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Good Design is obsessive. You need to constantly be asking questions like: - Why is this here? It doesn’t matter whether we are talking computer hardware, clothing, websites, food, or just about anything else. January 6th, 2010 |
Here is my advice on a “Coming Soon” page: Don’t have one. There really isn’t any reason to have such a page. After all, you are not Google or Apple. There aren’t really people lining up waiting for the next big thing to be released by you and your business. Chances are, people who visit your website are looking for a solution to a problem, now. They don’t care too much about what you are trying to sell in the 3 months. They just want their problems solved, as quickly as humanly possible. So instead of having a “Coming Soon” placeholder page, consider this: figure out why people are visiting your “empty” website and then send them away. Spend a little time search online and find the next best solution (your product, of course, is the best solution, isn’t it?) to their problems, and put the links to those websites on your page. Explain why you believe these websites would help your visitors and maybe give them a brief preview on why you think you could do better. Sure, you would lose the sale this time (which isn’t really a bad thing considering you don’t have any product for sale anyway). But at the very least, you have helped out your visitors by providing something useful which they can use right now. That should be the goal of your website, shouldn’t it? January 4th, 2010 |
2010 is here — a brand new decade! I hate to be cynical here, but do you still remember 2000? The start of a new millennium? Things haven’t changed much since then for you, have they? I mean, what have you done professionally in the last 10 years that you have to show for? For most of us, I am guessing the answer is almost nothing, and that includes me. 10 years is a long time, isn’t it? So here is my new years/decade resolution or advice: - Don’t wait until you know “absolutely everything” before starting out. Do it now. - Work, to have something to show for (in 10 years). Happy new decade! January 1st, 2010 |
If you give an iPhone to a Blackberry owner without explaining anything, there is a chance he will consider switching. If you give a Blackberry to an iPhone owner without explaining anything, there is no way on earth that he will switch. December 29th, 2009 |
People are willing to overpay for a number of reasons: safety, reliability, luxury, whatever. What people aren’t willing to do though, is to overpay for something that they know they could get for cheaper or maybe even for free. It’s even worse when they overpay for something which their peers can get for less. That’s probably the number one reason why some people seem to search relentlessly for the best deals that they can find: it’s not that they don’t want to spend money — it’s because that they want to earn the bragging rights of being able to find the best deals (best in this case doesn’t always mean the cheapest), or that they don’t want to appear foolish in front of their friends. So the next time when you ask your customers to overpay, ask these questions: – Can they find similar products elsewhere? Are they cheaper/free? Most importantly, pay close attention to the difference between what’s true and what your customers choose to believe. December 28th, 2009 |
As a marketer, you should always listen to your customers. That doesn’t mean that your customers are always right. Far from it. It means that with your expertise, you should be able to figure out what your customers truly need, and have the courage to come up with a solution for them — even when sometimes, most of your customers disagree with you at first. December 26th, 2009 |
- Be thankful, - Be healthy, - Love, - And Care …are probably the best presents one can give/receive/share. December 24th, 2009 |
Steve Jobs: How to live before you die Michael Sandel: What’s the right thing to do? December 23rd, 2009 |
- Don’t have any. Fine prints are usually unnecessary. - If you absolutely need to include fine prints on your website and/or any other places, make them bigger and more legible. - Instead of trying to hide them, do the opposite. Draw attention to them. - Explain to people why you have fine prints. People are generally more understanding and forgiving than you give them credit for. - You might want to think of fine prints as a tool (or part of your marketing strategy) to gain your audience’s trust instead of a way of dodging responsibilities. December 22nd, 2009 |
I like Beta version software. Did you know that for years, Google’s Gmail and Docs were in their Beta stages? Sure, Beta software can be unstable and could sometimes cause crashes or data loss, but I think it’s the mindset that matters the most. You see, once you have announced that something is finished, you have taken away the possibility for it to improve. A finished product is a done deal. People tend to not think about it and move on. But Beta is different. It means that you and your team both understand that the product isn’t finished; that you are not afraid to make mistakes and take risks (which could cause crashes and data loss); and that you are actively seeking new possibilities to make it better. Your business (not just your products) should always be in Beta mode. December 21st, 2009 |
Many new concepts, ideas or businesses fail for one simple reason. It’s never because they don’t have enough similarities to the existing concepts, ideas or business which they are trying to replace. Instead, it’s because they don’t have the courage to be different enough. December 18th, 2009 |
No, I don’t mean quitting your job. But for those of us who truly want to help others in our field of expertise, chances are, our company is holding us back in one way or another — whether it’s the arrogant top management who simply “doesn’t get it”, or the co-workers who always seem to try to dodge responsibilities. So instead of running around all day trying to cover everyone else’s miscues, here is what I suggest: You already have everything you need to know to make a difference, and with the Internet, you can now actually do it. Don’t quit your daytime job, instead, build a website to transfer your knowledge to the people who need it. In other words, imagine that if your clients are your friends, and they all have the same knowledge as you do, would that help them? No, it won’t be easy, and you will certainly fail a lot in the beginning, but isn’t that a much better alternative if you truly wanted to help? December 17th, 2009 |
You can create an eBook with just about any word processing software. For example, something like Microsoft Word or OpenOffice.org. Once you are done organizing the ideas and putting them into a Word file, simply convert (print) the file to PDF and you have yourself an eBook. Pretty easy, isn’t it? Some things to keep in mind: - Page layout is important. Usually, you want to make it so that people don’t need to scroll within a single page. Consider using a wide page layout. - Fonts are important. Legibility should rank over anything else. - Length is important. Normally, eBooks are short, concise, and right to the point because well, you get tired and a little bored reading stuff on your computer screen. - Make it clear whether or not it’s OK for your readers to email or post your content. - File size is important. If you want your readers to email or post your eBook, make sure the file size isn’t too big. Many ISP’s only allow email attachments up to a certain size. Also, if it takes a long time to upload the file, some people might choose not to do it at all. - Always double check hyperlinks in your eBook. If you use some free PDF converter, sometimes they don’t include hyperlinks. You could end up with blue underlined words that lead to nowhere. Finally, you will hear a lot of people telling you how to market your eBook. Here is my advice: show your eBook to one person, choose to market only if he or she decides to pass it on. Otherwise, start over. December 15th, 2009 |
“Here are more than seventy big thinkers, each sharing an idea for you to think about as we head into the new year. From bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert to brilliant tech thinker Kevin Kelly, from publisher Tim O’Reilly to radio host Dave Ramsey, there are some important people riffing about important ideas here. The ebook includes Tom Peters, Jackie Huba and Jason Fried, along with Gina Trapani, Bill Taylor and Alan Webber.” – Seth Godin December 14th, 2009 |
I think that is a fair question. As we are scrambling around in this new piece of software/technology, and trying to learn all these new features, we seem to forget what we want out of it. It happens all the time. When I talk to people about starting their own blogs with Wordpress, the first question they ask is usually, “What can WordPress do?”, and my usual reply is, “what do you want to do (with it)?” Remember when Google Wave was first introduced? The very first question by the Wave team which caught my attention was: If we were to invent email today, what would it look like? I personally think it is pretty cool to use Wave as an email platform. I can add or remove(?) recepients and use playback to track the conversations with ease. How about Wave as an instant messenger? I had a chat session with someone a while back. Even though it was pretty interesting at first to see characters appearing as he was typing, I wasn’t that impressed. Wave as social media, (micro)blogging, forums, or photo/video sharing platform? I am not sure yet. The fact of matter is, it probably can’t do everything. It will be great at just a few of them and suck at the rest. Make up your mind on what you want to accomplish with this new tool, then perhaps it would be a lot easier making it work for you. P.S. I have some WAVE invitations available. Send me an email if you want one. December 14th, 2009 |
Like it or not, social media is becoming a huge part of our lives and businesses. According to MarketingVox.com, Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn ranks #2 on the Top 10 Internet Marketing Strategy of 2009 list, just behind Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Mashable.com is probably THE place to go when it comes to social media, and they have come up with an amazing social media guide for small businesses. Topics include: December 13th, 2009 |
2010 is going to be just like 2009. Don’t assume things will get better just because the year is about to end. New year resolutions are just nice ways of putting hard work on hold. If the changes/improvements were easy or (that) important, I really don’t see the point of waiting to make them happen, do you? December 11th, 2009 |
How would you and your staff act differently when you know that your customers have the power to fire you? How would your customers react? Sometimes the easiest decisions to improve your business may just appear to be the most uncomfortable ones. December 10th, 2009 |
Wobo Library Updated, and added: Twitter Instant Cash. *Wobo is just a word I made up to call those businesses who aren’t honest with the customers. Wobo Name(s):
The Bottom Line: Be prepared to pay at least $80.94.
December 10th, 2009 |
Warning: The video below contains graphic sexual language.
When kids today could gain access to contents (that were not easily accessible 20 years ago) through the Internet at a very young age, and because they have not yet experienced things in that particular area, they could very well be led to believe that materials created for entertaining purposes are in fact what things are intended to be. And this doesn’t limit to just hardcore pornography. So what should you do about it? #1. You should realize the fact that the Internet has changed the way information is delivered and spread forever. Whether you are a parent, a teacher, a marketer or a business owner, trying to seal your kids/students/clients/customers from information is no longer an option, at least not a very smart one. #2. You should also realize that Internet could work for you just as well as you believe it’s working against you. #3. When you believe that you have a December 8th, 2009 |
Lucky means “occurring by chance” according to Google. Essentially, the less likely for an incident to occur, the luckier (or unlucky depending on the outcome) you are. In poker, you are considered extremely lucky to hit your “one-outer” on the river. The chance of that happening is about 2%. I saw a post on Facebook the other day that someone was told that he was 99% unlucky. Now Facebook has about 350 million users worldwide today. Assuming that you think Facebook is a good thing (because you choose to use it) and my math is correct, you are among the top 5% in the world (6 billion population) blessed with that privilege. Combine that with health, water, food, shelter, and numerous other things that we often take for granted, just how much luckier can we get? December 7th, 2009 |
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