Inbound Internet Marketing

David Spade you are the Toolbag of the Day!

David Spade is in a Direct TV commerical with his former friend (a now dead) Chris Farley.  As you may have seen, Direct TV is doing a campaign taking moments from movies and recreating them with one of the characters cut into the scene. The actor turns to the camera and instead of delivering their movie lines they pedal Direct TV.

I usually like this commercials.  But I found the new campaign using David Spade and the now deceased Chris Farley in very bad taste.

First, Mr. Farley died a tragic death.  He abused drugs and food.  He died way before his time.  Mr. Spade was his friend.  Worked with him in the movies and on SNL.

The fact that Mr. Spade is using his old friend and colleague (Mr. Farley) to make some extra bucks is shocking. How can he sleep at night?

Some time ago Mr. Spade's assistant turned on him and physically abused him.  I would never promote the use of violence.  But maybe Mr. Spade's assistant had a better handle on him then his public persona.

Congrats Mr. Spade.  You are the Toolbag of the Day!

Why we need the public option regarding Health Care.

To me it is very simple.  One of the best ways to express it is when I went shopping for cable TV.  

In my town we allow two cable companies.  One is Comcast the other is RCN.  I have Comcast phone, cable TV and internet.  My last bill came and my rates went up 20%.  It seems my two year agreement with Comcast had come to a close.

So I did what I usually do.  I called Comcast to cancel my service.  Sure enough I was transferred to the "Customer Retention Department".  When I mentioned I wanted to cancel my service and go to RCN she said. "Hey wait a second...let's see what we can do."

I got free HBO, Starz, Encore and an upgrade on my internet PLUS a the cost would be $10 LESS a month then I was paying now.  I locked it in for one year.

Capitalism is a great thing.  Because Comcast knew I could go to RCN for all my services they gave me a good deal.  That is what the public option in Health Care Reform will do.

If you are a true Capitalist you have to support the Public Option in Health Care.  It is the American thing to do!

Homework for Social Media Types

There are a lot of Social Media Types out there.  I have some homework for you.  I want you to go to a small or medium size business.  One where the owner is on site or they own a few stores and have a corporate office.  Try to make an appointment.  That in it self will take time.

Once you sit down with the owner ask them about their use of Social Media.  Do they have a blog?  Do they have a Facebook corporate page?  Do they use Twitter? Is there website able to have interested parties sign up for additional information.

More then likely they are doing none of this.  Now what?  Well I tell you one thing they don't have the time to have you teach them all you know about Social Media.  They are overworked and very stressed out (especially in these times).  They want someone to do all this for them.  The problem is that they can't hire you by the hour because they can't afford it.  So what to do?

You can offer them to be a lead generator.  Use your skills to build a small site and drive traffic there and have the ability to have people sign up if they want additional information.  This is a qualified lead and small and medium companies are more likely to spend money on qualified leads then hire you as a Social Media consultant.

It is still very hard to track traditional advertising.  If you ask most people where they saw your ad most will reply the largest media outlet in town even though you have never advertised there.  By walking in the door with qualified leads you are offering something that only Social Media Marketers can offer.

Now never tell an owner that they are wasting their time with traditional advertising.  You just want to be the outlet that can prove their worth by handing over qualified leads and getting paid per lead.

Now I know that at the Foxwoods Casino in CT they figure that every person that walks in the door will spend $250.  So how much will they pay for a qualified lead?  $50 or $100?

So don't be the guy who says I will teach you something that will take up a lot of your time and take time to learn (while you are paying me).  Be the guy that says, "How much will you pay me for each qualified lead I bring you."

Let me know your thoughts!

One Year and Counting

Last August I started my blog after reading David Meerman Scott's book, "The New Rules of Marketing and PR". It opened my eyes to a brand new world of Social Media.

Looking back on my one year anniversary I can see the many changes that have happened to Internet Marketing.  Twitter is almost main stream.  80% of all people on Twitter are social media gurus.  Companies have built these shinning new corporations and in some cases "ships" to attract companies to use their Social Media services (an update on how that is working out latter on).

Everyone is getting in to the Social Media game.  Even news outlets are allowing their copy to be shared.  And for those newspapers that are not deep into Social Media....death awaits.

Even radio advertising is changing as a whole new generation is not only not buying or reading printed newspapers but with their Ipods and internet radio channels for free they are no longer listening to traditional radio (unless they are stuck in a car somewhere and that too will change).

Advertising and Media are moving a new direction and if you don't get on the bus you will be left behind and someone else will take your demo.  And that will not be good news for you.

I also had a chance to comment on current events and such topics as sports and politics.  I have called out a few people and companies for things that they said or did that I thought was wrong. I don't plan on been invited to a lot of parties.

This brings to my number one grip about the social media companies.  Stop talking among yourselves. Go into a small retail store (locally owned) and talk to the owner about social media.  Their opinion counts not your small group of social media friends that think what your doing is cool.  It you can't sell your services to a company (and this may entail convincing them that the benefits of social media) then what your doing to make your company shinny is not worth a dam.

So I move forward from here.  On to year two.  Can't wait to see what happens next!

Is Radio next to die?

In Boston WBCN went off the air.  The company that owns the station is switching to a Sports/Talk format.  WBCN was the station in the 80's that would play break out artists like U2.  In today's market it lost it's way and Howard Stern.  Thus if became a hard place for advertisers.

Radio advertising drives the format (not the other way around).  I have worked for radio stations and I have sold air time to advertisers.  The way radio works is that each station is a house and in that house lives a certain demographic.

It may be 25-40 year old women (80%).  Which is one of the best demos for advertisers.  This would be "light" rock stations or stations that play hits from the 80's, 90's or present day.  Sports talk station attract 80% male that are some high income earners.  This allows Sport talk station to charge a premium for their spots.

Radio is sales driven.  If your format is not attracting a demo that is attracting advertisers then you are in trouble.

The myth that station care about the music or content is silly.  It is all about attracting the demo that your station is known for.  90% of the music played on the radio is pre-packaged selection of songs to attract a certain demo that has been created by radio consultants.  90% of the time the DJ has no input what is played on the air.

This formula was been working for a long time but now things have changed.

First the IPod has allowed people to chose the music they listen to and by pass the radio stations. Second there are some great "radio" internet sites that allow to listen to the type of music you want with very little commercial interruption.  So besides the radio in your car (which I think will be slowing be going away) less people are listening to traditional radio at the office or at home.

I think this trend will continue and traditional radio (as we know it today) will change.  This change will be good for the listener but bad for the companies that own radio stations.

Radio advertising is not cheap.  Spots on top stations in during morning drive time can go be $1,500 per spot.  One spot is not going to get you much (you really need to rise above the clutter) so a "smart" buy would be at least 25 spots a week.  So you can easily drop $20,000 a week for one station in one top ten markets.  If you are doing a national buy the numbers can get very high.

Internet marketing is still finding its way but with the price of doing a successful radio campaign so high, internet marketing has a real chance to offer advertisers a cheap alternative with ROI tracking.

What ever you do don't move Justin Levy's trash can.

Justin Levy (of Pirate fame) tweeted that he was upset that the cleaning crew at his office keeps moving his trash can.  I tweeted him back saying that I found it strange that he was complaining that people working the night shift making $8 an hour (maybe) didn't put his trash can in the exact same place every night.

I mean come on.  Most of these workers are most likely working two jobs and don't make half the money that Mr. Levy makes.  Plus working the night shift is no fun for anyone that has done it (and I have) because you have to leave your family home alone and it just sucks.

What kind of Pirate Ship are they running over there.  Pirates need their trash cans place correctly everyday or they can't function?

I asked Mr. Levy if for one day/night he switch positions with the maintenance crew.  His reply was.

"I never said I wanted the job and I appreciate that someone does clean my office. But, things should be put back in their place."

Really.  I wonder if he called his landlord and maybe got someone fired?

These days there are so many people struggling that maybe if you are lucky enough to have a job you seem to like and are getting paid for it you shouldn't be complaining on Twitter that your trash can is move a few inches some nights.  

And if you don't feel lucky then I suggest you have the guts enough to spend a night with the maintenance crew....after that you will be grateful for your white collar job.

Why the Boston Globe is sitting on the Remy Roids scandle and the end of Newspapers.

Jerry Remy's (ex-Red Sox 2B man and present TV local announcer) son was fired by the Red Sox for being involved in a Roids scandal.  What did the Boston Globe do?  Nothing.  Why? Because their parent company (the NYT) is part owner of the Red Sox. 

This is why I think that blogs will replace newspapers.  There is no such thing as credible journalist in today's world.  They are all influenced by their (or their companies) best interest.  Long have passed the days of "All the President's Men" where journalist followed the story no matter where it went.  Today's journalist are more worried about covering there ass then breaking a good story.

This is why I laugh when reporters say they can't be replaced by bloggers because of the credibility gap. What credibility do they have?  None.

Say goodbye to Print media.  The average age of a Boston Globe reader is almost mid-forties and young people today never buy a newspaper.  Plus their credibility as a unbiased news source is non-existent.

Reward you best customers.

We all know we are in tough times. It may be time to send a special thank you to those loyal customers that have stayed with you through the last year.  We all have lost a lot business but there a few loyal customers that have stayed on.  

The next time they place an order take a little discount off the top.  When they ask tell them. "It is a thank you for staying with me.'  A little discount goes a long way these days.

I am a big believer that 80% of your business comes from 20% of you customer base.  So why not reward the people that have been good to you instead of throwing discounts at clients that don't have a track record.

Straightening relationships with loyal customers it is a lot easier then begging for business from clients that may not come through. 

Monday Mishagoss: Obama "acted stupidly"

If you have read my blog you know I really like President Obama.  I think he has a chance to become a great President.  But as President you can't do everything.

Obama's comments regarding the Gates Disaster were uncalled for and not for the President of the United States to comment about.  We have much more things to worry about such as the economy and health care.

The Cambridge Police Department has dropped the charges against Gates.  This is by no means makes up for how Prof. Gates was treated.  But it is not the job of the President to intervene.

Stick with health care President Obama.  We need that now and you can do something about that.

Update 7/25/09

I uploaded this post last week.  There have been some updates over the last few days.  But the principal has remained the same.  The President of the United States should not try to be all to everyone.  When it comes to local issues involving friends (Skip?) the President needs to refrain from direct comment.  Health Care President Obama, Health Care!

I am a PC....I am a MAC

When the Seinfeld-Gates ads came out I was one of many that called them the worst ads of the year.  Now Microsoft has the "laptop hunter" spots.  I can't remember a company that has turned around its advertising as fast as Microsoft has.

I really like these ads.  I think they are a great answer to the famous "I am a MAC" spots.

Now it is reported that Apple's legal department has written a letter to Microsoft asking them to take the spots off the air.

I am in advertising and if I came up with the present Microsoft campaign and Apple sent me a letter I would frame it and put it on my wall.  There are very few compliments you can get then your competition crying uncle.

One point for Microsoft.