Internet marketing

Tip: provide extra services online.

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You’re an online store. You sell furniture. Should you do something else? At Leaders in marketing 2012 conference, one opinion came: Don’t just be like – we want to sell online products about X. Be more like – we will help you to use products about X, we will help you in your environment, and it’s more likely you’ll buy those products from us. So, if you sell furniture, you may also want to care: How to help customers pick furniture. Possible use for furniture in a home. How to repair furniture. How to reuse old furniture. What are the latest trends. Also see: Follow-up: Leaders in marketing 2012 (2012.10.18, Willbrook Platinum Convention Center): Olivian BREDA

Branding: The name doesn’t matter all that much

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Follow-up: Leaders in marketing 2012 (2012.10.18, Willbrook Platinum Convention Center)

I know one guy who wants to start an online project. He delayed the project for quite in order to find the perfect name. At Leaders in marketing 2012 conference, one opinion came: “The name doesn’t matter all that much”. Sure, to some point, it matters, it leaves an impression. But there’s so much more in a business than its name, that you can live happily with a not-that-great name. It’s much more important to deliver quality, or other good service, than having a catchy name. Also see: Follow-up: Leaders in marketing 2012 (2012.10.18, Willbrook Platinum Convention Center): Olivian BREDA

Interactive logos

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Cristian Kit PAUL (Founding Partner, Creative Director – Brandient) talked at Internet & Mobile World 2012 about corporate logo identity. I will soon post the video, but until then, some thoughts on this: Google does it, in my opinion, best. They attract media attention (when they change their logos, Romanian newspapers write articles specifically on this, to get some views). See their whole history of doodles. Google also has a brand philosophy on “fun”. Easter eggs, error messages which are funny, translation of Google search interface in Klingon and so on. They try to be funny. Google also has totally interactive logos (JavaScript games, YouTube videos). MailChimp built their brand on interactive & funny & cute. I like them a lot for this. WordPress also has a take on this, with their mandatory-to-have-but-free-not-to-install Hello, Dolly! plugin. Flickr is OK (they say “hello” in some languages). In Romania, eMAG and Domo do it also. I’m not a huge fan, but they do OK. Looking at the local competation, they do very OK. It’s not enough to have a “cute brand”. MailChimp is also very good at what they do. WordPress rocks. Flickr used to be very good, and, for a paid service (storing photos online for money? In 2012?). eMAG are top sellers. Domo does a pretty decent job (I bought a fridge from them online, they had, at that point, competitive prices).

Bloggers should write timeless content on their blogs

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Bloggers should write timeless content on their blogs

Dragoș ROUĂ (LinkedIn) said, at a recent conference (Follow-up: Paul RENAUD and Dragoș ROUA: “Lessons in generating top line revenues and personal branding” (MBA Masterclass by Maastricht School of Management Romania, 2012.10.02): Olivian BREDA) suggested (approximate quote): Bloggers should write timeless content on their blogs. I like the thought a lot. I try to obey the rule, to some extend.

Technical specifications – are they clear enough?

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If I had an online store, I’d look into how the technical specifications are written. There are ways to write specifications, to make them clearer. For example, don’t write: Rez. senzor (Mp):14.2 , but, instead, write: Rezoluția senzorului: 14,2 Megapixeli. (?) Things to do: Avoid abbreviations. Instead of “MP”, write “Megapixels”, or the equivalent word (“Megapixeli”). There is a difference between writing one point two in English and in Romanian: 1.2 (En) vs. 1,2 (Ro). Use this difference. I would love to have, at mouseover, an explanation of what a certain word means. I would try to put the most important technical specifications at the top. You do the work of selecting to the user. Avoid translating, and try to explain the specifications to the user.

Keeping a blog – niche or broad?

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Keeping a blog - niche or broad?

Friday I went to Webstock 2012.
Two oppositve views:

  • According to Costin COCIOABĂ, you should find our niche and keep it ruthlessly. Find an idea, plan it, stick to the plan. Răzvan PASCU also focuses on niches.
  • Adrian CIUBOTARU has the opposite approach: he writes on just about any subject. Although more targeted, Cristian CHINA-BIRTA also tends to write on a general note.

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