Why Physical Collateral Still Matters (in an Online World)
May 26, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
“The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here! . . . I’m in print! Things are going to start happening to me now.” Nathan R. Johnson, The Jerk
In a world that has gone mad over all things digital, is physical collateral necessary? It is an interesting question. Many businesses these days forgo what was once the bedrock of local marketing – the yellow pages. Instead they are faced with a bevy of interesting and often interactive ways to connect with their consumers and communities: Websites, Facebook, directories and review sites such as Yelp, online marketplaces, Twitter, YouTube, mobile phones, daily deal sites, Foursquare and other geo-based check-in services. So given this, why would a local business invest any time and $’s whatsoever on physical collateral? After all it is expensive, often is out-of-date shortly after printed, can’t be shared, is not viral, does not scale, <insert your favorite Internet marketing hyperbole here>, etc.
I’m Tired of One Night Stands
February 21, 2011 by admin · 6 Comments
At the risk of mixing metaphors, Luke Hohmann recently described Groupon, Living Social and other daily deal sites as enticing businesses into one night stands. At first I laughed but as I thought about my direct experiences with a plethora of group buying sites, I think he may be right. There is no doubt that these daily deal sites can deliver a deluge of coupon-grubbing customers to a small, local business’s door step. But at what cost? Negative margin, stretching service delivery to breaking point, alienation of regular loyal customers, attracting customers who don’t spend more than the deal amount and won’t ever come back are some of the well documented potential pitfalls. (And hopefully not STD’s!)
I often describe Groupon, Living Social and other daily deal sites as providing small businesses a large, fishing drift net to cast broadly into the ocean; the result is you will no doubt collect a lot of sea life, but only some of which will be the targeted species you are actually fishing for. Luke’s metaphor is certainly more colorful and may, in fact, be truer than mine.
Mobile . . The Next Big Thing (Just Not The Only One)
November 22, 2010 by admin · 2 Comments
I was pleased to meet Paul Rosenfeld during the spring of this year. We had just launched a new Savvy Cellar Wine Bar & Wine Shop at the foot of Castro Street in Mountain View, CA. As a tech product guy and part-time wine marketing sloth, I am always on the lookout for ways to connect with new customers. Mobile marketing always sounded simple. But when I’d kick the tires on potential solutions, they usually fell down in one or more dimensions:
- complexity to configure
- administrative time required to manage
- lack of fit with other marketing activities
- cost
- inability to actually reach target consumers.
Pay Per Tweet = WTF
November 19, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Pay Per Tweet (PPT) = WTF!? This was my initial reaction to the person who just said that he’d share my website with his followers . . . for a fee!
Some background . . . I just released a beta version of Organic Wine Review. As part of our launch process, I was reaching out to leading wine bloggers and tweeters to introduce myself, the new site and to request their feedback. Some ignored the request. Many were incredibly gracious with constructive feedback and then I came across a person who said they would share the site with their followers if I paid them first!
My initial reaction was indignation. Read more
MerchantCircle’s Million Merchant March
January 21, 2010 by admin · 2 Comments
MerchantCirle, the company described as a “hyperlocal business directory” and a “social network for business owners” has signed up its millionth merchant. (Full disclosure: they are a former client). I have used MerchantCircle since they were founded, maintaining a presence on the service for Savvy Cellar Wine Bar & Wine Shop. As the site has grown and evolved, I have tried many of their new features and enhancements.
Here’s my $.02 on why they’ve been successful and what type of business owner can benefit by using MerchantCircle. Read more