Online Sales Manager

7 Fatal Website Mistakes…and how to avoid them

Aidan — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 20:44:45 +0000

I recently created a new report for Panorama Synergy. The goal was to provide some useful tips to real business owners (not techies) on how to have a website developed that actually made sales…as opposed to just looking good.

Judging by the feedback it seems that it struck a chord with many people.

You can download the free report here. I hope you enjoy it. Download Special Report

For God’s Sake – Even the Pope is Blogging!

Aidan — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:38:30 +0000

OK – even the Pope gets it! If you ever needing convincing that Social Media is here to stay then you have to look no further than the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI has just instructed his priests to get out of the pulpit and start blogging. Here is an excerpt of what he had to say:

“The spread of multimedia communications and its rich menu of options might make us think it sufficient simply to be present on the Web, or to see it only as a space to be filled. Yet priests can rightly be expected to be present in the world of digital communications as faithful witnesses to the Gospel”

Domino's Pizza – Now This Campaign Takes B@lls!

Aidan — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:30:08 +0000

Wow! You gotta hand it to Domino’s Pizza. Their latest campaign “Pizza Turnaround” takes some serious b@lls. Imagine going to your boss and saying: “Hey, I got a great idea – lets spend a few million bucks on an ad campaign telling everyone that our product has sucked in the past…but now it is going to be much better and here’s why”.

Just wait to be led out of the room in a strait jacket!

Well, that’s exactly what Domino’s Pizza have done with their latest ad campaign. They have come out and admitted that their pizzas used to “taste like cardboard”…but now they are better. Oh really?

The jury is still out as to whether this is one of the dumbest or the smartest campaigns of all time.

You be the judge.

Pants on the Ground – Viral Video Sensation

Aidan — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:18:34 +0000

How do you create a video that goes viral? How do you create massive buzz? Well, if you knew that you would be able to write your own ticket to stardom (or massive product success). More often than not, viral videos come out of left field – they were not premeditated. They take us by surprise.

Here is one from 62 year old, Larry Platt a 2010 American Idol contestant. See, it’s never to late in life to produce a sensation and launch a career.

Here is a link – Pants on the Ground

Enjoy Larry!

Breaking News: Larry has just been invited sing Pants on the Ground at the NFL Viking’s playoff game against the New Orleans Saints:

The Eight Irresistable Principles of Fun

Aidan — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:03:34 +0000

I don’t normally bother too much with “feel good” viral videos – in fact I hate them. However, I thought this one was worth sharing. Enjoy…it’s a good one!

Social Media – Why Does it Matter?

Aidan — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:20:59 +0000

I stumbled across this great presentation by Paul Isakson – previously Head of Strategy at Minneapolis based, Space 150 – a leading branding agency. I thought I would share it with you – some great insights.

Social Media: It’s Not What You Say That Matters

View more documents from Paul Isakson.

Pepsi shuns Super Bowl – spends on the Net instead

Aidan — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:58:14 +0000

Let the landslide begin!

Pepsi has just announced that it is pulling its multi-million dollar Super Bowl ad campaign in favor of a Net based strategy. This is big (and disturbing) news in traditional media circles. Pepsi has been a consistent advertiser over the past 23 years during the Super Bowl.

The fact that they are now choosing to spend their money on a Net based campaign would have to make other big companies question the value of their own traditional media strategies. It is likely that many others will follow suit.

Why are they doing this?

Simply because the “eyeballs” of their target demographic (18 to 35 year olds) have moved elsewhere – to places like Facebook. Twitter and other social media sites.

Besides, Pepsi can get much more “bang for its buck” by spreading its dollars over a longer term, online marketing strategy than with a single, big spend on a one-time event such as the Super Bowl.

Yep – watch out for a landslide.

But, just for old times sake, let’s take a look at one of the most famous Pepsi ads of all time.

Turn your speakers up to 11 and enjoy!

How do you make money from Social Media?

Aidan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:07:58 +0000

Relationships First - Business Comes Later.

How do you make money from social media? This is a question which I get asked continually.

The short answer is you don’t…well at least not directly. Social media is all about being just that – social. As soon as you try to overtly use it to push products down people’s throats you will fail.

However, social media is still very powerful for businesses. Let me give you an example.

As many of you would be aware, I have been involved in the golf industry for many years. I have a network of golf related websites that sell online training, golf training aids etc – these are my “money” sites.

I use a “two-step” social media strategy to promote these sites i.e to send traffic which converts to real dollars.

Step 1

I recently set up a Twitter account specifically aimed at the golf niche. You can view it here at TwitRGolfers. At the time of writing I have 6238 followers on Twitter. This will grow over time, but now starting to achieve some critical mass.

Step 2

I then link my Twitter account to my own dedicated social media network in the golfing niche. I have used a product called Ning to set up my own network – a sort of Facebook for golfers which I am able to control myself.

Here is the link to that network – TwitRGolfers – for golfers who Twitter

When I socialize amongst golfers on Twitter, I frequently include links back to my own social media network. I then build up a community – or as marketing visionary, Seth Godin calls it a “Tribe”. It is early days, but my Tribe has become quite influential. I don’t market to them – I communicate with them. I build relationships with them. They are my customers and my potential joint venture partners. Many of them are very active marketers in their own right.

Because I now have a trusted relationship with my Network,

Fight to the Death for Local Readers

Aidan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:49:36 +0000

Looks like local news is shaping up to be the next major battleground for the newspaper industry.
Here is a good article from Henry Blodget on the subject. (remember Henry – he was the analyst who predicted that Amazon.com’s stock price would hit US$400 in October 1998 – which it did a month later – gaining 128%. Great call, which earned him the title of No.1 Internet/ eCommerce analyst on Wall Street in 2000 – That was before the world came crashing down as the dot-com bubble burst)

Anyhow, Henry has now got a real job

Has Rupert Murdoch Done a Deal With the Devil?

Aidan — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:14:04 +0000

“I’m not saying I beat the devil …but I drank his beer for nothing” – Kris Kristofferson

It is not for me to validate or otherwise the persistent rumor that Rupert Murdoch is in fact the devil incarnate. However, he is certainly accusing Google of drinking his beer for nothing.

It appears, according to Rupert, that every time Google index his content in their search engine, they are behaving like