I’m a good listener because I’m a speaker. It’s funny the things you learn when you do a few public speeches like I do. Your standing there on the stage trying to be entertaining, amusing and informative. There are 200 people in front of you. Most feeling fairly relaxed in the warm room. Some are […]
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I Promise Not To Use The Word “Bloody”….Oooops, I Just Did
Here in Australia the media is in uproar because an ad developed by the Australian Tourism Office has not been allowed to be shown in the UK because it contains the word “bloody”. I should rephrase that – Here in Australia the media has pretended to be in uproar etc etc. This TV advertisement was […]
Here’s Why A Franchise Is Sometimes Worth The Money
When people buy a franchise they do so essentially to access the intellectual property and skills of the company. For example, if you have no marketing experience it might make sense to get a franchise so you can use the marketing expertise of the parent company. A Subway has just opened up about 100 metres […]
Bigger Spend on PPC Than SEO
According to Anne Holland over at MarketingSherpa.com, “This year marketers will spend roughly 1/8th of their search budgets on Search Engine Optimisation, and 7/8th on paid search ads.” That, to my mind, is insane. Search engine optimisation (that is, developing your site in such as way that it gets high search engine rankings) makes far […]
Why You Should Use Testimonials On Your Web Site
Okay, now these results are from a web site that’s been live for 10 days. It’s a site selling horse tack (horse bits). It’s a new design of horse bit and for that reason people want to check it out thoroughly and see what others say. The testimonials page is the most visited page on […]
Why What I Think Doesn’t Matter Too Much
As the web developer on a site it matters a bit what I think across a whole range of areas. After all, I’m the one with the usability experience, marketing expertise and general web knowledge. But when it comes to what content to have on a page it doesn’t matter too much what I think. […]
Most Web Searchers Don’t Know That Ads Are Ads
Pew Internet have just released some findings that make interesting reading: “Only 38% of users are aware of the distinction between paid or Â?sponsoredÂ? results and unpaid results. And only one in six say they can always tell which results are paid or sponsored and which are not.” That’s interesting because most people say they […]
72% Of Parents Would Change The Supermarket They Use If The Lolly Aisle Was Removed
A recent survey released by lobby group the Parents Jury found that 72% of parents would consider changing where they shopped if a rival supermarket offered lolly-free checkouts. I assume this is because the parents have to deal with whiny kids in the checkout wanting to buy lollies. No Value Whatsoever This sort of survey […]
Why We Have Ads On This Web Site?
Every now and then I get asked why we have Google AdWords on this web site. After all, this is a site that is meant to position us as clever, knowledgeable and…did I say clever already?! Some people see having ads on the site as devaluing the site a little. “Heh, they must be going […]
How To Give A Speech
My beautiful daughter Laura, who I mentioned below, has this morning (I dropped her off at 6.30 am) started her first Public Speaking lesson. It’s an 8 week course held by a local Toastmasters group. Public speaking terrifies most people – it’s usually listed as people’s major fear. My Top 7 Tips For Giving A […]