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In August of 2005, Alex Tew
coded a Million Dollar Web Page with a very unique spin as a
way to pay his University Tuition. Turns out he had no
idea what kind of a gold mine this page was going to be.
It wound up being the first Pixel-Ad website in existence
and grossing its final 1000 pixels reportedly sold on eBay
for $152,000.00.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin,
Computer Science students developed a new type Search Engine
called Backrub that based results on popularity instead of
just meta tags and keyword density. Today, Backrub is
now called what we know as Google and it is the most
formidable and intuitive search engine out there bar-none
reaching into previously untapped areas such as Public
Transit, Satellite Mapping, and Localized Directories.
Labor Day 1995 Pierre Omidyar
launched AuctionWeb, the auction site which we would later
know as online auction giant eBay.com and it's child payment
processor site Paypal.com.
To date, thousands of copies
of websites claiming to be better than Paypal, the Google
Killer, the Next Generation of eBay, the NEW MySpace, and so
on and so forth. To demonstrate a point about
duplicating an already successful website, I'm going to use
an older analogy.
Let me take you back to the
days of Cassette Tapes like the Audio Cassette, VHS, and
Beta tapes.
Like the original websites
mentioned above, the original recording was always the best
quality. Every copy made from the original degrades in
quality. Eventually you're left with something that is
completely unrecognizable as the original, nowhere NEAR its
quality, and something no one would pay a dime for.
When visitors start flocking to a website because it has
something new and exciting, that website sets a standard and
builds trusting relationships with them first. Once
this relationship has been solidified, they're hard pressed
to go anywhere else for the same service even IF it is the
same or slightly better. It would have to be a very
good reason for them to leave.
For example, I frequently
visit Future Shop's website. For our my readers in the
USA you'd know it as circuit city. Now the question is
why would I visit a site who sells electronics I know
nothing about when I can visit circuitcity.com for reliable
reviews, information, and pricing? Plus, I can order
the product online, pay for it, and then pick it up locally
to avoid the hassles of going through a checkout line.
With the other website, I'd have to wait for shipping time,
worry if the website is legit and if I'm going to lose my
investment through fraud, learn their ordering process so I
can get the correct product and then if the product is
defective, I have nowhere to take it. If the both
websites had identical pricing, heck, even if the site I was
unfamiliar with had pricing that was 100's less than circuit
city I would STILL go to circuitcity.com. I'm buying
into quality and reputation, not price.
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Yet there are those who
believe they are the creators of the next generation of
these online giants. Fact is that these giants have
been around for years and have more R&D funding than you
could ever imagine, deeper pockets, and high-priced
marketing companies on contract. Still, the terms
Google Killer, the Next MySpace, Better than eBay or Better
than MSN Messenger continue to spring up all over the web.
All extremely big claims against extremely big competition
and an even taller order to fill.
That's not to say that going
up against industry giants will result in a loss, there have
been exceptions to this rule. The owner of Wal-Mart
for example started when names like K-Mart, Zellers, Sears,
etc had already been key players in the Department Store
Industry. Saturn Motors came onto the scene when other
car companies had already been in business since the early
century. Heck, even Google itself clobbered Yahoo! and
Alta Vista, two of the premier search engines at the time to
be crowned as the King of Search Engines several years
later. It's definitely possible but highly unlikely.
What I am saying is that chances are if you go up against
these giants the odds are stacked against you and you should
expect a very long and difficult uphill battle.
The best way to compete
against them is not to copy exactly what they do but to find
a different angle to access a smaller section of their
customers at a time. Slowly build a niche market out
of smaller, more accessible, and neglected markets.
Avoid attacking these companies head on unless you really do
have something different and revolutionary that no one has
ever seen before. Remember, not once did Wal-Mart or
Saturn directly name and slam their major competitors during
their rise to power because they were well aware that they
were dealing with the heavyweights of the industry.
Michael Dela Cruz, Adland
Digest Pro
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Theme Marketing: Copywriting Technique #127
Copyright 2007 by Marcia Yudkin
One of the best-designed sales pieces I've
received in years was a come-on for an MIT conference. Every
panel implemented the metaphor of a deck of cards in both design
and text. Bullets in the form of hearts, spades, diamonds and
clubs and subheads like "This session provides you with all the
aces you need" carried through the unified theme. After spending
so much time exploring this piece, I figured the conference
sessions would have something to teach me too, and I signed up.
Another marketing piece, from CM Communications, Inc. of Boston,
landed in my files because of its clever use of a tailoring
theme. Headed "Getting the Right Fit," the three-panel brochure
used a tape measure to illustrate subheads like "Don't Hem
Yourself In," "Look for a Versatile Outfit," "Button Down Costs"
and "S, M or L?"
Well-executed themes get results in marketing because they reach
beyond features and benefits to engage emotions as well as the
intellect. In addition, they provide unity between words and
graphics and thus become more memorable. Sometimes they involve
a creative format too.
Cindy Marshall, of Jefferson, South Dakota, used the theme of a
police suspect file in a promo piece for Media Concepts, in
nearby Sioux City, Iowa. The manila file, complete with a
real-looking coffee stain, opens to fingerprints, Polaroid
crime-scene items and a profile including "caught guiding
unsuspecting clients in specifying advertising goals" and "known
to be armed with state-of-the- art equipment."
To select an effective theme, stay away from any you've already
seen implemented in your industry. Play an old parlor game to
spur your imagination: If your product, service or business were
a fruit, which one would it be? If it were a song, which one
would it be? If it were a communication medium, which one would
it be? How about a feature of the landscape, a type of weather,
a dessert, a bank transaction?
Or, think about some general categories of phenomena that
provide rich sources for themes: Nature; Technology; Hobbies;
Relationships; Mythology; Popular Culture; Occupations; Common
Problems. Sometimes a pun, such as in "A Hire Authority" for an
employment firm, supplies an interesting metaphor you can build
upon. Once you choose a tentative concept, brainstorm related
ideas, such as for "shoot-out": holster; OK Corral; bad guys;
sheriff; Wild West; trigger-happy.
For maximum effect, a theme should be unexpected, such as
"Setting Sail for Internet Profits" and yet sufficiently
familiar so that visual elements like anchors and rudders and
textual references to "catching the wind" and "calm seas" make
instant sense. The theme should always be more concrete,
picturable and commonplace than what you're selling. Otherwise
you will have created an unnecessary mystery instead of a
compelling sales piece.
As with any marketing idea, test it out with people similar to
your prospects to make sure it provokes a laugh or a nod instead
of a "Huh?"About the Author
Marcia Yudkin is the author of 6 Steps to Free
Publicity, Persuading on Paper and Web Site Marketing Makeover,
and a seven-time Webby Awards judge. She teaches a 6-week course
on no-hype copywriting for business owners and marketers;
complete details:
http://www.yudkin.com/copycourse.htm
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Bells And Whistles - Does Your Site Really
Need Them?
Copyright 2007 by Tim Whiston
Current graphics technology is awesome, and I
love a good video game. But market testing has proven websites
that go overboard with graphic design and special effects
actually convert far fewer sales than sites with clean,
attractive layouts that do not interfere with the most important
element - the content!
I hate it when I come to a site looking for a product or service
and I can't get past the streaming video intro. I also hate it
when a fat audio file loads on every page I navigate, or when
the flash elements and high-tech animations make it hard to find
the order button.
Believe it or not I'm saying this as a professional web
designer. And guess what?
According to multiple independent studies the average Internet
consumer agrees with me!
It's a fact - sites with too many bells and whistles will
actually drive your customers away before they have a chance to
soak up your offer or at least subscribe to your opt-in list. As
a rule, I don't even recommend flash as a viable media for
direct response marketing.
Look at some of the most productive retail sites in any niche
and you'll find clean, appealing graphics. But these visual
creatives will not overshadow the most important element of
all... the site's content!
Unless you are marketing a video game, a movie, or sophisticated
animation software/design service, it's the content that
generates sales and not the bells and whistles that turn your
site into a digital carnival.
Don't get me wrong, both audio and video elements can have a
tremendous impact on your conversions; but not if these features
are presented in place of quality sales copy and plenty of solid
consumer information.
High-tech design solutions should be applied in a way that
compliments your content. Your marketing message should never be
upstaged by visual theatrics or dazzling sound effects unless
you're in the business of selling such effects to site owners
who don't know any better.
Regardless of how far technology advances it is highly unlikely
the average consumer will ever stop demanding quality content
prior to his or her purchase of your product or service. So lead
with your message and let the special effects blend in and
compliment your content delivery.
Keep the balance between graphic design and strong copy, and
your visitors will be far more likely to stick around and give
you the chance to close the deal.
About the Author
Tim Whiston is a full-time web marketer. Have
a look at his
Website
Design Service and
Web Design Portfolio to find powerful and cost-effective
solutions for your business. Also be sure to check out his
Internet Marketing Course for more great content.
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