The best kind of marketing--free.

My wife's friend offered a free photo shoot for any friend who could help her rename her company. My argument was using her name was her best marketing tool. Think of all the great photographers--you know their names. Instead I told her what I'd do if I were a wedding photographer. 

1. Call every reception hall that you see spending money on advertising. If they are spending money they aren't fully booked. Offer free wedding photography for the first couple who books a wedding--provided they put your name in the ad as the photographer. (Bonus-If you do a great job chances are they will give you referrals in the future.) 

2. This bit advice comes after you get booked either from #1 or another way. 

a. When you are at a wedding brand yourself by giving out cards. 

b. Take poloraids of every person at the wedding, give them the poloraid and on the back put your company name, number and website. Maybe even offer a deal if they use you.

c. Offer a free photo session for anyone that helps you book a session. 

3.  Even when you giveaway free sessions the only way you give them photos is on a CD otherwise they must pay for the photo printing. That keeps you in their minds every time they want to buy some photos. Just don't overcharge to try and make up for your free session.

4. Create a blog. In that blog give wedding photography advice. Don't promote yourself other than your "about you" page. List a few dozen questions a couple might have about wedding photos and every few days answer those questions. Questions might include: what to expect from a photographer. Average cost of wedding photography. What is the best way to archive your photos. Advice on a photo album. 

Best of all, put a dozen or more of your best photos on the page just so you can say how good you are without any words.

To make it all work costs you nothing but your time. The only thing you have to gain is new customers. 

Risky Business

When is the best time to take a risk? When you have nothing to lose.

What industries should be taking the biggest risks?

1. Auto companies - Is the Volt risky enough for General Motors or will it be one of a dozen other similar cars? American car companies are on the road to ruin so they need to make the best electric car possible. Is Tesla Motors for sale?

2. Newspapers - When will one newspaper decide to stop printing a newspaper and go completely online? Sure, they won't make the same revenue--but they won't have the same expenses either. If a newspaper waits until their print readership is down so low that they are debating about going out of business then it is too late. By then they'll have lost readership and have probably carved up their newsroom so much that they won't really be a news source. Thus death is imminent.

3. Oil companies - This sounds crazy, but who has more money right now with a worse public image? The writing is on the wall--Americans want to stop using oil. If I'm running a big oil company then I wake-up every day trying to be at the forefront of alternative fuels. Remember, the General Motors and New York Times of the world never saw it coming even while the writing was on the wall.

4. Barack Obama - McCain has been playing it risky and that is the only reason he's still relavent in this race. Obama has to stop trying so hard to be perfect and take McCain on in the next debate like a man whose family is starving. Playing for a tie might get him through the debate and it could make him President but it may also find him still in the Senate come January.

Share? What do you mean share? It's called stealing

Too many companies fear crowds. They fear these crowds might link to their videos. Are they afraid of success? Of course not, the funny thing is their fear of losing control of their content they are actually hurting themselves more.

If you love music and videos and YouTube then you might find yourself watching one of your favorite artists videos on the website. Perhaps you've blogged about a certain video and wanted to embed it onto your blog--like millions do every day. Well, if your artist is on the BMG/Sony you won't be embedding it any time soon. Nope, Sony's ignorance, and arrogance, is too big for that. So no Shakira shaking it for your friends. Or the new Jennifer Hudson video. And Sony wonders why they are hemorrhaging money.

But if you like the Jonas Brothers (Hollywood Records), T.I. (Atlantic Records) or Robin Thicke (Interscope Records) you can happily embed their videos on your blog, website, or any other thing you have online. Facebook anybody?

When artists like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails are giving their music away, and only asking fans to pay what they think is resonable, it is insanity to have a record label not want to spread their artists music virally. I think we can all do without the arrogance that still exists with record labels like Sony.

Watch the first video from a Rivers Cuomo (Weezer's lead singer) series where YouTube members help him write a song. Now that is viral marketing. Genius!

Some companies get it--some don't

Here are three companies and I'm wondering if you can guess which two understand their customers and how to reward their patronage:
1. Borders
2. Barnes & Noble
3. Amazon

If you buy books my bet is you can guess right away. Two of these companies offer great rewards. Amazon is almost always 20% cheaper than the other two companies without any rewards. Borders simply asks for your email address and they discount close to, if not even to, Amazon. And yes, Amazon gets all your information after you purchase.

But not Barnes & Noble. They want $25 or they won't reward you at all.

Barnes & Noble doesn't understand that keeping pace is about satisfying the customer not just their bottom line. Rewarding a customer for being loyal should trump all other marketing ploys. Hopefully they'll get it before its too late.

Extra credit: If I was a marketing person at either of these book companies I'd make a deal with Ebay/Half.com. I'd allow customers to bring their used books to any of my stores and we'd buy them. Then we'd take those books and post them on Half.com. The math is easy: pay x dollars for used books and sell them for y dollars. The best part is that because Half.com sells so many books its easy to get the market rate instantly. At the same time Half.com could list new books we have in our inventory.

How do you measure value?

How do you measure the value of your customer?
Most companies put a value on how much they make per customer.

Maybe companies should think about another metric: the value a customer gets from a company. The real value is if the customer ever comes back. The cost of acquiring a new customer is always more expensive than keeping current customers.

Instead of pure greed, how about asking customers how much they value us?

I read the news today oh boy...

Why are newspapers going out of business? Because they always seem to be years behind everyone else.

If I ran one of the major newspaper companies like New York Times, Hearst, McClatchey, MediaNews Group, Lee, etc. I wouldn't operate out of fear or be reactive--I'd be proactive. At this point what do newspapers have to lose? They are already losing.

There are no instant fixes for newspapers but here are a few thoughts:

1. Newspapers won't print on paper forever. Why aren't these newspaper companies coming together and investing in companies like Amazon, which owns the Kindle, or investing in epaper? It would save them billions of dollars a year by not printing on paper and the cost of investing in this future technology wouldn't cost anywhere near that. Even better, give the new epaper product to current and future subscribers. You'd still be saving money as a collection of papers and probably find the one thing newspapers can't find now: new subscribers. Just sign them up for a 3 year subscription in return they get the epaper reader.

2. Why do newspapers concede ownership of news aggregation to the likes of Yahoo, Google, MSN, AOL, Digg, etc? I'd create a newspaper coalition and buy or build a portal property and become the owner of my own destiny rather than hoping that your story gets picked up and you get Dugg. Within that newspaper portal I'd create the best news search engine.

3. Build better classifieds. Video, audio, and more. Craigslist is the minimalist's answer to classifieds so make them better. Not just better, make them great. Then, print the classifieds. Craig can't do that.

4. Create a newspaper site that allows the users to build their own section. If I like crafts then let me build a crafts section. Even more niche would be a sewing section under crafts. Let the user build the section and we'll filter the stories from around the world of interest to people who sew. It's not impossible to build niche sections--Ebay does it. Newspapers need to stop deciding what people want and let them show us.

The real losers in the presidential campaigns

And the winner(loser) is: the press. Rumors swirling about Palin, Obama and McCain. What is the truth? Well it used to be that the press set us straight. But now who knows. There are some newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post that have tried to set the record straight, even if they lean in a certain direction, so who is giving us the unbiased information here?

Local papers don't have the resources to give us all the details but they should and could work with the larger papers to have a running ticker of what is true and what is false. Also, let us know which candidate is promising what is being promised and which of those promises simply won't work. Everyone promises, but we all know not everything can be delivered on.

In a time when newspapers are seen nationally as losing credibility this is a time when they could help rescue their readers from making uninformed decisions. Otherwise the true losers are the citizens of this country.

What do we really want from a company? (Volume 1)

It depends on what side of the fence you are on. Are we talking about employment or goods and services?

Let's think of this is in two volumes. First is what does an employee want.

I was lucky enough to visit Google's Mountain View campus. I was able to get two full meals while there and enjoy their mini kitchens, or whatever they call them. I was floored by that alone. Than you throw in free bus rides to work [San Fran is a long haul from Mountain View] to work, laundry, campus bikes and electric cars etc. and you have the formula for work utopia. Yes it does benefit Google because those employees will work harder and probably longer. But if Google goes overboard for its employees you only have to step back and look at other companies who are overboard in the other direction.

Every company wants to save money but it shouldn't come at the cost of a strong and happy workforce. Google gives you all the perks in the world and free coffee and bacon are great but most companies forget the fundamentals. And don't think for a minute that Google doesn't have turnover--two of my friends are no longer employees... but that's a discussion for another day.

One fundamental tool that can destroy a corporation is when everyone sees themselves as part of their own departmental team. Infighting will destroy even the best companies. If your employees don't believe everyone is working in the best interest of the company there will be trouble and turnover at all levels. This can't be covered up with free cookies.

The next biggest problem is when upper management, your corporate leaders, don't listen to their employees. This has many levels. When you have brilliant employees who offer ideas and no one listens that is a big enough problem. But everything is magnified ten fold when upper management doesn't listen to the advice of their lower level leaders. Once the fractures forms in other levels of management it will spill over into their departments. It's impossible for disheartened bosses to hide their pain forever. And when their associates feel their boss' frustration they often fear their boss will leave and they end up leaving first.

Who's the boss? If management has to ask that question then there is really big trouble. Theoretically, everyone knows who their boss is, but when they can't get decisions made because someone else is to blame that question must arise.

Another frustration is the lack of tools given for a team to compete against their competitors. No one wants to sit in a meeting and hear how well their competitor is doing against their company knowing that they aren't competing on a level playing field. The best employees are competitive but if they aren't given the ability to compete on the same level eventually they will find some place to compete where its a fair fight. Even worse, they might go to the place that continues to hand them their hat.

Employees wants are simple: a fun place to work that challenges them and allows them to the chance to thrive. If we were to list all the things that frustrate employees we'd be here for years, but as much as we think about our small daily bickering the above issues are the types that fracture companies from the top down that aren't easily fixed. If Sarah hates Kate because she doesn't pull her weight the solution is easy--you can fire someone. But when your C suite executives don't see the forest through the trees and let some of the above issues fester they will lose their best talent often without ever knowing why.

Sunday wrap-up

Why am I blogging while watching football? Well besides that fact that its party time because the Buffalo Bills destroyed Seattle, something just sparked an idea.

I'm watching the NFL on Fox and wondering to myself, while I listen to some really bad color commentary: what are other Bills fans thinking? What do they think about that punt returned for a touchdown? Are they happy because Tom Brady is injured (yes this is sick, but its true)?

This isn't reinventing the wheel but what about running questions/comments across the screen and tell me how I can get involved with live conversations online. I might even record the game if I thought my nickname was going to show up with my comment or call a few friends and family and tell them I'm famous. Even for five seconds of fame. But the lasting effect are loyal fans of your games, even when its not their team playing. We're human and humans want to be apart of the conversation not just passive observers.

One last note: Get the commentators involved--maybe even have the sideline reporter ask the coach one of our questions. Now that is interactivity.

Why cool commercials won't help Microsoft, but what could?

I don't think ads can change how consumers perceive a company. And that's why Jerry Seinfeld isn't going to save Microsoft's reputation with "cool geeks."

What did you remember about Hyundai ten years ago? That they were a cheap car with a long warranty--mostly because a lot was going to go wrong. Well, Hyundai now makes a good car and people have started to realize it. The product rules the day not the commercial. When was the last time you bought a car because of a commercial? What about based upon a friend's recommendation? Probably the latter. Make something good and the rest will follow.

Get that Microsoft?

Here is a commercial that would really prove quality: Take an Apple and Windows based computer and show both computers starting up at the beginning of the commercial. The fact is that a Windows Vista computer can't start up before the commercial ends while the Apple computer would start up fast enough to leave fifteen seconds to discuss why Apple is faster and more reliable.

The problem with Microsoft is that they don't fix problems. They are so arrogant that they don't believe they have to. If they want to fix their reputation they need to fix their problems.

Hyundai dreams of being Mercedes. Who does Microsoft dream of being? My guess is no one.. they figure everyone dreams of being them. That's the problem with monopolies--competition breeds greatness. A lack of competition breeds complacency.

One last thing: Why is Microsoft so interested in getting the approval of geeks when almost everyone but geeks buy their computers? My wife, mother, aunt, cousin, neighbor, etc. don't know or care about the Apple computers but because it rubs a few executives the wrong way they figure they have to strike back. A better commercial would show how parents can protect their kids with Vista, or how you can make photo albums, edit video, write documents, emails, surf the web and more with Vista. Who cares if the geeks buy Macs?

You print a what?

Why are newspapers in big trouble? And why don't they look like they are ever going to get out of it? Because they still think of themselves as news-papers. Not media companies.

Google is Google. Just try to define them. Software company? Wrong. They sell hardware. Internet company? Wrong. They create green products. People don't realize it but Google is what GE wishes they were but claims to be. Newspapers are newspapers. They aren't much more. They still make a newspaper online with some code written around it.

Why do they do it? Centuries of expectations that only exist in the minds of entrenched newspaper employees. They live by the rules of journalism and paper and ink. So what comes of the day when people forget what paper and ink feels like? Well those days are now.

What can newspapers do?
1. Stop paying lip service to being web first and do it. Make an investment in technology (this includes people and hardware/software).
2. Train all over your employees to understand the web. Not optional training.
3. If you want to be Google you have to think like Google. Launch many products in their alpha/beta stage and learn as you develop. This means creating diverse products which are promoted by the newspaper website.
4. Write stories that appeal to ever niche in your region: mothers, towns, cities, religions, music tastes, ages, etc. If you can't be more local than Google, AP, Reuters, etc. then why are you in business?
5. There are companies who barely exist today that get angel investors and venture capital to invest in their future--why aren't newspapers?

Do you want my business? No, okay thanks again.

My wife and I tried a restaurant tonight and was surprised that there was a farmer's market going on right outside the plaza. When we enter the restaurant its nearly empty and yet there are a hundred people right out front.

To our surprise, mostly because the emptiness of the business, the food was very good. So why not have a few waitresses who had nothing to do go outside with free bread, samples of soup, etc. Whats the worst thing that can happen? You get a few customers?

Sometimes the wrong move creates an opening for your worst enemies

A few days ago Google released their browser Chrome. It's got some neat features but you have to wonder if this doesn't create an opening for Microsoft or Yahoo.

I understand that it looks like it could go the opposite direction--after all it is a direct jab at Microsoft. However it also takes a jab at a company that has been a huge advocate of Google: Mozilla. (Mozilla is the creator of the Firefox browser)

I'm using Firefox right now and right at the top right of my browser is a Google search. If I'm Mozilla I have to start questioning my relationship with Google considering the great real estate they own in my browser. If I'm Microsoft or Yahoo I'd be on the phone with someone over at Mozilla wondering how much it would cost me to take Google's spot and reminding them how Google has basically stuck it to them.

Sure, Microsoft has a browser too, but they were in the game before Firefox. The best chance really is for Yahoo who doesn't have a browser but does have a search engine.

Google joining the browser market in my opinion is actually good for Microsoft because the tech savvy users are going to adopt Chrome--the same people who use Firefox. The 80% who use Internet Explorer do so mostly because they don't even know about Firefox. Microsoft might still be at 80% a year from now with Firefox only owning 15% of the marketing and Google with 5%. Or some other variation. The funny thing is this reverses the roll of Google search verses Microsoft search. Microsoft should revel in their new found dominance of Google, but MS better get it right with IE8.

Structure--is that what you call structure?

Does anyone remember Structure the clothing store? The store was like Banana Republic and Abercrombie & Fitch. They sold designer-style clothing, that wasn't cheap by any means. They were purchased by Express and then by Sears.

The question is did anyone know Sears bought them and were selling the Structure clothing line in their stores? I used to buy some clothes from Structure and never knew Sears purchased them until today. I was walking through Sears and saw the familiar name and got home and looked it up and sure enough they purchased the company from Express.

You are probably saying: "Who cares?"

And I'm saying: "Exactly."

Surely there are some men out there that buy clothing from Sears but if they do they aren't looking for designer label clothing. That's for boutiques and stores like Macy's. Thats like Wal-Mart's half-baked attempt at selling upscale clothing. Structure would have been a better fit for Target because at least the audience is a littler hipper than Sears' target client. It seems like a huge waste of money to purchase that company and another reason why Sears is falling apart. I don't know who is leading that company but its a disaster.

What would I do if I were Sears? I wouldn't have bought the company in the first place because there is no synergy. But now that they own it they should just open stores like the Gap and Banana Republic and make Structure back into the store it once was. I think diversification is a great idea and Sears could still do that.

If Sears wants synergy with a company try Timberland or Carhartt or Wrangler or Levis or similar brands. Between their automotive department, hardware, tools, etc, there is plenty of synergy. Imagine how easy it would be to promote those products together. There aren't many DIYer in the clothing department looking for bikini cut briefs. Rather, if I'm checking out a $600 toolbox tell me how I can get a discount on coveralls and a jacket to stay warm while fixing my car.