Archive for June, 2006
Introduction/WSJ Best-sellers list
It’s apropos that my first blog post would be another first for me. For those of you who don’t know me, My name is Michael Drew I am the Eisenberg’s book agent and resident book expert. I apply Persuasion Architecture in all of my book marketing ventures, and will be posting about my adventures in Persuasion Architecture from time to time.
Today Waiting for Your Cat to Bark? hit # 2 on the Wall Street Journal Business list, but, even more remarkably, three of my author clients had books in the Wall Street Journal’s business lists in the top 4, Succeed on Your Own Terms, by Herb Greenberg and Patrick Sweeney at #1, Waiting for Your Cat to Bark? by the Eisenberg’s at #2 and Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by Harv Eker at #4.
Congratulations Herb, Patrick, and Harv!!!
And of couse kudos to Bryan & Jeffrey
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Written by:Mike Drew
My brother works in computers!
Don’t you just love what the penetration of broadband and the web has done to us? When Jeffrey and Bryan started Future Now in the late 90’s, one very real challenge they faced was the "my [insert distant relative here] is in computers" syndrome (note: the third-cousin-twice-removed wasn’t in marketing though ;)
Now that Bryan chairs the Web Analytics Association, and is one of the longest running authors on ClickZ, not to mention a NYTimes, WSJ and USA Today best selling author (twice) we no longer typically run into this type of misperception. That being said, there’s still the occasional "I know a few things about Search Engine technology, therefore I’m an expert in Marketing" (Descartes would be so proud), and when they pop up, it’s pure comedy. That is, until you stop to consider that some people out there might take this "advice" seriously, and then it’s purely frightening.
A quick tip, if you want to learn Persona creation yourself, there’s more than a few excellent resources out there (and none of these experts will show you a complete persona in merely a few paragraphs, but if they do, don’t walk, run for the hills).
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Written by:Howard Kaplan
Wall Street Journal Best Seller
Waiting for Your Cat to Bark is now #2 on the Wall Street Journal’s Business Best Sellers list, and #10 on the overall Non-Fiction Best Sellers list .
Not too shabby.
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Written by:Persuasion Architects
USA Today Best Seller
Our humble little tome, "Waiting for your Cat to Bark" is now #4 on the USA Today Money Best Sellers, and #54 on the USA Today Top 150. We just heard news that we will be top 5 in the Wall Street Journal Business best sellers as well. We’ll post the link as soon as we get it.
Of course selling the book and making all these best sellers lists is exciting, but the really exciting thing for us in the company is to see folks read and use the advice and examples in the book. We are still hearing great reader success storys from our last best seller Call to Action.
Do you have a copy of the new book yet? We will be waiting to hear your success story next.
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Written by:Persuasion Architects
Hillary joins the blogosphere!
Well, not quite. Rather, she’s hired someone to do it for her. Not exactly the kind of transparency we’re shooting for.
File under: When will they ever learn.
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Written by:Howard Kaplan
Interesting Discussion about Waiting for Your Cat To Bark
Ran across this discussion in the Cr8asite forums
Of course it begins with a succint and positive review of our new book, but the discussion that follows is a fascinating one.
What are your thoughts?
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Written by:Persuasion Architects
What’s fresh on my iPod…
Joe Jaffe’s utterly fabulous, Across the Sound podcast- definitely check it out, it’s a must listen to each week. Truth be told, I only got through half the show today, on my race from Penn Station to have a conference call with a new partner doing some fascinating "usability" testing (I use the quoted term very loosely, but more on that later this week), but as I was walking in the door, Jaffe dropped this on me, and I stopped immediately. I couldn’t help but wonder, WWMBT? (what would Matt Belkin think 
Joe said (and in fairness, I’m sure he had help coming up with the idea but added enough significant value in his own right - I’m loosely attributing it to him here, because he definitely introduced me to it):
- Data is "the sun rises at 5:12 AM"
- Information is "the sun rises from the East, at 5:12 AM"
- Knowledge is "If you’re lost in the woods without a compass, follow the direction of the sun to find your direction"
- Finally, wisdom is "Don’t get lost in the woods"
I love it… and it’s a perfect anecdote for the dangers in pure data reporting over the knowledge (dare I say wisdom) acquired from true analysis.
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Written by:Howard Kaplan
Ruling the Roost: Word of Mouth, Part 1
Word of mouth has always had strutted around the modern marketing yard, but now it rules the roost.
When “Gigli” was released in the fall of 2003, Americans’ fascination with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez was at its peak. Everyone was talking about the duo, their mugs and hugs were on every magazine cover. The movie studio was banking on that hype to buy the box office.
Then, the movie hit the theaters.
Within minutes after the first showing, word of mouth began spreading via cell phones, IM, and online reviews. Coast to coast the word got out: “Don’t go see ‘Gigli.’ This movie isn’t worth the hype it rode in on.”
“Gigli” flopped. In fact, the film had the largest week-to-week drop in the history of the box office, thanks to word of mouth.
Word of mouth had finally taken over the marketing-effectiveness roost.
Many have tried to ignore it to their peril. Many have tried to control it and been bitten.
Word of mouth is a powerful animal that doesn’t submit to your business concerns. It’s a communal watchdog that looks out only for your patrons.
Continue reading my column at ClickZ…
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Written by:Bryan Eisenberg
Do no evil, Google?
It’s not every day a client sends a FW: my way which causes me to literally laugh out loud (and clog other’s inbox as well), but today’s the day. Apparently, our constant ranting about technology rarely being the solution to a Marketer’s problem is seeping into to those who listen to us most often (and who’s the worst offender of the "world domination through technology). Take a look at what had me rolling, the official See-no-evil-hear-no-evil-and-certainly-do-no-evil Monkeys:
For the record, our exact quote is what Sergey and Larry have done best is create a technological solution so easy, any monkey could use it. That does not, however, explain why people play their game. Why, in the wake of ever present traffic cost inflation, do business owners look to continually blame Google for their own marketing ineptness (ineptness is likely to harsh, poor strategy and poorer execution is more likely) ?
Despite the recent brewhaha over Google and Relevance the key to seemless contextual advertising is just that: relevance- providing consistent scent of information, from the search term to the adword (driving point), and the adword to the landing page (funnel point). It’s about understanding that search terms are laden with intent, and intent is an action based on a motivation. Recall the third question we continually ask and answer during Persuasion Architecture engagements- what information would our audience need to feel comfortable and confident taking the action you’ve laid out for them- search terms hold your first clue.
We joke about Google around the office, because their notion of "doing no evil" is comical when with the advent of Gbuy they’ll now potentially know every piece of personally identifiable information about you, save two (Driver’s license and passport). But truth be told, Eric Schmidt’s quote about charging advertisers more for PPC ads is not evil, it’s capitalism. It’s not Google’s fault many Marketer’s take the lazy way out. It’s not their fault Conversion Rates industry wide continue to fall.
It is their fault however that people are misled into believing technology holds the cure to that which hasn’t been planned properly in the first place (and proper planning of a contextual visitor experiece my friends, is a Persuasion challenge not a technological one). It’s also one of the reasons we asked Yahoo, and specifically brand marketing legend Murray Gaylord to partner with us and write the forward for Waiting for Your Cat to Bark.
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Written by:Howard Kaplan
Marketing Sherpa Reader’s Choice
Our friends at Marketing Sherpa have their annual Reader’s Choice Blog & Podcast awards currently ongoing. We’re thrilled (and humbled - have you seen some of the names in our category?) to be nominated, but more than that, we’re prouder than ever that some of our partners efforts are being recognized for the absolute gems that they are.
Michele’s WonderBranding and Holly’s Marketing to Women Online are both more than deserving of your votes (and you only have 2 more days to do so). Please do be so kind, and lend them your support- I know we have.
By the way, while you’re there it wouldn’t hurt to cast a vote in the direction of some of the other excellent blogs nominated, like Sam Decker’s Decker Marketing, John Jantsch’s Duct Tape Marketing or Joe Jaffe’s outstanding Across the Sound Podcast.
You can vote here: http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=28308
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Written by:Howard Kaplan
