Category: Ideas

Facebook Apps vs Advertising

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

There’s no shortage of both of these now, although we’d like to know why anyone would invest money in advertising on facebook, when one can more cheaply create an application?

 

There’s no shortage of useless apps out there…. No I don’t want to be a vampire, but I do want to:

If I’m interested and the app is good, it will find me. If there is an advertisement in a side bar, I’m generally going to ignore it. I’m not on facebook to look at advertisements, no matter how targeted.

At Rentoid.com today we launched “Where did my money go?” An app which  

–          helps calculate the value of idle assets

–          gives cools icon gifts to share

–          shows people how to unlock their idle asset value

–          enables users compare the value of their stuff

  facebook-where-did-my-money-go.png

All while being part of the reason people are on facebook. We did this with just a little bit of coding. Check it out here.

 

Good app’s which are fun, useful and have a reason to link back to your business are an absolute boon. We can always improve an app over time by paying attention to user feedback. We’ve been gifted to have a free open platform with 52 million members. Instead of advertising on facebook and being an ancillary, build an app and be part of the ball game!

 

Simple motivation

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

After a few wins in a start up – one buddy emailed this image to another buddy with the obvious inference that he was “On Fire”

 fireman.jpg 

It didn’t cost anything. It only took a tiny effort, but it helped both buddies stay pumped and work harder on their start ups.

The Pitch

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

A colleague has left the safe confines of his large conservative leading architecture firm to start up his own – K2LDC. So now his new job role isn’t CEO, rather ‘salesman’.

 

So how does an architecture differentiate themselves with their pitch? here’s a tip – it’s not through anything to do with power point slides or boring details. Especially as it concerns visual services such as architecture. It’s about creating theatre, sparking imagination and getting the client into your mind.

 

So K2DLC did this: After a brief discussion at the pitch they left the client with a deck of cards (samples below) with their pictures and thoughts on how to approach the design.

design-process-cards1.jpg

 design-process-cards2.jpg

Result: The client considered what the firm was trying to achieve.  They played with the cards. They put them on their fridge. They put them in their order of favorite. They had an in depth discussion. They took themselves on a visual journey. They loved it.

 

K2DLC won the pitch.  

Pulling Power – Beckham

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

Last night at Stadium Australia two lower tier football teams (Sydney FC and LA Galaxy) played in front of a crowd on 80,000 fans.

The reason the crowd was so large was because of the person in the picture below. That’s it. 

 David Beckham.png 

Start up blog isn’t big on celebrity endorsement, but when someone has that kind of pulling power the possibilities are endless. Especially when the person in question is inextricably linked to the event – the football game – ie David Beckham is a football player. It’s not quite the same as getting an Olympian to sell a car.

The Beckham brand is one of the few sponsorship properties that may just be worth the money. Especially, when it involves the biggest sport in the world, which happens to be a minnow in the worlds largest economy.

Start up lesson:

Don’t get someone to endorse. Get someone who is embedded.

Inventing Jargon

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

 sethgodin.jpg

web 2.0

permission marketing – Sethsethgodin.jpgsethgodin.jpg

interruption marketing – Sethsethgodin.jpgsethgodin.jpg

bootstrapping

startup

SPAM

BACN

badvertising (startupblog)

radvertising (startupblog)

goodvertising (startupblog)

longtail

Blog

ideavirus – Seth

Purple cow – Seth

Cutting edge

TV industrial complex – Seth

……

People like jargon for a few reasons. It puts them in the inner circle, it makes them feel smart & exclusive. When it’s great jargon, it simplifies an important explanation.

But jargon’s a bit like fashion. Things come and go and it’s important you’re using ‘fashionable’ jargon and avoiding the old embarrassing terms like ‘thinking outside the box’.

Seth Godin is a master at ‘inventing jargon’. There’s a little “Seth” next to his ones.

Taking the lead from Seth we’ve invented some jargon to explain important concepts for rentoid.com the place to rent anything including:

Unlocking idle assets

Conuserism

Digital networking of temporary needs

Go on and invent some jargon to sell your story.

Best way to differentiate your online startup

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

Have an actual phone number listed on your site where you can be called. Anytime.

A real phone number, with a real person answering, in real time, for real customers / members / web surfers. Real easy.

Why? Have you ever tried to call Yahoo, Google or Ebay?

There’s no easier way to differentiate your start up and outdo a big guy.

Single Minded Proposition – Ruby Red Runners

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

I stumbled across a great and simple start up business.

ruby red runners 

ruby-red.jpg  

They rent out very high quality red carpet runnerrs – That’s it. You don’t get any more single minded than that.

They’re delivered in roll up bag which you simply unzip and roll out the carpet.

Start up costs seem to be pretty low as well. A few high quality carpets, a clean website (www.rubyredrunners.com.au) and some word of mouth to high end hotels, private jet airlines, wedding organizers, glitzy carnivals and private parties for the well healed.

Just imagine how ‘honored’ you’d feel if your spouse hired a ruby red runner to welcome you home one night after work!