Category Archives: Technology

Building Mom and Pop Websites: 5 Questions to Ask

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My friend Jason, who is a web developer, asked the question

Is there any value in “brochure” type web sites?

Not much, I think. Here’s why:

My philosophy is that “Mom and Pops” are better served by following a permission marketing approach with websites.

1. How can I create content people will COME BACK to read?

time-sensitive, changes often, relevant, anticipated

2. If I want to do #1, how do I manage it?

content management system, allocate employee time

3. If I’m creating content, how can I best leverage it?

blog, email newsletter, printed newsletter, op-ed piece

4. Can I send email coupons that customers can abuse without it hurting me?

(because they will take advantage)

5. Can I create offers they will relay to their friends?

forward to a friend link, create value

10 Web Design Mistakes (at least 6 are remedied in blogs)

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The ever so practical Jakob Nielsen gives his list of Top 10 Web Design Mistakes.

They’re so easy to overcome, yet so often overlooked. In my opinion, at least six of these mistakes are easily fixed with a good blog or simply good content management software.

1. Bad Search
2. PDF Files for Online Reading
3. Not Changing the Color of Visited Links
4. Non-Scannable Text
5. Fixed Font Size
6. Page Titles With Low Search Engine Visibility
7. Anything That Looks Like an Advertisement
8. Violating Design Conventions
9. Opening New Browser Windows
10. Not Answering Users’ Questions

Concerning #1 and #6, here’s an example from my personal experience. Dentyne-isms are the cute “parables” on the back of Dentyne gum packages. Type “dentyne-isms” into a Google search. The top two links are to this blog. Dentyne’s website doesn’t even show up in the search results.

Apparently people really like these dentyne-isms. Right now, the post that comes up in the search results has over 50 comments. It’s one of the top search terms bringing people to my blog.

Read the rest of Jakob’s Top 10 Web Design Mistakes. His details are worth the few minutes of reading.

When the Game Slows Down

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Friday rolled by without a post. Mired in a consulting project, I could not free myself enough time to post. It’s becoming obvious that my system of writing will have to change.

Adjusting back into agency life has been a little crazier than I expected. It has been a blast though. I feel as if I just now got my feet firmly underneath me. Like a football player who has moved up to the next level, the speed of the game had my head spinning.

Well, the game has slowed down a bit.  I’m starting to see things as they develop.  It’s very reassuring.

The last piece of the puzzle is getting the blog back on track.

Thanks for your patience.

For Those of You Wondering…

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Why is this a blog called Casual Fridays and its URL is thepeoplebrand.com?

Why Casual Fridays?

I chose this blog name mostly because I knew I would struggle to post to the blog every day. I figured I could post something each week (though I struggle with that sometimes as well), but I was afraid people would get frustrated six days of the week coming here and not seeing anything new. So I decided I would post on the same day each week.

I noticed there wasn’t much blog activity on Fridays, so I thought I would fill the gap a little. Since I knew I would be addressing business issues, the phrase “casual Fridays” made sense to set the theme and mood of my blog.

Why The People Brand?

The People Brand was the name under which I worked. It was my dba (doing business as). After accepting a position at Hahn Promotions recently, I no longer do business as The People Brand.

I chose TPB as my business name because I felt as though many businesses had lost what they’re all about: people. Your brand isn’t a feature or a positioning statement. It is people. Your management, your employees, your customers and non-customers alike.

Branding is about people. Business is about people. Its about how we treat one another. Its about how we show appreciation. Its about how we make them feel, how we feel, and how we communicate that… to PEOPLE.

Why am I saying this now?

I feel like I’ve strayed away. I’ve been in a rut. From the way I write to the way I read.

THAT’S GOING TO CHANGE.

I’m going to experiment a little… maybe a lot. But I’m hoping the one thing that continually comes across is the message: Business is about people.

I know it sounds cliche… “We’re in the people business.”

Everyone says that.

I want to say it differently. What that looks like??? Well, we’re gonna find out.
Hope you enjoy the ride.

Virtual Economics

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FoxTrot
used with permission.

Virtual economies like that found in Second Life have shown that there is an intangible equity that can be monetized.

“But we’re not a video game company.” You say.

This is a lesson for every industry and every company.

We all have virtual equity and operate in some sort of virtual economy. Some call it customer community, customer evangelism, or word of mouth marketing. I would simply say it is your brand… and some brands are basically bankrupt.

Let me ask you this way – can you create an exchange of value which is practically void of tangible currency? Like collecting and trading baseball cards, the social value of scrapbooking, or the water cooler equity of watching the “big game” over the weekend.

Like Jason says in the above comic, “Don’t think of it as pretend money.” This is currency and it is traded every day. It’s as valuable as the credit cards or bank statements we think of as real money.