April 10, 2008

Shining Example: Monk at Work

Monk at Work by Adam Kayce is truly a SHINING EXAMPLE of a blog that does an EXCEPTIONAL job of “connecting” with readers.

There’s a nice little box in the sidebar that expresses quite eloquently Adam’s services:

  • Unclear on your purpose?
  • Not working at your potential?
  • Trouble expressing yourself?
  • Personal issues getting in the way of your work?

However, you don’t need to read the box to “get” what it is Adam is offering.

Adam has brilliantly branded himself and extends that branding through his blog’s name (Monk at work) to his offerings (White Papers are called Monkifestos”… CUTE!!!)

However, what makes this truly a shining example is, even without the “branding elements” in place, his brand comes through quite clearly through his writing. So even if you were presented with his content in a plain text ASCII file, you’d still “see” his brand.

Adam has done a LOT of work on this blog and it shows. It’s truly a shining example of how a blog can act as a powerful marketing tool.

Filed Under: Blog, Blog Reviews Tagged With: , , ,
February 21, 2008

Brian Gardner’s one smart cookie….

I met Brian just before the Colts went to the Superbowl.  Brian’s not only a talented Word Press blog theme developer, he’s also a Colts fan who happens to live in the heart of Chicago Bear (the Colt’s Super Bowl XLI opponent) country.    Are all great minds Colts fans, or is it just an amazing coincidence?

Anyhow, Brian has since quit his day job and struck out on his own and he’s hit the ground running!!!  Last week, he launched an affiliate program where he pays commissions on sales of his premium Word Press themes.  Yesterday, Brian has announced his own version of March Madness…. offering fabulous prizes to his top affiliates in the month of March.

The promotion works on two levels:

a) It’s a great way to promote affiliate sign ups.

Sales is a numbers game.  In affiliate programs, 20% of your affiliate will generate 80% of your sales.  The more affiliates you have, the more sales they will generate.  It’s just that simple.

b) It’s link bait.

Not only must you sign up as an affiliate to join the contest, but you must also link back as well!

GREAT JOB Brian on crafting a compelling contest to promote your new affiliate program.

Filed Under: Blog Reviews, Marketing Magic, Word Press Blogs Tagged With: , , ,
July 31, 2007

Tightly targeting your blog helps increase it’s effectiveness

I love blogs because they are a boot strapping entrepreneur’s best friend.

For example, what do you do when you’ve got a concept that is "revolutionary" and therefore, by nature, NOT a topic of search on the internet?

That’s the quandry facing the web site "15 Minute Date". 

15minuteDate is a new concept in online matchmaking that combines the best of blind date and speed dating. Great concept, but the problem is twofold…

  1. No one is searching for the keywords "15 minute Date"
  2. Online dating is a HIGHLY competitive keyword term.

What’s an entrepreneur to do?  Launch a BLOG of course!!!  The 15 minute dating blog features True Dating Horror Stories and Tips from Real People.  Funny, engaging and provocative, blog entries like 20 things NOT to do on a first date are sure to catch the target audience’s eye.

I tell my clients over and over again that blogs act like bait…attracting readers AND journalists alike.  15MinuteDate.com is an outstanding example of this process in action.

Filed Under: Blog, Blog Reviews, Web Site Success
May 17, 2007

Blog Review: The Harper Team

This blog review is for the Harper Team, a realty group located in Danville, California.

I found this blog through a comment posted on a popular marketing blog. I knew I was in for a treat before I clicked the link.  The comment posted was:

 

When I get those "official looking" pieces I toss them and add the sender to a list of people I don’t want to do business with. I prefer ads that are short, sweet and to the point. I want to scan it and make a decision in about 2 seconds. If you’re trying to fool me or waste my time, why would i want to do business with you?

Great comment showing real insight.

So when I arrived at the site, I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was.  What an INCREDIBLE job this blog does of SELLING the services of this TEAM OF SALES PROFESSIONALS!

The design is clean, crisp and appealing.   OUTSTANDING!

While the visual elements are outstanding, the content is where this blog really shines. I was greeted with the post :  Hey Homesellers – Truth or Consequences? in which several previous posts were referenced.  OUTSTANDING!

The writing is clear, concise and most importantly, informative! The integration with the rest of the web site is seamless and the resources are truly incredible.

Think you want to sell your home yourself?  Well, the Harper Group will provide a step by step guide to help you in your quest.  This kind of helpful advice has GOT to go a LONG way in establishing trust with these real estate professionals.

In an industry where all you have to sell is your expertise, the Harper Group does an OUTSTANDING job of illustrating their expertise with this fabulous blog.

This blog is a rare combination of high quality content presented in a FABULOUS package. 

Filed Under: Blog Reviews