by billalpert on August 15, 2011
It’s exhausting: that growing online business marketing to-do list. Yet another 40 page report arrived today; it explained the dozens of tactics and procedures needed to optimize my web presence using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Well, it ain’t gonna’ happen, baby. Way too much work. Besides, I have a lot of trouble believing that much of the fluff posted under the banner of “social media marketing” ever hits anyone’s eyes, let alone influences their behavior.
In fact, I don’t see any of today’s top internet marketers wasting a lot of time tweaking a Facebook fan page. That’s because it’s an awfully long line between twittering and actually putting something into your bank account. Hence the huge tempation to use social media as a cheap billboard. We all know how well that works.
So it’s refreshing to see marketer Jack Born write:
“… advanced marketers don‘t begin with the invention (i.e. the final transaction). We begin with traffic and ask ourselves: “What would these people want to buy?”
Another way to say it: Remove the hoops, interpolations and projections in our marketing and it’s instantly more effective. Find the simplest ways to understand and forge an emotional connection with our customers. Avoid the layers of complexity needed to manage your marketing on someone else’s constantly morphing platform.
I’ll take one solid hour of this kind of nuts and bolts, strategic thinking over a hundred hours running silly promotions on a fan page.
by billalpert on August 12, 2011
Not much of a recommendation, but that pretty much wraps up how I feel about the average latte I get at a local coffee house. Or the soup at one of those chain bakery outfits.
Most of the world gets along using this “good enough to pass” principle.
Which makes it all the easier to share the passion of that rare barista who instinctively pulls together a dozen variables to make a memorable espresso drink. Soup induced bliss is equally uncommon, but worth seeking out.
All of this is good news for the business marketer: Your standout brochure, mailer or website design will wildly outperform their run-of-the-mill counterparts. It’s all in the instincts, skills and craft of the designer. These skills are worth seeking out, or developing in your own design skillset.
Graphic designer Chuck McWade articulates it well in a new issue of his Before&After publication. (I often recommend B&A; it’s a completely unsolicited testimonial.) McWade clearly illustrates how colors, objects and shapes play into our visual interpretation of a layout. As always, design gestalt means that the finished design is more than the sum of its parts. Or at least it should be.
The take away: don’t settle for “good enough.” It’s that extra bump that most folks leave out that will take you over the top.
by Bill Alpert on June 28, 2011
Just in time for Summer vacation, a bit of knowledge can go a long way in making your photos shine.
Here’s one of the best Adobe Photoshop tutorials I’ve run across. Yes, some things are over simplified, but for the average user: this will really help.
Even if you don’t own Photoshop, the concepts presented will pretty much carry over to any decent image editing program.
Some Photoshop alternatives can be found here. A Macintosh specific list can be found here.
Enjoy!
