Monthly Archive for January, 2009

Word of Mouth Secret: Don’t Say A Word

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 30, 2009
in word of mouth
. Comments


(Updated regarding new info!)
Last night, @ashlebo and I went to dinner at restaurant in downtown Charleston called Poogans Porch. Now, we’ve been there before, and the food is pretty good, but this week was something special. Every year for just one week, Poogans Porch reverts back to the menu they had when they opened their doors in 1978. Both the food AND the prices. Needless to say, it’s a great deal, and definitely worth checking out.

But here’s the trick: they don’t say much, you just have to know. Maybe you stop by and ask, maybe you overhear the staff talking about it. But there isn’t a ton advertisements, no radio, TV, or newspaper bombardment. They just quietly offer the best deal in town for a week, and then it’s gone.

But when you hear about it, you can be damn sure you’re going to tell everyone you know. Everyone likes being “in on a secret” like that, but it’s a secret you want to spread. And it was packed in there last night.

Thoughts On The State Of Magazines

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 28, 2009
in ideas
. Comments
  • Has anyone seen the new (starting in January on) issues of a lot of national magazines? It blows my mind to see how small they are. Wild to see how many ads were pulled after their year contract expired. The December issue of GQ is almost twice as big as the January issue.
  • I still love magazines. There’s something about the physical aspect of them that’s a refreshing change from the web. Also, to me anyway, the content seems one more step “finished” in the great writing spectrum. Which possibly looks like this Post-it Note >> Twitter >> Blog Post >> Magazine >> Book.
  • What’s the problem with magazine advertising? Can they not lower the prices to lure advertisers back? Is it just a “dead medium”? Are they stubborn, stupid, or just handcuffed? I’d really like to talk to someone at a mag who could explain this to me.
  • Will e-book readers, like the soon-to-be announced Kindle 2, “save” magazines? Digital essentially nullifies printing costs. And the e-book format wouldn’t entirely kill the physical/tactile thing.
  • Magazines should include unique URLs at the end of each article saying something like “Continue the conversation” or “Learn more” and then include a simple web address that hosts the article or discussion for the article. Also, advertisers who have ads near the print version can continue to run ads on the article page. Would this work?

Point B Is A State Of Mind

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 26, 2009
in Web Sites and ideas
. Comments

I was thinking the other day about the informational search process on the web. Basically I thought about two types of searches that people preform, and that lead me to an idea about Point B…

The first type we’ll call a “closed query” because it has a definite answer. These are questions like:

  • What’s the number of the nearest Chinese restaurant?
  • Who was the lead singer of Twisted Sister?
  • What’s the MSRP of a new Toyota Camry?

The closed query is very straightforward, easy to define, and can usually be answered by Google or Wikipedia in a few minutes. Not much else going on. Unless you’re planning on a street fight for internet search supremacy, these kinds of queries really shouldn’t worry you. Just make sure that you’re information is easy to find (and be “find” I mean “be indexed”).

The other (more interesting) type of query is the “open query” and unlike the closed query, there’s no definite singular answer here. Some examples:

  • How can I learn to break dance?
  • What are some easy salmon recipes?
  • What is the meaning of life?

And unlike closed queries, open queries aren’t linear. They look more like this.

As you can see, open queries are more involved. However, the key difference isn’t the amount of information, or the number of points. The key difference is that there is no definite Point B. Point B is a state of mind.

If you set out determined to know more about break dancing, when have you achieved that goal? Unlike in closed queries, where the answer is always “Philadelphia” or “19.99″, your level of understanding that characterizes your Point B may be a completely different level than mine. The other major difference is that Point B is not the end. The Point B you’ve arrived at today may be different than your Point B two weeks from now.

So what does this mean? Well for starters, unless you’re answering a closed query, you need to stop thinking of your content as a destination and more as a part of the process. I understand the pressure for better time-on-site, page views, etc. but really, shouldn’t we be focused on providing information someone is looking for and then sending them on their way to learn more?

Who would you think more favorably of? A site where you spend 10 minutes trying to find what you’re looking for and eventually give up or a site where you spend 2 minutes learning something and then move on to the next resource they suggest?

There should be no dead-ends on the internet.

How To Write A Good Social Media Post

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 23, 2009
in Links and social media
. Comments

Just some thoughts (not rules) on what makes a good post on social media.

Be informative from an ideological standpoint.
This is where you let people know the basic gist of social media. The part where you advocate community building, engagement, interaction, and transparency. The “big picture”, if you will.

Be informative from a practical standpoint.
You can’t just leave it at ideological. No one wants to read posts that just say, “Get out there and be part of the community!” all the time. Great. Now tell us how. Be as specific as possible. Outline steps, metrics for success, ideas to take it a step further. Anything that’s specifically actionable.

Facilitate further learning.
There are no dead ends on the internet. Link out to some other people who have written great content on the subject.

Don’t get all social media is the omg greatest super ever crazy.
Trust me, I get the excitement. But you need to temper your enthusiasm with realistic expectations and understanding. If people are new to the whole idea of social media you don’t want to come off as a street-preacher.

And some good examples (and great posts)
-Finding and embracing your online evangelists in 5 minutes - Mack Collier
-Organic vs. Inorganic Communities - Beth Harte
-Humanizing Your Brand – One Customer at a Time - David Finch
-Will Facebook Be The Death of Twitter? - Alan Wolk

Too Many Chiefs…

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 22, 2009
in social media
. Comments

So Twitter is catching on more and more (something I have mixed, albeit mostly positive thoughts on, but that’s another post all together), and I’ve been noticing something recently:

I’m not sure I’m the only one who feels this way, but does it seem to you like every. single. person. on twitter is a “social media expert” or “web 2.0 guru” or something to that effect. I swear there should be one of those random title generators for this stuff. According to this.. I’m a… New Web Wizard! or The 2.0 Aficionado!

Now it’s not that I don’t believe there are true “experts” in social media, I do. And I’m defining “expert” here as someone who knows more than almost everyone else in a given field. Yes, I know social media is still evolving and changing, and we’re generally making up the rules as we go. That being said I still think that there are individuals out there that know more, have done more, and inspire more than 95% of us.

The funny thing is, many of the people that I would consider leaders in this space never say “social media expert” or something similar anywhere on their blog/profile/etc. People just know who they are.

So the problem is this: If experts lead the rest of us, and everyone is an expert, then who are they leading?

Five In The Morning

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 21, 2009
in Links
. Comments

Ahh yes, Five In The Morning. No, I’m not talking about that magical time of day that I only seem to see if I stay up all night. I’m talking about the legendary series started by Sir Steve Woodruff where he points out 5 of his latest favorite blog posts.

Well, Steve reached out to the community to keep Five In The Morning fresh, and I have to say, some very awesome people have done a great job of that already. And now it’s my turn! On with the show!

Here’s your Five In The Morning for Wednesday January 21st, 2009.

That’s all for me. But I highly suggest you to grab the feed for Steve’s blog, StickyFigure and follow him on Twitter for some more Five In The Morning Goodness.

An Opportunity In Game Marketing

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 19, 2009
in New Marketing and gaming
. Comments

Have had this idea for a little while. Thought I’d throw it out there to see if anyone is interested in doing something like this.

With the economy in it’s current state, many game developers/publishers are either downsizing or closing their doors all together. However, indie game studios have seen some solid growth. Games like Braid, Castle Crashers, Geometry Wars RE 2, World of Goo, and A Kingdom For Keiflings have been met with both critical and commercial success. This is a trend that I don’t see changing any time soon.

The opportunity is this: Many of these small (many/most under 10 people) game studios don’t have dedicated marketing resources. Think of them as new authors promoting a book. The do all the work creating the game and then they have to go out there and sell it. I know they don’t have big budgets, but where’s the savvy marketers willing to work for a commission or percentages?

Big opportunity and still growing. I’d like to give it a try. Anyone else?

The Power of Not Having The Best Ideas

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 13, 2009
in New Marketing and ideas
. Comments

It seems like there’s always a fight for the best ideas. A war for intellectual capital, almost. It can get tiring trying to out-think everyone or to decide what everyone else would want if it was their choice. I think the answer is to take a step back. Sometimes the best idea is to realize you don’t have all the best ideas.

Take Mighty Muggs and Munny for example. Both are small, blank, vinyl figures designed for you to customize. They’re the epitome of a DIY toy.

Their genius lies in the fact that they decided the community would know what’s best for their toys. Why limit the designs to a few dozen with all the potential out there? Don’t believe me? Try doing a Google Image Search for Mighty Muggs or Munny.

And this doesn’t just apply to toys. Look at what Converse and Nike are doing with the custom shoe options. You need to trust the market, and if possible, empower them to come up with some great ideas.