Seth Godin E-books

I was on a Seth Godin kick yesterday and found and downloaded several of his e-books. Some have been around for awhile, but they are still great reading. Business week said, "Seth Godin may be the ultimate entrepreneur for the Information Age".

I posted:

"Knock, knock" - About what a website should and shouldn't be. Seth gives real world examples of how to improve websites.

"Who's There?" - Seth continues the dialog he started in "Knock, knock" and he discusses blogging, what it is, the different types and how they work. great insite on how to market through blogging.

"Everyone is an Expert" - Seth talks about Squidoo, his "nowblog" marketing tool where you can write about your passion for free and make money or give it to charity.

I even found "Unleashing the IdeaVirus," a 197 page e-book that has been around a while and I didn't think you could get a free version anymore, but I found it and you can download it for free at my site. It discusses, among many other ideas, that if you give something away it becomes more valuable. Hmmmm...

Anyway, you can download all of these e-books for free at my site, internet-marketing-4-small-business.com.

Internet marketer Mark Joyner is at it again

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

We need another internet marketing site like I need a hole in my head

I just signed up with SBI!, a Ken Evoy joint. I absolutely love it. Let me set up my affiliate links and I will tell you all about it. Anyway, they teach you how to write a content-rich, keyword-focused internet site about something you are passionate about.

I am passionate about internet marketing so that is what I am writing about. I am also writing to promote my new partnership, IDEABOX Marketing & Design. We help small businesses market themselves. We are learning quickly that the business can't be too small or it turns into pro bono work. We will get the kinks worked out. I might write more about that here too.

Anyway, you can visit my new site here.

Marketing Q&A on LinkedIn

I was on LinkedIn checking my network and someone had asked a question:

When was the last time you were influenced by marketing?

When was the last time you were influenced by marketing? Think of the last few purchases you made. How might you have been persuaded? What information did you use in considering your options? Did you have lunch today at a place that had a big sign that drew your attention? Did you see a billboard on the way to work and make up your mind that you had to have seafood today? Were you drawn in by the smell of a great local BBQ and couldn't get you mind off of beef brisket until after you washed it down with a coke?

Take a few minutes and try to think of the last time marketing influenced your buying decisions? How did it work? Why did it work? Now share with the group.

This is what I wrote back:

Just the other evening I made a purchase, swayed by great internet marketing. I wanted to buy this product so much I kept all the advertising/marketing material so I could study it and see why it worked so well.

I haven't studied it in depth yet, but I can tell you this off the top of my head: The invitation was from a marketer who's opinion I respect. There is a bit of trust there. Also, they introduced scarcity. The offer was only good until midnight. If I bought the information product from an affiliate, the marketer who's newsletter I receive would throw in a free copy of his soon-to-be published book.

They built it up so much that I just knew it would cost a fortune, but it was just $37. I was so shocked by the price, I just had to get it. I study these types of internet offers to see how they do it and usually don't end up buying the products because they are too expensive. but this product was a good fit and the price was right. I could get the add-on for free, but only before midnight. They did a great job selling me.

Then, get this, after I bought it, the "thank you" page had a video from the guy trying to upsell me on the long lost manuscript that the product I had just purchased was based on for $297. Valiant try but no thank you.

Then the next page had another youtube video selling the hardcopy version of the mp3s and e-book I had just purchased. Price: $297.

I got out of there only spending $37 and am happy with my purchase. They knew what they were doing and really pushed my buttons. That stuff used to annoy me because I don't like being manipulated, but now I enjoy it. If I feel moved to buy something, I have learned to stop, take a look around and discover why that is.

Buzz, don't take it out on the kid

Here is another ad that was on the same page mentioned in the post above. You can click on it to view the image better.

Maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't it look like Buzz Lightyear is ready to haul off and hit this kid? Maybe he is and maybe someone took a picture of it, but I don't think the "Happiest Place On Earth" should use it in their advertising.

We tend to see only what we want to see in photos and in our advertising. Always have an impartial third-party check things out before it goes live. Then LISTEN TO THEM.

For example, I recently worked for a large home builder as their internet marketing specialist for a couple of years. Our outside agency came up with a campaign that said our company will "throw you a bone," meaning that we were offering great deals to home buyers. The sales and marketing managers loved it. The ad had a cute little doggie and a big bone on it and everything.

Several people including myself suggested that "throwing someone a bone" might be taken as a little condescending, but no one listened and the ad was published. That next week was one of our worst weeks for sales that year and people blamed it on everything but the horrible little ad they had just run.

Great banner ad

I don't usually click on banner ads. They just don't speak to me. However, I came across one today that I thought I would share. In fact it motivated me to actually start this blog. I see good and horrible examples of marketing online all the time and don't have anyone to share it with. Thus the blog. I hope you enjoy.

I was on Thesaurus.com looking for other ways to say "people." There are a lot by the way, but none as easy to use as just saying "people." there was a banner ad for Microsoft's "live search" product. It said, "Top 10 shark infested beaches." Come on, what guy is not going to click on that!? I clicked and it went to a search page that had search results for - you guessed it - the top ten shark infested beaches.

What a great campaign for a search company. Have banners for "world's worst hair-dos" or "what I shouldn't wear to the beach this summer" for the women and, I don't know, "autopsy results" or something gross for the guys.

Anyway, good job Microsoft. You got me to click.

-Shaun