I’ve never clicked on a web advertisement in a sidebar ever. Until today. In case your curious;
Category: startups
Did you build it?
Did you build the website? Yes
Did you build your blog? Yes
Did you design the property development? Yes
Did you renovate your house? Yes
Did you launch the product? Yes
Did you manufacture the product yourself? Yes.
Did you landscape your own garden? Yes.
Did you make that advertisement? Yes
Did you self finance the business? Yes
Yes you did all these things, and more, every bit of them. You orgnaised the project, you had the idea, you got the finance from the bank, you conceived it and you made it happen. Never mind if the advertising agency made the creative, the PHP programmer coded your website or the bricklayer built the house.
You did it with your mind, your management skills and your ability to execute the project. None of it would have even started without you.
So whenever anyone asks if you did it? You say “Yes”.
Best way to differentiate your online startup
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.
Sultans of Swing and start ups
Listening to my itunes while working away the Sultans of Swing by Dire Straights starts playing… some lyrics struck a chord. (as always, pun intended)
“… and Harry doesn’t mind if he doesn’t… make the scene….
He’s got a day time job, he’s doin’ alright.”
Feel free to comment.
Single Minded Proposition – Ruby Red Runners
I stumbled across a great and simple start up business.
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!
Clever spam?
A blog comment appeared as per below:
Hi,
I read your blog from start to finish this afternoon. I just wanted to say thanks.
Thank you for writing about your experience. For the tips. For the ideas. For the motivation.
Just.. thanks.
I was chuffed. I nearly fell for it, but then I realized that anyone who could read 50,000 words in an afternoon must be a ‘machine’.
Got me thinking about the value of people. Only a person could figure out this wasn’t genuine. Policies and systems can only go so far. Human input and decision making is really the most valuable thing we have in our business. And so it could be said that all humans in our business should really have policy veto power – from the reception desk to the corner office.
Trust your people.
Subliminal Advertising
In a flashback to the 1970’s – pun intended, subliminal advertising has reared its ugly head.
The recent ARIA awards (Australian Record Industry Association) on Channel 10 some advertising executive, brand manager or TV production person has got way too funky for their own good – and simply broken the law.
ABC TV’s media watch has covered it brilliantly.
The offending brands are: Toyota Yaris, Telstra Bigpond, Chuppa chups and Olay.
I strongly suggest you watch the video of the story by clicking here.
As far as startup blog is concerned subliminal advertising can only mean one of two things:
- No one notices, and it isn’t worth doing.
- It decieves people on a subconscious level, and it isn’t worth doing.