The most powerful form of advertising is being exceptional, says a technologist quoted in Sunday’s NY Times. He’s talking about Google, of course, by far the most innovative and exceptional company of the past decade. Columnist David Carr’s love letter to the search giant rhapsodizes about the quality and ease of use of company’s many …
Are you annoying people when you speak?
We all do it. We spout shopworn cliches and mindless crutch phrases that make our victims listeners roll their eyes and grind their teeth. Cliches are just as bad in the written word, of course. But at least a reader can turn the page and skip over them. But when you’re in a business meeting …
Is Microsoft really that clueless?
The Behemoth from Redmond has made billions selling software in boxes. Now — about ten years late — it’s finally opened an online store, leveraging the efficiency of the Internet to reduce overhead and offer lower prices. Except they’re not offering lower prices. They’re charging more online. Hmmm, interesting strategy. Is there something I’m missing? …
Blog marketing reaps $100K in 5 months
Can a blog really attract customers? It can — if your customers are web developers. Peldi Guilizzoni, a solo software developer, built a web design mock-up tool called Balsamiq and promoted it on his blog. In the “open” spirit of the Internet, Guilizzoni also posted his financial records right on his blog so everyone would …
NY Times catches up to my blog;-)
A while back I blogged about the deceptive advertising practices by FreeCreditReport.com (sorry no link for bad boys). Today’s NY Times echoes my dismay. FCR, which is actually owned by the big credit reporting service Experian, claim to offer “free” credit reports, but they actually require enrollment in a $15/month paid service. “Consumer groups have …
Info-marketing catapults first-time author into Amazon Top 100
Is information marketing effective? Does it really work to attract clients and income? Let’s look at Steve Pavlina, one of my favorite bloggers. For almost four years, Steve has been writing about “personal development for smart people” and posting the articles on his blog. Today, his first book is among Amazon’s Top 100 in sales …
Personal Branding Exhibit A: Rush Limbaugh
Who says branding doesn’t reap big rewards? Broadcasting bigmouth Rush Limbaugh just signed a new $400 million contract: a $100 million signing bonus and $38 mil a year for eight years. Ironically, because of his iconic personal brand, we already know everything he’s going to say!