Being better is better than being first
While The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout is undeniably a classic text and should be read by anyone in this industry, it should be read carefully, though, since many of its assumptions and recommendations are …
The world’s best project management system
In our line of work, effective project management is absolutely essential. At any given time we have 15-20 projects going on, all with dozens (if not hundreds) of individual tasks involved. We’ve tried countless project management applications, trying to find …
What happens after your revolution?
Revolution is easy when you don’t have anything to lose. You say the things everyone’s afraid to say, kick in some doors, fire your guns into the air, depose some tyrannical leaders, and declare your way to be the new …
The 30-and-30 rule
When designing a website, it’s important to remember that not everyone processes information the same way you do. You might enjoy taking your time and absorbing all the details, while someone else is just trying to get in, get what …
The Cult of 11: Great leaders need to chill
Some people are natural-born leaders. When they speak, everyone listens. When they’re on a project, everything tends to get done well. When everyone else is satisfied with a 6 or 7 on the “push-o-meter”, they’re always taking their game to …
The arithmetic of interaction
I have a theory that there are four basic ways you can interact with a situation: Addition: You can add something to the situation, improving or enhancing it in some way. Multiplication: You can transform the situation by putting everything …
Does this car make me look green?
A recent Freakonomics podcast got me thinking about tribal marketing. The episode presents the notion that people practice “conspicuous conservation,” a play on the idea of conspicuous consumption. People carry reusable bags that proclaim “I am not a plastic bag.” …
Marketing ideas: list everything your competitors have in common…then do the opposite
Too often companies get wrapped up in only competing on the same items as their competitors. They want a website that is similar but better, products with the same features done better, etc. In order to stand out amongst a …
Nobody knows anything about branding
Screenwriter William Goldman once wrote of the movie industry that “Nobody knows anything. Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work. Every time out, it’s a guess…nobody, nobody–not now, not ever–knows …
The new game of 20 Questions: handy writing prompts to inspire creative content
We’ve all been there. You know you have to write something, but you have no idea what the heck to write about. Sound familiar? We know the feeling! Lately, we’ve been creating a new content strategy to go along with …
Is business 2.0 fundamentally feminine?
Business is historically a male-dominated endeavor, so it’s no surprise that the stereotype about what it takes to succeed in business involves traditionally masculine characteristics: aggression, tactical thinking, bravado, ruthlessness, objectivity, ego, pride, sports metaphors, war metaphors, etc. However, the …
Marketing ideas: talk about your customers
One way to prove you’re the best company in your industry is to discuss what your customers have been doing since they received your product/service. Not only do you help to promote your already loyal fans, but you get to …
Marketing ideas: decentralize your web presence
In the 90s, your “Website” and your “Web presence” were basically synonymous. Today, they’re not. If you’re on a tight budget (who isn’t?), consider skimping on your main site and focusing more on the rest of the Web online: Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Flickr, YouTube, …
Metric-lust: how well can you really measure marketing ROI?
As technology has given our industry the ability to measure more things faster than ever, there’s been a steady trend towards having metrics serve as the basis for design and creative work, with the idea that this will ensure return …
Your beliefs are your most important source of content
As we’ve been working on our own content strategy for the next six months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what kinds of things we should be writing about. There are all kinds of options out there, but …
Marketing ideas…lots of them!
When you’re deeply involved in a business, it’s hard to find time to invest in your marketing. Then when you finally do find time, you’re stumped about what you should even be doing. Marketing has changed a lot in recent …
Dark Cliff’s super(natural) new logo
We recently got in touch with our supernatural side to develop a logo for Dark Cliff, a local paranormal researcher. Rather than just drawing up a stereotypical logo with ghosts and ominous fonts, we wanted to tap into what makes …