Spam: the quickest way to create a bad impression

July 10, 2009 By Sam Deeks 2 Comments

Got a ‘special offers’ spam email from a Plymouth hotel yesterday.

As it happens, I wasn’t interested in their offers but more importantly I don’t like being sent marketing emails that I haven’t specifically opted to receive.

How did this hotel chain get my email address? What made them assume it was ok to spam me? The fact that I’d given my business card to one of their people at a networking event.

A common assumption that many small business owners make is that exchanging business cards constitutes an ‘opt in’ to each others’ mailing lists. It doesn’t.

If small businesses can be forgiven that misunderstanding (after all, the law regarding spam is a bit cloudy) what’s unforgivable is when they make the process of opting-out difficult or uncomfortable. Failing to put an ‘unsubscribe’ link in marketing emails means people have no choice but to contact the business directly to ask to be removed from a list they never wanted to be on in the first place. Not great.

If that isn’t bad enough, there is a final way to really make sure they piss off a prospect completely. How? By taking offense when the prospect asks to be unsubscribed.

A few weeks ago I asked someone to remove me from their list. Their reply? “I’m disappointed you don’t remember giving me permission…” I didn’t. Notice how they imply that their spam was my fault? That line was enough to make sure I never recommend them to anyone else.

Despite it being toothless when it comes to enforcement, the law on spam is fairly simple and I summarise it here (in case you need to be reminded).

If you can’t get your head around that then remember, with spam you’re just three moves away from reputation self-destruct.

1) Send me something I didn’t ask for. 2) Force me to go out of my way to stop receiving it and 3) Get annoyed when I asked you to stop.

Filed Under: Big Marketing Mistakes, business insight Tagged With: email, marketing, mistake, spam

‘The weakest link in any organisation is its people’. Charming

June 11, 2009 By Sam Deeks Leave a Comment

Does the organisation you work in treat people as its weakest link?

These words were spoken by Richard Thomas, Information Commissioner this morning on the Today Show on Radio 4. He was talking about the risk of misuse of information in relation to mobile phone details. But his words sounds strikingly inhuman.

What he meant was, in fact, this: ‘We’ve created an environment in which your mobile phone personal data will very likely be exploited, misused or otherwise abused. If it is, it will, however, be because people in organisations are inherently bad and untrustworthy, not because we made it possible in the first place’.

His words are typical of corporate irresponsibility. They’re also typical of a way of thinking that structures our organisations (business and social) to ‘contain’ the worst employee, rather than ‘liberate’ the best.

Stand back and take a look at the organisation you work in; maybe the one you set up. Is it built to contain the worst possible employee, or liberate the best?

Filed Under: business insight Tagged With: FOI, ICO, information commissioner's office, organisations, weakest link

Dodgy facebook ads

May 30, 2009 By Sam Deeks Leave a Comment

Who’s going to win the Facebook Dodgy Ads Jackpot?

I got two dodgy lemons and a rotten tomato this morning. Have I won anything?

Isn’t it sad that all three are for totally dodgy propositions. Just Google their name with a “scam” or “rip-off” on the end to see what people are saying about them.

Sad, too, that facebook has to repeat them just to fill its slots.

And even sadder (for them) that facebook’s lack of regulation and control is turning its advertising real estate into a toilet.

Greed. Lack of regulation and control. Has a familiar ring to it at the moment, don’t you think? Turns everything to shit, apparently. Ask Google. Ask any forum owner.

Or any politician, for that matter.

Filed Under: business insight, critical approach to online media Tagged With: ads, control, dodgy, facebook, greed, politicians, regulation, rotten, scam

WordPress 2.8? What was wrong with 2.7.1?

May 26, 2009 By Sam Deeks 2 Comments

Who actually decided there has to be a WordPress 2.8? And why, exactly?

evolution I often wonder who it is that decides there has to be the next version of something and more importantly, when. Heck, I’ve only just managed to upgrade to WordPress 2.7.1 with its attendant joy of re-learning everything plus finding out (the hard way) which plugins no longer work.

So who is it that decides there has to be a WordPress 2.8 and when? And, come to think of it, why?

Look, I’m no luddite. But the difference between evolution and upgrade-mania is that evolution happens s l o w l y. Nor does it happen just for fun or simply because the universe’s techies need to solve problems that don’t actually exist.

Why couldn’t we have planned upgrades? Hmm? Say, once a year on the same day? Then, we could all look forward to it together and perhaps even declare a national holiday.

Upgrade Day: a whole day off to sort out all the chaos created by the latest upgrades.

Filed Under: business insight, change Tagged With: holiday, upgrade, wordpress 2.8

Secret of instant wealth

May 22, 2009 By Sam Deeks Leave a Comment

Follow the 3 step route to instant wealth – the ‘mu:kaumedia way

Step 1) Switch off the computer and stop looking for a ‘solution’ to your life’s ‘problems’ in it.

Step 2) Put on your boots, your coat and call your cat.

Step 3) Take your cat for a long walk in the countryside. Stop, sit or lie down wherever the mood takes you both.

Result? Instant, lasting wealth.

catwoods I’m not joking. Contrast this with the grasping, needy feeling that comes with starting at the computer trying to get-rich-quick online and there’s no contest.

The computer is great as a communication device. Wonderful. Things like email, Skype are miracles in themselves. The computer is great when used for discovery. Watching the earth turn in real-time from the International Space Station or a dust devil on Mars is breath-taking.

But the computer seems to have become awful, poisonous even, when it meets business. It’s not the computer itself though. It’s the underlying human emptiness that puts the computer to work in such inhuman, soul-destroying activities. It’s that emptiness and neediness that’s in danger of turning online communication into simply a medium for driving sales and content into nothing more than a kind of soil in which to plant keywords.

leavessq

When I use the computer to communicate or learn, I generally feel good. It’s a positive experience. I feel enriched in some way. But if I use it to try to ‘fix’ the ‘problem’ of my life (not enough money, independence, status, success, control, love, expertise, followers, traffic, hits…) I feel bad.

If you’ve just gotten off the computer after a day of chasing search engine positioning, or social media connections, or website traffic or any number of online marketing activities and you feel… well, less than you would had you gone for a walk with your cat in the countryside, then maybe it’s about time you took a look at the story you tell yourself about wealth.

I did.

Filed Under: business insight Tagged With: cat, countryside, internet, marketing, walk, wealth, woods

Spotify Premium: is it worth the money?

April 4, 2009 By Sam Deeks 24 Comments

After several months as a free Spotify user, the time has come to ask ‘Is the premium service worth it?’

As some visitors know, I’ve been a Spotify free-account user from the early days – since way, way back in December last year. It’s turned out to be the perfect online form or radio station for me. I’ve blogged about it enthusiastically and set up more than 400 new users from a steady stream of invites passed from Spotify HQ.

Update: Check out my review of Spotify Premium here

I describe the service in several ways: ‘the death of music ownership’; ‘iTunes as it was supposed to be’; ‘internet radio for the terminally lazy’ and so on. What I’ve enjoyed most about Spotify is its perfect blend of ‘search’, ‘genre’ and ‘radio’ logic to create endless supplies of new experiences or sickly sweet meanderings down musical memory lane.

It’s internet usability that’s come of age – in the same way that the iPhone is the grown up version of mobile phoning. Spotify – at present – is almost perfect. Even the absence of the big, greedily-held catalogues (Pink Floyd, Beatles) is a plus. Hey, I grew up gorged on that stuff. It’s a breath of fresh air not to have it polluting the Spotify world.

But the big question is: how will Spotify monetise its service? (Read: “will it survive so I can continue to enjoy it?”)

At present there are two models: an ad-supported free service and a £9.99 premium service. Good news is that I’ve bought the ad-supported service 100%. Great start Spotify, you’re more than half way there. I’m fully on board.

Now what’s going to make me shell out the £9.99? Err… nothing – except the desire to get rid of ads. I don’t know about you, but I’m not hugely motivated by paying money for something to be taken away. Unless it’s toothache or a tree in danger of falling on my house – in which case it becomes a grudge purchase.

Spotify – please take note.

The one thing that would make Spotify worth £9.99 to me is the ability to put mp3s on my iPhone / iPod. That would fit in with my lifestyle rather than with the worries and fears of the record industry.

And that’s the crunch here. Are the record companies ready to take the leap into the unknown? The fact is they’re going to have to sooner or later. The only question is whose hand are they going to be holding when they do?

From where I sit, it might as well be Spotify’s.

Filed Under: business insight, what do you think? Tagged With: advertising, benefits, mp3, music, premium service, spotify, streaming

Spot the marketing tricks

March 23, 2009 By Sam Deeks Leave a Comment

Can you spot the different marketing tricks in this email?

Hi Sam,

We screwed up…

Long story short – we sent out some emails with bad information, so
we’re “making good” on a promise made in those emails.

For the next 3 days you can get Market Samurai for just $97
(previously $149).
This is the ONLY link that you can use to get it:

http://www.marketsamurai.com/c/ourmistake

But hurry – this discount is only available for the next 72 hours
(and the clock is already ticking).

Here are a few in order.

1). “We made a mistake”. This guarantees reader interest. Why? Because we love it when other people mess up. It makes some people feel better about themselves and it makes the business look human. “We made a mistake” is marketing magnetism. Aaaaah….

2). “We made a promise…” Oooh, did I miss a bargain?? Let me see, let me see.

3). “For the next 3 days..” – Oooh, ooh, this MUST be good, I’d better go quick.

4). “$97″ – Ah, look – the old ‘a price ending in 7 is GUARANTEED to sell more’ trick combined with the ‘as long as it’s under $100 people will be happy to buy’ trick.

5). Woo. The “ONLY” link. Special, limited, exclusive. Mmm. (Homer Donut drooling noise)

6). “The clock is ticking” – oh, oh, oh, better rush. It’s probably already expired since…when did I get that email??

There we have at least 6 of the classic signs that someone’s trying to manipulate you towards their product. Like most marketing, this depends on a lack of critical awareness in the audience. Don’t be surprised. Everyone’s doing it all of the time. Including you, probably.

In marketing and advertising one thing is true whether you want to face up to it or not: the more unconscious your audience, the more effectively you can manipulate it.

Filed Under: business insight Tagged With: hurry, marketing samurai, marketing tricks, mistake, offer, time-limited

BBC on blogging: it’s all about impartiality

March 21, 2009 By Sam Deeks Leave a Comment

Watch as the BBC men miss at least half the point of blogging

No wonder the legislators, regulators and policy-makers can’t control the internet.

These guys still believe that blogging is just about people reading columns of text like they would a newspaper. (LOL) These same people probaby believe that Google is a philanthropical project to democratise information. (LMAO)

And that Facebook is a public service to connect people. (ROFL)

If you’re reading this, you’re doing so for one of two reasons: either because you’re kind of interested in my point of view and keep an eye on what I write (an exclusive little club) or – more likely – because you’ve come across this while looking for something about the BBC and blogging in Google.

I’ve yet to hear one middle aged journalist, businessman or politician speak about the true purpose and power of blogging: how it works with Google.

The young guns know it – and they’re running riot, safe in the knowledge that the old suits haven’t a clue what they’re up to.

Filed Under: business insight Tagged With: bbc, blogging, google, search visibility

The Credit Crunch – explained brilliantly in pictures

March 10, 2009 By Sam Deeks 1 Comment

Jonathan Jarvis makes sense of the credit crunch – awesome. This should be compulsory viewing

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

This animation is one of the best things I’ve seen online. Brilliant. A spellbinding way to show the greedy, self-destructive madness of selling risk onwards for bigger an bigger profit.

There are parts of this animation that I think might be slightly inaccurate but I don’t think it detracts from the power of the piece. I’m not a financier, but when he talks about leverage, I think he misses the point that leverage isn’t just about getting the same level of profit from more volume but using volume to achieve a better buying price – and hence making more profit.

Details aside, the animation still hits the issue right between the eyes. Watch it and tell me you didn’t go “Yesss!!!” at some point.

Filed Under: business insight, smile, WOW! Tagged With: animation, credit crunch, explained, jonathan Jarvis

Bad Feelings at Ecademy – 657 views and counting

March 9, 2009 By Sam Deeks Leave a Comment

It’s official: we’re addicted to feeling bad

I popped into Ecademy this afternoon briefly and took a quick scan of the blogs.

Interestingly, most had 20, 30 or 40 views. All except the one titled ‘Bad Feelings At Ecademy‘ which had 657 views. Naturally, I dived in to see what the fuss was all about.

The fuss (as usual) was all about an Ecademist falling out with the management and getting booted off. “Fight! Fight! Fight!” I can almost hear ringing in my ears.

Sadly, nothing seems to attract us more than conflict – and I’m as programmed as anyone to being drawn towards the dark side. Is it because we love suffering? Is it because in argument there’s something more honest than the superficiality we normally cloak ourselves in?

There’s no doubt though. Nastiness gets traffic. Blood, guts, misery, depravation, disaster and sleaze is what people want. In a low-key but inarguable way, those figures on Ecademy prove it. Again and again.

Filed Under: business insight, online networking Tagged With: argument, bad feelings, ecademy, internet, traffic