Archive of tag "Google"
When I read Seth’s blog post via Google Reader, I never go to Seth’s site.
Google gets the traffic, Google sells the ads, Google makes the money.
Seth does the work. But Seth doesn’t sell the ad, doesn’t get the subscriber, doesn’t get people to the other pages on his web sites.
Google wins, the reader wins.
What about the creator?
People always criticize Microsoft for shabby software, especially in new products. Their new software is so often so very bad. How do they end up with the most popular and successful software in the world?
John Murrell nails it in this post from Good Morning Silicon Valley:
But the thing about Microsoft is that on some missions, it can be as relentless and implacable as a Terminator. Version 1.0 may fail miserably, Version 2.0 may fall short, Version 3.0 may be semi-respectable, but if the target is important enough, they just keep coming.
Like no other company, Microsoft has an ability to fix and fix and fix until, one day, they win. Again and again, the critics mock 1.0 and 2.0 – and get their ass kicked by 3.0. I wonder if Google CEO Eric Schmidt remembers this lesson from his Novell days.
The Lesson: Slow and steady wins the race. Remember the Tortoise and the Hare.
{From my lastest Huffington Post article.}
Everyone is talking about Google's new operating system. A threat to Microsoft?
Journalists should note he way Google announced it – in a blog post. A threat to newspapers?
From the Wall Street Journal's email alert (emphasis added):
News Alert from The Wall Street Journal
Google Inc. is preparing to launch an operating system for personal computers, a direct assault on the turf of software giant Microsoft Corp., which has long dominated the market for software that runs PC applications.
The Silicon Valley Internet giant announced the new move in a blog post late Tuesday night. It said the software, which will initially target low-end portable PCs called netbooks, would be based on its Chrome Web browser and available to consumers in the second-half of 2010.
Yes, folks. The Wall Street Journal is quoting a blog post in what may turn out to be the biggest tech news of the year. (So did the Washington Post, AP, and everyone else.) And Google didn't even think it was necessary to call the newspapers.
As of 6 am EST, Google search found 626 articles about the story (yes, there's some irony there):
For those of you still on the fence about the role of blogs — there's your answer.
{Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I Thought of That Email Newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the left.}
Shake it up, go bigger, have some fun, and don't be afraid of getting outrageous to give your fans a reason to share.
1> Make it bigger
2> Make it goofy
3> Make it last
4> Check it out: Sporcle.com
1> Make it bigger
Nothing says outrageous like making something oversized, supersized, or just plain gigantic. Trader Joe's sells a 10-pound candy bar. Had it been a normal size or had they simply called it "baking chocolate," nobody would have noticed. But making it huge guarantees people will give it a second look, take pictures of it, and tell their friends about it. You can add some creativity and some fresh word of mouth to your product line by adding a jumbo, for-fun version of something you already sell.
The Lesson: Put something on the shelf that people can't help but talk about.
2> Make it goofy
Adding an unnecessary, yet fun and goofy feature to your product or service line can be a great way to show your personality. Google and Facebook — in addition to traditional languages like French, German, and Spanish — offer the language setting of "Pirate." Google's "Sign out" link, for example, becomes "Catch th' outgoing tide" while Facebook's "News Feed" becomes the "Captain's Log." Some might see this as useless, but smart marketers know that just as it's more fun to work at a company people love to talk about, it's also more fun to talk about a company that has fun.
The Lesson: People don't share brand messages and boring features, but they will tell everyone about the funny product or service you offer.
3> Make it last
Take your cliche warranty or satisfaction guarantee and make it remarkable. Brikolor, a Swedish furniture company, guarantees its furniture for 300 years. Calling it a "lifetime warranty" wouldn't have been worth telling anyone about, but a 300-year warranty is unique (even though it's basically the same thing). If you've got a fantastic promise, guarantee, or policy, help spotlight it with a little creativity that doesn't require changing the fundamental premise behind it.
The Lesson: If you have the same warranties and guarantees as your competitors, nobody is telling their friends about it.
Learn More: Springwise
4> Check it out: Sporcle.com
Can you name all the characters on The Simpsons? The top 20 U.S. newspapers? Every country in Africa? The NBA's all-time rebound leaders? You can find out pretty quickly at Sporcle.com — an addictive little trivia site with a bunch of categories and games. Time-sink guaranteed.
Check it out: Sporcle
You can have amazing word of mouth.
Word of mouth marketing is something you can do very well. My company GasPedal will help you get started quickly, with simple-but-intense training, honest answers, and eye-opening ideas. GasPedal's fast, how-to marketing strategies are affordable, easy to execute, and deliver measurable ROI in 60 days.
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BlogWell: How Big Brands Use Social Media