This is a great to-the-point interview with marketing guro Seth Godin on the future of digital marketing. Check it out and let us know what you think!
http://www.impactlab.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6872
You'll find great articles on everything Internet and marketing on our Web site at www.wholebraintech.com/articles.asp. We'll be adding more new ones soon, so keep checking back.
I'm often amazed at just how much time it takes to do all this promotional stuff. Thinking of more clever things to do to get the word out about my business. Planning for the upcoming year.
What worked in 2005? What didn't? What should we continue in 2006? What do we cut back? What do we eliminate? What do we do first? What will generate the most results, the greatest ROI, the most bang for the buck?
How do you know what worked and what didn't? When it comes to their Web site, most people don't have a clue. They don't know how to track the results of their marketing in general, much less their Web site. Maybe they'll talk about "hits" but don't really know what a "hit" is. In my classes, I ask them to define a hit, and I get all variety of answers. Many people think their web site is effective if it shows up on search engines. Or they think it's not effective if they aren't getting a lot of people emailing them to make appointments. But without a system in place for measuring results, with clear goals and expectations, how will they know if the site is really delivering?
Well, I have news for all those people. I'm going through the same thing now! Reviewing my tracking reports. Evaluating where to put my time and energy next year. Looking at incorporating more and more online techniques to achieve a greater reach.
It's tough when you want to do so many things -- but you can't do everything today. Keep watching (or should I say reading). You may notice some new things in the works for Whole Brain Technologies.
New US Giving Survey Released:
Impact of Disaster-Relief Fundraising on Nonprofits
~ 72% of respondents believe that fundraising for disaster-relief missions has reduced giving to other missions
~ Trust & donor fatigue are issues
~ Small to Medium size nonprofit organizations most impacted by funding shortfalls
Denver, CO - December 13, 2005 A new national survey released today by several firms working with nonprofit organizations confirms that donors need to dig deeper in 2005. Funding shortfalls at nonprofit organizations are another disaster in the making--loss of key services.
Read the press release and get access to the full report at http://www.wholebraintech.com/pr20051213.shtml.
The December issue of Brainstorm! will be out soon. If you haven't signed up already, go to www.wholebraintech.com and sign up for our mailing list.
Brainstorm! is our monthly e-newsletter packed with tips and information about how you can leverage the Internet to build your business. We have articles from the Right Brain, the Left Brain, guests, and more! Each month features a new Freebie, a little Brain Candy, news and information.
December 2005 will focus on New Year's Resolutions to Help You Use the Internet to Build Your Business. You won't want to miss it!
If, after you receive your first copy, you decide it's not for you, it's easy to unsubscribe. In fact, you can do that at any time.
Don't wait! Sign up now!
I've been working on my marketing plan for 2006. Trying to think of new ways to "get the word out" has been discouraging. I needed some new motivation, new inspiration. So I decided to take a class -- although it was something I already knew -- online marketing. "Sharpening the saw," as Steven Covey says.
It was a great move! Although it didn't provide a ton of new information, and I didn't agree with everything the instructor said, it validated and reinforced what I already knew. And it got me to thinking about how to put online marketing techniques into better practice for my own company, not just my clients. Sometimes I focus so much on what I'm doing for everyone else, that I forget about myself (personally and in business).
It got me to think in new directions, focus on using what I already have in my toolbox, and try a few new opportunities. And best of all -- I'm excited again! I like what I'm doing. I'm climbing out of my rut. Moving again!
What a fabulous little kick that class provided!
I realize that I've been a terrible blogger. I started out with really good intentions, but I just didn't keep up with it. My commitment waned. I used to have a diary, but not since I was a teenager. I guess I'm out of practice. I'm not in the habit of writing out my thoughts every night before I go to bed, like some of my friends. As one of the owners of a Web development firm, seems like I'm writing one thing or another - emails, web content, proposals, whatever - all day long, so the thought of spending time just writing, well, just doesn't occur to me. So, as we move closer to the start of 2006, I'm preparing for my New Year's resolution... to be a better blogger. To maintain my interest and commitment. And to believe that whatever pops into my head throughout the day, and whatever comes through my keyboard, someone might actually find worth reading. If not... well, it won't be for lack of trying.
ABC News: Person of the Week: Christian Pilet
The Internet is so often a scary place, sometimes a magical place, but a very special place nonetheless. When I read this story, it warmed my heart and made me proud to be a part of this industry. It reminded me of what the Internet is all about... connecting people. And this particular connection was very powerful indeed.
In case you haven't heard already, a mysterious digital camera was found in the sand after the South Asia tsunami. Christian Pilet managed to extract the photos from the camera's memory. He was determined to find out who was in the photos. Below is a short excerpt from the piece, but you should definately read the story in its entirety.
Pilet took the pictures around to several embassies in Thailand; he thought the couple might be Swedish or German. Nobody was able to help.
He took the pictures home to Washington, and on the very first night he was home, his wife, Nicole, looked to see if the people in pictures matched any photos on the Internet. Many families had posted photographs of the missing.
"The very first image she clicked on, she said, 'This is the guy.' And I remember thinking when I was falling asleep from jet lag that there's no way you just turn on the Internet and, in just the first click or two, find the people," Pilet said.
But it was true. Nicole had discovered photos of John and Jackie Knill from Vancouver, British Colombia. Their three sons had been searching desperately and had posted their parents picture on the Internet.
TheDenverChannel.com - Technology - Beware Bogus FBI E-Mails Spreading Computer Virus WASHINGTON -- If you get an unexpected e-mail from the FBI that tells you to open an attachment and answer questions, don't do it. That advice comes from the real FBI.
Wired 13.02: Revenge of the Right Brain from Wired.com.
Logical and precise, left-brain thinking gave us the Information Age. Now comes the Conceptual Age - ruled by artistry, empathy, and emotion.
In partnership with Moo Interactive, Whole Brain Technologies has launched the new web site for Rocky Mountain RYLA, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.
The Beagle Virus This virus uses its own SMTP engine to send email messages to any addresses found. The address in the "to" line may not be who the virus is actually coming from. So be cautious in blasting that person for sending you a virus. It may not be from them at all.
Return of the king: content Web designers focus more on data, functionality, less on 'eye candy'
FRANKFURT, Germany (Reuters) - A mass e-mail posing as a plea for aid tohelp the victims of last month's Asian tsunami disaster is actually avehicle for spreading a computer virus, Web security firm Sophos saidMonday. www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=UB1BCOU41LFHCCRBAEKSFEY?
