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SOB Business Cafe 08-04-2006

August 4, 2006 by Liz

SB Cafe

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking–articles on the business of blogging written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the title shots to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Darren Rowse offers an interview with Dave Sifry on Blogging Popularity.

Dave Sifry on Making Your Blog Popular

Mike Sansone considers whether blogging can be called a conversation . .. really.

 Is Blogging Really a Conversation

Christine Kane lays out 7 great reasons why you should forget about email until after noon.

 7 Great Reasons Not to Check Email til Noon

Scot Herrick has a fabulous read on creativity and innovation as a strategy in today’s Cubicle Nation.

Creativity and Innovation Series

Ann Michael has Google’s number laid out in keywords.

Google Are Key Words King

Related ala carte selections include

Minic Rivera has some Blogging Times News for Artists.

 Gawker Offers Free Ad Space to Artists

Please know that I include this last because everyone should see Susan Reynold’s wonderful art. Do click on it to see it full size. The image is amazing.

Susan's Wonderful Art

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like.
No tips required. Comments appreciated.

Have a great weekend!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Filed Under: Design, Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Personal Branding, SEO, Successful Blog, Trends Tagged With: advertising-for-artists, Ann-Michael, bc, blog-promotion, Blogging-Times, Christine-Kane, creativity, Darren-Rowse, Dave-Sifry, Gawker, Google, innovation, keywords, Mike-Sansone, Minic-Rivera, Productivity, Scot-Herrick, Susan-Reynolds, Technorati

GAWKER Design: Curb Appeal as Customer-Centered Promotion

February 22, 2006 by Liz

The Qualities of Great Curb Appeal

Great design is branding that whispers. Like a house with fabulous curb appeal, a uniquely-inspired stained glass window, or the fine lines on a fabulous car, design is promotion that draws you nearer. It entices customers or readers to come closer–to see for themselves what’s being offered.

Don’t think for a minute that looks don’t count. First impressions tell customers that a business understands who their customers are and that the business knows what their customers are looking for. GAWKER understands curb appeal and uses it to deliver customers to their own front door.

Product is the what and the how. Product is the content and the quality that gets customers coming back. But whether it’s a blog, a bistro, or barometer, product is nothing if it never gets to a customer. If no one comes to read it, or dine there, or buy it. Then how can you say that the product is good?

That’s where design–curb appeal–comes in. Design is the why and the romance. Like quality product, good design starts with the customer. It tells the customer what this product is and who it’s for. Design done well makes the promise that the product keeps. It says, “Come here, and try this. You won’t be sorry.” If the product is quality, you’re not sorry. You’re delighted you tried it.

Gawker and the Curb Appeal Checklist

Gawker Front Page

GAWKER passes a Curb Appeal checklist with flying colors.

  • The name of the product, GAWKER, is big, bold, and colorful. GAWKER speaks to the audience that the product is made for. Cover all but that word–GAWKER–and you still know this blog is not meant for your grandmother’s golf team or your little brother’s playschool. GAWKER looks and sounds slightly irreverent and obviously self-content.
  • All things on the page speak to 21-34 year old, mid-high to high income professionals. GAWKER shows their achieving, metro-readers an environment they’re comfortable with, one that says, “you belong here with us. We speak the same language. We do the same things.”
  • Even the ads make readers feel cool. As the New Yorker pointed out, you won’t see pharmacutical ads in GAWKER, because all GAWKER readers are “young and beautiful.” At least, that’s how they want to see themselves.
  • In other words, you can tell by looking, that GAWKER has one BIG IDEA–CELEBRITIES ONLY–Content and Customers. You’ll read about them and feel like one too. No confusion here. Customers know right away whether this is their gig or not. GAWKER doesn’t waste your time if you don’t want what GAWKWER”s got.

In terms of the curb appeal the closer a reader gets, the better GAWKER looks. GAWKER has mastered brand-niche marketing.

Promise and Product Perfectly Wed

As a reader, I find exactly what I expected–the jazzy, snarky, celebrity gossip that makes me feel like a slightly smarter, sharper celebrity than the folks being talked about. GAWKER passes the test because everything they do says they know who their customers are. That knowledge shows in every detail of their product. The promise and product are perfectly wed.

The key to GAWKER-level design is knowing your customers so well that your customers can see themselves in every detail of what you do. Top-notch design and product-driven packaging require complete attention and constant awareness of customervalues and customer needs.

When was the last time you checked in with your customers about the curb appeal of your blog or business? Are you sure your product and promise are perfectly wed?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles:
Blog Promotion: Checking Out Curb Appeal
Five Design Basics to Never Forget
Blog Design Checklist
Great Photo Resources to Support Readers

Filed Under: Audience, Checklists, Design, Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, curb_appeal, customers, Gawker, Gawker_strengths, niche_marketing, personal-branding, promotion, quality

Using Your Competition As A Means To Growth

October 6, 2005 by admin

I find it quite amazing that much of the advice given to people looking to start a new business (or blog for that matter) with the intention of making money is to look for niches where there is no competition. I think that this may be the worst thing in the world to do because if there is no competition how do you measure your success?

Although the 9rules Network has a different model from both Gawker and WIN we still had to look at them as competition for a couple of reasons.

  1. It allowed us to measure our own success. If our Network couldn’t enter the same discussions as those two then where did that leave us? There are more than enough blog networks out there, but if we couldn’t stand out in the crowd what good does that do to the blogs within our Network?
  2. Learn from their mistakes and profit from the successes. If you don’t consider someone as competition then you will ignore the mistakes they have made and could quite possibly make the same ones yourself.
  3. Competition keeps you focused and motivated. Pick a site that’s in your niche or close to it and compare the quantity, quality and frequency of your entries to see how you stack up. Look at how they market themselves then you should be able to answer why they are more popular than you. If you are #1 in your niche, look for other sites that are starting to get mentions and links. Competition can be friendly, but you also must stay ahead of the pack.

Embrace your competition as it can only help you in the long run.

Filed Under: Successful Blog Tagged With: 9rules, bc, Gawker, niche-marketing, weblogs-Inc

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