. Since I drove there it wasn’t a problem. Had I not driven there, I think I would have used the hotel gym and perhaps ran the stairs there.

I’ve missed a few days here and there (like today), but I haven’t skipped any days in P90X.  Had I done every single day in order, I’d probably be in the middle of Week 8 – but I’m in Week 7 and I’ve lost 14 pounds or so, so far.  I really ought to do a workout tonite, after I get done with this and some other work – that would be ideal. If I don’t, I suppose I have the morning before I board the plane for Phoenix.

Phoenix is my quandry. I’ll get there tomorrow afternoon and will definitely be able to do the yoga workout on the laptop in the hotel room. Thursday I’m pretty booked up though, and I won’t be bringing weights. I suppose I could run the stairs at the hotel or in the neighborhoods nearby.  I know that’s not on the plan, but let me tell you why I need to do it.

So far I’ve lost 14 pounds eating a pretty solid, healthy diet. But I think if I slack off and continue to eat the same way – the calories will stop the weight loss. Therefore, on the days I can’t possibly get a P90X workout in, I try to do something to work off some calories so I don’t have to change my diet much. If I don’t workout on Thursday, I’ll likely eat a little bit less to make up for the lower metabolism.

If you’re interested in starting P90X – please Contact Me (see above tab).  I’d love to help keep each other on track!

And Don’t forget to watch my videos on YouTube:

P90X Grocery Shopping
Take P90X To The Gym!
P90X Weight Lifting Tips
P90X While You Travel
P90X: What To Eat When You Travel

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The Swine Flu: Another Acid Rain?

Posted By: dan | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in I Should Keep My Opinions to Myself

When I was a kid I remember the news media all in a tizzy about acid rain.  Factories were spewing Sulphur Dioxide which was killing the habitats of fish.  I think the absence of dead fish washing up on shore sent the media looking for another “big one” to hook.

Before that in the 1970’s the big things were Global Cooling and . . . . the swine flu. Can you believe that? Almost 40 years later and we’ve got people worrying about Global Warming and . . . . the swine flu. back in the 1970’s – only one person died from the swine flu.  Many have died from it this go-round, but more people will die from the regular flu TODAY than all of swine flu deaths combined.

Mean temperature anomalies during the period 1...

Don’t forget about the hole in the ozone layer. It’ll get bigger and bigger and then someday we’ll all burn to death. That’s what we were told in the

5th grade. The hole is still the same size today, and the Australians have been told the measures they took were the measures that stopped the Ozone hole from growing. Way to go Ozzies.

So what’s next Uncle Sam? I guess in the absence of war-time body bags washing up on shore, the media and government give us something to be mad at so we’re not mad at them.  And since the Swine Flu hasn’t yet taken Obama’s Health Care plan off the front page – we should be due for the next plague any time now.

Acid Flu? Swine rain? Global Ozone Cooling?

I hope you already own stock in the hand sanitizing companies.

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The Making of Monday Night Football Intro Video

Posted By: dan | Tags: , ,
Posted in Life After the Flip Video Camera

If you haven’t seen my YouTube Videos on this subject (from when I attend the Making of the Video), go here: My In-Person Video

Otherwise, I recently found the “Official” Making of Video that the Advertising Agency and ESPN put together. I had to sound silly, but I do think mine is way more interesting than this one (sorry guys):

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Kudos to the Twitter Gods!

Posted By: dan | Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in The Social Media Phenomenon

As I’m sure you know, I suffered a small Twitter set-back yesterday when my Twitter account was deleted and all my connections with it. Well, I panicked at first (that last 3.37 minutes) and started to regroup. I sent e-mails to support@twitter.com with no return feedback. I did internet research and then struck gold.

I found http://www.twitter.com/about and got myself to the HelpDesk where I put in a support ticket. At first I held out hope that my inquiry would be solved in minutes, then hours – then I gave up. Well, less than 12 hours later I got a simple reply. Inquiry Solved.

The Great Twitter Gods and their processes solved my problem. I did not for a second forget that Twitter is free, as is their support, their problem solving, their connection making, their utility.

Thanks be to Twitter. Let this lesson be a lesson . . . to me.

And if you want to read about all the lessons go to TwitterGlitch.com

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The Structure of Social Media for Small Business

Posted By: dan | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in The Social Media Phenomenon

Structuring your social media platform as a business gives you an opportunity not available to a consultant or sole proprietorship. While I spend a good deal of the time branding my own image, a company has the option of allowing it’s “employee faces” to brand themselves as employees or to make the “employee faces” anonymous giving all the credit to the company.

The Nashville Zoo has a guy who handles their social media. On Twitter and other avenues, however, he is the Zoo. He doesn’t brand himself as the marketing guy at the zoo. In fact, he writes for two people – the zoo pages and for a meerkat they’ve given a profile to. In this case their social media guy’s name just doesn’t show up anywhere – it’s always the voice of the zoo.

The disadvantage to this comes from the hub and spoke structure of social media. If you’ve got one guy playing the part of the company, you’re not likely to achieve a massive on-line presence as quickly as if you allowed “faces” in the company to brand themselves (and therefore you) at their own social media outlets.  The marketing guy for the company might be driving traffic back to the hub from here, while another spoke has an operations guy branding himself in the operation realm.

The hub-and-spoke structure allows for continual forward and backward movement from the hub to the spokes. And ideally, that movement creates the desire from your audience to join a Ning, Cagora or other community platform.  Once the hub-and-spoke has created links between your members and your websites – the next step is to create links among the members themselves.

Remember being a member of a fan club back in the 80’s? You cut the membership form off the back of the box, stuffed it in an envelope with a self-addressed stamped envelope and waited for your A-Team poster to arrive. Imagine, if you could have hung out with all the other A-Team fan club members. . .Imagine how much fun that would have been to see everyone else’s collection and talk about all the cool A-Team stuff.

From a small business standpoint, pick a viewpoint from which the world will see you. Find social media avenues that fit your style and befriend others in that realm. When they’ve befriended you and your services, invite them to a community forum where they can interact with others like themselves.

Get your fans in a room, and you’ll sell a lot of tickets.

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Strangely, I’m a lot like @The_Real_Shaq

Posted By: dan | Tags: , ,
Posted in Growing up Military

I never would have thought that Shaq and I have something in common besides really liking basketball and using Twitter. I suppose we could have lots in common. We both may like lasagna – who knows? But I was reading an article in Time magazine this week by Joel Stein. I’m not sure if you know this or not, but Joel and Shaq entered into an essay writing contest. In Time Magazine, Joel was writing about it.
shaq
About 1/2 way through the article Joel says “I’ve always longed for Shaq-grade confidence. . .” and quoted O’Neal on how he does it. This is where the idea of this article started, where my buddy Mark (from Adventures of Mark and Dan) comes in and where this revelation that Shaq and I have something in common began. Shaq says, “To this day, I don’t remember myself ever missing a shot, missing a free throw or losing a game. That comes from a military background. Move On. Always Move On.”

Even typing that brings the feeling back. For as long as I could remember my buddy Mark has noted that I have no memory for the bad stuff. Girls that turned me down when I asked them to dance, rejections to prom, etc. . . I have no memory; whereas, Mark remembers them all. What’s funny is I never thought anything of that until I read those words by Shaq. My entire life is Move On. Bad things don’t get me down, don’t typically bother me for more than a short while and I’ve always learned to just ignore the bad stuff and “Move on.”

What do I have in common with Shaq that made this revelation so strange, we’re both from military backgrounds. While I’ve always known that moving from place to place has allowed me to make friends quickly and learn not to love too much, I’d never attributed it to that part of my life. Shaq’s inference that his ability to move on is part from his military uprbringing really rang true with me. That’s all we do.

Since leaving the comfort of my parents house I have continued to move quipping “once I’ve eaten at all the restaurants, it’s time to move”. Has that been too different from Shaq’s NBA career? He’s on the move as well. Perhaps when offers to trade teams came about, part of his military background said “Yeah, let’s do it. There’s not many places to eat left anyway”.

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