Archive for June, 2006
Approaching online marketing is a bit like entering a wilderness without a map, compass, shelter, or food. Let me explain. The typical Web site fails to anchor its message in the needs of real world customers, provides no means of discovering whether the message is persuasive, and relies on intuition and experimentation for improvement. Companies with little room for experimentation in their budget can easily become discouraged or exhaust their resources in fruitless experimentation. Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg have provided a model in Waiting for Your Cat to Bark? that addresses the lack of landmarks in online marketing.
This book maps out the difficult wilderness terrain of customer communication and persuasion as an intentional process that includes measurable and achievable goals. The Eisenbergs approach an extremely complex process with finesse that rarely oversimplifies and yet provides a conceptual framework that helps us approach it rationally.
It is very difficult to summarize Waiting for Your Cat to Bark? because it is a comprehensive system of thought and a marketing methodology. Little about the specifics of marketing are redefined here, but Persuasion Architecture places each component of marketing into a framework with specific goals and metrics. When read cover to cover with an open mind, this book has the potential to demystify much of the marketing process.
Like any book that paints a big picture, the chief challenge to the reader is to apply the principles of Persuasion Architecture to their own marketing efforts. Though the first few chapters are mostly abstract, the last nine chapters anchor the conceptual framework in real world scenarios that will help you get started.
The model of Persuasion Architecture meshes well with the culture of the Internet where participation is voluntary and transient. According to the authors, “The frameworks available in Persuasion Architecture create a persuasive model of voluntary momentum rather than a coercive model … it isn’t about control, it’s about choice.”
What’s my advice? If you are involved in marketing, but especially marketing with an Internet component, choose to read this book!
Product Details
- Authors: Bryan Eisenberg, Jeffrey Eisenberg, Lisa T. Davis
- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: Nelson Business; Book & CD edition (June 13, 2006)
- ISBN: 0785218971
- List Price: $19.99
- Buy on Amazon.com
- Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
Related Web Links
June 27th, 2006
Though the response to this poll was not unanimous, most respondents felt that content is the most important factor to a Web site’s success. One weakness of this poll is that it did not define success or the type of Web site in consideration.
I have seen Web sites that seem to function very well as sales tools for design companies and yet they feature very little text content, focus on graphics and generate traffic by word of mouth. For Web sites such as these, design is of utmost importance.
For the lion’s share of Web sites that depend on search engine traffic rather than word of mouth, content is of the greatest value. In fact, it functions as a currency that “purchases” traffic from the many online search portals. For these Web sites, it is truly “publish or perish.”
Which element is most important to a Web site’s success?
* Short Page Load Time: 15% (3)
* Excellent Design: 20% (4)
* Valuable Content: 65% (13)
Total Votes : 20
June 22nd, 2006
Hey folks, I’m preparing to redesign my company Web site and would like any input you care to offer either by sending me an email or by commenting on this post.
Your critical comments can focus on tools you would like someone to offer, design improvements, things that are broken (believe it or not, it’s more likely you’ll find them here than on any of my client’s sites!), and content you would like me to offer … actually any feedback is fair game … I’ll listen charitably - I promise!
June 21st, 2006
Today I took my first steps towards using application development frameworks professionally. I needed to develop a database application to track client information and since I have read about a number of application frameworks in PHP that simulate the behavior of Ruby on Rails, I installed one and gave it a test run.
My first attempt at installing a framework (which shall remain nameless) was not entirely successful due to limited documentation and the fact that I’m more of a scripter than a hardcore PHP programmer. On my second attempt, I stumbled across Code Igniter, an application development framework built on the Model-View-Controller pattern. One of many such frameworks, Code Igniter enforces, or at least encourages, the separation of content and application data and when used wisely, can result in cleaner code and more rapid development of PHP applications.
I’m pleased with Code Igniter after the first day of use mostly because of its two introductory video tutorials and because of the extensive and clear documentation. All of this coupled with a very active forum with qualified programmers actively solving problems results in an attractive development platform for us PHP programmers who don’t want to, or can’t switch to Ruby on Rails due to platform restrictions.
If you are an intermediate level PHP programmer looking for a way to automate repetitive programming tasks and move into object oriented programming, Code Igniter is very likely to meet your needs. With a little work, you’ll move to the next level in PHP Web development.
June 19th, 2006
I discussed a post on how to get more effect out of a business card here, and recently redesigned my own card. The design is admittedly conservative. This is because stability is highly prized by the business community, at least in this area.
I added my own twist on the back of the business card idea by including a coupon … we’ll see how it works. Take a look below:
June 16th, 2006
I’m happy to announce the new Web site for the Jazz Label, CIMP. After several months of work and planning with Design Delineations, the new site features MP3 downloads, album reviews, and Jazz music for sale on-line.
Billed as “Adventuresome Jazz Music,” the label’s artists deliver a broad range of musical experience from mainstream Piano Jazz to Avant-Garde Jazz. There is something here for every Jazz audiophile.
If you are a Jazz aficionado, we have added a “link to us” page that makes it easy to tell your friends about CIMP by putting an attractive badge on your Web site or blog. If you like Jazz, visit the CIMP site and look around. While you’re there, drop the CIMP team a note with your impressions of the new site.
Here’s an example of a CIMP link badge:
June 13th, 2006
I came across a post by Seth Godin that offers 56 ways to get traffic for your blog. I’ll list the first ten here. You’ll have to go over to Seth’s blog for the rest.
- Use lists.
- Be topical… write posts that need to be read right now.
- Learn enough to become the expert in your field.
- Break news.
- Be timeless… write posts that will be readable in a year.
- Be among the first with a great blog on your topic, then encourage others to blog on the same topic.
- Share your expertise generously so people recognize it and depend on you.
- Announce news.
- Write short, pithy posts.
- Encourage your readers to help you manipulate the technorati top blog list.
read more | digg story
June 3rd, 2006
One of the ongoing frustrations of blogging, and of maintaining a Web site in general, is that though I can guess how many regular readers I have and even where they come from geographically, I don’t know anything about you with certainty. Let’s remedy that problem!
I would like to know who you are, a bit about your interests and why you’ve visited this site, and what I can do to make this blog more relevant to your information needs.
If you’re too timid to introduce yourself here, please visit my contact page and send me an email introduction. I will be delighted to hear from you!
June 3rd, 2006
With so many books about standards based design on the market, why do we need another one? Dan Cederholm’s Bulletproof Web Design
answers this question by providing not only the “how” of CSS design, but also the “why” of each design choice recommended in understandable and engaging prose. It goes beyond comparable volumes by it’s focus on the long-term repercussions of the decisions a Web designer makes. Dan Cederholm examines the common approaches to Web design solutions and explains why each approach is flawed and what can be done to improve upon past design techniques. The components and design elements discussed include text size and scaling, navigation, expandable rows, the use of floats, indestructible boxes, convertible tables, and fluid layouts. Bulletproof Web Design concludes with a chapter on putting all the design elements discussed previously into practice by creating a complete template design. I commend this book for carefully avoiding theoretical knowledge and getting into the nuts and bolts of everyday design challenges and providing workable solutions! It is a perfect blend of theory and practice, the “how” and the “why.”
- Author: Dan Cederholm
- Softcover: 270 pages
- Publisher: New Riders (2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN: 0321346939
- List Price: $39.99
June 1st, 2006
