Entrepreneurship

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Live life to the fullest

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Last news: June 12, 2008 15:03:05

Blogging is hard work, and I’m not just talking about the writing part. Keeping your blog looking good and running smoothly is a real challenge, and I thought I would share some improvements you can make to your blog to make it more effective and easier to read.

1) Make sure to use paragraph headings, and just being bold isn’t enough

Headlines need to be darker and larger to stand out - people jump from section header to section header.

2) Show your best posts

Most bloggers show their best posts (if at all) on the sidebar navigation or on top. this is the wrong place, it should be at the bottom of your posts. Reason: whatever brought the visitor to your page in the first place, is why he is there. He first wants to deal with that, then he can turn attention to other things (but he doesn’t want to have to remember that you had some good posts up top and therefore scroll back up. Your best posts have proven to overall get you the best engagement with visitors, so you should always bet on them (would you bet on the horse that never ran a race yet you like? Or, on the horse that ran 50 races and won 35 of them?)

3) Timely relevance is key

Group similar posts for various occasions (e.x. - holidays, winter, breast cancer awareness day), put them in a table with an outline, add an image which delivers immediate understanding, and urge visitors to prepare themselves for the occasion by reading some of those posts.

4) Call to action

When you link to other posts within your post, try to use action words (such as “learn about blogging”) instead of just plain nouns. You’ll get a higher click-through rate, since the reader knows what to expect to receive from clicking the link.

5) Get a custom wordpress theme

Let’s face it - Ferraris are memorable because they are rare. In my testing, the default theme had an 80% bounce rate, while my custom theme instantly lowered my bounce rate to 50%, gave me 15% higher pageviews per visitor, and increased the amount of time spent on the blog by a whopping 98%.

6) Show them your good side

Add a photo of yourself on the main page or the about us page. People are reading your blog. People like looking at people a lot more than at text. Make people happy. It lets them attach a face to the name and the writing, and they will remember you better.

Please feel free to add additional tips in the comments below.

Marketers have always wanted to know what you are thinking, and thanks to several tech companies, they may have just gotten a step closer to having their wishes fulfilled. In December of last year, the Wall Street Journal reported on how Emsense sensors were being used to extract feelings toward candidates in the political race.

That same company, Emsense Corporation, has used their technology to give marketers a step up on the competition (such as other advertisers - and you, the consumer).

By reading the EEG brainwaves from a light-weight portable headband, Emsense can derive meaning from the frequency, spikes and valleys, and translate it into quantitative scores on attention, and positive and negative emtional reaction.

This whole sub-industry of marketing, often called “neuromarketing”, is one of the hottest trends in the marketing world today, and it will likely have some positive and negative effects on the industry as time goes on.

Positive Outcomes

• Marketers will spend less money to get more impact for their clients, which means better efficiency.
• Marketers will learn how to segment the population in new ways, aside from just demographics and basic behavior.
• Marketers will be able to test new products and services in a more reliable manner, meaning lower costs to bring them to market, and a higher chance of them being successes.

Negative Outcomes

• The general public will become very wary of marketers and the marketing industry will suffer a backlash.
• New laws may be put in place to control how marketers use personal emotional information gleaned from peering into their emotions.
• This will only worsen privacy concerns.

Surely, this technology won’t only be used for marketing, and I can see psychologists using it to treat patients, as well as video games that reward you for “staying cool” despite scary situations showing up on a screen - a way to lower stress.

One of the major challenges neuromarketing still has to deal with is convincing the marketing mainstream of the strength of the correlation between recognizing the emotion and certain action (such as a purchase) taking place as a result of it.

Want to See More?

Fox News had a segment today about Emsense, and I thought you might enjoy watching this short clip:

A while ago, I attended a networking event for business owners organized using Meetup.com. I always enjoy meeting new people, and if they are business owners it is an additional bonus. The topic of the day happened to be a marketing one, and a common question I found myself fielding was, “everybody always says networking [...] - [Read more]

A study, titled the Online Journalism Credibility Study, has just come out that shows a gap in how newspaper editors and readers feel about anonymous comments being posted on news articles.

The Results

The editors, overwhelmingly (70%) felt that anonymous comments harmed proper journalism, most likely due to the flood of factual corrections and emotional rants they get in these comments, neither of which seem to make them smile. Only 45% of readers, on the other hand, felt that allowing anonymous comments was bad journalism.

Even more telling, 58% of editors were against journalists adding comments in news stories which may give away personal views, while only 36% of the readers felt that way. That tells me that readers are very interested in hearing responses from the writers of an article after they comment.

The Allure of Responding to Newspaper Articles

I have felt many times during reading an article this sentiment - “I disagree, I only wish there was a way to explain why this article is wrong”. The ability to post comments on stories online now provide an outlet to voice my opinion. Given the amount of comments I see in the average news story these days, I’d say many other people have had the same feelings.

A common complaint of many newspaper readers in the past has been that there is a lack of objectivity to news, and the selection of what is given the most attention shows a certain lack of objectivity as well. The solution that occurred was largely due to blogs popping up all over the internet, preparing readers to interact with news stories, instead of just reading them.

Blogs were unique in that they relished reader comments, and openly asked readers to contribute to a story with their thoughts, opinions, criticism. Pretty soon, online newspaper sites, such as the NY Times, were forced into accepting comments on many of their news articles, in order to keep readers on their sites.

Newspapers Are Losing Relevance (and Profits)

As I mentioned in the past, newspapers are losing advertisers, readers, subscribers, and importance. Editors’ and news organizations’ long held beliefs about the world “needing them” has made them slow to adopt features like open conversations on articles. Basically, there is no more marketplace interest left in pure facts, devoid of emotion or a particular personal view. It is no coincidence that blogs are so popular - they usually have strong views in a particular direction, and openly invite dialogue.

News Cycle

Newspapers are also having trouble keeping up with the pace of the news cycle these days. Between two issues of the NY Times, most online news sites have had 8-10 different “headline stories”. This promotes more interest and visits, due to the visitors’ expectations of getting fresh materials frequently.

Editors’ Value is Dropping

It sounds to me like the editors are worried. Very worried. You see, they suddenly have a LOT more competition for your eyes. There is only so much time one can spend reading in a given day, and between millions of blogs and comments being posted on newspaper sites, they are losing their “market share of voice”. And, don’t forget, people are producing much more relevant “local news”, in the way of social news. Sites like Facebook, MySpace, provide an easy way to hear about social news in your community and social circle.

Is it fair to say edited news is dying out?

Most of us are not lucky enough to know what career we want to go into until quite late in the game. With everyone talking about a bad economy coming our way, that choice never seemed more important. Want to narrow down your choices based on the job market conditions? There are quite a [...] - [Read more]

Seth Godin put up a great post about how Borders Books has cut inventory yet increased sales. Borders accomplished this by carrying less titles, but showing them in a more creative way. Essentially, Borders quit trying to show you what you can buy, and started helping you make that decision by showing you the [...] - [Read more]

I first discussed the rumored Google interest with TV ads last year, and Google seems to be near ready with their product almost one exact year later. Google invited some Adwords members to test out Google TV Ads Beta, which lets advertisers upload or mail a 15, 30, 45, or 60 second TV ad to be [...] - [Read more]

As an avid movie watcher, I have had my share of instances where Blockbuster forgot to unlock a DVD case for me. Now, I don’t know about you, but the only thing more frustrating than taking out a bad movie, is taking out a bad movie that you can’t even watch - because it’s case is locked. After the last time this happened, I figured out a way to open it with a corkscrew (desperation breeds ingenuity).

I have not tried this with any other DVD case locks (there are a few kinds), but the basic idea of the locks is a long plastic strip that binds the opening of the DVD. Usually Blockbuster employees remember to unlock it using an opener, but a corkscrew can do the job (although it will ruin the lock).

First, turn the DVD case so that the bottom faces up. Next, twist the plastic several times until the top part falls off, exposing the inner plastic strip (it should be hollow).

Now, take the corkscrew (a cheap, simple one will do) and pretend you are uncorking a wine bottle by twisting the corkscrew until you reach under one of the side holes in the strip.

Then make sure the sharp part of the corkscrew goes through the hole, and yank out the strip. It will likely take 2 to 3 times trying to get the strip to come right out.

Voila, you are ready to watch the movie, just grab some popcorn!

For more reading on other types of DVD locks, see Engadget’s post about hacking DVD locks.

Have you had similar issues with DVD rentals in the past? If so, how did you solve them?

I was reading through Automotive News last week and they were profiling a very successful dealer group owner named Rick Hendrick. He managed to build up a dealer empire of 60 dealerships, 80 franchises, and over $4.3 billion in revenue last year. But the path to there has been filled with hardship, including: a plane accident killing his son and several relatives, a felony fraud conviction, and leukemia.

How did he manage, despite all of the challenges, to build up one of the largest dealer groups in America today? Rick swears by his 10 Keys to Success:

1. Optimism. Think positive.
2. Faith. Believe in yourself, God and your country.
3. Planning. Know what’s important each day; set your priorities accordingly.
4. Determination. Have the courage to stand alone when taking the big risks in life.
5. Vision. Think big, dream big, keep success in your mind.
6. Attitude. If you think you can’t, you’re right. Winners have positive attitudes.
7. Goals. Set goals. Plan how to achieve them.
8. Perseverance. Try and try again until the goal is achieved. Never give up.
9. Knowledge. Learn to accept your mistakes, but make them only once.
10. Enthusiasm. Choose work you like. Enjoy the challenges.

Isn’t it great when successful people share their secret formula? I always like reading about other’s success stories, you never know when someone else has a great idea that can be added to your personal success list.

Success doesn’t just have to be defined by money, or your career; for example, there are plenty of successful mothers who raised wonderful children. To them, the definition of success might be very different than a CEO who just got a big deal signed.

A great way to check if you are lining yourself up for success is to print up this list of keys to success, post it on your wall, and take a look at it weekly or monthly. It will keep you motivated and on your path to success.

Are there any traits you feel Rick left out? I’d love to hear about it, in the comments below!

I know what you did last week (assuming you don’t live under a rock). If you were one of the millions who watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday, you more than likely were wondering what some advertisers must have been thinking (ahem, SalesGenie) to run a certain ad. Well, your humble host wondered the [...] - [Read more]

The Super Bowl was a great game, but, given my profession, I paid a bit more attention to the ads, seen by over 97.5 million fans- the most ever. You may recall my review of Super Bowl 2007 Ads last year. 30 second spots cost about 7% more this year, averaging $2.7 million a [...] - [Read more]

A while back, I covered the three rules of recovery customer service, which a company should use when they have messed up. Sadly, very few stores keep to them, and consequently lose a lot of longtime customers over rather trivial incidents. Just the other day, I had an opportunity to revisit that idea at ShopRite.

I went into ShopRite, my favorite supermarket, to go food shopping. Walking around, I noticed a price label for 32 oz. of Norwegian Salmon that was surprising - $2.99 (after Price Plus card discount). Excited, since this item usually costs $20.53 for just one pound, I looked around for the right package, only to find that none existed. It was then that I realized they made a labeling error, and guessed that all of them were bought up already by someone with a sharp eye.

Aware of the law in New Jersey, which requires stores to mark each item with a price and sell it for that price, I went to the customer service desk to ask for a rain check for four of them (the limit of offers per person). Now, I like to think of myself as a nice fellow, so I invited a bystander in the aisle to join me for a rain check as well.

The customer service person who was working there tried several times to “dump” the issue on someone else in the store (a common tactic to avoid responsibility), but no one working there had any clue what to do. Finally, he asked me to get the label for him to look at. In a flash, I was back at the customer service desk with the label, and a knowing look came over his face. Although he didn’t mention that they messed up on the pricing, when I asked him if he would like me to return the label to its proper place, he offered an unfriendly “no”. He obviously didn’t want to put that firehouse sale back on the shopping floor.

I shop there every week. Once in a while it’s a nice feeling to know that there are some perks to that loyalty (like a chance of finding a great unintended deal). Way to go ShopRite, but don’t give me a hard time when you make a mistake - it ruins that feeling.

Back in the good old days way before I was born, people were fairly self-sustaining. They planted their own food, made their own clothes, and had a wide range of daily tasks just to survive. While life in those days certainly was harder, I believe it also led people to develop greater confidence and happiness. In contrast, the modern workplace is all about compartmentalizing, specializing, and repeating.

People are Special

One of the things that sets humans aside from other animals is our unrelenting interest in novelty, and learning. Indeed, one of the best ways to keep our brains sharp is by challenging it with crossword puzzles, “brain games”, and constantly demanding new solutions from our brain.

All you need to do is look at a job listing on Monster.com in order to get an idea of just how far job specialization has gone - 5-7 years of this, 3-5 years of that, and these aren’t basic requirements; rather they are for usage of specialized theoretical models and specialized software. No wonder every employer I speak with complains about how hard it is to fill positions, they are looking for something too specific, and too specialized.

End of the Renaissance Period

Granted, there are still some jobs up at the top which let you still be a Renaissance Man, but the majority of workers today do the same thing over and over each day at work, and work on such a small part of a project that they barely feel ownership over it. As kids we were told that the most important thing was teamwork - to just “do your part” to make the team successful. But at what cost? Shouldn’t you learn how to do everything - after all, the team isn’t always there - sometimes you need to be able to count on yourself.

Imagine if everything else in our life were so compartmentalized. Imagine, if you couldn’t bake a cake without first hiring a “dough specialist” to prepare the dough, and an “oven expert” to test for optimal temperature. Wouldn’t that take out half the fun of making the cake in the first place (and make it absolutely ridiculous)?

The Stats

When we look at the stats, they seem to agree with my opinions:

• Only 1 in 5 workers around the world are feeling “engaged” in their workplace, according to a recent study.
• 65% of employees polled by Salary.com were hoping to find a new job within 3 months.
• The average American will go through 10 jobs between the ages of 18 and 38. Just 30 years ago, an employer would assume that American had something seriously wrong with him to be job hopping so much. Besides that, any employer reading this knows just how expensive (with regards to both time and money) to rehire and retrain new workers. Certainly, there is value in avoiding this trend.

Sure, there are many reasons for someone changing jobs, but an important influence in making that decision has to do with the worker just feeling the need for change, that is, for novelty - something to stimulate his brain.

The takeaway is, if you want to keep your workers for a long time, make sure you aren’t confining their brains to too much repetition - it’s only a matter of time before their human need for novelty will take over…

Usually, people just wait to be promoted, or move to a higher position at a different company when they want to move up in their career. A few days ago, a friend of mine told me about his new (creative) attempt to move up the corporate ladder at his company. What he did was create a brand new job description for the job he wanted to do for the company. That’s right - he created his own title, essential job functions, listed the needed relevant skills, and made his own compensation figures. He then handed it right in to the boss.

My first reaction was - “you’re nuts, I’ve never heard of someone doing that”. Apparently the boss felt the same.

While the boss didn’t agree to it, it did start a dialogue about his role in the company, and we both expect him to see some sort of promotion out of it.

Brand Yourself

This goes back to a current topic being discussed quite a bit on the web: how important it is to brand yourself in today’s world. You create value from the clarity of your brand identity. This can mean updating your social networking profiles, or, this could mean letting others in your organization know about your achievements and progress. These days you need to be resourceful and bring your true value to the table in a clear manner if you wish to move up and be noticed by management.

A few tips to keep in mind before trying this out:

• Ask yourself if the department and company are doing well right now, and can afford to give you a raise.
• Find a day when your boss appears to be in a good mood. Nothing kills a raise faster than an automatic “NO!” day.
• Be certain you haven’t slacked off for the last year, to avoid appearing avaricious.
• Research the salary range for your position. You can use quick wizards like Salary.com or Dice.com to find out.

Sometime around June this year, Social networking sites (such as Facebook.com and Myspace.com) experienced a huge boost in visitors. However, if you really look at when the social networking sites started spreading like wildfire, it was around 4 years ago, and mostly in the college-age segment. Now, four years later, there is some evidence [...] - [Read more]

My friend Jay White, who runs the large and well-known DumbLittleMan blog, has graciously asked me to guest post on his blog, which is a “tips for life” type of blog.

My post was put up there today, and I figured I’d pass along the link to anyone who doesn’t mind reading my work off-site:

• Keep Your Day Super Productive
  

I believe Staples made an error of omission. Their old slogan “Staples, yeah, we’ve got that” seems to be missing a crucial last part and so does their new slogan “that was easy”. Today I ran into a Staples in Manhattan to buy some RAM for a computer, and had a very odd shopping experience.

Around 25 shoppers were in the large store, and each person seemed completely lost. I quickly found out why - none of the aisle placements made any sense, and it was near impossible to find the RAM. When I finally located the RAM, it was behind a glass door. Of course, all the writing on the small RAM packages is in a tiny font, and coupled with the glass reflection, it was nearly impossible to read anything. I finally located the right one, and tried sliding the glass door. It was stuck. No, wait - it was locked. What? was I buying cigarettes? expensive liquor? or a $65 computer part?

Around this point I looked up only to see about 10 other people seemingly looking around for the same thing - an employee to open the darn doors. Only the problem was there were no workers in sight. Another 10 minutes elapsed, and eventually someone showed up at the center of the store. Like dogs tipped off by scent, we customers darted towards the Staples employee, each trying to get help. She saw the masses coming her way and threw her hands up in frustration, and retreated out of sight before we got to her.

Another 5 minutes, and finally the manager appears and understands the issue. He then walks around unlocking everyone’s glass doors. Now a different employee appears and refuses to let me take the RAM. He insists on taking it directly to the register himself. Thinking this was a nice courtesy, I made the mistake of saying “thanks!”…right before he told me to get on line - at the back.

By this point, 2 customers had just given up and left without buying anything, totally frustrated with their experience. If I didn’t REALLY need the RAM, I would have done the same. My time was wasted. I was treated like a thief. I was treated without any respect. I didn’t experience the “Easy Button”. The end effect for Staples was they tried preventing theft of their products by treating every customer like a thief - a silly, counter-productive policy. So, I respectfully ask Staples to reconsider their slogan, and add on the last part of your slogan, so at least we know how to get the Staples that you’ve got.

As an internet entrepreneur, it can sometimes be difficult to stay organized. A constant flood of information is at your fingertips - leading to information overload. As we enter 2008, with New Years Resolutions at the forefront, I thought I’d take time to share some great organizational tools that I’ve found to help me on a daily basis.

1. Gmail - This free web based email application from Google is an entrepreneur’s best friend. The easy to use interface makes finding messages a breeze, allowing you to archive a virtually limitless number of emails. The recently added colored labels allow you to sort emails and label them by category - perfect for those of us who allow our inbox to double as a to-do list! For the more tech-savvy readers, you may want to setup Gmail to be your Personal Nerve Center to handle all of your incoming information.

2. Backpack - This product from 37 Signals has a free trial, and then a month to month subscription with a variety of rates. It incorporates a calendar, to do lists, and write-boards, for one stop online organization. You can even upload files and share write-boards with others, making it a perfect choice for client conferences and information management.

3. Quickbooks - This financial software is perfect for small businesses. As the New Year begins, it’s a great time to start tracking your finances carefully for the new tax year. Quickbooks helps you to keep all your accounts and invoices in one place. They’re offering a free trial of their Simple Start program for 2008, as well. You can’t beat free!

4. GoToMyPC - If you are like me, you likely have at least 2 different computers that you use on a regular basis. But keeping all of your data organized, and keeping track of where it is can be tricky. GoToMyPC lets you login on any computer and use your home computer, office computer, or any other computer connected to the internet that you installed the software on.

These four tools will help you to organize your business properly for the upcoming year. By organizing your communication, time, and money, you’ll be well on your way to a successful business year.

Did I leave any tools out? Share with me in the comments.