Spark into Marketing

Small business marketing ideas and inspiration

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Book lovers turning to Kindle?

January 31st, 2011 · Technology, Words

A Picture of a eBook
Image via Wikipedia

Are you a book lover?  Does the smell, the feel of the book in your hand, the joy of just looking at the covers  please you even before you have read a word?  If yes, you are definitely a book lover. Me too.

Have you bought a Kindle? Or have decided against one on principle?

As a book lover I am reluctant to spend even more time in front of a screen.  Computers and TV’s seem to take up far too much of my time, so I have not – so far – been persuaded to get a Kindle or one of its alternatives.

However many of my book loving friends are enjoying theirs – and say they are easy to read.  Of course as a reader it is always a problem to know what or how many books to pack to go on holiday – and whether they justify their weight.

I was at my neighbours’ house when they had the “book talk” before their recent three week holiday.  After a big discussion she (a non-reader) felt that 8 was the maximum number of books it was fair for her husband to take in their baggage.  He  (voracious reader) thought that was reasonable, but had real difficulty prioritising.  Another point of negotiation was what to do with the books once read.  She was keen that he simply left them behind once he had read them, but he as a book lover could not bear to be parted from the book itself, and argued passionately that he had to bring them home.

I followed this up when they got back, and apparently 8 was the perfect number, and yes he brought them all home, and their holiday was a great success!  I am not sure that a Kindle would have made life easier in their case as the books were important in themselves.  But we can all change and maybe a Kindle could solve the issue next time.

E books outsold physical books in the last quarter of last year on Amazon, so many people are changing their reading habits – and not just for holidays.  E readers are far more commonly seen on commuter trains and the Tube, and likely to become even more popular.

Many ebooks are information products which have been sold on the web at a far higher price than is possible with a printed book.  The big change may be cheaper fiction ebooks, and shorter stories.

Ereaders are encouraging reading of the short story.  One publisher, Fourth Estate, has teamed up with the Sunday Times to produce Fast Fiction – a downloadable short story for 99p.  The market for print short stories has never been strong in the UK, although more economically viable in the US so this could be a great way to revive the genre.  It fits, of course with our shorter attention span and need for immediacy.

There are some wonderful short stories by well-known writers which are not so well known as their major works, but could be a fantastic introduction.  “The Signal-Man” by Charles Dickens is one that I particularly enjoy. Once you have the Kindle you have access to many classics and digitised out of print books completely for free. I think I am talking myself into getting a Kindle.

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Advertising Standards Authority to become website watchdog

January 21st, 2011 · Marketing

The Advertising Standards Authority is to become the industry watchdog for websitesp from March 1st 2011.

They will be watching for advertising that is not legal, decent, honest and truthful.

asa to regulate websites

Advertising Standards Authority

One of the subjects of the ad campaign highlights the companies we love to hate who advertise a very low air fare, and then build in layer upon layer of additional expense.  So the £ 39 airfare can double or triple by the time that the return journey, check in, insurance, baggage handling – and goodness knows what else is loaded into the price.

Find out more about the ASA

It won’t just be big business who is affected.  Even small and medium sized businesses who are already legal, honest, decent and truthful may find additional transparency is required.  In the USA last year’s changes from the FTC – the regulatory body – have meant that internet marketers are openly declaring affiliate links that might result in financial gain, as well as providing disclaimers for earnings opportunities.

Time to re-appraise wording on websites.

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Do spelling mistakes matter in emails, websites and online reports?

January 21st, 2011 · Words

I have often been told that spelling mistakes don’t matter on the internet because it means that the email, website, or report is written by a real human being.  Real human beings have flaws and therefore the occasional flaw helps to build credibility.

There is no hard and fast rule these days as spelling mistakes used to matter more than they do now.  If spelling mistakes matter to you and your audience then it is a good idea to check and double check that they don’t appear.  If your customers are perfect spellers they may find it difficult to trust you if you make some obvious – and key – mistakes.

A good test is to ask yourself how you would feel if a spelling mistake in your website, email or report is pointed out to you?

If you feel nothing more than mild surprise it probably didn’t matter, anyway.  Some of us can spot spelling mistakes at a hundred paces and some – even if not dyslexic – would never see them.

On one occasion I found a spelling mistake in the heading of a friend’s business email and let him know so it could be amended for the future.  He said 6 of them had studied the email before giving it the OK..they had been looking for mistakes but didn’t see them.

Another time I remember being asked to SING not SIGN up for technical WordPress blog information. When I remarked on this in a conversation later the site owner said it had been like that for 3 years and nobody had commented before. The audience hadn’t noticed, and probably didn’t care if they had. (Actually it could have been more interesting to sing than sign up – I did feel mildly disappointed!).

But a good professional reputation is earned through attention to detail as well as the big picture. Spelling a really important word wrong could do damage.  I did find a site talking about ROUGE traders not ROGUE traders which turned a serious business proposal into comedy.  I have also recently seen FUNITURE not FURNITURE and PHOTOGRAHY not PHOTOGRAPHY.

Spelling mistakes (also called typos) can often creep in especially if you have been working on something for a long time.  After a while you cannot tell if it is spelt correctly or not.  Computer spell checkers can add to the confusion if you are not a good speller and may be set for a different region than the one you want.  The key is to

  • take a break from it, and come back fresh,
  • get another person to read it through.

Some spellings are correct in one region and uncommon in another.  Here in the UK I think we are more tolerant of US spelling because we are used to seeing it.  I have just written a website and deliberately chosen to spell “install” in the US way rather than “instal”.  The double l just looks better, but I pointed it out to my client because their literate UK audience may notice.

There are many common words which are spelt differently CENTER (US) or CENTRE (UK), ANALYZE or ANALYSE, CURB or KERB, even ADVISOR or ADVISER seems to divide across the Atlantic.

There is no right answer.  Once the proof-reading is done, the only question worth asking is does it matter to your audience?

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World Internet Summit – the …. guy or gal?

November 29th, 2010 · Branding, Words

World Internet Summit came to London earlier this month. I have been wanting to go for some time, and was pleased to be there at last.

As a marketer I am always interested in how events and people communicate their brand.  Quite apart from the training (which I will save for another post) I did have two overwhelming impressions even before the first speaker spoke the first word.  The list of speakers was announed on a video screen, and I watched in amazement as man after man was announced.

All the speakers were men.  Every single one.

Once I had got over that, I was intrigued by the one-liner underneath each picture.  In the vast majority of cases the speaker was presented as the expert in a particular aspect of internet marketing which was briefly described, followed by the word “guy”. So we had  the webinar guy.. the easy cash projects guy.. the lead generation guy etc.

What a nice easy word “guy” is.  It sounds warm and approachable but with a hint of ruggedness and reliability.  It is more relaxed than “man” and even “gentleman”.

Even if there had been female speakers wall to wall what is the equivalent modern word for women?  I don’t think there is one .  Which is why there is a whole slew of “divas” and “queens” and goddesses”.  There simply isn’t a relaxed word.   “Gal” or Girl is OK for someone younger, Chick can give the wrong impression, Lady is very formal, Woman sounds too dull.

C’mon guys ( I mean women / gals / you gorgeous ladies  what can we call ourselves?

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Entrepreneurs give money and time to charity

November 15th, 2010 · Inspiration

A new study of 150 entrepreneurs in the USA revealed that companies led by entrepreneurs give twice as much profit to charity compared with other large organisations.  So the entrepreneur is not a Scrooge-like figure but a creator of wealth, who gives back.

The study revealed that “nine in 10 (89 percent) entrepreneurs donate money, both personally and through their companies, to support charitable causes, while 70 percent also donate their time. The majority (61 percent) of respondents believe that being an entrepreneur makes them more inclined to give to charity. Whether corporate or personal, entrepreneurs view “giving back” as an opportunity rather than an obligation.”

This is very welcome news right now in Global Entrepreneurship Week.  In addition to highlighting the get-up-and-go of business owners who can create wealth for themselves, employees and suppliers it looks as though charities are also directly benefiting.

Making money for money’s sake is often not the most powerful motivator for business people.  Helping people, making a difference, doing work that you love and being free to make your own choices are often the more powerful drivers.  Giving time and money to a worthwhile cause is a great way to make a real concrete difference.

Business people are often portrayed as tough on television.  Think “The Apprentice” which is mostly about competition.  But we also have programmes such as “The Secret Millionaire” where rich business people go under cover and volunteer to work with charities, and at the end of the programme reveal their true identity and usually make a financial donation.

It all helps to make running your own business more of a career choice for people whose priority is to care about others, not themselves.

Read more about the survey

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Entrepreneurs donate to charities – money and time

November 14th, 2010 · Inspiration, Uncategorized

Secret Millionaire
Image via Wikipedia

Entrepreneurs have often been viewed as having to be tough and ruthless in order to be successful in business.  “The Apprentice” is a prime example.

A recent survey in the USA demonstrates a more caring and committed side to entrepreneurs.  The survey of nearly 150 CEOs and founders reveals that nine in 10 (89 percent) of entrepreneurs donate money, both personally and through their companies, to support charitable causes.  Plus 70 percent also donate their time.

Here in the UK the image of entrepreneurs as generous creators of wealth is helped by programmes such as “The Secret Millionaire” where millionaire business people go under cover and act as volunteers for charities.  They have to live locally and find charities they can support.  In nearly every case they become involved with the cause and willingly donate.  The final reveal of their status is often very moving.

Entrepreneurs are top of the agenda this week in Global Entrepreneurship Week.. and as corporates continue to shed people it could be that entrepreneurship is the solution to many of the world’s financial problems.

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Hallowe’en – start of the new year

October 28th, 2010 · Inspiration

Jack-o-latern
Image via Wikipedia

The pagan new year starts here .. at Hallowe’en.  So if you feel like a brand new start it could be the ancient memories coming to the surface.

Samhaim (prounounced Sowen) is the Celtic festival at the end of October which became Christianised.  November 1st became known as  and All Saints Day (All Hallows -Holy) but the day before retained its pagan origins and was known as the evening before All Hallows.

Mexicans have the Day of the Dead at the same time when those who have died are remembered.  It has got nothing to do with scaring people out of their wits and is more a celebration of life.

The origins of Hallowe’en are explained here.  But to be honest, your prospects and customers may be more familiar with the “trick or treat” approach, so why don’t you give them a trick or treat experience?  Use the festival to deliver a message that is relevant to them, and give them a choice of something enjoyable or scary!

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twitter gets a new look

October 15th, 2010 · Branding, Social media

Twitter repositioned with a new look

A new look for twitter has just been launched which makes it easier to navigate and follow links.

You get a double page spread effect – rather like the Read mode in Word, which looks a little more relaxed on the page.

The interesting aspect of this for me was the video about the new twitter which I imagined was going to be about information on how to use it, and is actually an atmospheric branding piece.  Twitter positioned as cool rather than functional, shaking off its origins in geek-dom.

Plus a move away from the word “twitter” or the “t” logo instead focussing on the bird symbol as grey and iconic rather than cheeky and friendly.

Have a look here at the video if you haven’t seen it yet.

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How to remove clutter permanently so you move forward easily

September 10th, 2010 · Bit of a Rant, Inspiration

We all know that clutter stops us moving forward, slows us down, and prevents us from taking the big bold steps we want to take.

Why do we have it then when we know we “should” get rid of it?

Usually we put the activity on a to do list, and because it is a small and rather dull thing to do, we never feel the spark about doing it AND NEVER DO IT!  Then we feel bad because we haven’t done it, then we beat ourselves up, so we feel worse, so we don’t do it .. etc.  When we are down we are more likely to want a “magic pill” an amazing experience that may (but is unlikely) to instantly make us feel good, rather than doing some incremental small steps to clear out.  When the magic pill approach fails we can feel worse (again) as more precious money and time may have been wasted.

Clinging to clutter can help us to feel safe.  Very often there is an emotional charge about keeping the stuff.  Clearing out is often not a once-and-for-all activity but a process, as more and more becomes irrelevant.

The most common type of clutter in a work context are the piles of information that just may come in useful one day.  Notes from seminars or webinars that you have not yet put into action so don’t want to throw away, magazines, invoices that need attention.  It is all just in case.

The authentic and more permanent way to remove clutter is to feel so good about ourselves that the stuff becomes irrelevant and can go easily. It is then all part of the big adventure.  As we feel better about ourselves it becomes clear that the gorgeous new person – our new supercharged identity – is inconsistent with all that clutter and stuff.   So out it goes. Yay! And even better it is easy and fun.

In a perfect world clutter doesn’t build up but is dealt with regularly at the end of every day, week, quarter, season or simply as things change.

After focussing on the good stuff coming into my life, finishing with my son’s wonderful wedding which marked the end of an era I have found myself naturally wanting  to make life better, and throw out anything that is no longer beautiful or useful.

So in the last three days I have thrown out (sent to charity shops) all clothes I now longer wear.  What a great feeling.  Two of my daughters have done the same and years and years of forgotten clothes are off to new homes.

And, most excitingly I have re-arranged my wardrobe:  all my clothes are now organised BY GARMENT TYPE and by COLOUR!  All shoes and handbags have been lovingly cleaned with a type of saddle soap ( ie leather “balm” not shoe polish) and they look wonderful!  I have never done this before and now when I open the doors there is an exciting view – and it is easier to plan the new wardrobe that really suits me!

(It is like the difference between seeing the jumble of colours on a sale rail or the new season colours more excitingly arranged.)

Today is the day for another cupboard, and a pile of papers. I am giving myself a set project (the cupboard) and will finish that first and I will know when it is finished.  I am not sure how much time I need for the papers so will give myself an hour to start with, and then will reassess. ( I have to do money-creating activities as well as the clearing up!)

I have been using this approach with one of my groups and they all have naturally wanted to get rid of what is no longer relevant.  So I know it works!

If you find yourself wanting to clear up but not having the energy these guidelines could help:

1.  Identify a clearing-out project that you could do (but haven’t yet felt the energy to do.)  It doesn’t matter whether it is from “home” or “work” as if you run your own business feeling good in one area helps the other.

2. Each day notice the good stuff coming in.  You may have achieved something good,  been paid a compliment, taken a risk, received money but make sure you notice it…acknowledge it and record it in a diary, notebook or document on line.

4. Keep on recording the good stuff.  When you have enough proof of the good stuff you will have a sense of your own spark, and magically the clutter that you have already identified loses it emotional charge and can go.  In fact you will feel excited about it going!!

5. Set to work with energy and purpose on your project which can be finished in a reasonable time frame.  Unless you have lots of time I suggest 1 – 2 hours.  (This is not really about time but about having the emotional energy, but you want to make sure you finish it.  Half way through clearing up there is usually more mess than when you started!

6.  Release all the stuff to other people and get it out of your space.  (Charity shops, recycling or whatever is appropriate).

7.  Show someone else the finished project and celebrate!

Repeat the process!  It is amazing how sorting out one area of your life releases energy to create the business and life you really want.

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Fabulous Friday Feeling – get more done more easily

September 3rd, 2010 · Inspiration

Fridays can give you the spark to get more done in your business more easily.

Finishing the week with a completed “to-do” list feels fantastic.  Use the natural deadline of Friday at the end of the week to create some urgency.  The thought of  relaxation in the weekend ahead means you are happier to push yourself – and maybe take a few risks.

Those difficult phone calls can be more easily tackled on a Friday rather than Monday, and the person on the end of the phone be more responsive.  If you get the tough stuff out of the way, it makes Monday more enjoyable, so the next week will flow more easily.

Plus Fridays can feel a bit like a treat!  I know business owners who make sure they have an enjoyable meeting scheduled for a Friday (even if it is not a meal or a drink.)  The extra feel good factor often means more goodwill is generated which turns into business opportunities – either for yourself or others.

I think Fridays are also excellent for quality thinking about your marketing and business life.  The start of the week can feel more action orientated which often means looking after clients, but some coherent planning and thinking is perfect – and often easier – for a Friday.  The more relaxed atmosphere on a Friday helps reflection, confidence and thinking outside the box which magically leads to new opportunities.

Use your Fridays to:

  • Do difficult tasks
  • Do enjoyable things – contact and meet up with people you like
  • Reflect on where you are going with your business and plan the next phase
  • Take a risk.

Mondays can be a whole lot more fun when you get the most from your Fridays!

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