Google has added another form of stupidity tax to AdWords. You can opt out of this stupid tax, and it is very important that you know what to do and why. If you’re paying close attention, this will work to your advantage. (As with all Google stupidity taxes.) You really need to pay attention to this. Google announced that they are “Improving” exact match and phrase match. Here’s what they are doing: Exact match used to mean that if you bid on [guinea pigs] exact match, the only … [Read more...]
Think Different…About Marketing
May 4, 2012 | By | Leave a Comment
“Find out what people want – and show them how to get it.” ~ Bernard Baruch Sometimes people disagree when you tell them that success in marketing comes when you sell people what they want. They point to the phenomenal popularity of items like the iPod. “See,” they’ll argue, “Apple has sold millions of items that nobody even knew they wanted.” Steve Jobs himself said that "A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." Was he right? Henry … [Read more...]
How to win a knife fight
April 25, 2012 | By | Leave a Comment
If you’re a fan of the movie “The Untouchables” you’ll no doubt hear Sean Connery’s fine Scottish brogue in your mind saying, “Bring a gun.” For most people it’s not much of an option – you’ll either be bare-handed or, a best, carrying a smaller knife. My karate instructor was keenly aware of this fact and wanted to prepare us for the worst. It was one of the most valuable lessons I ever got. He paired us up, giving one of us a rubber … [Read more...]
Torture vs. Inspiration
April 21, 2012 | By | Leave a Comment
Who do you admire? For me one of the great joys in life is to watch great athletes perform. Sure, it could be sports, like Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. But there’s a lot of other sports. Maybe it’s watching Eddie Van Halen sit on the edge of the stage with his guitar and spin off those magical riffs. Maybe it’s Newton or Einstein. An artist like Banksy. Or Whitney Houston belting out a note that seems to last forever. Maybe it’s Coltrane – not merely playing his sax, but … [Read more...]
Google+ team leader defects to Microsoft, spills beans
March 15, 2012 | By | Leave a Comment
Google’s engineering director James Whittaker defected to Microsoft, blogging that Google+ has ruined Google. He complains that the once idealistic engineering company is now obsessed with ad revenue and competing with Facebook. I think Google does have a problem. This is not a problem for YOU as a Google advertiser; in many ways it’s good for you. I’ll get to that in a second. But yes, it is a problem for Google. Here’s why. Facebook has never been and never will be a threat to … [Read more...]
How Often Should You Redesign Your Website?
March 14, 2012 | By | Leave a Comment
The marketer's conventional wisdom seems to suggest that you should redesign your site every 2 or 3 years to keep your business fresh. Unless your business is having challenges generating new business or supporting your current customers through your current site, you may consider holding off. Rather than focus on time between designs, it’s import to look at the contribution your website is or is not making to your business. Here are 4 reasons why you need to start developing a new … [Read more...]
Facebook 2012 Update (Infographic)
March 1, 2012 | By | Leave a Comment
The role of Facebook in business continues to grow. Here's an infographic to help you keep up on your Facebook statistics. Some highlights: 845 million monthly active users. More than 50% of North America is using Facebook 1 of every 5 page views on the Internet is on Facebook 425 million mobile users Average time of 20 minutes per visit per user Facebook 2012: The Latest on Everybody's Favorite Social Network by Infographiclabs … [Read more...]
