The Ranting Marketer

Become an Instigator

2011-09-25T12:33:00.000-04:00

This video was posted on the Facebook page of Relationship Strategies University with the following questions:
Is this guy a pioneer or a leader? How about his first few followers, are they really leaders for having the guts to jump in? Did the "pioneer" become a leader when he encouraged the first few followers? What do you think about this video?

I see him as an "instigator." The first few people who joined him are "early adopters" and the rest are "followers." Do you know at when the "Tipping Point" was reached? When anyone in the seated crowd became the "odd ones out?"

Become an instigator for your brand or product. Don't be afraid to be the first one out on the dance floor. You may feel odd at first but you will have a few early adopters and pretty soon your competitors will be the odd ones out.

I DON'T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT BRANDING

2011-09-23T12:58:00.001-04:00

I don't give a crap about branding. And YOU don't either.

Don't believe me?

I can prove it to you. But only if you are willing to be completely honest with yourself and with me.

Brands love to tout the results of surveys such as the one released in August 2011 that revealed Victoria's Secret had the second highest "DigitalIQ" among retail stores.

The ranking, developed by Scott Galloway, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, and experts from L2 in partnership with Buddy Media, measures the digital footprint of 64 brands through website, digital marketing, social media and mobile aspects.
While 37 percent of the brands in the index were classified as “gifted,” only Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret and third-place Nordstrom earned the higher “genius” distinction.

WTF??!! A brand is a genius??

What do you care more about, having your brand score high in surveys on how people feel about your brand or how much they actually spend in your business.

IT IS ABOUT REVENUE GENERATION, not about branding.

Its About Time

2011-09-07T15:15:00.001-04:00

I haven't posted here in a while and am not very consistent with my posting in general. Why? Because the Blogger platform was laborious to use and lacked functions that Wordpress makes so easy. Blogger has now released a new version. And to Google I say, "It is about time!" You do so many things very well but it you left Blogger to waste while Wordpress forged ahead. It still lacks many of the cool features that Wordpress has released but it is a thousand times better than it was. Thank you.

Quotes

2011-08-23T11:27:00.001-04:00

I am listening to "On Point" on my local public radio station as I work. Today's topic is quotes. The discussion reminded me of a saying I coined while in college.

"Let the rains of today wash the footprints of my past from the paths of my future." Steven Herron, 1983.

What is your favorite quote?

Google+ and World Change

2011-08-22T14:06:00.000-04:00

I began with Google+ just after it was launched. I am learning new things about it everyday. I am not active on it as much as I would like. Today, though, I received an email saying the John Hawker added me to his Google+ connections. I thought, "Who the hell is John Hawker and why is he adding me on his Google+ account?"

I am not one to believe in coincidences so there may be a force involved, as yet not understood by me, that caused this connection to occur on the same day that Muammar Gaddafi has apparently been removed from power in Libya as part of the Arab Spring. The latter being largely fueled by social media.

I mention the two because John Hawker turns out to be quite a character. And one you just have to like. I learned from his profile that he is a photographer who apparently has a chip on his shoulder about two men named "Larry" and "Serge." I assume they are the two founders of Google. And feels he takes better pictures than they do. I am not familiar with Larry and Sergey level of photography expertise so I didn't pay much attention to John's comments on that.

What did get my attention about John's profile was this:

I hope you may just discover the dreams we've had to bring access to education, wealth and job to poor rural people in developing areas.
Thanks to mates who are not rich, Sat-Ed proved it can be done,
Sorry if I seem a bit blunt, a tad too honest, but that's just how it is.
So if you find yourself here - and enjoy it, welcome to my path I cutting threw the world.
As a teacher said:
"Hawker, you don't even take the path less trodden, you insist on cutting a swath through the toughest places, why?"
I guess the answer is anything less is boring to me. I must have been cursed with the ancient Chinese Proverb "May you live in Interesting times"
If you don't like the drivel I post, sorry, but thanks for stopping by, no harm intended.
John Hawker
Founder Sat-Ed
A Social Enterprise that has had more ups and downs than Go-Go Dancer.

From my perspective, John captures exactly what is best about social media and the power it has to impact world change. I encourage you to connect with John and help him in his quest. I am know I am. Thank you.

End of Expedia?

2011-08-11T15:23:00.000-04:00

Tsunami Wisdom

Back to the Future

2011-08-10T14:51:00.000-04:00

It has occurred to me on several occasions that what social media has really accomplished is to return businesses to the origins of how they interacted with their customers. There was a time when a person walked into a business and was greeted by the owner who used their name. After exchanging pleasantries the owner would ask, "How may I help you?"

Isn't that the perfect formula for how social media should be managed?

2011-08-02T10:55:00.000-04:00

I was browsing Tom Peters' website and discovered one of his old slide presentations (yes, he uploads his presentations for you to download which I think is a great tool) on marketing excellence titled "Women, Boomers, and Geezers." As usual there are startling facts in this presentation, the least of which is

Catalyst just completed a study showing that companies with at least three women directors performed significantly better than average in terms of return on equity (16.7% better), return on sales (16.8%), and return on invested capital (10%)

Source: Newsweek, 10.15.07 16% of S&P 500 board members are women; 9% (45) no women members are women

I found this data extremely interesting so I visited the Catalyst website and discovered the Catalyst Pyramid which I share with you here.

Growing up as the son of a single parent working mother (my father passed away when I was 14 years old,) I was keenly aware of the disparity of income between men and women. My mother was Director of Personnel at a small but very elite liberal arts college. If she were a man, she would have been making nearly 40% more in salary than she did because she was a woman. Even with this understanding, I had always felt that as we moved more and more into modernity, we, as a civilization, were leveling the playing field in terms of gender equality. I was convinced the "Glass Ceiling" was a relic of the past. As the graphic demonstrates, I WAS WRONG.

Back to Tom Peters

The point of Mr Peters' presentation was not the inequality of women in the workforce, it is the inequality in marketing to women. Take this example:

Ad from Furniture/Today (04.01):

“MEET WITH THE EXPERTS!: How Retailing’s Most Successful Stay that Way”
Presenting Experts: Male = 16; Female = ??

(94% = 272 If women buy 94% of the product and there were appropriate representation, then this would be the # of women presenting.)

And the one that shows what purchasing decision are made by women:

Home Furnishings … 94%

Vacations … 92% (Adventure Travel … 70%/ $55B travel equipment)

Houses … 91%

D.I.Y. (major “home projects”) … 80%

Consumer Electronics … 51% (66% home computers)

Cars … 68% (90%)

All consumer purchases … 83%

Bank Account … 89%

Household investment decisions … 67%

Small business loans/biz starts … 70%

Health Care … 80%

Every business caters to women, or should. I recall a conversation with a marketing person from Anheuser-Busch about a study he commissioned to determine what images resonate with women. One finding which surprised me until he explained it, was that women react very positively to family pictures of the kids with the father and without the mother. Why? Women feel very strongly that fathers do not spend enough time with the children because of work. They cherish images of dads being involved with the kids more than almost anything.

Question: How is your marketing discriminating against women and mothers?

Homework: Analyze your marketing (copy, visuals, etc) and honestly assess whether you are embracing women and effectively capturing the real power in consumer purchase decisions.

No Problem?

2011-08-01T10:29:00.000-04:00

I frequent a drugstore for toiletries and, unfortunately, to fill my prescriptions which I now take on a daily basis. It is nothing serious, my thyroid is just not quite pumping out the necessary amount of chemical it needs to so the rest of my endocrine system knows how much of what they need to produce is sent into my system. I view this as the steady decline into old age as I become more and more dependent on drugs to make my body do what it is supposed to do. Rational? Perhaps not but that is how I feel about having to take medication on a daily basis. But I digress.

I was in this store the other day. It is a major chain. The brand and the store manager do a terrific job of making sure the store is clean, and the staff is well trained...most of the time. I have had a few complaints about this particular store. One, the pharmacy employees seem entirely disinterested in offering even a modicum of customer service and actually appear to have utter disdain for their jobs. I have also found that they are sold out of my particular choice in razor blades nearly every time I visit the store so I have to buy them elsewhere.

Image: Michal Marcol / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There is a new employee at this store, however, that generated the idea for this post. She is young, and this may be her first job outside of babysitting yet she still represents the store and the brand. She greeted me when I entered the store which I appreciated. I asked her where I could find the particular item I needed that day (I don't remember now what it was.) She directed me to the appropriate aisle. I thanked her and she said, "no problem." Returning to the register to check out, I waited for several minutes because there was no clerk. She saw this and said, "I'll go ahead and ring you out." Fine, I thought, if it isn't an inconvenience for you. I did thank her to which she again replied, "No problem." I walked out of the store thinking, I hope it wasn't a problem for her to provide customer service to me.

Am I being overly critical? Perhaps.

Does this brand spend a lot of money to lure new customers into their stores? Yes.

Is the impression the customers receive by being told that waiting on them is "no problem" a problem? I think so.

It is additionally interesting to me because on their receipts is always a phone number and a website with a code that asks you to provide feedback on how you rate your visit to the store on a variety of levels. It appears the brand cares about how the customers are being treated. It is also interesting that I have NEVER received any feedback on the comments I have made about the pharmacy staff or the "no problem" girl. So, is the brand REALLY that concerned with how the customer is served or is it merely a public relations ploy to answer the questionnaire. Or maybe, because the questionnaire offers a chance to win thousands of dollars in return for providing feedback, that is strictly a customer retention program and they are not all interested in the answers being provided?

In the end, I can shop at another drugstore any time I choose. No problem!

Psychoanalysts Don't Do Brain Surgery

2011-07-26T11:32:00.000-04:00

iconisus l & y - Google Search

Iconisus L & Y won the International Design Competition for graphic design of the year 2008 for Nip/Tuck. They know design.

They don't know about website marketing. And worse, they don't know they don't know. If you clink on the link and view their listing, notice the copy under their link. For those who are too lazy to do that, here is what it states,

www.iconisus.com requires the Flash Player 7.0 or higher installed in your computer. ... click here to proceed with the site

I knew nothing about Iconisus L & Y except that they won the design competition so I searched for them using their brand. When I got the Google results I didn't think that was the company I was looking for because the L & Y were missing. AND NOTHING IN THE COPY gave me any indication that it was the company for which I was looking. Sadly they list designing websites as one of their services. If you want a very gorgeous website that is aesthetically pleasing, then Iconisus probably does a great job. If you want a site that is all that AND achieves objectives, select an digital marketing expert.

This reminds me of what several of my RYT-500 lecturers have repeated and repeated, "Only teach what you know." Or in more graphic terms, psycho-analysts know the brain but they don't do brain surgery!

pyramid-print.jpg (3000�2156)

2011-07-20T08:50:00.000-04:00

Excellent and easily understood graphic depicting the many levels and contributors to achieving search engine marketing success

pyramid-print.jpg (3000�2156)

Want to be "IN" but don't know how? 5 Steps to Success!

2011-07-18T16:18:00.003-04:00

Are you on LinkedIn? Going to be? Just joined? Wondering how to use it to make connections and gain exposure for your business or yourself? Here are time tested and proven methods for you to be successful in using LinkedIn.

Join as many groups as you can (Premium accounts allow you up to 20), especially if they have nothing at all to do with your company or interests. That way, you'll be away from your competition and those that have any interest in what you offer.
Once you join those groups, send the generic "I am a fellow member of Alien Life Forms Group and would you please accept my connection request," to every other member in the group. Note: You want surprise here so make sure you don't send them an inMail or announce why you want to connect.
Post completely irrelevant discussion topics in the groups at least 20 times a day. These will be included in the daily and weekly Group notifications ensuring you vast exposure.
Comment on other people's discussion topics selling your product or services making sure your comments ARE NOT continuing the discussion or providing helpful information on the topic.
SELL, SELL, SELL using discussions, comments, and emailing all of your connections at least 3 times a day. If you can do more, by all means. You can never sell too much on LinkedIn.

If you follow these simple guidelines, you will experience tremendous success using LinkedIn. It is guaranteed!

The Apple Is Rotten

2011-07-15T13:53:00.000-04:00

I started in marketing and advertising in 1966 when I opened my first lemonade stand at the corner of Scarboro Street and W. John Street in Springfield, Ohio. Fifteen years later I entered the work force for real and started my love affair with Apple. In college I took a few computer programming classes (Fortran and BASIC) and quickly learned that my mind is not structured in a way that is conducive for that type of computer work. It is when I was placed in front of my first Apple computer that I said, "wow, this is awesome!" I became a true evangelist for the brand just as Guy Kawasaki intended. I was vehemently anti-PC and felt that if I even touched one I would be unworthy of ever using an Apple computer again! At the behest of the corporate world, and Microsoft's failure to provide adequate translation of Apple generated documents, I was forced to go over to the dark side and use a PC. I continued my love affair and relied on iTunes and as many other Apple resources I could.

Unfortunately, and regrettably, the Apple has rotted.

Apple has become worse than Microsoft and for the same reasons that Sun Microsystems first launched OpenOffice. Their "mightier than thou" attitude and a lock down of their products from outside sources is really, really irritating to say the least. And every time I launch iTunes, which I am loathe to do now, I receive "would you like to download the new version of iTunes?" If that weren't bad enough the download is bundled (I think Microsoft invented that word) with Safari, Quicktime, MobileMe, and other programs I don't use or want. And if THAT weren't bad enough, the download always aborts before it is installed and I get the message, "try again or if the problem persists, try manual download." But that it isn't even the worst of it.

Where is my music!!

I have songs, or did have, in my iTunes that I really like. On a fairly regular basis now, those songs appear with a ! that is shaded in grey circle. I click on the song and it says, "song cannot be found, would you like to locate it?" How the hell do I know where it went? Or where to even look for it???

What is really frustrating and very Microsoftesque is that when I try to transfer songs I purchased from iTunes Store or burn them to a disc so I can listen to them away from my desktop, Apple has decided it doesn't like me doing that and encodes the music to make it impossible. Thank you very much Mr. Jobs. I appreciate you limiting my choices and forcing me to use only Apple products.

I remember when Apple and all of the loyal followers were proud rebels flipping the finger at "The Man." Now it seems you are uncool if you have something other than a half-eaten apple on the cover of your laptop. Well let me tell you something folks, that Apple you are eating is rotten. And you aren't nearly as cool as you think you are. You have succumbed to slick marketing and product placements for the shear benefit of having your freedom limited.

How does that apple taste now?

99 Percent is 100 Percent Failure

2011-07-14T14:11:00.003-04:00

Throughout my life I have had the fortune, or some would say misfortune, to work for extremely demanding bosses. One particular job was my summer job for two years of during college when I was a helper on a crew installing in-ground swimming pools. It was tough work in extremely hot and humid conditions.

Come to think of it, that job may well be why I choose to compete in Ironman triathlon races. Those races are easy compared to that job!

I was required to be at the warehouse at 06:00 hours to load and fuel the vehicles and back-hoe. The typical drive time to the installation site was around 40 minutes. Rick, the chief installer, said my time clock didn't start until we got to the job site and refused to allow sleep on the drive there. My days started at 05:00 hours and typically didn't end until after dark which was around 21:30 hours in Ohio. During that time the only break I was allowed was 30 minutes to eat lunch. I did this every day, weekends and holidays included, for 3 solid months at $4.75/hour.

I have other similar experiences but want to bring you to the present and not bore you with my work history. I recently read "Bikram Yoga," by Bikram Choudry as part of my Registered Yoga Teacher - 500 training and was struck by his comment, "99 percent is 100 percent failure." He shows utter disdain for what he terms the Western philosophy of "I am doing my best." He refuses to accept that and requires his students to perform the postures, known in yoga as asanas, exactly as he describes. Some people say Bikram is an ass and a bully for his style of teaching. I tend admire, maybe because of my experiences described earlier, Bikram for his relentlessness. And for his marketing skills.

Of course his statement has been made in a myriad of other forms and "if it is worth doing, it is worth doing right," is perhaps one of the most well known versions. The point is that you miss a great deal of what is intended even you are giving it 99 percent of your effort. It is as true in marketing as it is in yoga.

I have witnessed the growth in the amount of firms offering web development, search marketing, and the myriad of other digital services since I first began working with Hyperdisk Marketing back in 2002 (Hyperdisk, by the way, was already doing digital marketing for eight (8) years by then.) And one thing is common among the vast majority of these firms. It is their use of templates and automation in order to save time, money, and maximize their own profit at the expense of results and customer service for their clients. It used to upset me however I realized that the clients who utilize these firms are getting exactly what they deserve. They get limited service, an okay return on investment, and inexpensive marketing. But at what cost?

100 percent failure in Bikram terms

And mine. I know from experience what it costs to cut corners. The first time I attempted Ironman, I failed to finish. I only gave my training 99 percent and received 100 percent failure by having a DNF (Did Not Finish) on my results for that race and burned into my memory forever.

Are your results suffering because you are only getting 99 percent?
What is 99 percent costing you?
What will be burned into your memory by only getting 99 percent?

Get 100 percent. Get Hyperdisk.

5 Foolproof Ways to Generate Leads From Facebook

2011-07-11T14:37:00.000-04:00

5 Foolproof Ways to Generate Leads From Facebook

Quick Tips for Improved Website Performance

2011-06-28T12:36:00.000-04:00

Quick tips for improving your website's room night production:
Adding a pre-arrival concierge (allowing guests to pre-book activities, special requests, dinner, etc.) greatly increases ancillary revenue generation.

Checks your site for mobile optimization http://validator.w3.org/mobile/

Include rich snippets to your site for vastly improved SERPs. Check your site here http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets?

At the end of the day, what really matters is how the site performs. Are you getting the bookings you expected? Is it meeting your revenue generation goals? Is it contributing the percentage of overall sales your projected?

The Problem with Groupon

2011-06-21T10:02:00.001-04:00

I entered a discussion with one of my clients about Groupon. He provided the following remark.

As an FYI, we closed the books on our last Groupon run today and deposited $30k in unredeemed pre paid bookings. It drops straight to the bottom line at our hotel! We deposited $18k at the Lodge last month on top of 547 roomnights.

People that bitch about Groupon do not know how to make it work to their own benefit...

Great feedback, I thought...And if used correctly, Groupon can be an effective revenue producer.

My problem with Groupon is more philosophical...as most businesses are using it to steeply discount in bulk, thereby creating a new form of crack for the consumer to get hooked on...and the cost to maintain that type of guest is often times outweighed by the revenue.

That said, it has a place and if used correctly should definitely be part of the mix.

Content Creators Sublimate to Content Aggregators

2011-06-15T14:45:00.001-04:00

URL: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/07/why...

Very interesting article on why you should aggregate content rather than create it. Content is not king; marketing the content is.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a159be

What Makes You Different? � Tsunami Wisdom

2011-06-10T13:00:00.000-04:00

Full disclosure is required here. I work for Hyperdisk Marketing and am, in fact, the author of this post on their blog. I would agree that I am biased however I am brutally honest in assessing our strengths, weaknesses, and in comparing us to other digital marketing agencies. I wrote the post on Tsunami Wisdom because I see situations where firms are hired to perform services which are poorly executed and costly in terms of lost business. It is, I am sad to report, a very common occurrence. The even more devastating aspect of this is that more precious marketing dollars then have to be invested to correct the situation.

I don't want you to hire Hyperdisk based on this post or any others that I have made. I want you to ask the tough questions and perform the legwork necessary to make the right decision to hire the company that is best suited to your needs. It may not be Hyperdisk and that is fine. The worst feeling is when a company comes to me and says, "I should have hired you guys in the beginning." I am glad that we are able to step-in and help but am sickened by the amount of time, energy, and very significant amount of money wasted.

Even if you aren't considering Hyperdisk, please contact me for a due diligence checklist that will insure you are selecting the firm that is right for you and will get you the results you want. If you follow me at Twitter.com/fusedmind and send me a message, I'll quickly respond.

Seth's Blog: Which of the four are getting in the way?

2011-06-08T12:04:00.000-04:00

As usual Seth cuts to the bone and offers up what may be difficult questions for some to honestly answer. If you do, the results may surprise you. His post goes hand in hand with mine from March 1, 2011. Is he reading my blog?

Seth's Blog: Which of the four are getting in the way?

Reputation - WOMA

2011-06-07T09:06:00.001-04:00

http://hyperdiskmktg.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/what-are-people-...

Impressive comments and testimonials for the digital marketing firm for which I work. These comments were unsolicited.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a14prk

2011-06-03T14:29:00.001-04:00

Major implications for search marketing with the launch of schema.org and the standardization of html programming. http://www.seroundtable.com/schema-org-13507.html http://amplify.com/u/a14g5g

Tips for being social at conferences

2011-06-01T11:19:00.000-04:00

Fresh on the heels of my presentation at the PHG Southeast Boutique Hotel Conference, I found this most excellent post Tips for being social at conferences — NevilleHobson.com Neville presents logical and matter of fact suggestions for increasing social media engagement for meeting professionals at conferences.

Several of Neville's tips solidified my comments made at the conference. One in particular was in regards to having consistent and reliable WiFi. I would also like to point to his Adobe example of how to make your website a centerpiece of the conference. You can easily do this, and at very little cost, whether you are a sponsor, an exhibitor, or even the host facility.

Are You Skipping the Gym?

2011-05-20T09:50:00.000-04:00

Skipping the gym may be costing you more than a flatter stomach.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As the world becomes more and more concerned about sustainability and "green" initiatives, people are also focusing on their own health and fitness. This is true for business travelers as much as anyone. Statistics have long demonstrated that the higher the education level, the more emphasis on healthy lifestyles and fitness. Now it is getting the attention of corporate travel planners.

Properties who ignore this trend are increasingly finding themselves low on the list of accommodation options ~ Anita Lowe, CEO of Venues Event Management

Is your fitness facility a proud part of your site visits?

Are you marketing your gyms to meeting professionals?

It could be exactly how to differentiate your property from your competitors and get that extra bit of business.

Hit the gym | ABTN

Hospitality Social PR

2011-05-09T12:28:00.000-04:00

No, I did not make a mistake and forget the "and" in the title of this post. Social media has absorbed PR. I now call it Social PR. I am presenting on this topic this evening at the Ohio University Hugh M. Culbertson Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. I will publish my presentation on this blog tomorrow. I don't want to give the students an advance look at it.

2011-05-03T13:34:00.001-04:00

The travel and tourism industry is one of the Top 10 Industries in 48 states and the District of Columbia and generates $704 billion in direct travel related spending. http://www.travelcoalition.org/sites/www.travelcoalition.org/files/Elected_Officials_Talking_Points.pdf http://amplify.com/u/a11agd

How Travel is Planned

2011-04-27T14:20:00.000-04:00

There are several interesting tidbits of information revealed in the March 2011 YParnership blog. The post provides a glimpse inside the Ypartnership/Harrison Group 2011 Portrait of American Travelers^TMAccording to the study, Internet search engines (39%) lag behind family and friends (52%) when planning leisure travel.

And PhocusWright states that:

75% of travelers use mobile devices
75% of travelers look to review sites and social media prior to making a decision
50% of travelers post comments about their experiences with hotels and resorts

If you cross reference this with statistics that state women, and in particularly mothers, use social sites like Facebook to share information about brands and make plans (52%), then social media must be a vital part of your marketing mix. It may not be immediately measurable for ROI yet it is conclusive evidence that social media influences travel decisions.

If you need assistance managing your social media or developing a strategy that delivers results, I am available. I have developed and implemented campaigns for clients such as HSMAI's Affordable Meetings, Preferred Hotel Group, and Hyperdisk Marketing, Inc.

Effective social media marketing

2011-04-22T13:28:00.001-04:00

http://hyperdiskmktg.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/one-critical-soc...

A recipe is only as good as the ingredients. If you use social media for generated leads and making sales, you must have this in your recipe.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/b100pc

Real ROI on Social Media for Travel

2011-04-20T14:08:00.000-04:00

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

According to the study, Internet search engines (39%) lag behind family and friends (52%) when planning leisure travel. If you cross reference this with statistics that state women, and in particularly mothers, use social sites like Facebook to share information about brands and make plans (52%), then social media must be an integral part of your marketing mix. It may not be immediately measurable for ROI yet it is conclusive evidence that social media influences travel decisions.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net Woman holding luggage tag

What We Can Learn by Canceling Soap Operas

2011-04-19T11:26:00.000-04:00

You have heard about two long running Soap Operas ending production. One Life to Live and All My Children, two favorites of day time television viewers have run their course.

Due to the growth of cable and Internet programming in the last decade, ratings have continued to decline across the daytime drama genre.

Television executives crunch numbers. If the numbers aren't there, they cancel shows. Clients on the other hand, have yet to grasp this concept. Allow me to explain.

I recently participated in a presentation to a major new prospect for digital marketing services. At the end of the presentation several of the attendees made comments such as:

You guys nailed this. It is incredible given the short amount of time and limited information you had.

Absolutely incredible presentation; I am blown away.

You not only hit a home-run, you hit it completely out of the ball park. I can't think of any company I would even consider your competition.

To be honest, our company is the most experienced firm in this particular vertical. In addition, nearly 40% of our team have been with us since the very beginning so not only do we have accumulated knowledge and experience, our team works very effectively together and can anticipate each others' needs. Combining all of those elements, gives us a huge advantage.

After all of these comments and some Q&A, the leader of the prospect's team, said we need to understand that a search for a traditional agency is happening on a parallel path. He further stated that our firm will have to integrate with that firm once it is selected. The implication was made that the traditional firm will be the lead and our firm should follow them. I have a few concerns about this.

The first concern is that any time a traditional agency is selected, they proceed to tell the client that there is no reason to have a separate agency for the digital marketing. They insist they can handle the entire account. Far too often the client listens to them and their online marketing suffers because it is not the primary business of the agency and consequently it is not their area of expertise. To further exacerbate the situation, the digital marketing department within agencies are frequently dismissed as a minor operation.

My second concern builds on the first one but is in regards to the relationship with an outside firm whether it is ours or another one. Traditional firms chafe at the budgets being spent on the digital side and continual fight to transfer more it to their side despite the lack of tracking and limited ability to measure the success of their efforts.

Concern three is that clients still don't get it. Despite a huge paradigm shift that occurred over the first five years of the previous decade, clients still place traditional agencies in the leadership position. All other partners (direct marketing firms, public relations agencies, and digital shops) are given minority status in terms of priority and budget. This completely baffles me when hardly a day passes when one doesn't read an article detailing the power of online marketing and how more and more advertisers are converting dollars from traditional channels to online channels.

My final rant, if I may, is traditional firms rarely, if ever, produce metrics to justify their huge budgets with respect to the other marketing partners. Digital firms may be partly at fault for this due to our stressing our tracking abilities as a selling tool. Yet, it seems extremely unfair to demand spreadsheets and data demonstrating ROI for every dollar invested on the digital side while at the same time receiving dubious references to how many impressions were received from a newspaper ad.

Like the television executives, clients need to change. They need to make the mental adjustment that traditional ad agencies are no longer in command. They need to adjust budget allocations accordingly while also restructuring the agency hierarchy if they want to truly increase the performance of their marketing efforts.

Lessons from Public Radio in Revenue Production

2011-04-11T09:46:00.000-04:00

It is pledge time for my local public radio station, WHRV, and I imagine it is for most of them around the country. They are appealing to their core audience to support public radio programs that they enjoy and rely on for information, news and entertainment. It is an important message targeted to the audience that provides vital financial support to keep the stations viable. It is the 80/20 rule in action. It is also what CMO's for any product or service rely on for stable sales and revenue generation.

But where is the biggest opportunity for growth? Is it with your core audience? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

In order for us to examine this marketing challenge, consider a current debate occurring about whether public radio in the United States should be funded by the Federal Government. Conservatives believe it should rely on corporate donations and financial support from their audience while Liberals state that the public radio requires government funding in order to remain a reliable source of news and information for a large portion of the population that doesn't have access to commercial radio. I will not enter into the debate of either side as this is not the purpose of this blog.

I have been listening to the regular breaks in programming where announcers pitch and plead with the audience to show their support for public radio by pledging financial support. Their messages are targeted at one audience: their current supporters. If I were consulting with them, I would have them include content taking advantage of the debate about government funding. For example, "If you feel public radio should rely solely on the financial support of donors, call in and make a pledge. The more you pledge the less reliant public radio is on government funding." This same message could also be used to leverage fear in their core audience due to the debate. They fear losing their local public radio because of government budget cuts.

Although this post is about fundraising for public radio, it applies to every marketer. Are you focusing your content and messages exclusively to your current customers? Might you be ignoring an audience that may contribute significant revenue increases? Based on what I have seen, most of you are.

Help Improve Google

2011-04-08T17:25:00.000-04:00

What would you do to improve Google search results? Post your recommendations in the comments section.

A rare glimpse of real Afghan deployment

2011-04-07T09:34:00.001-04:00

http://rafairman.wordpress.com/

Not my typical post and it isn't about marketing or politics; Rafairman's blog is one of the fastest growing blogs on Wordpress. Once you read it, you will understand why. The airman writes in a conversational tone and ease that understates the immense stress involved when deployed to a war zone.

Maybe it is about marketing after-all, we can all learn how to write better blogs from this man.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/by72w

Hawaii Convention Center Sales Award

2011-04-06T19:12:00.001-04:00

URL: http://www.etravelblackboard.us/showarticle.asp?id=98212

Congratulations!

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/by2fp

OTA's drain Hotel Value

2011-04-05T14:59:00.001-04:00

URL: http://lhonline.com/development/realestate/ota_marketin...

Statistical analysis of the value drain OTA's have on hotels. It furthers the point that hotels should ONLY use OTA's as a branding and exposure tool while fiercely and aggressively using SEO and even PPC, to drive bookings directly from their own websites.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bxtgy

Valuable website tools

2011-04-04T14:27:00.001-04:00

http://hyperdiskmktg.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/2-invaluable-too...

I use the links in this blog nearly everyday in evaluating the effectiveness of websites.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bxmpj

2011-03-31T14:32:00.001-04:00

Stop hiding them and make them easy for your customers to engage with you. http://amplify.com/u/bxc7m

If Social Media is So Important, than Why?

2011-03-31T14:27:00.001-04:00

It is physically impossible to count the number of emails, blogs, interviews, webinars, online and offline articles, and now movies about social media. They run the gamut from the number of users, to how to use it to monitor the reputation of your brand, to using it to sell products and services.

If it is that important (and I agree that it is!) why do so many supposedly smart marketing people put links to their social media channels and profiles in very small icons at the bottom of their website????

It is akin to saying, "Oh yeah, we are involved in social media too but we're ashamed of it."

If you have a social media strategy that is well-planned and integrated with the rest of your marketing, then MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM TO ENGAGE WITH YOU.

Opportunities in associations

2011-03-30T18:18:00.001-04:00

http://hsmaihr.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/membership-does-have-a...

This post effectively demonstrates why belonging to a local chapter of an international association benefits you in the long run.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bx7rn

Twitter vs. Television as news vehicle

2011-03-29T13:15:00.001-04:00

http://technosociology.org/?p=393

The title, Twitter and the Anti-Playstation Effect on War Coverage, grabs your attention and the author, zeynep, takes it from there with solid communication and eloquent writing to help you visualize her concepts.

Television news, as zeynep states, is removed from events by its very nature while Twitter and other social media deliver it in real time with real pictures and no censorship.

Her piece will affect you.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bwze3

Mobile in Europe is Different; Be Prepared

2011-03-29T11:25:00.000-04:00

"In France (en Europe), since I work in Web/Mobile Analytics, I can tell you that clients have project to develop apps more than mobile sites, and concerning use, measuring their investments and mobile users behavior.
Mobile sites are gone, Apps are developed 1st for iOS and Android, then maybe for BB and WP7, Bada is out.
In North America, mobile site are still huge, surprisingly, but Apps (with tablets growing) are coming very fast."
- Antoine Gay, AT Internet Web Analytics

Antoine posted this comment for the question I asked on Quora, "Will mobile apps replace mobile websites in 2011?

Does your mobile marketing plan include a different strategy for Europe where it is obviously very different than here in North America?
Will tablets, as Antoine suggests, produce the mass migration to apps from mobile sites?
How do you decide where to invest your precious marketing dollars?

It is an exciting time to be in marketing with so many choices and channels in which to interact with consumers. It also presents enormous challenges and very strategic decisions about how to reach those consumers.

Are you prepared?
Do you have the expertise and knowledge to make these decisions?
What resources and tools are needed to assist in your decision-making?

You should carefully consider each of the questions above BEFORE launching into a mobile marketing strategy.

For Local SEO, Lack Of Call Tracking Solution Spawns Cloaking

2011-03-28T10:54:00.000-04:00

Extremely important and must read material that could have detrimental impact on you local search marketing efforts.

For Local SEO, Lack Of Call Tracking Solution Spawns Cloaking

Mobile Growth

2011-03-24T15:32:00.001-04:00

This powerful infographic puts some urgency behind the need for developing a coherent and integrated mobile marketing strategy. There is no time to waste.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bwgy0

Long Tail Opportunities

2011-03-24T12:28:00.001-04:00

URL: http://www.contextweb.com/content/new-study-contextweb-...

This study proves that many marketing people, or their digital agencies, rely too heavily on high traffic search terms and are missing opportunities to deliver qualified visitors who convert into customers more often.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bwg6z

2011-03-23T14:12:00.001-04:00

I want to thank all of the people who follow me on Amplify. I hope to continue to bring your thoughtful and valuable information. http://amplify.com/u/bw5xv

Geo-location services to produce revenue

2011-03-23T09:40:00.001-04:00

http://hyperdiskmtkg.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/use-foursquare-t...

Plain and simple explanation of how Foursquare and other geo-location services work and how to use them to generate revenue for hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, and most any retail business.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bw3zu

3 Simple Steps to Instantly Improve Your Marketing Success

2011-03-22T14:32:00.000-04:00

If you are like me you have a list of things that you must do today. They include work, personal, and family related tasks. And if you are REALLY like me, you know you won't get all of them done. You certainly don't need me adding more to your list. But I am anyway because these very easy and simple steps will substantially improve your visibility and distribution to highly targeted audiences.

Claim and update your Foursquare and other Geo-location profiles. I also recommend you place some type of marketing offer in the tips section. An example is when I recently visited a local restaurant. When I checked-in using Foursquare I received an offer to for $5.00 off any bill of $25.00 or more.
If your business offers free WiFi, name it using a marketing message instead of the default name (all can be customized). Name your WiFi, for example, "Like our WiFi? You'll love our sandwiches!" This clever tip was provided by David Meerman Scott. My tip? I recommend you follow him on Twitter.
Build a mobile website. The relatively small investment (typically $3,000 - $5,000) will pay large dividends as smartphones sales are projected to overtake PC sales as early as 2014.*

*IDC http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/smartphones_outsell_pcs.php

Foursquare vs Facebook in Smackdown!"

2011-03-16T11:04:00.000-04:00

My recent rant about Foursquare being the Facebook of geo-location apps was apparently on other peoples' minds as well. The Los Angeles Times for example, in a March 8 Technology Blog post stated,

Seven months later [after the launch of Facebook places and the predicted doom and gloom for Foursquare] , Foursquare has more than doubled its number of users, to 7.5 million. It adds about 35,000 users each day.

Despite the growing use of Foursquare and other geo-location apps they are vastly under-utilized by marketers to engage with new customers and drive revenue. There are many opportunities and I can help you with ideas, suggestions and strategy. Shoot me an email, I'd be happy to help sales7@hyperdisk.com

Foursquare is Facebook of Geolocation Apps

2011-03-14T14:19:00.000-04:00

Foursquare was on its way to dominating the Geo-location Apps market and with a recent announcement it just skyrocketed itself to Facebook status. It has a database of 15 million venues and is growing exponentially every day. And they are allowing developers of other apps to use this database which will spawn an explosion in new apps with Foursquare at the center of it all. Sound familiar? Mafia Wars and Farmville helped boost Facebook beyond Google in number of users. Those apps were developed around Facebook. Not a bad model to follow if you ask me. And here is the kicker:

Developers have previously had access to the foursquare venue data, but unless their users authenticated with foursquare, rate limits severely limited the usability of that data. Today they’re raising the rate limits on venue searches with “userless” access to allow developers to feed that data to their visitors without foursquare accounts. They’ll even have access to foursquare’s unique trending data, which means they’ll be able to display the most popular places in real time, something no other venue database can offer.

And they are allowing non-registered users access which will expose the Foursquare to vast new audiences. Something I believe will allow it to blossom to its full potential.

It will pay you large dividends if you start participating with Foursquare if you are not already. For tips and suggestions on how to leverage Foursquare in your marketing, contact me at sales7@hyperdisk.com

The Complacency Epidemic

2011-03-10T07:28:00.001-05:00

Image: anankkml / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Merriam-Webster's definition of complacency is a dire warning:

Noun: self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.

Reading that should send chills down you spine and yet we are all guilty of it. Complacency explains a lot about the problems we face and is the cause of many of them. Cigarette smoking, obesity, and unchecked spending are just a few of the issues that can be attributed to it, although it could be argued that most people are more than aware of the actual dangers with each of these. It is the self-satisfaction portion that overwhelms the awareness of the danger. Complacency in marketing is equally as rampant and for the same reason. We achieve a level of comfort with our results and remain, consciously or not, blissfully unaware of the "actual dangers or deficiencies." Sure, there are all kinds of excuses for it. We don't have enough time; limited budget; lack of resources are the typical ones. The problem with excuses is easily described in a saying on the wall in the gym where I workout:

"You can have either success or excuses, you can't have both."

The same thing applies in business. If you think you are too big to fail, consider the fate of the Roman Empire. It can happen to any of us and being complacent is a fast track to it.

Is Google New KGB?

2011-03-08T13:31:00.000-05:00

More and more noise being made about online privacy. Companies now have ability to track consumer patterns and behaviors that are unprecedented. Marketers can target messages to consumers based on their search history, purchase behavior, and even the words included in email messages.

Image: Graeme Weatherston / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Several examples include advertising messages appearing on your Facebook page

based on what is posted on your wall or the links you have posted; and Google ads in GMail that targeted by words that are in your email messages. The ads are very similar to what you see above from Facebook.

The Internet has provided marketers with the ability to demonstrate ROI to the accounting department and target their messages to the consumers most likely to purchase. What comes with this ability is responsibility. There have been far too many instances of allowing data to be hacked or personal information being made public. As marketers we must respect consumers privacy. At this point I feel more worried about what Google collects about me than I would have been about the KGB.

What are you doing either to protect your private information or to protect the privacy of your customers? This questions, I am certain, are going to be the topic of more and more discussions and even, perhaps, legislation.

Government spends $600 M on Hospitality

2011-03-04T11:10:00.001-05:00

http://www.rantingmarketer.com/2011/03/600-million-spent-by-go...

Are you getting your share of Government Business? If you are involved in the hospitality industry in Virginia, you need to attend this luncheon. You will learn how to capture more of the lucrative and important market segment.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bsupi

Government spends $600 M on Hospitality

2011-03-04T11:08:00.001-05:00

http://www.rantingmarketer.com/2011/03/600-million-spent-by-go...

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bsupi

$600 Million Spent by Government in Virginia on Hospitality

2011-03-04T11:01:00.000-05:00

This is a repost from the Hampton Roads Chapter of HSMAI blog. There is a lot of money at stake. Six hundred million is probably even a conservative estimate. If you are involved in hospitality in any way and are in Virginia this event is worth attending. Restaurants, meeting venues, entertainment complexes, and even sporting venues would be wise to learn how to capture a portion of this vital segment.

Asymmetry

2011-03-02T16:14:00.000-05:00

This Part 1 of 2

I was reading Steve Yastrow's newsletter about, "How do you know if your company does good marketing?" and it reminded me of an ad campaign I had seen recently in Bicycle magazine.

Image: Cecelia / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The campaign is for Pinarello bicycles and brings to light that Pinarello was the first, if not only, manufacturer whose bikes are asymmetric by design. The foundation for this design is that the human body is not symmetric so why should the bike be? We impose different and unequal forces on the bike when riding and the structure of the bike needs to absorb those forces in the most efficient method possible. If both sides are exactly the same, how can that be accomplished?

How does this relate to Steve's newsletter article? The answer may give you insight into how my mind works. I often see clear and present opportunities that companies are missing in their marketing efforts. The problem lies, however, in being able to allow the CMO of such companies to see those opportunities as well. They tend to view their marketing, and most especially their digital marketing, as being in symmetry with their competition. Part of the reason why, as Steve points out in his newsletter, is that they may be focused on the wrong results.

These marketers also tend to view SEO, and the providers, similarly. The reality is, as Pinarello so marvelously engineered into his bikes, is that it is far from the truth.

3 Questions to Ask for Greater Success

2011-03-01T11:46:00.000-05:00

It seems I am using more and more information from USAT these days. Is it because racing season is just around the corner? Or is it because I find their articles apply to business as much as triathlon? I think it is a little of both and yet heavily weighted toward the latter. The first question in this article is,

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

I think every marketer (person) needs to ask that question every day. Fear of failure prevents us from achieving great success and yet we succumb to it with alarming regularity. The problem is that we are very good at putting our fears in a closet and doing what we have always done. It is safe and a losing proposition because your competition is taking facing their fears and taking risks. They are achieving more and it is more than likely at your expense.

Beating Your Demons, Part 1 | USA Triathlon

What fears do you have?
How are they impacting your success?
And referring to the question at the top of this post, what would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?

Pop Ups From Hell

2011-02-25T12:16:00.000-05:00

If you are old enough to remember Pop Up ads and how annoying they were you will relate to today's rant. Pop Ups were so annoying that they are no longer used. I do see, and hate, a newer version of them. Here is an example (I am not picking on this particular site, it just happens to be very fresh in my mind as she began following my Twitter feed today):

http://people77.com/bettyann/

Photographer: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot

I don't like being sold something or asked to sign up for email the moment I first arrive on a site. How am I supposed to determine I WANT to buy anything or receive emails from the site when I haven't even been allowed to read anything on the site???!! At least this site only has one annoying message; I've seen a growing trend for sites, well mostly blog type sites, that have a vast array of messages asking me to sign up for emails, post a comment, review the site, take a survey or "Like" them or "Follow" them. It makes for a dizzying experience when one is as stimulus driven as I am. I get NAUSEOUS as my eyes are drawn to 20 different areas of the page at once! STOP IT! IT IS ANNOYING at best. I NEVER read your pages because I can't wait to close out the page!

And once I close out the page, DON'T EVER OPEN A WINDOW asking me if I REALLY WANT TO LEAVE! I do want to leave and now more than ever! And I won't be back!

My advice to you is that if you are ever asked if you would like a sign up message to appear on your site, or have a retention message to appear when a window is closed, SAY NO! You are not only annoying your potential customers you are making sure they are never to return.

The Power of Consistency

2011-02-23T14:39:00.001-05:00

Besides being the number one digital marketing strategist in hospitality - can you tell I am working on my self-esteem? - I am also an avid triathlete. I completed my first event in 1997 and was hooked the moment I crossed the finish line. Even though it was a Sprint (1K swim, 20K bike, 5K run) I told everyone I met at the post race party that I was going to do an Iron Man (4K swim 180K bike, 42K run.) The more experienced competitors rightly scoffed at my braggadocio. Being the person I am, I maintained this posture until it became evident I was actually going to have to do one or lose all credibility. I finally completed the Ford Iron Man Lake Placid 2008 in 13:17:23. And I can tell you that consistency is definitely the key to finishing a race like that.

The Power of Consistency | USA Triathlon

As in triathlon, consistency is vital in your marketing efforts. I see far too often the failure to follow this golden rule. It is most evident in Social Media. Hotels, especially the ones who outsource their Social Media to PR firms and advertising agencies, irregularly post content and fail to respond to guests and potential guest inquiries and comments. And consistency applies to content as much as to frequency. Keep your content consistent throughout your marketing channels (website, E-mail, Social Media, etc) to insure maximum exposure and opportunities to convert customers.

If you maintain consistency you will reach the finish line in great shape and reap great rewards.

In hospitality,
Steven

Best Secret Ever is Revealed!

2011-02-21T11:19:00.000-05:00

| |

RELIEF!

These Initiatives Will Drive Room Night Sales in 2011

2011-02-16T10:42:00.000-05:00

A recent article on ehotlier.com suggested 10 items that must be done by hoteliers in 2011 for eCommerce. The problem with the suggestions are that all of these, except for perhaps number 10, should have been implemented many years ago! If you haven't already incorporated these suggestions you are way behind in your efforts to drive room nights using the World Wide Web (I use that term because it was what the Internet was called back in 2004 when the "initiatives" mentioned the article should have been implemented.)

If you want to be ahead of your competition instead being a few steps behind, I offer you the following vital suggestions for your eCommerce strategy. These have a major impact on your visibility and conversion rate.

Incorporate micro-formats into your website's programming.
Use AJAX for formatting your Flash sequences because Google Local does NOT display Flash images.
Integrate RDFa programming into your website's code

These initiatives will have a profound affect on your SERP's and conversions. I say this from experience and not merely from an academic perspective. By implementing micro-formats for the Pacific Edge Hotel, Laguna Beach, CA, back in early 2009, the hotel captured the second position in Google Local and first position in Google for the "laguna beach hotels" a highly valued, and extremely competitive, search term.

And they are sustainable. The image above was captured this morning, February 16, 2011, two years after first incorporating micro-formats into the site. By the way, this is the result for just one hotel. I have examples from my other 250 hotels world-wide if you are interested.

The second feature I want to point out in the above Search results is the image captured by Google. The image was programmed using AJAX and thereby allowing it to be shown in the Google results. And we all know how powerful images are for converting searchers to bookers.

The ehotelier.com article does mention social media and blogs but fails to inform you of one of the most important reasons for it: Social Validation

Furthermore, the piece mentions mobile and it's implications to search. It does NOT however, inform you of the HUGE impact mobile has on immediately booking rooms! Google recently revealed the following:

...mobile travel bookings accounted for 15% of all reservations last year, up 69% from 2009, when around nine per cent used the medium.

If you would like more information about how to boost your visibility and sell more room nights using eCommerce initiatives for THIS decade, please email me at sales7@hyperdisk.com I am more the willing to assist you in exceeding your 2011 forecasts.

Mobile: Part 2

2011-02-11T15:09:00.000-05:00

My post today is going to be short primarily because I have been sick with a chest cold for a week now and secondarily because it is Friday and I am ready for the weekend.

Mobile, as has been mentioned in blogs and online articles ad nauseum (mine included), is the most transformational vehicle to hit marketing since the explosion of social media. It will, in IMHO, be even bigger than social media because it does, in fact, empower social media by making it...well....mobile! Location marketing apps, of which Gowalla and Foursquare are the most well known, are going to grow exponentially in the next few years if not sooner. I say this not to overwhelm you but to set the stage for what you need to know.

I am going to talk basics. For those of you who do not know, and there are many so don't be embarrassed, mobile devices come with their own proprietary operating systems. To simplify, think about the PC using the Windows operating system vs. the Mac which using the Apple OS. Well, each and every different mobile device has its own operating system. They are as follows:

Droid (phones can be made by HTC, Motorola, LG, etc.) - uses Android operating system
iPhone - Apple operating system
BlackBerry - Research In Motion operating system
Nokia - Symbian operating system however they announced new phones will use Windows Phone 7

This is not an extensive list, it is merely to impress upon you the challenge presented if you want to develop a mobile app. Each operating system needs to have its own app developed for it; there is no way to develop one app to use on the separate systems. It is important to understand this because it helps you decide whether to invest in a mobile website; optimize a current site for mobile viewing; or invest in an app. Wikipedia has a wealth of information on the smartphone industry and latest developments.

In the next post, I'll discuss the difference between building a mobile website and optimizing an existing site for mobile viewing.

What You Need to Know About Mobile Apps Before Creating Your Own : Page 1 of 2 : Retail Online Integration

2011-02-04T16:07:00.000-05:00

Mobile is exploding and very much in the news with Verizon now selling iPhones and Apple scoring big with the iPad. The problem is that marketers are presented with a myriad of new choices, many of which are difficult to understand. This post is the first in a series designed to educate you about mobile marketing. I'll start with mobile applications.

The link in this post is to an article that discusses a survey of mobile app users. It is very impressive and filled with very useful data such as this snippet:

The app used most by men is Google Maps. Women’s top pick, on the other hand, is Facebook. When it comes to search apps, women favor Google, while men choose Yahoo. Women keep things organized with Bank of America and calendar applications, while men go for ESPN and the user review app Yelp. When it comes to playtime, gentlemen enjoy launching birds at pigs with Angry Birds, while women prefer a quiet game of Solitaire.

What You Need to Know About Mobile Apps Before Creating Your Own : Page 1 of 2 : Retail Online Integration

And remember you can get free consultation about mobile marketing along with mobile websites, optimizing sites for mobile platforms, and custom mobile app development from one of the most experienced digital marketing agencies in the industry:

Hyperdisk Marketing, Inc.
Phone: 1+949-442-9850
E-mail: sales7@hyperdisk.com

Beware the Experts

2011-02-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

Seth Godin is one of my most valued resources. His blog is one of the few I read everyday. It is kind of easy though, his blogs are very short and concise. As intelligent as he is though, his advice sometimes has holes in it. Seth's post today is about why it is important to consider the space you use for what purposes. I admit to being a "nit-picker" on this particular point but it does seem rather important. He quotes Paco Underhill in stating that grocery store aisles need to be wide enough so that "shoppers can browse without getting their butts brushed by other shoppers."

If you have ever shopped at Trader Joe's, and you should, the one thing you notice is how narrow the aisles are. It doesn't seem to affect their business however since they are extremely successful. Trader Joe's success, I believe, can be directly attributed to the company being an "Instigator" but that is another story.

Experts, especially the self-proclaimed ones, often dish out advice that is worthy of skepticism. I put myself into that category as well.

What Your E-Mail Signature Says About You

2011-02-02T15:35:00.000-05:00

I very easily could have titled this post, "What You Can Learn About a Company From the E-Mail Signature," but that was entirely too long and it wouldn't have grabbed your attention as much IMHO. I decided to write this post for two reasons.

I just read an excellent article written by Alyssa Gregory on Sitepoint.com about E-mail signatures.
I received an E-mail from a person who serves on an industry association board with me. I was astonished by what her company makes her include in her signature line.

Alyssa provides straightforward advice along with links to assist you with getting your signature just right. I was duly impressed and even tweaked my sig line after reading it. I chose to remove a *graphic which, I discovered, says "abstract balls," when received in simple text format. Not exactly what I want clients and prospects to think of me when reading my emails. Read her article before you read the rest of my post.

Did you read it? Good. If not, and I l know some of you didn't, you won't understand the rest of this. For the sake of transparency, the sig line I am showing you is from a company who competes with mine on Internet marketing services (web development, SEO/SEM, E-mail marketing, etc.) I have changed the name and blurred as much of the information as I could without sacrificing the educational purpose of this post. If you read Alyssa's article, please tell me what is wrong with this signature. I am not telling you.

Note: below the customer service information there is another graphic with links to social media channels for the company. I couldn't change the information so I decided not to include it here.

John Smith
Director of Sales | A Big Marketing Company, Inc.

xxx-xxx-xxxx mobile | xxx-xxx-xxxx fax

john.smith@abigmarketingco.net | www.abigmarketingco.net

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnxsmith

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/johnx.smith?ref=profile

Customer Service: cs@abigmarketingco.net xxx-xxx-xxx

If this company is supposed to provide top shelf Internet marketing services, you sure wouldn't know it from their E-mail signature line! The point I am making is what is YOUR signature line telling your clients and prospects about your company? Remember the "abstract balls" I deleted from my sig line?

Webtrends and Facebook: Abysmal or Inaccurate?

2011-02-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

An article was published yesterday on Adweek.com titled, "Report: Facebook Ad Performance Is Abysmal." It referred to a WebTrends report that stated the average click-through rate was 0.051 percent for ads on Facebook.

The problem I have Adweek on this is that they don't show any analytics from the report. The reason is simple. It is exceedingly easy and inexpensive to create an ad on Facebook. So easy, in fact that many people create ads with little thought to the content other putting in basic information about their company, product, or service. Another reason I believe the post, and Adweek's atrocious headline, is inaccurate is that it bury's an interesting statistic at the bottom:

Regardless, advertisers continue to flock to Facebook. According to eMarketer, ad spending on Facebook will reach $2.19 billion in the U.S. in 2011 and close to $4 billion worldwide.

The shear numbers of advertisers combined with how poorly developed the creative or offers are would surely be reflected in low CTRs. If they weren't the cost to advertise would be out of range of a lot of the advertisers! I blame Webtrends and Adweek for delivering misleading and inaccurate marketing information.

BTW - I'd like to add that an astute reader, Mr. Dennis Yu, posted this comment on Adweek's article:

I'd like to note that the low CPMs to buy Facebook is not because the inventory is of poor quality, but because advertisers haven't yet figured out how to run social ads.

Art Therapy and the Life of an Alzheimer's Patient

2011-01-31T15:33:00.001-05:00

There is so much to learn about the mind and this disease.

Amplify’d from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com

When Lester Potts began succumbing to Alzheimer's disease at age 70, the changes in his demeanor hit his family "like a cyclone," his son Daniel recalls. In some ways the situation was especially hard on the younger Potts because he is a neurologist, and he blamed himself for not spotting the disease sooner:

"I thought myself a poor excuse for a dementia doctor and inadequate as a son."
Read more at www.alzheimersreadingroom.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/ao4tq

Marketing Consultant Speak: What They Really Mean

2011-01-26T13:16:00.000-05:00

How do you know when a speaker lacks a sound knowledge base about the topic he is discussing?

The speech or sales pitch is filled with techno-garble.

"You will experience an up-tick in potential new buyers." Which actually means more website visits by unqualified prospects.

"Our new technology will provide more functionality." This is a pet peeve of mine, and one I am sure to lose because the word is prevalent now. A tool has a function; using "functionality" is unnecessary yet sounds more "intelligent." Technology is not new. The definition of technology is "applied science." The application of the science is new. I've heard this so many times yet the speaker, when pressed, cannot explain what the new technology specifically is. I have used, "Our software engineers wrote the code in AJAX so that the picture of your hotel will appear in the Google Local listings which give you an advantage over your competitors who use Flash for their images. Flash does not display in Google Local Listings." I explain what the science is, how it is implemented, and what the benefits to you are. Simple.

"Our advanced CMS allows you to customize your website on multiple-levels with limited involvement by us." CMS is the acronym for Content Management System, and most companies resell a software program that is over-priced and provides a multitude of functions you will never use. The second part of that statement means you will be doing the work while paying more to your marketing company. Clever idea by the marketing company but not smart for you.

If you have heard speakers who use techno-garble, please post them here. I'd love to see them and hear you comments about them. You may also email them to me sherron@hyperdisk.com

2011-01-25T16:36:00.001-05:00

http://hyperdiskmtkg.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/virginia-beach-hotel-makes-top-ten-dirtiest-list/ http://amplify.com/u/anmd7

Did You Find Everything You Wanted? Don't be a Squirrel

2011-01-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

Today I am going back to my roots as a ranting marketer. This one involves marketing departments' apparently trying to get their stores to really care about their customers.

The first one is when I needed home improvement project materials and tools. I went to the Home Depot. I walked the aisles for what seemed like several years and could not find one item I needed. Frustrated by my inability to find it and the stores apparent lack of personnel to assist, I went to the check out counter with the items I did manage to find. The cashier greeted me and said, "Did you find everything you wanted?" To which I replied, "no, I did not." Guess what HIS response was?!!! "I'm sorry."

WHAT???

The second time was at a local grocery store. Again, I arrived at the cash register frustrated by my failure to find a key ingredient. The clerk asked, "Did you find everything you were looking for?" [Note: Did some marketing guru to a seminar or produce statistics that prove that when you ask this question you get repeat customers by the gamillions or something?] I replied, "no I did not.Can you tell me where the such and such is?" Guess what this boy genius said to me, "No I can't sir. I just work here. I don't shop here."

DOUBLE WHAT??!!!

The final straw came when I went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. The first issue I had was when the pharmacy attendant finished with the person in front of me, looked at me waiting and just walked away. I stood there for about 2 minutes, not long I know but entirely unforgivable when I wasn't even acknowledged or told I would be helped in a minute, before another attendant came to the window. She didn't say anything. She just looked at me. I didn't know if she was ready to assist me or was fixing her hair!
Attendant:, May I help you?
Me: I am here to pick up my prescription.
Attendant: Do you have any questions?
Me: Yes. Will I have to take these pills for the rest of my life?
Attendant: Oh...I don't know. Let me ask someone.

Grrrr......

Marketers: Don't go half way. Either do it completely and follow through a complete program or don't do it all. You'll end up like a squirrel that darts out into the road in front of car, then panics, and can't decide which direction to run. He ends up being run-over by the car. In your case, it will be your customers.

Preferred Hotel Group Social Media Guidebook « Tsunami Wisdom

2011-01-19T14:43:00.001-05:00

http://hyperdiskmtkg.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/preferred-hotel-...

Need a talented, expereinced, and dynamic speaker for your marketing event, conference or luncheon? Steven Sehgers is the man.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bmtj1

Explorer Still Dominates

2011-01-18T11:58:00.000-05:00

I viewed my stats and was bit surprised to discover Internet Explorer dominated the browsers of users who visit my blog. The headlines and articles would lead you to believe that Apple dominates everywhere (mobile, tablets, and laptops.) I wonder how this will change in the near future as older desktop computers, which are mostly Windows based, are replaced with either iPhones or iPads.

Your Web Company is Stealing Pageviews From You

2011-01-17T10:10:00.000-05:00

I don't get it. You spend a boatload of money for a new website. You utilize the very best in SEO for the most exposure on relevant search terms. You even invest precious marketing dollars in PPC to drive additional traffic. You incorporate new technologies designed to capture visitors, keep them engaged on the site, and convert them to customers. Why then do you let your web company put THEIR company name with an active link at the bottom of YOUR site that takes YOUR customers away from YOUR site??

Other sites do this on PURPOSE; they are called Affiliate Marketers and they get PAID to send traffic to other sites. Is YOUR web company PAYING YOU for the traffic YOU SEND TO THEM?

This is especially prevalent in the hospitality industry. Make them remove their FREE advertising from your site and keep YOUR customers on YOUR site!

Weather Reports are Useless

2011-01-10T14:37:00.000-05:00

It is true. I am convinced weather reports are useless the way in which they are delivered. It is why meteorologists have such a bad name. They so desperately want to give you an accurate forecast. The problem is there are often too many variables that affect weather that makes it, in my opinion, a miracle they do as well at predicting the weather as they do. Even so, the way in which they provide us information, especially on the radio, is limited and too focused on accuracy. We would all be much better off if they drifted off of their scripts and thought more in terms of what information we actually need and how we use it.

I live in an area which doesn't receive a whole lot of snow in the winter. Or at least we haven't over the past 10 years until December 2010. We had five significant snow storms in one month with one of them dumping over 14 inches of snow throughout most of the region.

I saw a Facebook post today from a friend in Atlanta. It was a picture of snow accumulation with the caption, "8 inches and counting." Atlanta is southwest from where I live. Storms typically come from that direction, so I walked to the kitchen to see if the newspaper had any weather alerts for our area. The radio was on and as I entered the kitchen the announcer began the weather forecast. He delivered it with professionalism and provided details (light sleet and snow with little accumulation) of what we could expect over the next 24 - 36 hours. It still didn't answer my question though. Where was the storm in Atlanta heading? Is it possible it is coming close enough to our region to have a dramatic impact on our weather? How far would the storm have to travel outside of its current path to hit us head on and drop multiple inches of snow on us? I am making travel plans and need to know what options I should include.

What would it have taken for the announcer to say, "I know many of you are concerned about the storm hitting the Atlanta area, and there is a very low probability it will hit us." Or the Atlanta storm is now tracking out to sea and will in no way affect our weather forecast." Or, to give us a chance to prepare or change plans, "There is some likelihood, although low, that the storm currently causing flight cancellations in Atlanta could produce more snow and ice for us than predicted. I recommend you keep listening to our station for further updates." How nice would THAT have been? But NOooooooo....Mr. Announcer read the weather report just as he does every hour of every other day. He didn't have the slightest thought about how his listeners might be concerned about the accuracy of that forecast given current situation in Atlanta. And the fact that the last storm to hit us dumped 15 inches of snow when the forecast was for now more than a few inches if it accumulated at all!

Consider this when you go about your day doing phone calls, meeting prospects in person, or even reviewing your marketing plan. Are you on automatic? Are you just going through the paces? What can you do differently? How can you communicate more effectively to your audience? Or better yet, how can you better assist your clients and prospects? What storm are they worried about?

The Tsunami is Coming

2011-01-06T18:21:00.002-05:00

January 11, 2011 update:
Webtrends blog posts the Buzz Meter coming out of CES 2011 (Consumer Electronics Show) and each year the buzz is dominated by televisions....except this year. Guess what did dominate the buzz? You guessed it, MOBILE. The wave IS coming.

I, in no way wish to diminish the seriousness of the devastation, injury and loss of life that occurred as a result of the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami. I use the video to demonstrate how the lack proper preparation can also have a disastrous effect on your market share, revenue generation, and bottom line. It is conceivable, even, that the very life of your business can be threatened. If evidence of that is required, look around at the shopping centers and office buildings that sit empty, not to mention the number of business-related bankruptcy filings since 2008.

I first read about Web 2.0, later to be called Social Media, back in 2005. Even though it was written about, talked about at conferences, and mentioned at networking events, very few were prepared for the eventual tsunami that swamped most marketers. Some would argue, me being one if them, that there are a lot of marketing people who remain behind and unable to grasp social media as a marketing tool. That is another post and it will be coming shortly, I assure you.

I bring this up because like the social media tsunami, we have ample warning, again, of a coming wave that will flood our consciousness and have many struggling in its wake. Instead of social media, this one is mobile. Despite thousands of articles (read Mary Meeker's article on Gigaom) and blog posts hyping mobile marketing and applications, a vast majority of marketers remain unawares of what steps to take or how to develop a strategy for it. They are like the people in Asia in the video who were ill-prepared for the deluge of water that rushed ashore, crushed their homes, businesses, dream vacations and, in some cases, their lives.
You can be prepared. It is not too late to insure you are on high ground and capturing market share instead of losing it to your competitors. I recommend you follow these steps, and in the order they are listed.

Optimize your current website for mobile devices - or at the very least, a landing page.
Decide if you should invest in mobile apps or not - it depends on a variety of factors but one of the most important is the size of your business
Read articles, blogs (mine is a good start!), and attend webinars about mobile marketing

Follow those three easy rules and you are well on your way to surfing that massive wave instead of being swamped by it.

Tom Robbins, Mocking Birds, and Innovation

2010-12-29T13:32:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite fiction authors is Tom Robbins. And one of my favorite books by him is "Skinny Legs and All." I began re-reading it again last night. A light bulb moment occurred when I read the line, "...mockingbirds are not content to merely play the hand that is dealt them." My marketing mind kicked in and I thought there is a lesson in here. I was correct! Robbins writes more, "Like al artists they [mockingbirds] are out to change rearrange reality. Innovative, willful, daring, not bound by the rules to which others may blindly adhere." WOW!!

I now recommend you go back and read my previous post, Become an Instigator. That is exactly what I was talking about when I wrote that! Bend the rules; change the game; break free from what is binding you to your current thinking and actions when it comes to marketing. It is the ONLY way to achieve results that are above average. Steven Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Leonardo da Vinci all understood this concept and rearranged not only their reality but the reality for all of the rest of us too. How powerful is THAT!

Looking at your business, how are you dealing with the market, your competition, or your customers? Are you allowing the rules to be dictated to you? What can you do to "rearrange that reality?" If you are not the number one business than you need to stop "blindly adhering" to the rules. Don't accept the status quo; break free and innovate; be the Mocking Bird! You will experience results far superior than you are currently receiving.

January 4, 2011 Update: Amazon Executive Ignored Rules and Created Huge Revenue Stream

Greg Linden, who worked at Amazon from 1997 - 2002, had an idea to sell more books. He even developed a prototype. The problem was senior Amazon executives didn't think it would be effective. And Greg had no data to support his hunch that it would. What did he do? He skirted upper management and launched a test to get the data he needed. The result? His prototype, Amazon Recommends, is a big success with buyers.

You can read about this, and how more executives are embracing experimentation on the Harvard Business Review blog site. http://blogs.hbr.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/8611

You now have more reason than ever to try something new. Go for it. If that includes redeveloping your website to incorporate the very latest in innovative technology, give me a shout at http://hyperdisk.com

Why Hotel Sales People Need Twitter Accounts

2010-12-22T09:36:00.005-05:00

Through my work with clients such as The River Street Inn, HSMAI's Affordable Meetings, and Preferred Hotel Group, and my own immersion in social media since 2005 when I first created my LinkedIn profile, I have a deep understanding and knowledge about who should use Twitter and why. I know there are detractors out there (read my earlier posts and you'll see I was one of them) who say, "I don't get why people want to know when I go to the lavatory." When I hear that, by the way, I just smile and refrain from commenting because I realize these people have closed minds to social media and no matter what I say, it will not change their minds. But I digress.

Salespeople need contacts. They need to find prospects. They need to build relationships; long-term relationships if they want to be very successful. THERE IS NO BETTER TOOL FOR THIS THAN TWITTER. I repeat, Twitter is THE best tool for finding people who are looking for what you have to sell.

Real estate professionals, automotive salespeople, professional speakers, and even meeting professionals are flocking to Twitter with private accounts because they realize it is THEIR personal connection with the prospect that is what is important. It is the individual who can post, promote, and engage on a personal level with prospect and not the organization for whom they work. And they are not just talking with prospects; they are talking to each other. They share ideas, articles, frustrations, and successes.

Hotels, on the other hand, allow the marketing department or their PR firm to manage their Twitter and other social media accounts. I don't feel this is entirely a mistake, it is marketing after all, but hotel sales people should have their own accounts. They should be given guidelines and be trained in social media too. I continue to see posts from meeting professionals who are asking about a destination and even hotel recommendations for an event they are planning. It is other meeting professionals who typically respond. This is ripe fodder for the hotel sales department. Again, within guidelines. You don't want to swim into a conversation like a hungry shark and ruin any chance at building a relationship with a new prospect or two.

3 Marketing Predictions for 2011

2010-12-14T14:16:00.000-05:00

It is a bit early for 2011 prognostications yet I am seeing enough of them that I want to chime in as well.

Most marketers will not be prepared to market effectively using mobile technology despite the coming tsunami of tablet computers being launched and articles published on the topic. I saw the same thing happen with social media back in 2005 when numerous articles were published yet most marketers were caught flat-footed and many have just now achieved some level of mastery.
The majority of social media channels will degrade in effectiveness due to the dominance of Facebook and Twitter, the misapplication of mass marketing techniques and the proliferation of spam. I have already seen this happen with LinkedIn which some people now refer to as "LinkedOut."
Despite the overwhelming ROI on organic search marketing, many marketers will continue to underestimate its value and overspend on PPC. This would absolutely baffle me given the long-term sustainability of SEO except for the fact that many firms are very convincing in their arguments that PPC is the preferred method for gaining exposure. Those firms make more money from PPC than they do from SEO which is why they recommend "boosting the marketing budget" each time the client wants more results.

You have a choice in this. Be smarter about your marketing and demand more from your marketing partners. Challenge them to be more creative. It will benefit you and it will make my predictions look silly. I hope it does.

What Buffalo Wings Taught Me About Social Media

2010-12-07T17:06:00.001-05:00

I admit it. I like Buffalo Wings and I probably eat them too often. Here's some things I didn't know about them.

They use Facebook to find hotels. They are in fact, very savvy in Social Media. They Tweet often. And they follow certain Twitter accounts in order to do their jobs better.

I know what you're thinking, "he has lost his marbles." True, I'm not really talking about the wings themselves. I am talking about Jeannie Wolf, CMP, who plans, organizes and manages all aspects of the largest chicken wing festival in the world in Buffalo, New York, USA. In case you aren't familiar, this festival has been featured on CNN, The Today Show, The Travel Channel, and is home to the United States Chicken Wing Championship. It hosts over 400,000 attendees annually, generated $125,000 for charities in Western New York. Local, regional and national celebrities are involved. I am telling you all of this to give you some idea of the depth of planning and logistics involved to not only make this event happen but to make it the great success it has been.

Ms Wolf is a meeting professional's meeting professional. She is actively involved in MPI and regularly serves on industry panels discussing issues regarding meeting planning. I attended one such event recently. HSMAI VA hosted an interactive meeting planner panel discussion with hoteliers. Ms Wolf provided valuable information and tips for hoteliers regarding social media.

One of the first places she visits to learn about a hotel is Facebook. She likes it a lot if the hotel has a quality Facebook page with active discussions and participation.
Post a lot of pictures on Twitter
Have a YouTube Channel

See Buffalo Wings can teach you a lot about using Social Media, and book meetings and events at the same time. Just don't eat too many; all things in moderation! Enjoy!

Marketers Ignore Critcal Data

2010-12-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

I am blown away. I am sitting here literally wide-eyed and mouth open in amazement. This is no small task as I have been up and working since 0415 hours (that's 4:15 a.m. for those of you who don't use a 24 hour clock.) The reason for my current state is a press release from the CMO Council concerning ongoing research on "ways to improve frontline performance through better go-to-market process innovation, supply chain optimization, and marketing ecosystem management." Now that should get your attention but if it doesn't, the discoveries revealed in the research most certainly should!

I admit the release is filled with jargon and the layout could be more pleasantly designed for ease of reading but the information is astounding. Take for example, "While 56 percent of marketers are focused on campaign design, development and execution, ... just two percent are looking to optimize the actual delivery, fulfillment or distribution of their critical marketing materials." I see your jaw has dropped too! Unfortunately this dovetails with recent survey data revealed by MarketingSherpa that marketing departments are not aligned or communicate with sales departments to achieve critical performance goals.

CMO's must integrate the creative development with the customer engagement through fulfillment. It is not surprising then, the number one complaint from prospects is the failure to follow up on leads. Don't let that happen to you.

How to Become an Instigator

2010-11-18T15:34:00.000-05:00

My last post, Become an Instigator, stimulated my curiosity. I began to think about why people are so prone to follow the crowd and not step outside to experience the possibilities. This is as true in life as it is in marketing (if you need an example just ask yourself why men are so more reluctant to dance in public than women are.) You should ponder the significance of these questions and how they apply to you.

What is preventing you from being different or doing things differently?
How often do you succumb to, "You can't do that" mentality?
What are you afraid of? (Ponder this one because it is very powerful, and provide an honest answer to yourself.)

It is easier to go along with the crowd. It is more comfortable. It is also less rewarding. Go ahead, be an instigator. You will be much better for it.

One Question You Must Ask Your Marketing Partner

2010-11-13T14:09:00.000-05:00

If you want to find out how good your marketing partner (eMarketing firm, ad agency, public relations company, etc.) is, all you need to do is ask one question.

"What new ideas do you have for me today that will grow my business and generate more revenues?"

Don't be surprised if all you hear is silence. I recommend asking this question at least once a month. And do it at random times so your account manager can't be pre-loaded with an answer.

BTW - A great marketing partner will not be silent. In fact, a great marketing partner will have so much to bring to you, even on a moment's notice, it will be difficult to quiet them.

It goes without saying that if you get the blank stare, otherwise known as the "deer in the headlights" look, a few times in a row, you might want to start looking around for a new partner.

The Cred Factor

2010-11-01T14:40:00.000-04:00

One of the first big sites in social media now has a problem and appears on its way to oblivion much like MySpace. Digg is a "place for people to discover and share content" according to their site. Mashable wrote a nice piece about Digg this past summer after the announcement of its overhaul/redesign. The timeline and growth of Digg is very impressive and boasts up to 40 million users. That appears to be changing, however, with the launching of the overhaul which is suspected as using censorship and self-promotion to control content rather than letting the users determine what stories gain top ranking. In social media circles this is a major credibility problem (a.k.a. "cred") and could result in Reddit gaining massive market share from Digg, and quite possibly making it irrelevant.

The lesson here is that social media is controlled by the users and not the owners. Violate that rule and you risk losing out big time.

When 1/5 is Worth More Than 1/2

2010-10-28T09:58:00.000-04:00

Culinary travelers, defined as those who travel for unique and memorable eating or drinking experiences, make up roughly one-fifth of the U.S. leisure traveling population. Compared to the average leisure traveler, wine and culinary travelers are more affluent, better educated, and take part in more activities while traveling, making this a large, active, and lucrative market for destinations and other travel marketers, according to Mandala Research.

http://mandalaresearch.com/index.php/purchase-reports#Wine%20and%20Culinary%20Base%20Report

Analyze Smarter, Not Harder

2010-10-15T15:03:00.000-04:00

I love analytics! I could sit in Google Analytics for hours and find new nuggets of data, relationships between those data points, well, really whatever I want to find. This can quickly turn into a problem. Most analytics tools are so robust that you can literally manipulate points of data any which way you want. I recently was putting together a report for a client and realized that I was throwing soooo much information in one small space that I was risking overwhelming and confusing my client.

Let me encourage all hoteliers, all markers, anyone who wants to look into any type of analytics:

YOU DON'T NEED INFINITE DATA POINTS!!!

Focus on the the big things. Focus on what really matters. Does it matter that you had 2 visitors from Slovakia? Should you switch your entire marketing plan to accommodate for Eastern Europe? It may sound fun, but in reality it's not that important. We always want to find new and exciting data points instead of looking at the big boring numbers (visitors, pageviews, bounce-rate, etc).

Are Televisions Obsolete?

2010-10-14T13:21:00.001-04:00

I personally unplugged my television nearly a year ago. I have not missed it (or the cable bill either!) I get all of the entertainment and sports viewing I need from online providers via my computer. Television manufacturers are taking notice of this too. They are now offering models that connect directly with all of the transmedia (a.k.a. social media) channels.

Why should I buy a new television when my computer does all of this for me?

This also presents an interesting situation for the hotel industry which relies on in-room entertainment via the television for incremental revenue generation. A discussion regarding this situation took place recently at LodgeNet's Customer Technology Symposium at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston where Mark McBeth, VP of information technology for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, stated, “I don’t think {video on demand) has long to live, with the availability of streaming movies on the Internet."

Hotel companies would benefit by eliminating televisions from their rooms in several ways:
1. Lower costs for FF&E by not having to purchase televisions (or the amount of batteries to power the remotes!) or furnishings to display them
2. Reduced maintenance costs
3. A lack of guest complaints about televisions and remotes that do not work
4. More space in the rooms
5. No more accounting issues for movie charges that were "not authorized"

In return they could charge for Internet access while partnering with companies such as Hulu or Netflix to provide content at a reduced charge for their guests.

Yes, televisions are obsolete; many industries just don't realize it yet.

Gap Learns Social Media Lesson

2010-10-12T12:28:00.000-04:00

Want to know if your new logo will resonate with the masses? Try testing it out in social media prior to launching it to the public. The backlash suffered by the Gap over the past week is evidence enough for anyone to see how the new marketing channels have gone from "Monologue to Dialogue" as inspired and thought-provoking speaker Peter Winnick says about social media. For those of you who don't know, read Mashable's quick description of how consumers revolted against the Gap's newly redesigned logo.

Power to the people!

The Next Big Thing

2010-10-08T11:18:00.000-04:00

People often ask me, "What is the next big thing?" What they really want to know is, "How do I anticipate and position my company or service to leverage the next Facebook, iPhone, Twitter or what have you so I don't get caught with my pants down."

Well here it is...Transmedia.

I've only recently been introduced to the term but it is already prevalent in magazines, discussion forums, and even has conferences. The problem is, no one can really define it. Check out this link: IndieCade
It may help you understand.

Clear and Present Opportunity

2010-10-04T16:56:00.006-04:00

I managed the social media campaign for the three Affordable Meetings shows in 2010. And after being immersed in conversations among meeting and event planners through social media for the past eight months I can tell you that hotels have a clear and present opportunity to capture group business from these channels. The sad thing is though, it is NOT going to happen.

That is because most hotels, and other venues, use these channels as another form of email marketing in that they push out messages for special rates on room nights, hour specials or some other F & B promo. Granted, hotels do utilize social media to respond to complaints and exchange messages with guests. It is the group market that is being ignored.

Ignored may be a harsh term. There are several companies attempting to engage group business through social media. Omnimeetings was recently launched on Twitter (I'll post updates on how they are doing in later posts). But realistically there are thousands of conversations occurring every day among meeting planners that hotels quite simply are missing. Not to mention the variety of sites where they form communities and rely on each other for suggestions on anything from where to get decorations in a particular city to, and I've seen this, WHERE TO HAVE THEIR EVENT!

The problem is that hotels allow public relations or marketing people to handle their social media and not sales. That is okay if the sales department would consult, and in fact learn the event planner buzz words) with the marketing person to "listen" for certain conversations and provide solutions in order to develop a relationship. Instead, these types of conversations are completely ignored and the pushing out of selling messages splurges ever onward.

Clearly a change needs to take place in order to turn these opportunities into relationships and eventually revenue.

The First Step

2010-08-31T11:04:00.000-04:00

People often say, "the first step is the toughest." I disagree. It is the 1,000th step. The one when you are tired, beaten down, and it is the darkest. THAT step is the toughest. You take that step and you have proven you have what it takes to succeed.

The Economy Needs Meetings

2010-08-04T12:16:00.003-04:00

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International -HSMAI- hosts the main attraction for meeting and event planners to find outstanding education and discover knowledgeable suppliers who are determined to help produce valuable meetings and assist with purchasing decisions. Affordable Meetings is THE show for meeting planners and venues to network, learn, and negotiate future meetings business.

The event's blog recently posted about the value of face-to-face meetings. It is a very good read. It falls short, however, on stating the impact of the meetings industry to the entire economy. Yes, meetings are important for the growth of organizations and the exchange of ideas. It is the bigger picture, though, that may lead to economic recovery of this very nation that was missed in the post.

Every aspect of a meeting impacts the economy. The food being served needs to be grown, harvested, processed, distributed, sold, cooked, served, and the waste removed or recycled. And that is just one small item at a meeting. When this country gets back to a vibrant meetings industry, it may just lead the entire economy back to solid ground.

Mobile Technology

2010-06-07T12:37:00.006-04:00

What are you holding in your hand right now? Chances are it is some sort of mobile phone. Or what is now known as a "smartphone."These phones, or what may soon have more appropriate name since they quite a bit more than phones now, have abilities far advanced than most people would have imagined just 3 or 4 years ago. Take for example, this application that allows a smartphone to become your room key once you check into your hotel

http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/30/openways-makes-your-smartphone-a-hotel-room-key-provides-a-diff/

Now consider that surveys indicate that as many as 1 Billion people will own smartphones by 2013

http://www.gamingangels.com/2010/01/one-billion-people-will-own-smartphones-market-analysis/

The implications of the sheer volume of this phones combined with the advanced technology is a revolution that could easily surpass the one currently taking place in social media.

What is your mobile marketing strategy and plan?

UPDATE: I just read this comScore release and it is very relevant to this post and discussion.

http://bit.ly/b3pdwJ

Favorite Words

2010-06-04T08:46:00.004-04:00

Dr. Dru Evarts was one tough journalism professor. All of the students at E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University feared her classes. I did as well until I actually took one of her classes. It is because of her that I have such a love of the English language. I remember one class, in my junior year, where she distributed a four page list of words. The students were to list the definition for each one. I managed to define about 60% of them, which was about average for the class. When the exercise ended, Dr. Evarts told us that this list of words was what 12th grade students were expected to have mastered. I was duly embarrassed. Here is a link to something similar

I have a few words that I really like. Word usage, it appears, is a dwindling skill except for a few talented writers. Awesome, like, incredible and a few others are over-used to the point that their impact is nearly meaningless.

I blame marketers for much of this. They perpetuate the problem by dumbing down their copy on the premise of making it acceptable to a wider audience.

Therefore I am posting these words that I have a particular fondness for and would like to see used more often.

Exalted

Astute

Edify

Cogent

I have more and perhaps I will make this a regular monthly post. What do you think?

iPhone App for Meeting Planners

2010-06-01T14:51:00.000-04:00

Basically, lets users point their phone and it tells them what is there. How great would something like this be for a meetings or convention hotel to bundle with their packages? Plan a meeting with us and we will give you a phone app that will let your attendees know what is in the surrounding area for food, prices, shows, etc…

http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=17123

Cashing in on Current Events

2010-04-23T11:32:00.007-04:00

Recently, a certain Gray Powell lost a next generation, prototype iPhone whilst drinking German beer at a German bar. This has turned into one of the largest gadget leaks of our time and a catastrophe (albeit, not in the form of stock prices) for the normally very secretive Apple and Steve Jobs.

Now, Apple (Steve Jobs et al.) is extremely upset and no one is sure as to what will become of Gray Powell. One company, however, is using this situation as an opportunity. In a letter, shared via twitter, Lufthansa has offered Gray a free business class trip to Munich to enjoy German beer at Lufthansa's new Bavarian Beer Garden Business Lounge! Lufthansa is getting incredible amounts of PR and goodwill from all corners of the eMedia world for this gesture. This being such an international story, Lufthansa is interjecting its message and creating brand awareness on a global scale. Now, whenever anyone tells a friend,
"Hey did you hear about Gray Powell losing the iPhone?"
His buddy will say right back,
"Yeah, but he got a free trip to Munich from Lufthansa!"

Suddenly, Lufthansa has become a part of the story.

Now, this will not work in every situation and giving away free trips may not always be possible, but it does demonstrate the need to keep an eye on social media trends and to be constantly thinking of ways to interject brand messages into those trends.

-Randy Stuck

Fishing Where the Fish Are

2010-04-15T19:04:00.001-04:00

There is a saying in fishing, "I don't fish I catch." Of course it depends on what your goal is to determine if that makes sense to you or not. If all you want is a relaxing day on the water then actually catching fish is a distraction. Nothing wrong with that, it is just what you want. It can be, in fact, therapeutic. On the other hand, if you want to go home with a stringer full of fish to eat for dinner, then catching is definitely what you want. This blog is about catching.

I developed this thought while attending the HSMAI
Affordable Meetings Mid-America show in Chicago today. Affordable Meetings is an event that brings exhibitors (hotels and resort, convention and visitors bureaus, destinations, and a variety of other meeting venues) together with attendees (meeting planners). The meetings business is big business. Well it used to be HUGE until the recent downturn and certain government officials who decided they must deride the entire industry. Back on point though, the event happening in Chicago is a place for meeting planners to meet, interact, and negotiate with a venue for future meetings.

I spoke to several meeting planners and observed others going through the show and talking with exhibitors. It is readily apparent that they have specific business on their minds and are seriously looking to book meetings. Basically Affordable Meetings is a place where the fish are. It has a 4:1 ratio of meeting planners to exhibitors. If you are hotel and are looking to catch you should be here. The catching is good.

I have been to other shows that also try to get meeting planners to engage with hotels and destinations. I won't mention any by name but one is held in Washington, D.C. and it is in the Spring time. The interesting thing is that this event is very large. It seems that everyone attends this. It is the place, "you HAVE to be." Or so I have been told. This pond so to speak is filled with fisherman and very little fish. The ratio is more like 2:1 (meeting planner to destination). It also has a big entertainment factor to it (i.e. it is a party). It seems to me that it is more of a fishing trip. Get a bunch of your buddies together, invite a few people you want to impress, and go out on the water, have some drinks and fish. Who cares about catching; we're having a blast!

Now if you are fishing, I mean that literally, it doesn't really cost you much except some of your time and whatever bait costs, to fish without catching anything. But, however, if you are fishing for business and you are going to a fishing party rather than a catching party, it costs you plenty.

I would rather spend my time and more importantly, money to go catching; therefore, I know exactly which event I would be packing up my rods and reels to attend.

Meetings Mean Business

2010-04-09T16:22:00.002-04:00

Based on the success of the social media program developed and implemented by Hyperdisk Marketing for the 93rd Annual Convention of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and on behalf of The Peabody Orlando, the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) signed Hyperdisk today to do the same for its Affordable Meetings (AM) shows to be held in Chicago, Long Beach, CA, and Washington, D.C.

Meeting Your Goals

2010-04-08T11:24:00.012-04:00

Jeff Hurt is an interesting person. So is Dave Lutz. Most, if not all of you, have never heard of them. They want to change the way meetings are planned and delivered. No, scratch that. They want to change the very reason for having meetings AND the way they are planned and delivered.

Here is a blurb about them directly from their blog:

Midcourse Corrections is the online home and blog of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, Inc. Jeff and Dave blog on Midcourse Corrections about annual meeting improvement, association meetings and education, and the convergence of Web 2.0, social media, meetings, events and education.

Their April 7 post proposes the need for a "Meeting Steward" to increase the effectiveness and overall experience of conferences for everyone involved. Their mission corresponds with another evangelist who is changing the meetings and conferences environment. She is my friend Susan Radojevic, founder and principal of The Peregrine Agency.

Susan's crusade is about making meetings more strategic. The failure to do so, as we have experienced, could be seen on national television almost every night a year ago. News stories flourished about how much money was being spent on meetings and conferences while the country was sinking into a financial morass.

Fortunately their message is being heard and it is gaining momentum at least in the number of conversations being generated if not in the actual planning of events.

What and how can hoteliers benefit from this? It takes a paradigm shift in thinking. Something that I have found extremely difficult to achieve in any industry but most especially the hotel industry. Hotel people need to change from simply being the suppliers of meeting space and sleeping rooms to being a strategic partner with the meeting planners from the very beginning of the planning process!!! View yourselves as an extension of the meeting planner's organization and assume responsibility for the event's success in every respect, including stressing the need for the event to have a strategic purpose.

The result?

Your property will be viewed by all of the event stakeholders and, most importantly the meeting planner as being a huge value to them. Can you say loyalty? Word of mouth? Referrals?

In the famous words of Jean-luc Picard (Star Trek fans know who this is),

"Make It So!"

When you help increase the value of the meetings held on your property, you will go a long way in meeting your goals and those of your customers.

Why We Hate Captain Kirk

2010-04-07T14:26:00.001-04:00

By Steven Herron and Robert Baldassari (DOSM, Skytop Lodge)

Note: This piece was originally written in 2008 and is being posted here in response to an article by my good friend Glenn Haussman at Hotel Interactive

Well not actually Captain Kirk but William Shatner, and here is why you should hate him too. Do you remember when your customers valued your property for its premium service, quality accommodations, and the fact that you had nutured a business relationship with them through dedication and hard work? Do you remember when your customers understood the rate structure and how to negotiate with you for value added services? Do you remember when your inventory of rooms was not a commodity to be bid on by your customer?

The marketing power of Priceline.com and the star appeal of Captain Kirk, er, William Shatner, has changed all of that. The worst part is that they did it with your full knowledge and cooperation! And, during this process, numerous other "third party sites" both large and small have entered the landscape promising to fill your rooms if you'll net them rates of up to 30% off. After all a room sold at a discount is better than an empty room……………………………….or is it??

How has the selling of hotel rooms, plane tickets, rental cars etc. changed? You need only watch primetime television to learn the answer but let us paint a picture for you. As a Sales Manager, you are charged with selling your hotel, filling as many room nights as possible while maintaining rate integrity. You know what the market will bare but realize negotiation is expected so you are prepared for certain allowances such as coffee breaks, continental breakfast, greens fees or other value added perks that will help you secure the booking . Right in the middle of your negotiation a man (the beloved Captain Kirk) walks in – a man most people know and respect - and he yells out to your client that she can get her room, or room block, for hundreds less than what she is prepared to pay and he can help! Your customer, who previously valued your property for where it was located, your well trained staff, your brand or a variety of other differentiators, now sees your property the same as a hundred others of lesser quality and expects the same price. The playing field has now been leveled, the expectations lowered, and it's all about the cheapest rate. Now here is the insane part, you give it to her!

We realize it is not entirely William Shatner's, nor Priceline.com's, nor your fault for allowing this happen. The pressure to sell unsold inventory combined with the fear of losing a long-term client and the new consumerism creates an atmosphere where the hotel salesperson feels locked into accepting this situation. Does anyone want to be the person who says "No, I cannot sell our services to you at that rate," and potentially lose hundreds of room nights eight months in future? On the other hand, does it make sense to accept bad business? This is the dilemma that Captain Kirk has so eloquently put upon us.

All is not lost however and it is time for us to take back what we control. Take back what is ours, be the final say in what rate we sell our product and services for. Thankfully, there are some tactics to help escape this apparent checkmate situation:

Differentiate your property from your competitors in all of your marketing efforts, including person to person sales calls. Set your brand and consistently deliver that message.
Prepare your client for the onslaught of "cheaper deals" that they will find in your destination.
Educate them if you have to, on how to shop for value and not just price.
Be sure your client has an understanding of the different levels of product your destination offers. (Be sure your sales people do as well)
Be sure to reinforce why your product is different. Why your product is worth more. ie: is it your service level, is it your accommodations, is it your brand or reputation or is it all of the above?
Business is not business! There is good business and there is bad business. Define good business for your property and be sure your sales staff knows the difference!
Resist the pressure to participate with online travel agents, third party intermediaries, and other discounters that actively market against your best interests or otherwise devalue your property.

A Mile of Warning Flags!

2010-03-17T12:55:00.004-04:00

Driving down the expressway this morning I saw a maintenance crew working on a bridge over the Inter-coastal Waterway. The crew consisted of about six men and three trucks. The last truck in line had an attachment on the back of it that is an absorption barrier if a car happens to run into it. It also had flashing yellow lights all over it. Strung out for a mile behind the crew were orange safety cones and warning signs alerting drivers to the maintenance ahead of them. The cones started on the far left and gradually closed off the left lane forcing cars into the right lane.

I am sure you have all seen this and probably suffered through miserable traffic jams because of a similar situation. It is not all that unusual. So why write about it?

It struck me as a great metaphor for consumer behavior. Even with a mile of warning signs and cones forcing cars to one lane there still exists a need to have an absorption barrier on the back of one of the vehicles! It is there for a reason. Someone HAS DRIVEN INTO THE BACK OF A TRUCK at some point!!!

So if you are only reaching out to potential new customers on a random basis and limited scope, you had better think again! They need constant reminders and exposure to your messages in order to react.

Line up your cones and put out your flags as far out as you possibly can~

The Little BIG Things

2010-03-16T12:01:00.003-04:00

I am not shy of stating I am big fan of Tom Peters. His new book, "The Little BIG Things" comes highly recommended by my friend Fran Brasseaux, Executive Vice President of HSMAI.

I am not an agent for Tom Peters nor do I receive any money for promoting his book or from anyone else. I post the link to purchase his book here for your convenience and nothing else. I encourage you to shop around, maybe you can find a better price!

Click below to purchase

The Little BIG Things