Well it happens to everyone and everyone was finally me. The hard drive on my laptop went to that big data center in the sky. Fortunately, I have been backing up all my important files, so to answer Howie Hard Drive, “Yes, I know where my data is.”

Well, despite that precaution this is bound to be a significant hassle. I am already annoyed with the desktop I’m working at, and it may be a few days before I have a new portable machine or a new hard drive for the old one.

I demand pity.

I should probably stop calling this the Friday 5 if I can’t manage to get it out on Friday at least once a month, but if I make it a Saturday thing, I’ll have to come up with six links to maintain the alliteration. So, we’ll just continue on as if we simply don’t keep good track of days.

Top Ten PR Tips for Small Businesses from Web Ink Now
A little freestyle advice from David Meerman Scott that seems right on the money. PR has changed, make sure you’re up on the new rules.

Do Your Clients Fall Off Their Chairs? from The Marketing Mix
I came across this nice little post while doing a bit of research on pricing. Proactive is the word that resonates for me.

Avoiding the Passion Pop Gulf from Seth Godin’s Blog
I have been reading Seth’s blog for a year or so, and I often find him in my starred post list at the end of the week. However, this post definitely ranks as one of my all time favorites.

Be Consistent. Be Consistent. Be Consistent. from Drew’s Marketing Minute
Some strong (repetitive) advice from Drew. I have been thinking a lot about the problem of maintaining a consistent message lately and this post really hit home. We do get bored of saying the same thing way before our customers get tired of hearing it, but it is hard to remember that.

The 50 Greatest Commercial Parodies of All Time from Nerve
This one is just for fun . . . enjoy.

So, I currently write regularly for two blogs, this one and the postgreen blog. I also intermittently post at Howie’s backup blog. Right now, the process of visiting the WordPress admin for each blog to post is not that much of a hassle. However, I am planning another couple projects that could expand my blogging responsibilities and visiting each seperate site could get tedious. So, I need some help/advice/ridicule.

Does anyone know of a tool that would allow me to write, edit and post to each of my blogs from one location? Basically, I am hoping for a blog composition tool with a drop down menu that would allow me to send my post to the appropriate site.

Help a Neophyte and comment away.

 Recovered Posts: So I switched blogging software and haven’t managed to get the old posts back. While I may have the time to figure it out one day, I figured I would take the opportunity to reprint some of my favorite old posts. I apologize for those who have been around since the beginning. Ignore if you like.

Today, eMarketer predicted a huge growth in the area of behavioral advertising, and I figured it might be a good time to find out exactly what that is. So, I researched. I read. I asked, and I will relate my findings. In an effort to retain some originality as I rehash a definition many of you might be familiar with, I will discuss this in an unnecessarily elaborate metaphor.

Imagine you are an advertising agency contracted to advertise a variety of savanna related products and services. These are products and services useful to denizens of the grassy plains of sub-Saharan Africa. One of these products is an anti-lion spray, favored particularly by zebras and gazelles, called Not-Prey. One small spritz of the Not-Prey spray and lions will turn up their noses at even the youngest and sickest potential provender.

Your agency, realizing the importance of targeting, has decided against the more high visibility but haphazard options in savanna advertising such as bull elephant billboards or choreographed buzzard skywriting. The expense of these options (not to mention the hazards involved in painting the side of an irritable elephant) have encouraged more “targeted” techniques. While a breathtaking vulture presentation in the air above your potential customers has the possibility of reaching a very large number of viewers, it also is seen by everyone else in the area, and you’re paying for that exposure.

Instead, your agency decides to target an area frequented by your demographic. Prey, with all the running they are forced to do, are often tired and thirsty.  They require a significant amount of water to stay fast and agile, and thus, they have an extraordinarily high rate of watering hole visits. The target audience for Not-Prey are some of the most regular users of the watering hole and, therefore, that location is a great place in which to reach them. So, you hire a few local amphibians to pop up with a carefully crafted advertising message (something about not being eaten) as watering hole users bends to take a drink.

This is a pretty standard style of targeted advertising that locates its customers through the content they are consuming, in this case, water. However, the problem is that a fairly wide range of individuals might consume similar content, in this case, virtually everybody. So, even though you are getting a high number of views, a considerable number of which are from your targeted demographic, there a still quite a few irrelevant ad messages being delivered. For instance, lions, who also use the watering hole, have no use for Not-Prey and, in fact, might be irritated by the ads. It is not wise to irritate a lion.

So, your agency decides to pursue a behavioral advertising campaign. You hire some smarter amphibians who, by observing the behavior of the creature bending down to drink, can deliver a relevant message on a relevant product or service. For instance, if the drinker has a tendency to be chased, pulled to the ground and eaten, the amphibian will deliver an ad for Not-Prey, whereas should the fearsomely clawed and sharped-toothed water-slurper be more likely to be the chaser than the chasee, the amphibian might deliver ad for a more relevant product like Hyena Heckler, the predator’s answer to nature’s jerk.

Behavioral ads are not attached specifically to the content being consumed. Instead they are based on past “behaviors” or actions. In web terms this can mean search terms or sites visited (on the savanna it can mean previous responses to the smell of weakness). The technology to present these types of ads, tailored to the users history of interest is growing more and more sophisticated. This, according to eMarketer, leads to significant growth as companies see the conversion rate benefits of behaviorally targeted ads.

Help a Neophyte:
As a consumer, how would you feel about being targeted according to prior activity? Is this a privacy concern, or would the relevancy of the ads to your interests actually reduce irritation at advertisements? If, as advertisers, we make use of behavioral advertising, do we risk offending customers by appearing to “spy” on them?

I have been doing a little green guest blogging for my friend Chad over at postgreen, and I recently wrote a post called 10 Don’ts of Green Marketing. I would really appreciate it if a couple of you marketing folks that occasionally stop in here had a look and helped me add to the start I’ve made on the topic. Even if you aren’t particularly into “Green” marketing, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks.

Here’s another story from Vegas that needn’t stay in Vegas. If nothing else, Interop provided plenty of blog fodder.

Schwag, for those unfamiliar with the term, is the abundant promotional material one picks up for free at trade shows. This can include anything from hats to bouncy balls, pens to stuffed monkeys, all stamped with a company name. Nearly every booth has something to offer, and the stuff is so popular that some booths close to the front give out schwag bags to fill with your collected goodies.

Some of the trade show attendees seem to be there for no other purpose than schwag gathering, walking from booth to booth, wordlessly harvesting their bizarre collectibles. I imagine their homes covered in shelves, filled from floor to cieling with the diseased thinking of a thousand desperate marketing teams. Every night, after every show, they pour their newest bag of treasures out on the floor and sort it by color, size, company. They admire each three-sided highlighter, each USB key in the yellow flourescent light of a dusty lamp before placing it in its spot upon the overloaded shelves. Either that, or they sell it on Ebay.

Now, I myself am not really a fan of schwag. I have collected and disposed of enough crap in my life to recognize the beginning of another such cycle. However, after a long day of manning a booth on hard concrete I do have a weakness for beverage. As it happens, many booths recognize the desire for drink among tired trade show folk, and in lieu of yet another t-shirt, they break out the booze. Knowing this, I chose the end of the day to make my own round of Interop’s exhibitors. All went well until I reached a particular booth which was providing half full plastic cups of champagne. Though I was inclined to decline the offer anyway (champagne doesn’t appeal in this particular context), I didn’t even have a chance before I was denied the glass. Why? Because I was an exhibitor.

I have heard of this policy before, but I still don’t understand it. What would be the benefit of instructing your booth minions to deny drink or schwag to anyone? Are there trade secrets in the champagne? Is the stuffed monkey in some way a competitive advantage? Are you afraid of offering comfort to the enemy?

I am part of the decision making team at a young growing company. I am not in competition with the champagne provider. In fact, I may be a great prospect in the next six months, and yet, because I am an “exhibitor” I am denied the benefit of their largesse. What could possibly be the thinking behind this policy?

If you are giving something away, give it to everyone. If you can’t do that, don’t give something away. The risks of supplying your competitors with valuable pens or performance enhancing champagne is nothing compared with the risks of denying a large group of individuals on the chance that they might not be prospects. If even one future customer is in that group you have probably lost more than the collective value of everything you’ve given away.

Help a Neophyte:
What do you think? Is there a reason for this schwag stinginess? Don’t I deserve a drink?

 I just got back from Interop in Las Vegas, and I picked up a couple of trade show lessons I would like to share over the next couple days. I picked up some other unrelated lessons as well, but Sin City adventure is not really appropriate neophyte content. You came here to read about marketing, branding and business. I wouldn’t dare sully your experience with the extraneous oddities inevitable in the neon atrocity of the desert. So . . . let’s talk about babes.

The booth babe, for those unfamiliar with the term, is a woman hired specifically for a trade show. It does not refer to those attractive and knowledgeable sales people (men or women) that also happen to add a little visual appeal to a company’s display. Booth babes are typically scantily or provocatively clad. They smile more than normal human beings and are prone to leaning forward and bending over. They have little knowledge of the products they represent or the customers who might be interested in purchasing them. They are props set in place to work on the instinctual mind of the men that wander trade shows in such drastically disproportionate numbers. No insult intended to the women who, for reasons of their own, fill this role, but this is what they become for the two or three days that a trade show runs.

An example of booth babes (not necessarily Interop but representative of what you might find there)

Of course, the female form has been shamelessly linked to sales for as long as we have exchanged goods and services. In the inky past, at neolithic trade shows, woman clad in scanty mammoth fur outfits probably hawked better spears and more well appointed caves. I fully expect that a fossilized human ancestor found near a prototype of the first wheel will prove to have been buxom and beautiful. Sadly, it appears that many have not progressed past the marketing and sales ideas of our frontal lobe deficient ancestors. While Interop was not as rife with examples as I expected, there were definitely a number of perpetrators of this overused tactic.

Setting aside for a minute the insult this tactic must present to female visitors, co-workers and, even in some way, the “babes” themselves, what does this it do for one’s brand? Even if dressed in company colors (however small the outfit) and spouting company rhetoric (however parrot-like), is the use of booth babes advancing the brand? Is it adding value? Is it qualifying prospects? In short, does it work?

Certain brands seem to be able to get away with the use of hyper-sexualized women because their brand is built on it. The best modern example of this is probably Godaddy.com, though I am sure you can probably think of a few more. Companies such as that can and do use booth babes without seeming inconsistent. The brand is the babe and thus the babe is the brand. However insensitive or misogynistic . . . it seems to work.

However, what about the company that provides networking equipment and has built their brand on efficiency and reliability? Is there a reason for the bikini bottomednymphets cavorting in front of their shoddy 10×10 booth? Not only is the sale of sex laughingly obvious, but the whimsical, devil-may-care connotation seems to undermine the brand itself. Sure, there are a lot of people around the booth. Anyone who has plumbed the depths of men has found many a shallow moment in all of us. But, what is the takeaway? For all the traffic, what are the visitors of the booth thinking about the company who’s shy sign appears behind those come hither looks and exposed cleavage?

I will tell you what I took away (yes I “checked out” the booth . . . but only for research purposes). To me, the sharp contrast between the brand and the babes seemed like a lapse in creativity. I pictured a marketing guy, sitting with his team trying to design a booth concept, and instead of looking for ways to enhance the brand or provide a remarkable experience he said . . . “let’s get babes.” I see a man, maybe, who simply wants to spend his three trade show days in the company of “models” rather than customers or business partners. I see desperation from a company whose offering is not compelling enough to draw crowds for its own sake. I see boring. I see predictable. And, most of all, I see a company I would be hesitant to work with.

I admit, the ramifications among my female co-workers and partners is enough to steer me clear of booth babery (not to mention the feelings of my fiancee), but even without the weight of my conscience I can’t find the value. If your brand is built on sex, go ahead and sell with it. I may not like it, but far be it from me to say it isn’t effective. But, if your brand has other attributes, I would think twice before watering it down for the next trade show. Booth babes may bring traffic, but will they close deals? Will they help to build your brand?

Help a Neophyte:
What are your thoughts on booth babes? Have you used this tactic? Is it effective? Short term? Long term? Let me know in the comments.

Hooray! It’s a special Saturday Edition of the Friday 5. This “tardiness” definitely has nothing to do with my trip to Vegas for Interop, and I certainly didn’t just catch up on my blog posts today. How dare you leap to such conclusions? I simply wanted you to have a break on Friday and a special treat waiting on Saturday evening. I mean, it is all about you . . . right?

Risque Teacher Profiles Raising Questions? Why Parents Should Carry Part of the Responsibility from Marketing Pilgrim
I threw this link on the list in support of all the teachers I know. For some reason teachers have been bearing more and more of the blame for the state of our children’s education and values while the power given to them to govern such things has been continually diminished. This article is a great example of the superhuman standards to which teachers are held in exchange for subhuman respect and sub-par compensation.

The Economy Stinks. Does Your Marketing Stink Too? from Frank Thinking
While I was irritated with the excerpt I received in my reader, I decided to put this post in the Friday Five anyway as it touched on the economy concerns that seem to be effecting so many of us. Take a look at the article. Leave a comment. Then tell Frank to switch us over to the full feed so we can continue enjoying his writing without the aggravation.

Let’s Talk About Your Web Site from Marketing Professional’s Daily Fix
This post wouldn’t have made this list if the section on contact forms hadn’t been so right on the nose. Make sure you read all the way to the end of this piece or you might miss the best part.

What is a #1 Google Ranking Worth? from SEO Book
I’ll admit that I haven’t even read all of this article yet, but what I have read has been just the sort of great insight and advice you would expect from Aaron Wall. Even though I was pressed for time today, this will get the full read and review in the next couple of reading sessions.

Bad Day at the Office from glumbert
This one is just for fun. A little frustration taken out on office equipment. It is annoying the way the ads appear on the bottom of the video though.

Recovered Posts: So I switched blogging software and haven’t managed to get the old posts back. While I may have the time to figure it out one day, I figured I would take the opportunity to reprint some of my favorite old posts. I apologize for those who have been around since the beginning. Ignore if you like. 

Liz Strauss has put out a request on her Successful-Blog for blogging metaphors or metaphors that explain blogging. Since I am occasionally known to dabble in flowery language, I thought I would have a go at it, or, actually . . .  20 gos at it.

Some of these sound cynical and some sound overly romantic but there are many types of bloggers and blogs. There are also many types of me that appear and disappear according to mood. Sometimes blogging can be frustrating and lonely. Other times I am amazed by the concept and the ways in which it can allow us to connect. So, twenty different metaphors for twenty different moods.

Blogging is a hundred tiny lectures to a class that might just be there to pass notes or nap.

Blogging is writing 10 books at the same time.

Blogging is standing on a crowded street yelling out the ten best methods for crosswalk usage.

Blogging is throwing rocks at thousands of windows and trying to wake the sleeping beauty inside.

Blogging is a long car ride as a child where every few minutes you reach over and pinch your sister.

Blogging is a bar where a surprisingly large number of people are intelligent (and sober) enough to say something worth listening to.

Blogging is a polygamous marriage.

Blogging is potluck dinner only without the Rice Krispies treats.

Blogging is an infinite refrigerator with a never ending supply of magnets.

Blogging is a commercial that sells itself.

Blogging is a song where you only know half the words, and, hoping no one will notice, you make up the rest as the melody continues.

Blogging is picking lice off the universal monkey.

Blogging is open mike night at the worlds biggest coffee house.

Blogging is stepping into traffic.

Blogging is the manufacture of ghosts.

Blogging is memoir serialized.

Blogging is a box of chocolates. You do know what you’re going to get if you bother reading the explanatory literature Mr. Gump.

Blogging is a comprehensive stamp collection.

Blogging is bad joke told over and over until it is finally good.

Blogging is a junior high dance with enough slow songs to go around.

Anyone who wants to take one of these metaphors and spin it their own way is welcome to it. Thanks for the inspiration Liz.

As our product begins its real entrance into the market we have been thinking quite a bit about pricing. In the course of this I have come upon a few basic “rules” for setting product prices. These may seem obvious to most of you, but sometimes restating the obvious can provide useful insights. Besides, I don’t have a great memory, so the more repetition the better.

First, your prices must be high enough to pay yourself and your employees, grow and maintain your infrastructure and satisfy your investors. Like I said, obvious, but it bears repeating because so many companies fail to do it. Competitive markets exert a great deal of price pressure, and the temptation to cut margins is, at times, too much for those looking to out maneuver the competition. Playing too close to the edge leads to cranky, underpaid employees, poorly maintained, out of date equipment and disappointed investors. If “the lowest price” is your only selling point you risk stymied growth and a sub-par working environment which brings us to our next point . . .

Your prices must accurately reflect the perceived value of your product. Um . . . duh. Again though, this is something to be thought about carefully. If your prospect’s can’t find enough value in your product to meet the above requirements for setting prices, you either need to change the product, change the perception or pack up and go home. There is only room for one “lowest price” product in a given market and, frankly, that’s no way to live. Raise the perceived value of your product and charge accordingly.

Thirdly, pricing needs to be simple, particularly if you are providing your product to someone who plans on reselling it. Upfront costs and recurring fees need to be straightforward and consistent. Options should be few and generally inflexible. Customers are most comfortable if they are able to budget without concern for future changes or surprise fees. Simple pricing also increases trust among customers wary of schemes and underhanded trickery.  Talking to prospects in Las Vegas this past week really drove this point home as VARs were discussing ways of passing our fees on to their clients. Simplified, predictable pricing definitely gave us an advantage.

There are, of course, many more detailed rules and practices regarding pricing. Unfortunately, as a neophyte, I am still learning about them, but I’ll pass on whatever I pick up. In fact, here’s an interesting article on the 19.95 phenomenon. Apparently their are psychological factors at play in that seemingly transparent tactic.

Help a Neophyte:
I am sure I missed plenty of basic rules that the rest of you are aware of, so lay them on me in the comments.