The Internet can be your best and worst enemy. In today’s age of immediate access, a quick search on Google is what people refer to as “research”. I was recently working with a business client on a start up business. When asked about market research they produced 45 pages of Google results about other web sites and business operators in their chosen sector. I applauded their initial step into the process, but asked for something even more simple. Had they determined market demand?
One of the simplest ways to determine demand for a business or an idea is to look at the search volume for the business or idea. Meaning, how many web users have searched for a particular term, key word or key word phrase in the last 30 to 60 days? Simple logic would tell you that if no-one is searching for your business type or business idea, then perhaps you are not headed in the right directions. This does not mean you should can the idea. Instead, this means you need to fine tune your idea.
For example, if you desire to open an interior design business in Naperville, IL you can very quickly determine market demand by determining how many times users have searched for “interior design Naperville, IL” or “interior designer Naperville, IL”. Of course, this is not the end of the research, but a solid beginning. You can then use this research to fine tune your idea. Perhaps you might find that a ton of people are searching for “home design consultants Naperville” and you can alter your business and marketing plans to coincide with the public demand.
The same exercise applies to any aspect of your business. If you are a magazine publisher looking to start a section in your magazine about woman’s running apparel, it is mission critical to determine if there is an interest for “woman’s running apparel” online. Are web users searching for this key word phrase? Are there companion phrases that will help better draw in users? Are my assumptions right or wrong? You can then build a successful section of your magazine around what people “truly” are looking for rather than what you assume they are looking for online. This helps you better align your new business idea with market demand.
There are any number of tools online to help you with this effort, but it often takes the careful eye of a professional SEO expert to help you find the magic mix of terms. The message of this blog entry is this… Research Before You Run.
About this blogger: Ryan Dohrn is President and founder of Brain Swell Media, an internet consulting firm that helps business owners and publishers make money online. http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
Ryan R. Dohrn
President/Founder
Brain Swell Media LLC
http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
803-867-3769
Follow me on Twitter.com/ryandohrn for daily tips and advice.
Brain Swell Media, LLC is an interactive media consulting firm. We focus on five key business areas; online strategy consulting, website development, search engine optimization (SEO), video production and online sales training. We provide business owners and publishing companies with the tools and resources they need to optimize their presence on the Web and boost revenue.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Will the iSlate or i
Will the iSlate or iPad device change magazines? Hmmm. We are smelling something good over here in digi-land, http://htxt.it/5yQD
NxtText demo was gre
NxtText demo was great. Thanks to all that watched. I hope it provided some inspiration. Mobile is it, you ready?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Four Ideas To Increase Banner Ad Inventory
I have said it once and I will say it again, banner ads work on magazine/newspaper web sites. Why? Magazine and newspaper sites have a specific purpose. Users come to the site for a reason. So, if you can match ads to the users in even the most basic way, you will have a winning situation. So, if you have limited web traffic, what can you do to increase the number of ad units you can sell.
Idea #1: Turn old ad sizes into new sizes. For example, one of the oldest sizes is the 160 pixel wide X 600 pixel tall skyscraper ad. This ad is very Web 1.0 and needs to go away. Replace it with two 300x250 box ads or two 300x300 box ads. This will take one ad unit and turn it into two.
Idea #2: Add a duplicate ad to the bottom of your web site. Many publishers do not have an ad unit at the bottom of their web site as they feel no one will pay for it. Perhaps, not, but add it anyway and double your ad impressions for that unit size. Tell advertisers up front that they are not paying for it and it is just a bonus. What they do not know is that time and time again, online research has proven that users do indeed click on bottom ads.
Idea #3: Add a three block ad unit of 200x200 ads or an additional 728x90 to the middle of long pages. If you do this in a section… you will have the lead story for the section and then a set of three ads next to each other in a table. Or, insert the 728x90 half way down the page. Be careful to not junk up the page. Web users have become use to this approach and it is much less invasive than you might think.
Idea #4: Use top level peel away ads. These are ad units the peel away from the top left or top right of the web page to expose an ad unit. These are fancy ads and are well received by both advertisers and users.
Overall… you just need to be creative. The web is a new frontier and the biggest challenge to your team will be stopping. Meaning, you need to know when enough is enough. When the page starts to look like a wacky blinking Christmas tree, back up three steps and consider the obvious.
About this blogger: Ryan Dohrn is President and founder of Brain Swell Media, an internet consulting firm that helps business owners and publishers make money online. http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
Ryan R. Dohrn
President/Founder
Brain Swell Media LLC
http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
803-867-3769
Follow me on Twitter.com/ryandohrn for daily tips and advice.
Brain Swell Media, LLC is an interactive media consulting firm. We focus on five key business areas; online strategy consulting, website development, search engine optimization (SEO), video production and online sales training. We provide business owners and publishing companies with the tools and resources they need to optimize their presence on the Web and boost revenue.
Idea #1: Turn old ad sizes into new sizes. For example, one of the oldest sizes is the 160 pixel wide X 600 pixel tall skyscraper ad. This ad is very Web 1.0 and needs to go away. Replace it with two 300x250 box ads or two 300x300 box ads. This will take one ad unit and turn it into two.
Idea #2: Add a duplicate ad to the bottom of your web site. Many publishers do not have an ad unit at the bottom of their web site as they feel no one will pay for it. Perhaps, not, but add it anyway and double your ad impressions for that unit size. Tell advertisers up front that they are not paying for it and it is just a bonus. What they do not know is that time and time again, online research has proven that users do indeed click on bottom ads.
Idea #3: Add a three block ad unit of 200x200 ads or an additional 728x90 to the middle of long pages. If you do this in a section… you will have the lead story for the section and then a set of three ads next to each other in a table. Or, insert the 728x90 half way down the page. Be careful to not junk up the page. Web users have become use to this approach and it is much less invasive than you might think.
Idea #4: Use top level peel away ads. These are ad units the peel away from the top left or top right of the web page to expose an ad unit. These are fancy ads and are well received by both advertisers and users.
Overall… you just need to be creative. The web is a new frontier and the biggest challenge to your team will be stopping. Meaning, you need to know when enough is enough. When the page starts to look like a wacky blinking Christmas tree, back up three steps and consider the obvious.
About this blogger: Ryan Dohrn is President and founder of Brain Swell Media, an internet consulting firm that helps business owners and publishers make money online. http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
Ryan R. Dohrn
President/Founder
Brain Swell Media LLC
http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
803-867-3769
Follow me on Twitter.com/ryandohrn for daily tips and advice.
Brain Swell Media, LLC is an interactive media consulting firm. We focus on five key business areas; online strategy consulting, website development, search engine optimization (SEO), video production and online sales training. We provide business owners and publishing companies with the tools and resources they need to optimize their presence on the Web and boost revenue.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
10 TIPS from Ryan's new book How To Be A Manager Without Being A Jerk:
Just released... 365 tips for being a great manager every day. Looking for a great management book? 50 pages jam packed with 365 management tips! A great gift for that jerk of a boss or a great gift for a new manager that needs a jump start. Used for management training seminars nation-wide!
1. Great managers have their office doors open more often than closed. A Fortune 500 CEO once removed all his senior managers doors for one month to prove this point. Ask yourself, why am I closing my door?
2. Listen in an effort to better understand. All too often managers have some great advice and “tune out” the employee as they wait to pounce with advice. Begin better practices of listening to employees. But, when you engage in the great practice of listening, you need to do so in an effort to better understand. Do not listen to just listen. Listening without seeking to better understand is like listening to a beautiful song and not hearing the melody.
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Rarely are managers scolded because they communicate too often to their team.
4. Reward loyalty with as much as you can give. There is nothing, NOTHING more important than being loyal to your team and teaching them to be loyal as well.
5. Take the time to say good morning to each person who works under you, and mean it. As you move up the “ladder” the number of people becomes larger, but this task is more important than ever.
6. Quarterly reviews are an excellent way to let your team know what is going on with your company. Do this in person with the staff. Be honest and point out great wins, but not people in particular. If you do want to single someone out, be prepared to continue this practice with others and be sure you do or others will feel left out.
7. Be careful to not brainstorm in the midst of conversation with your team. Often, this brainstorming from you is heard as orders or directives to be accomplished. In addition, be careful with words like, “we are going to” and “we will create.”
8. Many managers suffer from SPIT (Smartest Person Is Talking) Syndrome. More often than not, the manager does all the talking. This is seen by others in many ways. Most often, it is interpreted that the manager thinks he is the smartest person in the room. Everyone hates the smartest person in the room. Work hard to guide conversations and not do all the talking.
9. Involve your team in the hiring process. Often, the manager will be the only person involved in the hiring of a new employee. The resentment will begin from day one toward the new employee as the rest of the team feels that this new person has been forced upon them or chosen by you. Establish a hiring system that involves the rest of the team and see a dramatic change in how the new hire is accepted into the group.
10. Giving compliments that are only intended to gain favor are quickly discovered and will come back to haunt you later.
Order and read more online at www.greatmanagementbook.com
What others have said about this book...
WHAT READERS THINK OF THE BOOK!!
"One of the best management books I have ever read. Simple, straight forward and fun." -Bob Burns, Davenport, IA.
"I give this book to each new manager on my team. Great for management training." - Jason Brittle, Culver City, CA
"Since reading this book I have seen a dramatic change in the way my teams responds to me. I was a real jerk and did not even know it." - Robert Young, New Orleans, LA
."I was given this book as a gift. I was blown away by how I missed the smallest things My employees were right. I was a jerk and real b*&%h too. This book changed me" Betty Graven, Jersey City, NJ"
This book really made a big difference in my team" Jan Culler, Nashville, TN
"Wow, I was a real jerk. I admit it. But, I did not know how to change. This book helped me in the simplest ways. Thanks Ryan." Trevor Bradley, Aniston, AL
"Jerk, b*^&h, you name it, they thought it. My team hated me. I was a real mess. I truly felt like I was on a downhill run to failure. This book helped me to re-focus and re-think about how I treated others." Robin Johansson, Madison, WI
"This book is what we use as our new mangers training guide. It is simple and effective." Terry Glenn, Traverse City, MI
Order and read more online at www.greatmanagementbook.com
1. Great managers have their office doors open more often than closed. A Fortune 500 CEO once removed all his senior managers doors for one month to prove this point. Ask yourself, why am I closing my door?
2. Listen in an effort to better understand. All too often managers have some great advice and “tune out” the employee as they wait to pounce with advice. Begin better practices of listening to employees. But, when you engage in the great practice of listening, you need to do so in an effort to better understand. Do not listen to just listen. Listening without seeking to better understand is like listening to a beautiful song and not hearing the melody.
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Rarely are managers scolded because they communicate too often to their team.
4. Reward loyalty with as much as you can give. There is nothing, NOTHING more important than being loyal to your team and teaching them to be loyal as well.
5. Take the time to say good morning to each person who works under you, and mean it. As you move up the “ladder” the number of people becomes larger, but this task is more important than ever.
6. Quarterly reviews are an excellent way to let your team know what is going on with your company. Do this in person with the staff. Be honest and point out great wins, but not people in particular. If you do want to single someone out, be prepared to continue this practice with others and be sure you do or others will feel left out.
7. Be careful to not brainstorm in the midst of conversation with your team. Often, this brainstorming from you is heard as orders or directives to be accomplished. In addition, be careful with words like, “we are going to” and “we will create.”
8. Many managers suffer from SPIT (Smartest Person Is Talking) Syndrome. More often than not, the manager does all the talking. This is seen by others in many ways. Most often, it is interpreted that the manager thinks he is the smartest person in the room. Everyone hates the smartest person in the room. Work hard to guide conversations and not do all the talking.
9. Involve your team in the hiring process. Often, the manager will be the only person involved in the hiring of a new employee. The resentment will begin from day one toward the new employee as the rest of the team feels that this new person has been forced upon them or chosen by you. Establish a hiring system that involves the rest of the team and see a dramatic change in how the new hire is accepted into the group.
10. Giving compliments that are only intended to gain favor are quickly discovered and will come back to haunt you later.
Order and read more online at www.greatmanagementbook.com
What others have said about this book...
WHAT READERS THINK OF THE BOOK!!
"One of the best management books I have ever read. Simple, straight forward and fun." -Bob Burns, Davenport, IA.
"I give this book to each new manager on my team. Great for management training." - Jason Brittle, Culver City, CA
"Since reading this book I have seen a dramatic change in the way my teams responds to me. I was a real jerk and did not even know it." - Robert Young, New Orleans, LA
."I was given this book as a gift. I was blown away by how I missed the smallest things My employees were right. I was a jerk and real b*&%h too. This book changed me" Betty Graven, Jersey City, NJ"
This book really made a big difference in my team" Jan Culler, Nashville, TN
"Wow, I was a real jerk. I admit it. But, I did not know how to change. This book helped me in the simplest ways. Thanks Ryan." Trevor Bradley, Aniston, AL
"Jerk, b*^&h, you name it, they thought it. My team hated me. I was a real mess. I truly felt like I was on a downhill run to failure. This book helped me to re-focus and re-think about how I treated others." Robin Johansson, Madison, WI
"This book is what we use as our new mangers training guide. It is simple and effective." Terry Glenn, Traverse City, MI
Order and read more online at www.greatmanagementbook.com
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