Biz Tips Blog: Online Marketing, Visibility and Business Blogging Tips

Customer Focused Marketing on the Internet

This morning I received an email from Karen Rawson of 15MinuteBusinessBooks.com in response to our Conversations with Experts topic this week on using Blogs for book publishing.

Here's Karen's email:

I was just reading about something like this in the book “Next: The Future Just Happened” by Michael Lewis.  A British band called Marillion that was a hit in the early 80’s. They made their comeback in 2000 thanks to the Internet.  An on-line fan club formed and brought them to the US to tour.  They released a CD with an insert that said, “send us your e-mail address and we’ll send you a second CD with previously unpublished songs.” They got 18,000 e-mail addresses that way.  They then sent the fans an offer:  Advance us the 100,000 pounds we need to cut a new record and you’ll get it early, and we’ll put your picture on our album cover (minuscule, of course).  They had 5000 people paying 16 pounds in 4 days. In a few weeks, 16,000 buyers. 

Then they went back to the record company that wouldn’t produce the album and said, “Tellya what.  You can have the completed album and we won’t sell it on line anymore after your release date.” They got a huge royalty rate and marketing budget in the deal.  All because they built their fan base first.  The point of the chapter of the book was that if you connect with your audience personally, which is possible through the Internet, you’re in control. And that publishers better watch out.

This is a perfect example of 1) using the Internet to build your platform (not sure what a platform is? Check out Suzanne Falter-Barns' Get Known Now program) and client database and 2) focusing on what your customers want, then delivering it to them.

I love this story.  If you'd like to get a copy of a synopsis of “Next: The Future Just Happened”, contact Karen Rawson.  It's available in MP3 for $5.

Tom Evslin, Dot Com Pioneer Talks about Blooks

Blooks - More choice for readers; more opportunity for authors
Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 8:30 p.m. ET - FREE
Guest Expert: Tom Evslin, Hackoff.com

Book publishing is undergoing the same Internet-induced disruptive change in  marketing, promotion and distribution that has confounded the traditional music industry.  Readers benefit from increased choice and online access to content including fiction; authors will benefit from reduced barriers to publication.

Blogs are both a new distribution platform for fiction and a new marketing and promotional channel.  Although some readers will always prefer a book they can hold in their hands, online books can have interactive features which traditional books don’t including reader interaction, subscription by email or RSS feed, and linked online support material.

hackoff.com: an historic murder mystery set in the Internet bubble and rubble is written by Tom Evslin, the exCEO of an Internet company who is a well-known blogger.  The blook (book on a blog) includes a faux company website, an online store, a wiki, and a user forum. Although the book will have a hard-cover edition, the Internet is its first distribution platform and the basis for its publicity campaign.

Tom Evslin was founder Chairman and CEO of ITXC Corp. The NASDAQ-listed company grew from startup in 1997 to the world’s leading provider of wholesale VoIP. Evslin conceived, launched, and ran AT&T’s first ISP, AT&T WorldNet Service. WorldNet popularized all-you-can-eat flatrate monthly pricing for Internet access. Evslin has been blamed and praised for this ever since. He is unrepentant. At Microsoft, Evslin was responsible for Microsoft Exchange and for overcoming the lead Lotus then had with cc:mail and Notes.

Evslin’s software company, Solutions, developed the first commercial EFT software.  Solutions was the first developer of commercial communications software for the Macintosh and developed Glue (a predecessor of Adobe Acrobat). blog.tomevslin.com is a popular read.

Register:  www.ConversationswithExperts.com

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Off-line
Hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.

AllBusiness.com Looking for Bloggers

Are you looking for more exposure for your business?  The Blog network at AllBusiness.com is looking to add more blogs to its network in some specific topic areas.  If you are interested and your expertise matches one of the subject areas below, send me an email with a link to your current blog or website and I'll make the introduction for you.

Software/Products:		General Topics:
MYOB		Franchise
Quickbooks		Finance & Accounting
MS Money		IT setup & management
MS Office Small Business Suite		Web site design/review
Dreamweaver/ GoLive		Staffing
MS Publisher		Insurance
Mac for Business		Direct Mail
Database Software		Market Research
Cell Phone Plans		Inventory Management
		Cash Flow Management

Client Appreciation

'Tis the season to get your act together and start planning how you are going to honor and thank your clients and customers for their business this past year.

I read two excellent blog posts along these lines and invite you to carefully read and implement the suggestions of these two savvy marketing professionals.

Denise Kotula writes about finding the perfect client gift and the importance of tailoring your gift to the person.  Any old gift will just not do.  Readers of this blog may remember that we recently interviewed Denise Kotula for our Conversations with Experts teleseries and she spoke with us about referral marketing.  Denise just started her blog and it's definitely one to pay attention to.  Subscribe by email or RSS.

Shirley Frazier of Solo Business Marketing shares statistics from a recent American Express survey about how businesses plan to reward their clients at year-end.  A shocking 19% responded that they had no plans for gifts or holiday acknowledgment.

I know I was glad for the reminder and have started putting together my list for cards and gifts.  After all, without our clients, where would we be?  Not in business, that's for sure!

How do you thank your clients for their business?

Google Business

Seems like every time I open my email, I see another rave review for Dave Taylor's book Growing Your Business with Google.  If you're a regular reader or attend our Conversations with Experts teleseries, you know we interviewed Dave Taylor a few weeks ago.  This morning I read a review of Dave's book by Dan Janal, a trusted colleague who runs PRLeads.com.

I have to confess I haven't read Growing Your Business with Google yet, BUT I ordered it last week and it should be arriving today. My partner, Patsi, has been working her way through the book and is also raving about how great it is.  I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't read and implemented Dave's expertise!

Anyone else care to share their reviews, thoughts, experience with implementing Dave's tactics?  Click on the comments link below to add your voice.