“Got the Skillz to pay the bills?
Your website’s so fly!”
This is a classic and could turn into one of my favorite videos (right up there with this one). I can only imagine how much time / resources that this required. Nevertheless, props to Dave Berzack for a brilliant video. All the hard work will pay off.
But this also got me to thinking about how to tackle a project of this nature – and the resources and budgeting involved.
The online realm is very subjective – especially when we’re dealing with creative projects or web design. Put 10 people in a room, starting with the CEO, a VP of Marketing, the IT guy, marketing manager, developer and designer..etc, and lo and behold – you’ll probably have about 10 different ideas. Read on…
Picture if you would, an entrepreneur with a great Internet business idea. Let’s call him “Ken”. Ken is an expert in his field and is a successful business person. With a solid background in engineering, Ken was instrumental in bringing his company to the pinnacle of success. His only downside is that his success gives him a slightly inflated view of his capabilities in his efforts to market his new online venture.
On the other side of the country, there is a young female we will call “Barbie,” who is as equally charismatic as Ken. She is bright, resourceful and is always looking to improve her business model. She too has a ton of experience and is very competitive. You see, Barbie has successfully launched her own retail chain, understands the fundamentals of marketing but has yet to embrace the Internet. Despite her offline success, she knows that she’ll need to effectively enter the online space to take her business to the next level. She’s been successful by way of good product lines, great customer service and a solid vision for her brand. Barbie has worked hard to get to where she is…
For Businesses looking to capitalize on Social Media both Facebook and Twitter sit at the forefront of possibly a new paradigm shift. Though different in nature, they both are opening their doors for businesses to spend money and this makes them competitors in certain ways.
Tech Crunch recently posted a Facebook fan page study by Sysomos that revealed 77 percent of fan pages have fewer than 1,000 fans. Within this study ‘Facebook fan pages tend to be updated only once every 16 days.’
TechCrunch went on to say, “On Twitter, you follow someone because you want to hear what they have to say. On Facebook, you fan them just to show your support or affinity. Too often, it’s a throwaway gesture.”
I would agree with this as it is a sort of present day ‘snap shot’ for the state of FB (Fan pages) as compared to Twitter. However, I have seen fan pages become a thriving realm for interaction. Though most are still just, ‘oh, yeah..sure, i’ll become a fan’, with little interactiion after that, things are a changin’. (Oh wait, to ensure that I am up to speed, they are no longer ‘Fans’ according to FB…they are now people that ‘like’ your Fan page.) Read more…
Remember those days (unfortunately not too long ago) when we would try to get a client to move towards the Internet (i.e. selling products online, running a promotion or collecting customer information, etc.)? Or even that there were/are benefits beyond selling a product online (i.e. communication, building loyalty, creating interaction)? Clients and potential clients used to look at us like we were crazy! They’d laugh at us as they were showing us out the door, only to turn around and drop $65k on local cable TV advertising without being able to track a single lead. Perfect. Scratching my head I used to think to myself, “Am I over-estimating this Internet thingy?” (Definitely Not!)
Developers, Designers and Marketers are Ready for Work
This is a challenging time for the media & marketing industry no doubt. It will put some out of business and create opportunities for others. Hourly rates have gone down and engineers, developers, designers, producers and marketers have all been shaken to the core.
A long time ago in a (‘Tomorrow’) Land far, far away, I learned a lesson about marketing. This lesson in anti-humility and standing out in a crowd came from a Jedi Master – by way of Darth Maul.
…And the ‘Big Things’ will take care of themselves.
I heard a quote from an NFL coach while watching a game the other night. Peyton Manning once again led his team from behind in the 4th quarter to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. The announcers were talking about the success of the Colts and the coaching philosophy behind their success and their unbelievable (record-setting) winning streak. When I heard this quote, (“Worry about the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.”) this struck me as very true on the Internet.
“Got the Skillz to pay the bills?
