Attract More Visitors

From "Once upon a time" to "it was a dark and stormy night" we are used to seeing, hearing and loving stories.

Snippets of personal stories in the lead paragraphs of news/magazine articles draw us in and get us to read further.

Stories in emails are so powerful that some people, like my Mom, even print them out. After she passed away I found a whole stack of emailed stories. Stories she valued so much she wanted to keep them in hardcopy form (not just virtually in her inbox).
- Note: That was a story (yikes!).

Since the earliest times...to now

This feeling or need to experience stories has been ingrained and embedded in us since the earliest times of human existence. From the first time a fish was caught there must have been a "fish story" which went with it relating the fisher's experience back to family, friends, and community. Not to mention "the fish that got away."

From oral to written...to digital

Beginning with oral traditions of passing stories along via storytellers to the written word in newspapers, magazines, poetry and novels and now via everything online from 140-character Twitter tweets to 1-2 minute YouTube-type videos to long meandering blog posts, ebooks (written & audio), Hulu-type videos/programs/movies, etc. (even run-on sentences like this one!).

A story of Olympic proportions - the Olympics!

As mentioned in Bob Knorpp's The Beancast: Episode 92: Telling Olympic Stories:

The Olympics were front and center on our topic list. The apparent success of the games for advertisers seemed in stark contrast to the vitriol being handed out to NBC for aggregating content into prime time. It made for a very interesting discussion.

When did the Olympics end? - I don't know. Why? Because we time-shifted the Olympics by recording them on our DVR. In any case, I watched the sports-part of the Olympics in super-fast-forward as my wife blazed through them to get to (you guessed it!) the personal stories of the athletes as told in short profile pieces and interviews interspersed throughout the programming.

Oh, and we watched the figure skating at normal speed as well. Why? Probably because of the romantically-told tales of the skaters backgrounds and stories in getting to their level of achievement and the games.

Why stories? - We remember them...and retell them

My Grandfather told me this story and I always remembered it (not verbatim, but the essence of it - that we need to get our message out):

The Codfish and the Hen

The codfish lays a million eggs,
While the helpful hen lays one;
But the codfish does not cackle
To inform us what she's done.
And so we scorn the codfish coy,
While the helpful hen we prize;
Which indicates to thoughtful minds
That it pays to advertise.

- Anonymous american rhyme.
CASS CITY CHRONICLE, Cass City, Michigan, January 5, 1923

Now that you've read the little story above, you'll probably remember it.  At some point in the future you'll probably end-up telling it to someone else to make a point or amuse them. And the story continues...

Retelling stories make them viral...

As mentioned recently in Eric Tsai's 5 Tips to Engage Social and Mobile Customers on TheCustomerCollective.com:

5. Tell a story, create passion – Reporters loves a great story because they know readers love them too.  Often times a great story can get viral because well, it’s a great story!  The increasingly social web has vastly increased the fragmentation of media. Leverage sequential advertising to tell a story and lead your prospects down a path of related messages with continuity of the call-to-action. Each engagement touch point should evoke a compelling response with fresh information and unique impression.

This is like what Napoleon Hill said in "Think and Grow Rich":

The  subconscious  mind  is  more  susceptible  to influence  by   impulses  of  thought  mixed  with  `feeling' or  emotion,  than  by  those  originating  solely  in   the  reasoning  portion  of   the  mind.  In  fact,  there  is  much evidence  to  support  the  theory,  that  ONLY emotionalized  thoughts  have  any ACTION  influence  upon the  subconscious  mind.

So the formula for (a story) going viral is:

thought + emotion = Action

Story + passion = Viral, where "going viral" is the action

You could also say that this is "The Secret" of viral stories (videos, etc.).

Details of Stories can change, but you still get the point

Note that the stories can change a little but you still get the point. The story of the Codfish and the Hen (above) is also related in Thoughts on the Business of Life (Forbes, 1999) but with the codfish laying ten thousand (10,000) eggs.

10,000 vs. 1,000,000 eggs is a big difference, but the point's the same: a lot of eggs...versus one.

It's actually part of the power of stories that they can be told differently, or mistold, and yet still effectively make the same point.

How to use Stories in Internet Marketing

• Building social movements
  - As Joe Green, the founder of Causes, a Facebook application that encourages people to give time and money to their favorite causes did: Spreading the spirit of giving, LA Times, February 28, 2010.

At Harvard, he studied with Marshall Ganz, who has helped spark a resurgence in grass-roots organizing in Democratic campaigns, including Obama's historic presidential run. From Ganz, Green learned the importance of sharing personal narratives in building social movements.

• Copywriting
  - Use stories in articles, emails, eZines, sales letters, web pages, etc. to make and drive home points. See Social Proof & Testimonials below.

• Email marketing
  - Using personal stories in broadcast emails helps personalize you and the information being given.

• Facebook
  - It's all personal stories, isn't it?

• LinkedIn
  - Status updates are (or can be) short stories.
  - What not to do: While you can tell your personal narrative within your LinkedIn profile, don't make it a fictional resume - stick with the truth and the facts.

• Social Proof
  - As Robert Cialdini said: People will do things that they see other people are doing.
  - Anecdotes and examples can help make points (see Copywriting above).

• Testimonials
  - Personal stories told by the individuals themselves, either in text or videos (even better!) which can be used on web pages, sales letters, etc. See Copywriting above.
  - Just remember to follow the recent FTC guidelines on Testimonials: FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials.
• Twitter
  - A tweet can be a very short story.
  - Or a series of tweets can tell a story.
  - Hint: If you use hashtags, then people can see the whole story when they search on the hashtag.

What's a story?

It's a narrative describing some event or sequence of events. Basically a story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Depending on how you're using the story you may also want it to have a point. Toastmasters are usually master story tellers and you can get more information here: Leading by a Tale: How to put storytelling to work in your organization by Caren S. Neile.

So what's your story?

Have a story or a comment you'd like to share? - Just let me know below...

Image credit:

Everyone wants to be found online, but what are the best ways to be found?

Businesses want to have their companies/ websites/ blogs/ products/ services found and job seekers want themselves to be found.

1) You need to have a great strategy to be found online.

Easier said than done. You need to think about where "your people" are and how they might go about finding you (or your business). Then just assure that you have a presence there. Again, easier said than done.

2) Profiles: Create profiles everywhere

Create profiles for yourself and your company at LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Plaxo, etc.

Also create business listings for your company in Yellow page sites for businesses, especially the "Local" search engine site: Google, Bing, Yahoo.

See "Increasing Your Online Visibility- Facebook Vanity URLs & Bing, Google, and Yahoo Local Business Listings" for how to do this.

Cool resource for many more yellow page sites (including international ones and social local neworking sites like Yelp): http://www.locallytype.com/pages/submit.htm.

3) Create Content and keep creating it

What do I mean by "content"? - Any text or item(s) that people want, e.g., things they want to know or learn "how to" do, blog posts, tweets, eZine (electronic magazine) articles, website articles, videos, podcasts, etc.

Here are some places you can post this content: Flickr (photos), Slideshare.net (presentations and documents), Twitter, YouTube (videos), your blog (using WordPress.org, WordPress.com, or Blogger/Blogspot), your website.

Tip/Trick: Keep the emphasis on "valuable" content. What do people want to find/know? Answer that question, given your company's or your own expertise and then write about it in interesting and engaging ways.

Hint: Use great tags so people can easily find your great content.

Note: Extra credit for supplying solutions for what people need...and are trying to find. One way to do this is using Google Suggest. Remember Google's "Parisian Love" Superbowl ad?

4) Announce what you created

Tweet about it on Twitter, do status updates in Facebook and LinkedIn...as the content applies to "your people" (and those people).

Note: If you send it to them and they're not interested, you risk them ignoring your posts, or worse yet unfollowing/unfriending you.

Example: Write a blog post (content), then post a Twitter tweet about it and a LinkedIn status update.

Tip/trick: LinkedIn works with Twitter, and vice versa with the "#in" hash tag at the end of  your Twitter tweet.

5) Comment: Leave valuable comments everywhere.

Comment on blog posts, podcasts, etc. Especially things which are hot topics which people are trying to find.

Tip/Trick: Great ways to find hot topics/trends?

Google: Google Trends

Twitter Trends: 15 Fascinating Ways to Track Twitter Trends

Technorati: Top Videos & Hottest blog posts

Forums: Boardreader's popular internet: videos, instructions, articles, etc.

6) Show what you know

It sounds simplistic, but if you "show what you know" and if you're showing what others are seeking then you'll be found...and thought of as an expert.

Experts are more becoming more trusted than "peer recommendations" according to today's Los Angeles Times opinion piece by Gregory Rodriguez: "Talk about your Buzzkill: Breaking through the noise of social media," which cites Edelman's 2010 Trust Barometer.

This means that being an expert is cool again.

How do you become an expert? Know your subject and post about it: valuably, frequently and consistently.

Note: It may help to have some credentials, but the LA Times opinion piece said that experts and academics were gaining influence, so there is a distinction between being an expert and being a person who studies/teaches the subject in a college or university.

Re: Social media: And yes, the rumors of the death of Social Media are a bit early with this barometer, as social media is really about disclosure, transparency, authenticity, and trust. For more on this see "For more information" below...

7) "Just do it"

Nike had it right. By just doing it, you're getting your "expert" voice out there where it can be found...and establishing your "expert" .

For more information on "How to be found Online":

Download: "The Power of Social Media: Gaining the competitive edge through LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook!" (click link & scroll down for download links)

Or see:

Of course there are many other ways to be found online.

If you have any favorite ways to be found online, please leave a comment below...

Here's a list of eight ways to attract visitors to your website, blog, or podcast:

1) Have something people want or value on your site.

Perhaps easier said then done. But think of things that you'd want and find valuable and then post similar things on your site.  "Content is king" so have great content people are seeking. If people like your content they'll recommend it to others. See #8) Intention below.

2) Make it presentable/attractive.

Make it look nice. Use easy to read fonts like Arial and Verdana as mentioned in Ralph Wilson's Text Font Readability Study. Use nice graphics/images/videos which people are attracted to or intrigued by. If people like the look and feel of your site they'll forward it to others. Consider Web 2.0 design for your site, e.g., "focused, clean, and simple", easy navigation, bold logos, bold text introductions, larger text, etc.

3) Use key words/phrases.

Key words are the words searchers use in search engines to find what they're looking for. Use a few key words and phrases in the title and body of your posts/articles. Note: Don't overdo this!

4) Promote it

Once you've posted something of value to your site, let the world know about it!  Tell your Facebook friend/fans, email your list, tweet about it on Twitter, submit it to Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon, or other social bookmarking sites.

5) Ask others to Promote it

People like helping other people. Sometimes all you have to do is ask them and they'll give your content (post/article/podcast/video) a boost. 

Be specific.  Ask them to tell their friends. Ask them to forward your email. Ask them to retweet your tweet: "Pls RT", etc. Use your social media/networking connections and leverage them for your success. Try to do this in a nice unobtrusive way by helping others with your solutions.

Ask other sites to link to your site, especially education, government, and organizations which are highly respected and have high authority ratings. These inbound links can give great "Google juice" to your site in the search engine results page (SERP) rankings.

6) Have a great Title

As mentioned above use a few carefully chosen keywords in your title. Make your title intriguing - something people will want to click on...and pass along to others. Try to limit the length of your title to 60 characters with spaces. Of course, match your content to your title and try to deliver what you promised. And note that you'll want to assure that your Title is also placed in the <head> section of the HTML source code of the web page. Do this for your home page and every page of your website.

7) Have a great Description

Having a great description is a three-fold process: First, describe your article using keyword/phrases in the first paragraph of your article/post/content/etc. Second, enter a description if your blog platform (or plugin like Headspace or widget) allows you to. Or if your site's content management system (CMS) allows you  to add a description/teaser, then add one. Third,  enter a meta description for your web page (note that the second step may have automatically done this). A meta description is a short description of your article (150 characters with spaces) which is placed in the <head> section of your page's HTML source code.

8) Have Intention

Intend to have a great site with valuable content, e.g. posts, articles, podcasts, videos, etc.  Intend to have/write/create/video/record something really interesting, creative, and unique.  Intend to write something worthy of being found, which people want to find, and they're pleased/satisfied/happy when they find it. And if you do it right, then this sense of intention will result in a better site/articles/posts which people will be attracted to.

Bottom Line

Just remember, Google wants to deliver the best results (answers/solutions) to its customers: Searchers who are asking questions with their search queries. So make sure that your post/article/podcast/site is something people want/desire/need, describe that using keywords/phrases and deliver on the promise of your title & description and people will be attracted to your site. There are many more ways to attract visitors to your site, but these should give you a good start.

Resources

For a free download of 77 ways to increase your online profits go to: IncreaseOnlineProfits.com and see: IOP Insider News.

To see how these 77 great tips of Internet marketing can help your site, just view The Solution Movie (90-seconds):

Note: The Solution Movie is a Marketing Over Coffee award finalist.

Comments

Have a better way of attracting visitors? - Please leave a comment below.

Recently I heard a Marketing Edge podcast by Albert Maruggi called "It is a Gift to be a Relevant Marketer".

An excellent podcast as always, it made me think that "relevance" is only one great aspect marketers should strive for.

If we could get our relevant messages across with elegance then our communications would be clearer, stronger and more effective.

Relevance

"Relevance" is what pertains to what we need or want.

Elegance

"Elegance" is simplicity with some style.

Simplicity

Simple messages are:

• Shorter
• Clearer
• Less complex
• Straight to the point

Stylish

Style can be added to messages by using:

• Nice photos/graphics to emphasize your point
• Some formatting (bullets, italics, bolding, fonts, colors, etc.)
• Easy to scan/skim text

The Long and Winding Road...not!

In the past my blog posts tended to be long and obtuse...on purpose (yikes!).

• My strategy was to show something and then show how it was done.
• Sadly my posts often became long and involved.
• The main points were lost in a jumble of words.

Striving for Relegance

Now I'm going to strive for "Relegance", relevant elegance in my posts.

And why do I say strive? Because I realize that this is a process.

Relegance doesn't just happen, it has to be consciously thought of and put into action.

So I challenge myself...and you...to act now and be relegant!

I'd welcome your thoughts and advice on this.

Be well and happy and prosperous!

~~~

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/annia316/ / CC BY 2.0

Photo title: "Suddenly things seem crystal clear to me..."

This is the follow-up post to my last post about "17-Minute Podcast Which Could Change Your Life Forever". In this post we'll look at: How/why podcasts are amazing, possibly life-changing, mediums.

In my next post we'll explore my frustrations with Twitter not having an archive which could preserve tweets about great podcasts (or other items which might be helpful to others).

And if you think these 2 points are mutually-exclusive, according to Princeton's WordNetWeb, the first meaning of "medium" is "a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information"...and we're talking about both storing (archiving) and communicating (podcasts & Twitter) here.

How/why podcasts are amazing possibly life-changing mediums

• Hearing illuminating life-changing information, most of which is...free!
• Listening to podcasts while exercising: Walking, cycling, working out at the gym, etc.
  • For me, this makes working out fun and interesting because I'm always learning and finding out about new things and trends in social media, internet marketing, searching the web, etc.
• Advancing in your business or career or profession or studies because you're learning new things all the time.
• Being respected by your peers because you're so knowledgeable about subjects, current events, etc.
• Becoming a subject matter expert because you're so knowledgeable about it.
• Becoming a great conversationalist because you're well-versed in a diverse variety of topics.
• Keeping your mind active by learning new things.

• Possibly preventing Alzheimers Disease, exercising your mind, keeping your mind and thinking processes agile, and improving your memory.  And if you have a hard time remembering what you hear while you're working out at the gym you can try using Evernote.

The Problem(s) with Podcasts

The information (your information if you're creating the podcast recording) is locked in an audio (mp3) file.  There's gold in podcasts and you need to find a way to release the treasure contained within so others can find and experience it.

• To unlock the file you need to either:
  • Add "show notes"(notes describing what's in the podcast which would be posted on the podcast's blog),
  • Transcribe the podcast (yourself, using a transcription service, using an automated transcription program like Windows Speech Recognition (#8) or Dragon Naturally Speaking, or an online program like EveryZing's search, now discontinued).

Why would you want to unlock your audio/video podcasts by summarizing them or converting them to text?

• Answer:
  
  1. For people who don't have time to listen to the whole podcast and just want to skim/scan what was talked about,
  2. So Google's bot (robot) can index the content and key phrases which were talked about in the podcast, and/or
  3. To improve the SEO (search engine optimization) for your podcast blog.

For more/related info on Podcasts see my blog post on: 11 Quick Questions for Evaluating Podcasts.

For examples of "show notes" see:

Marketing Over Coffee

Six Pixels of Separation

Next blog post: "The Trouble with Twitter" and why I archived the Twitter tweets in my last blog post: 17-Minute Podcast Which Could Change Your Life Forever about C.C. Chapman's Managing the Gray phenomenally helpful and inspiring podcast "You Are The Only One Standing in YOUR Way".

Microphone image above courtesy of :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deanhp/ / CC BY 2.0

Do you have just 17-short-minutes to listen to a podcast which could change your life forever? Then go to here, listen to the podcast, and immediately improve your life: You Are The Only One Standing in YOUR Way (Chasing Your Dreams).

Improve Your Life Immediately

You're probably thinking: How could my life improve immediately? 

• Answer: Sometimes the right attitude and mind-set are all you need to positively affect your life. 
  • But if you want to take more time and follow all of the solutions offered in the podcast then you can do that too... and reap even more benefits.  Just do it! (as Nike says).

The Wisdom of Life and Business Success - in just 17 minutes!

In this podcast social media guru, C.C. Chapman, succinctly gives his life wisdom and business success secrets.  As I mentioned in my comment to his podcast blog:

...summarizing much of Life’s wisdom into this...podcast which every human being should hear.

Not to mention being like the brief audiobook version of Guy Kawasaki’s bible of business/marketing success tips in: “Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition” as well.

I commented on C.C.'s Managing the Gray blog because in his podcast he lamented that people are more likely to tweet/post on social networks rather than on blogs these days. Of course that’s true, since I had just tweeted some quotes from his podcast on Twitter as well.

But since Twitter tweets aren't archived and can disappear from search results after a short period of time I'm showing a series of tweets highlighting the important potentially life-changing information in C.C. Chapman's podcast below (as well as some info I didn't tweet on).

Highlights of "You Are The Only One Standing in YOUR Way" podcast

  - Note: Twitter tweets have time & date at end:

Best short podcast for improving your life by @cc_chapman: You Are The Only One Standing in YOUR Way. http://su.pr/2YrsH9 #iopnews. 5:44 PM Sep 1st from Su.pr

Chasing your dreams & how to reach your total potential: Great podcast by @cc_chapman: http://su.pr/2YrsH9 #iopnews. 5:47 PM Sep 1st from Su.pr

No-one's holding you back...but you. (00:44 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO.

If something's in your way, it's probably you! (e.g., like "gate jumping" in the country). (02:00 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO.

How to Speak at a Conference (04:20 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 5:52 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

 How to write/publish a book...Write it! (07:39 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 5:55 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

*Make* it a great day...*not* "have a great day" (06:30 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 5:57 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

You can do anything - Barriers are gone - Rules are gone...Do it! --> Podcast by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 6:00 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

Focus on the goal & work tail off to get there - don't focus on the negatives (09:40/podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 6:04 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

Don't give up on your goals...talk to your friends. (09:50/podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO.

Chasing dreams is what Life's all about. (10:40/podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO.

Go back and review your goals. (10:50 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO

Focus on your goals, share them. Put them out there & be held accountable (10:50 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 6:06 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

When need help, don't be afraid to ask. Friends will help you. (13:15 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 6:08 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

Test your social media/networking contacts and ask them for help (13:15 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 6:09 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

Why are the points above shown as tweets, instead of bullets?

Answer: See my next blog post on: "How Podcasts can Save (Every Person in) the World."

Bottom Line

"*Make* a great day!" - This is what CC would say...and it's what my business partner, Rick Henkin, and I try to do every day at IncreaseOnlineProfits.com. Also, if you're doing what's fun (and what you have a passion for), then it's not work!

Comments?

 Comments for Karl? - Please leave one below...

Comments for C.C. Chapman re: his podcast? - I know that CC would be very happy if you'd leave a comment on his Managing the Gray blog.

Free: The Future of a Radical Price

Just a perhaps ironic observation re: Chris Anderson's new book FREE: The Future of a Radical Price.

Note: FREE "makes the compelling case that in many instances businesses can profit more from giving things away than they can by charging for them." - Source: Amazon.com.

Near the end of C.C. Chapman's interview of Chris Anderson in his great Managing the Gray podcast, Chris Anderson said that he was offering his latest book FREE for free in its digital forms (viewable online and unabridged audio).

And while the unabridged 6-hour audio would be no-cost, the abridged 3-hour audio would be sold for $7.49.  Don't believe me?  Well, it's stated on Chris Anderson's The Long Tail blog.

Reason: The shorter version is worth more because time is money and it saves people time.  Saving time has "value".

Unabridged/Full Audio Book at Audible.com

So you can download the single 101 MB file in Audible's Format 4 (which uses MP3 compression), or in other formats if you prefer.

Price: Free.

Cost: Your name, email address, and joining Audible.com for...free (you get the picture).

"Abridged" Audio Book at Hyperion's (the publisher's) site

And you can go to Hyperion's site and download the "Abridged" audio book in 16 MP3 files totaling 136 MB.

Price: Free.

Cost: Your email address and some time (which is money) to download all of the files.

DISCONNECT: But wasn't the "Abridged" audio supposed to be sold for $7.49?

Note: I'm no expert at audio compression, but my guess is that these files (totaling 136 MB) might actually be the "Unabridged" version (101 MB file at Audible.com which is supposed to be free).  A quick sampling of the Prologue of each of these sounded the same to me.

• Prologue at Hyperion's site: "01_Prologue-Abridged.mp3" - 6057 KB

Question: Did the Publisher Get the Memo?

So if  Audible.com and Hyperion's audio book versions are the same (unabridged), we have to wonder if Hyperion:

• Just made an error in labeling the audio book: "Abridged" vs. "Unabridged", even though "Abridged" is shown in the description as well as in the file name of all 16 files.
• Made an error in pricing the "Abridged" audio book for free instead of the intended $7.49. Or,
• ...drumroll, please...
• Just couldn't  bear the thought of giving the book away for free unless it was "Abridged".
• In other words: So much value is usually attached to the full work for the full price, that simply giving away the full audio book for free may have been unacceptable/undoable for the publisher.
• Perhaps they simply couldn't bring themselves to give away the full book and label it as such.
• Even though the author felt the "Abridged" audio book was worth more.
• Unless of course, the publisher didn't read the book, but that would be impossible (and we're sure that's not the case)!
  • Disclaimer: I haven't had time to read the book yet either, but from C.C. Chapman's interview with Chris Anderson, I'm pretty sure what his intention was/is, not to mention that it's stated on his The Long Tail blog.
  • And if I missed the point on all of this, then my apologies in advance to everyone involved: Hyperion, Amazon, Chris Anderson (who we love!), C.C. Chapman (who we love!), etc.  And if you're feeling this way, please see: The bullet point below as well as "The Bottom Line: Everyone Wins!" below...
  • And realistically, Hyperion probably deserves huge "Kudos!" for offering 16 chapters (abridged or unabridged) for free online, given an industry that's probably more disposed to giving away one free chapter online.  So, "Bravo Hyperion!"

Bottom Line: Everyone Wins!

And the funny thing is: It doesn't really matter because everyone wins.

Hyperion:  "Your email will only be used to send you information about our other great books."  So Hyperion gets some free marketing privileges.

Audible.com: Similarly, Audible gets some free marketing privileges, your free membership...and Audible Inc.  is a subsidiary of Amazon.com.  Hmmm...

Plus you need to download Audible's AudibleManager software to play Audible's files in their proprietary formats, so as users ("members") accumulate more audio book files over time, this will create switching costs a la Michael Porter's Five Forces so customers will be more likely to stick with Audible rather than switch to another audio book provider.

Amazon: See paragraph above and image of book above leading to Amazon's site.

Chris Anderson: Because his book is getting great publicity and we'll probably buy the dead-tree version anyway because it's easier to highlight and looks cooler when you carry it around (unless you have a Kindle 2...made my Amazon...of course). And we love Chris Anderson anyway!

The Biggest Loser...not! - Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman

And unfortunately "The Biggest Loser" could have been Abbie Hoffman, author of Steal this Book,  because he came before his time and he missed it by one word:  "Free"...or did he?

Premise: While a free book is "a steal", stealing the book reduces your book sales to the point that you don't make any money (at least back in the day when there were only dead-tree books).

Reality: "Abbie Hoffman couldn't get anyone to publish Steal This Book --thirty publishers turned it down. When the book was released, bookstores wouldn't carry it. Newspapers, TV and radio all refused to run advertisements. But despite these setbacks, Steal This Book found its way on to the Best Seller list in 1971.  ...The book sold more than quarter of a million copies between April and November 1971." - Source: Amazon.

"It's embarrassing you try to overthrow the government and you wind up on the Best Seller's List."
-- Abbie Hoffman     - Source: Amazon.

"A driving force behind the social revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, Hoffman inspired a generation to challenge the status quo. — Studs Terkel"
- Source: Amazon.

Bottom Bottom Line: Social (Media) Revolution

So from one "social revolution" in the 1960's and 1970's...to a "social media revolution" in the 2000's (and who can argue with that term given what's been happening recently in Iran and Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook?).

Perhaps FREE (The Future of a Radical Price) is the Steal This Book of the 2000's?  And with the current buzz re: FREE, it certainly seems to be.

And perhaps ironically, there's also a Kindle version of Steal This Book now, and interestingly the warning on Amazon's page states:

"Warning: The Publisher assumes no liability for damages arising from you trying ANYTHING mentioned in this book. The world of 2005 is far less tolerant than the world of 1971." - Source: Amazon.

And for publishing itself, it might end up that the concept of "Free" is a radical concept both before it's time, yet very effective, in giving some taste of a product (like the entire unabridged book or audio book!), and then upselling to something perceived to be of more value (abridged book that takes less time, or in a desirable format like Kindle, or the book in paper).

Free vs. One Cent

Marketing Over Coffee's podcast last week mentioned the concept of "Free vs. one cent" (e.g., Predictably Irrational) and having a "premium" version/strategy which people are willing to pay for like a physical book, DVD, consulting service, speaking engagement, etc.  And yes, this may be a "tired and worn" concept now...but apparently it works all the way to the bank:

For example, using free eBooks etc. to promote listbuilding, email/ eNewsletter marketing, etc. (especially since email marketing is one of the most tried-and-true methods of internet marketing and social media marketing is still proving-out and establishing its business case).

MOC also quoted David Meerman Scott at Podcamp Boston as saying: "Free is where you start, not where you end"...because you can't eat attention.

So we'll see if the current buzz/attention re: FREE's marketing model helps us all put food on our tables.  Great: now we can be "internet foodies" instead of "internet marketers".

Links to free versions of FREE: The Future of a Radical Price:

• Google Books - Online ebook with live Table of Contents for easy navigation (Time limit: one month).
• Scribd - Online ebook (Time limit: one month).
• Wired.com download of zipped MP3 files - Audio books "free forever".
• Unabridged audio files at Audible.com - 6 hours: free.
• Abridged audio files at Audible.com - 3 hours: $7.49.
• "Abridged" (or Unabridged?) Audio Book at Hyperion's (the publisher's) site - free.
  • See "Question: Did the Publisher Get the Memo?" above

- Check with Chris Anderson's The Long Tail blog for updates to free releases of "FREE", e.g., coming soon: "free FREE on Kindle and other ebook readers, including the iPhone".

Transparency note: No affiliate links were used in the blog post above nor was any compensation of any kind received by the blog post author.

Have a comment on this? - Just let me know...

Names are powerful: Choose great names to influence others in choosing your web site...and respect others by spelling their name correctly.

We all react and respond to names. When you see certain names, they make you feel a certain way.  Some names inspire confidence or implied effectiveness...and others don't.  This is true for human names as well as domain names.

"Steel" versus...

In the old sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati there was a scene in which the strong boyfriend of the show's leading lady, Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson), named "Steel" met Les Nessman, the radio station's wimpy and nerdy news director:

Steel: I like to think that a person's name says a lot about the type of person he is. What was your name again?

Les: (pauses) Les.

Note: Above quote courtesy of TV.com:  Episode Guide > Season 2, Episode 5: Jennifer Falls in Love.

This is definitely not a situation where "Less is more"...especially compared to "Steel".

What Started this Name rant

I received an envelope addressed to: "Kar Kasca".  Better yet, enclosed in the envelope was a check made out to: "Kar Kasca"...and since my bank accepted the deposit, it's "no worries", right?  Yes, except to me, the person receiving the letter.

Try your Name here...if you dare

And if you don't think your name and its spelling make a difference, then try your name at the Kabalarians.com website...if you dare, since the Kabalarians tell you both the good...and bad aspects of your name, e.g.,  "Though the name Kar creates the urge to be creative and original, we stress through a scattered and emotional nature, you suffer frustration."
- Wow, now I'm really glad that "Karl" is my name!

Also I want you to know that I'm not usually very sensitive about name spellings, but sometimes it does get under my skin a little.

Email versus Snail Mail

It's just that within a few hours I received the letter above, as well as having someone Reply to an email addressing it to: "Carl".  So think about it: This person's known me for years, seen countless emails from me, as well as the email they were replying to...and they still addressed their message to "Carl", instead of "Karl" - yikes!

Is it possible that we're all getting just a little too careless about Names?  What might your supervisor have said in your evaluation?
- Perhaps something like: "Lack of attention to detail"?

Customer Relations and Names

Bottom Line:If it's possible this might get under your customer's (or vendor's or associate's) skin a little then take the extra 5 seconds to look up their name in your contact manager or online.  If nothing else, just start typing their name into Google and let "Google Suggest" show you the spelling (see image at right).

Simpler yet: Just look at the "From" or Signatures on emails.

With a name like "Kasca"...it has to be good!

Taking off of an SNL (Saturday Night Live) sketch about Smucker's slogan about their jam: If the name is that bad, it must be great:

Dan Aykroyd:  Mangled Baby Ducks.  That’s right, Mangled Baby Ducks!  Picture a jam so good that you’d dare to call it Mangled Baby Ducks!  Great Jam!  It’s beautiful jam!

Quote courtesy of SNL Transcripts Season 1 > Episode 17: Jam Hawkers.

And please note that Smucker's does make great jam!

Domain Names & Cyber Squatting

But I'm used to people misspelling my last name.  Most people spell it "Kaska".  So much so that I tried to purchase the Kaska.com domain name, simply so I could catch all of the misdirected emails I was certain were being lost in the vacuum of the internet.

But some cyber-squatter had snapped up that domain for a huge amount of money.  Even a GoDaddy.comsearch today shows Kaska.com as having a "Premium Domain Name" price of $5,400.  And I guess I can't complain about cyber-squatting in this case, since "Kaska" isn't really my name.

Tip: Register your company's name or brands...and their misspellings so you won't lose business (either online or in your inbox).

Comments - Have a Misspelled Name or Cyber-Squatting horror story?

Let me know...

In my last post How to Improve Your Memory During Your Workout at the Gym and YouTube video I showed how you can use the free software program Evernote to jot down notes so you can remember anything anywhere at anytime.  As I mentioned this works on any platform/ computer (PC, Mac, iPhone, Mobile Phone).

Turn Photos of Notes into Recognizable/Findable Text

One thing I didn't mention about Evernote is that theoretically you can also take photos of your handwritten notes with your mobile/iPhone and Evernote will recognize your handwriting so you can search/find your notes later.

Turn Lost/Misplaced Notes Into Information Bonanza

How many times have you taken notes at a live lecture, webinar, conference call, and filed the notes somewhere (in that giant uncategorized file)...where they're totally lost to you, since you can't locate them when you need them?

Think of all of the conferences, seminars, etc. with tons of great info that would be excellent to tap into...if you just could find it and view it.  This should be great for students, conference/seminar/webinar-attendees, knowledge-lovers, and internet marketers (who are always studying and learning).

Now there's a solution, or at least a potential solution...

Not Quite In-Focus Yet

I haven't quite gotten the note recognition functionality to work yet with my T-Mobile Wing phone but this most likely has to do with the resolution (size: number of pixels), quality (fineness), brightness (of light), and/or the distance from the orginal handwritten note (due to the focal length of the camera).  Evernote addressed this in their Help/Support: Why can't Evernote find some of the words in my pictures?

How to Turn Handwritten Notes into Retrievable Information

1. Install Evernote on your Mobile Phone or iPhone.
2. Start the Evernote program (on your phone).
3. Select "Snapshot" (Note: This takes you to your phone's camera).
4. View the handwritten note through your viewfinder and when it's the clearest, take the photo.
5. Press the curved arrow button.
6. Enter a title.
7. Press "Done" (Note: Then your picture will upload to your Evernote page on the Internet).
8. Go to your Evernote page on the Internet.
9. Refresh the page (by hitting <Ctrl> + F5 on a PC, or Command/Apple + F5 on a Mac).
10. View the photo of your handwritten note.
11. Note: It may take awhile for Evernote to recognize/index the photo of your note.
12. As I understand it, your note will be processed quicker if you opt for the fee-version of Evernote (which also increases your monthly storage allowance).
13. Search for a word in your note and Evernote should find your handwritten note so you can read it.

Note: If this doesn't work, then play with the resolution and quality settings on your phone's camera and/or the brightness of the light as well as the distance of the camera from your note.

That's it! (once I figure the last part out, that is).

FYI: It looks like Griffin has a solution for improving the clarity for iPhone photos of text/notes called "Clarifi": A protective case with built-in close-up lens for iPhone 3G.

--> If anyone knows of a clarity-improving solution like this for the T-Mobile Wing or other non-iPhone mobile phones please let me know with a comment below...

Attraction and Internet Marketing

Question: What does all of this have to do with attracting visitors and Internet Marketing?

Answer: People are attracted to:

• How to articles.
• Solutions to problems.
• Tools and gadgets.
• Tips and Reviews.
• Keywords of interest (e.g., "treasure")
• YouTube videos.

Writing blog posts or making YouTube videos addressing what attracts people can increase the traffic to your blog/YouTube site and to your website from there (if they find information of value to them), e.g., IncreaseOnlineProfits.com.

Last word: Always provide valuable content which helps people since "Content is King".

Comments, Questions, Better Solutions?

• Have something to say about this?  Let me know...
• Have a better solution.  Chime in...
• Have you gotten this to work with your T-Mobile Wing or your mobile phone?
• Were there any additional/crucial tips to getting this to work.  If so, please let  me and the AttractMoreVisitorsblog readers know by leaving a comment below...

Know anyone who might find this blog post interesting/helpful?  Then please use "Tell A Friend" below...

Problem: Too many Great Ideas, not enough Memory

I love working out at the gym because it's a great opportunity to listen to internet marketing podcasts and learn about the lastest marketing strategies and trends.  The only problem is that when you hear great ideas (especially ideas that you're thinking of tweeting/blogging about later) it's tough to remember them.  Since it's hard to remember several ideas (or website links) throughout your entire workout and until you get to your home/office, it would be great to be able to write them down.  But who wants to carry a clipboard or notebook around the gym?

Solution: Your Mobile Phone/iPhone and the multi-platform Evernote program.

Evernote is  an excellent web-based as well as phone-based program you can use to jot down your notes in a hurry.  All you have to do is register on Evernote's website and then download the Evernote software and install it onto your laptop/desktop (PC or Mac) and web-enabled phone. Since the Evernote site has directions, videos & tutorials & screenshots, I'm just going to show you how to use Evernote at the gym during your workout.

How to Improve Your Memory During Your Workout at the Gym

1. Download and Synchronize podcasts onto your mobile phone/iPhone.
   Note: I use Juice and Windows Media Player for this.
   You may use iTunes.
2. Listen to the podcasts while doing your workout.
3. When you hear a great idea start Evernote on your mobile phone/iPhone.
4. Jot down a note in Evernote.
5. Example: "MOC: Google Website Analyzer" (see Evernote image).
6. Rinse and repeat (do this for every great idea you hear that you want to remember).
7. Extra credit to boost your site traffic: When you get back to your home/office write a tweet or blog post based on the great idea.

• Twitter Example:
  • Google Website Optimizer tweet with thanks to Marketing Over Coffee podcast and @cspenn (Christopher Penn) for the great idea.

• Blog Post Example:
  • For Immediate Release (FIR) podcast by Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #441: April 20, 2009 re: Domino's Pizza.
  • Generated idea for Attract More Visitors blog post re: Domino's and How to Deal With Social Media Emergency Responses.
  • Clearly when you write these notes on Elliptical Trainers or the Treadmill they don't always look that great (do not do this...see the Caveat/Warning below).
  • But the point is: All they have to do is be good enough to remind you of the idea you need so you can take action on them, e.g, writing a tweet or posting a blog post.

YouTube Video: "How to Improve Your Memory During Your Workout at the Gym"

How does this help me Attract More Visitors to my Site?

You might be thinking, this is all great, but how does it help me get traffic to my website? Basically, by helping you remember all of the great ideas you heard in internet marketing and social media podcasts so you can blog and tweet about them on Twitter.  That's it, no magic or mirrors involved, just enabling you to write more blog posts and Twitter tweets which others may see or find via Google searches and then follow to your website (from your blog or your Twitter bio/profile).

Comments

Have a better way to remember great ideas during your workout? - just let me know...

And "extra credit" points for ways which improve your site traffic as well.

Caveats and Fine Print Warnings!

Please consult your Doctor before engaging in any exercise program.  Also, please be sure to *pause* during your exercise routine *before* writing notes in Evernote in your mobile phone/iPhone!  After all, you don't want to end up falling or having an accident at the gym.

And no matter what happens, please do not hold Evernote, me (Karl Kasca), Attract More Visitors blog, IncreaseOnlineProfits.com, or Social Mastermind Corp. responsible as we've already cautioned you above.