Say that 5 times fast, will ya? The truth is, I don’t have 650 reasons to do anything, but having spent the last few days doing some research into digital agencies, social media agencies, web companies, PR firms, etc. (all service companies) it’s somewhat shocking and hugely disappointing to see the amount of wasted bits […]
Where’s the Surprise on the Web?
Join me for my latest obsession: Surprise. In thinking about Surprise and how it relates to my business and the Web in general, I realize that there’s absolutely not enough surprise on the Web. How often do you visit a website and get surprised? Sure there are crazy, silly, surprising videos on YouTube. And those […]
Lack of Market Focus Can Kill Your Startup
Too many startups lack market focus. They don’t really understand their target customer and what that customer wants. And that lack of focus kills startups. It’s easy to look at and define a big market as a single entity – a giant, amoeba-like blob where everything and everyone in it is basically the same. This […]
How Social Media Improves Lead Conversion
A recent study by GroupM Search and comScore looked at the relationship between search marketing and social media. It’s an interesting read. The crux of the report is that people who are exposed to a brand via social media are more likely to search directly for that brand (or search terms that are lower level/closer […]
Get Obsessed with Viral Loops
I’m obsessed with viral loops. Andrew Chen writes a great post: 5 crucial stages in designing your viral loop. Go read it. Good viral loops won’t guarantee success, but they can make a huge difference in attracting prospects and converting them into customers. By virtue of the fact that viral loops spread your product / […]
Increase Lead Generation or Optimize Conversions?
Before you spend time & money increasing leads, you should look at improving and optimizing conversions. In order to optimize conversion you do need some number of leads, but the number doesn’t have to be huge. As soon as you start to see consistent metrics on conversion (and you need to make sure you define […]
Is Linkbait Dead?
The simplest definition of linkbait is a blog post that attracts people’s attention enough to get them to link back to the post. Getting links to a blog post is crucial for SEO. Generally speaking: more links = better SEO. And better SEO = more traffic. I’m simplifying, but the basic premise is there. For […]
The Big Bang Theory of Launching a Product
Many people will tell you the best way to launch a product is to do so early and iterate constantly. I’ve said the same thing, and generally agree with that sentiment. You don’t want to spend a year building a product without any serious customer feedback, without putting your feet to the fire in the […]
How Startups Can Use PR Successfully
One of the biggest challenges for startups is keeping in the public eye – getting the word out on a consistent basis to drive an audience, customers, buzz, etc. There are lots of marketing techniques for startups but one that I think is under used and under appreciated is PR. Public Relations is all about […]
Launching a Startup is Barely Step One
Launching a startup isn’t easy. But what you quickly realize is that the real work comes immediately thereafter. Our launch of Standout Jobs at DEMO was a big success. We generated plenty of buzz, brought in some great customers and the product held up to the initial onslaught of traffic, users and feedback. And for […]
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