Category Archives: Reference

Articles, Observations, Reference, Trends

The Secrets of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World – a Wall Street Journal Article

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While there are those who have, and will say that there’s nothing new in this article, The Secrets of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World from The Wall Street Journalgives a no-nonsense overview of the challenges those in and around the marketing world face as a result of that which is commonly known as Web 2.0.

A short sample from the opening of the article:

For marketers, Web 2.0 offers a remarkable new opportunity to engage consumers.

If only they knew how to do it.

That’s where this article aims to help. We interviewed more than 30 executives and managers in both large and small organizations that are at the forefront of experimenting with Web 2.0 tools. From those conversations and further research, we identified a set of emerging principles for marketing.

Take the time to read through the entire article. It’s worth it.

Examples, Observations, Reference, Trends

Podcasting – a Practical Example

The folks at Orvis have always taken a unique approach to their business.  Their products are sold through a combination of Orvis Retail Stores, Orvis Authorized Dealers, print catalogs and online via the Orvis website.

Their online presence has also been supported by a variety of targeted banner ads across the web, among other things.

Recently, however, they’ve added a new piece to the mix: The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast.  This podcast “provides weekly, five minute tips from acclaimed fly fishing author and lifelong fishing enthusiast Tom Rosenbauer.”  Through this podcast, Tom (and Orvis) provides advice, tips, and techniques that have been accumulated over the years.

As a fly fishing enthusiast, I find the show to be a great resource for advice, suggestions, and perhaps a chance to pick up something that I might not have otherwise noticed.

From a business, marketing, and sales standpoint, this is an excellent example of a company that is utilizing a podcast as another way to built loyalty among current customers (such as myself) and attract new customers by providing those customers with something of value.  It is important to take note, however, of how Orvis is using this medium.  Rather than using this channel to talk about themselves and their products, they’ve elected to offer up real-world applications that the audience can relate to.  Do they mention Orvis products?  Of course.  But it’s done in a way that feels like a natural part of any conversation, rather than being forced into the discussion.

Orvis has also been active in promoting this podcast, through a combination of sponsorships and traditional online advertising.  On the sponsorship front, they’ve recently been heard as a sponsor of Fly Fish Radio, which is one of the first fly fishing podcasts ever produced.  The Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast has also been spotted in the search engine marketing realm, appearing in the AdWords sections of relevant Google searches.

All in all, Orvis is doing a lot of things right. Much can, has, and will be learned about their ongoing efforts.

Reference, Trends

As heard on Marketing Over Coffee

“If you don’t have a blog, you’re dead meat.” – Christopher S. Penn.

The Marketing Over Coffee podcast is an great show, hosted by John Wall and Christopher S. Penn.

This particular quote came from the episode titled Increase Email Results Up to 4X, and was in reference to how Google has improved their indexing of blogs, and consequently the impact that a blog can have on your search ranking.

Give it a listen, and if you like the show, subscribe.  I have.