I'm a great fan of Donald Trump. So, when the latest series of "The Apprentice" started, last night, I was eagerly looking forward to seeing it.
As the program was scheduled for the wee small hours and I'm an "early to bed, early to rise" type, I decided to videotape the program to watch it the following day.
So I carefully programmed the VCR and went to bed - my wife following very shortly after.
This morning, it became apparent, my wife - due to force of habit - had done her usual environmentally conscious routine and turned off the power to the TV/VCR array!
Fortunately the program is repeated tonight. Needless to say, I will be cordoning off the area around the power sockets, with razor wire, tonight!
I don't watch "The Apprentice" for the entertainment value, and nor should you. It is a double master class in business success, for these two reasons.
First there is the obvious factor of how the apprentices tackle each progressively harder task. These are real world situations, which can translate directly to marketing on-line. For example, I vividly remember when the two groups were tasked with publicizing a new bridal shop.
The losing group, made the cardinal error of simply standing in Grand Central Station, handing out flyers to anyone who would take them.
It's easy sitting in your armchair, instead of being there, but a second's thought should have made them realize the numbers were not on their side: how many people walking out of the station on that particular day would likely be getting married in the near future. Very few.
The other team, meanwhile, got themselves an opt-in e-mail list of people about to get married.
No prizes for guessing who won, in this master class for targeted marketing. It was buckshot versus sniper's rifle.
And in every program, you get another master class: how you should brand yourself.
From the moment the opening credits roll and you get a shot of Donald Trump's private jet with "Trump" in huge letters, to the closing credits, you are bombarded with the Trump Brand. One program, as I recall, even involved the two teams vying to sell the highest quantities of Trump Ice - a brand of water with a picture of you know who on the label.
Of course, the very name "Trump" is an asset, so you get the mimeonic of Trump Tower and Trump International Hotel and Tower, plus Trump Mortgage and Trump Restaurants.
And if you log onto the Trump web site, guess whose picture greets you?
It's all brilliant branding in a world that is getting increasingly more personal.
So, if you want to give your business a unique and personal face, you would do well to study "The Apprentice" and Donald Trump and then go and do it even better.
In the meantime, I won't mention the faux pas to my wife - I don't want her to do an Ivana on me!
copyright 2006 Paul Hooper-Kelly and InternetMarketingMagician.com
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
What A Lot I've Got!
My wife and I have been working hard since the Guerrilla Marketing Seminar at The Spy School, moving and consolidating our internet marketing magician website to a new server. That's so we can do more with streaming video and all the other new, exciting developments.
But, it's a bit like clearing out, when you move house. I never knew we had so much stuff. Did I really write all this? Some of it isn't that bad.
On top of that, our original internet marketing web site "Automatic Millionaires" - despite being a perfect description of the aims of internet marketing (making a lot of money . . . automatically) - did not make it obvious what the web site was about. So I've taken the stuff from that and consolidated it into Internet Marketing Magician.
Now we've done that, we'll be doing our other websites. These others have nothing to do with making money on-line. In fact, the internet marketing web site only came into being as a result of what we'd learnt (the hard way) doing all the other web sites about personal development, healthy eating and real estate. And, because one of the ways to make money is to make the most of your assets we did just that!
Now there's a thought . . . how many other internet "experts" have you come across who only have websites about marketing on the internet? Quite a few, I bet!
What amused me greatly about this web site transfer is how the supposedly omnipotent search engines can't take a simple move to another server in their stride. Strange, really, because the URL remains the same, but they simply can't cope. It's a bit like going into the store or a bank and asking the clerk for something slightly out of the ordinary and they go into a spin!
So this web site has dropped from a listing of about fifty or sixty pages, on some search engines, to ziltch! I suppose the robot has made its regular trip round to my old server, to check out my latest articles, found no one at home and pulled the plug.
I'm now awaiting the sting in the tail: because I've amalgamated all that stuff from the Automatic Millionaires website, the size of the Internet Marketing Magician website has increased somewhat. So the search engines will eventually stumble across this "new" site, note it's size and alarm bells will ring.
You can imagine the conversation going on in its little oh so logical brain: "A "new" website? Haven't seen this before. And it's so big! It must have been created by those awful software thinggies we hate. . . into the bottomless pit for you, my lad! Now which of these watches is best: the one that is stopped or the one that's a minute fast? Oh, definitely the one that is stopped. At least it's exactly right twice a day, while the other one is never right".
The joke is this . . . my website is exactly the sort of website the search engines allegedly love: plenty of helpful relevant content . . . centered around a theme . . all original content, written by a human being and not by software.
I'll keep you posted on that. If my server logs, show the "new" site getting crawled by the search engine robots and nothing shows on the results pages, we'll all know what's happened.
Just as well I'm not stupid enough to rely on fickle search engines. It's people I'm interested in helping, not search engine robots. So never be in thrall of the search engines.
In doing this transfer, I was amazed to see just how much information I have in just one place. There is over a hundred pages of content, including three lists that translate the most obscure internet, marketing and video production jargon into plain English, reviews of products and even reviews of people I think are worthy of a listing.
There are plenty of my original articles about internet marketing, of course, but there are also articles about how to be successful on the site.
Why is that?
Because no matter how much technical jargon you absorb, unless you approach the internet – or any business - with the right attitude, you will not succeed. Having had thirty odd years in business on my own account – good and bad – I know just how vital the right mindset is.
So, if you're wondering how to carve out your own piece of internet real estate, hop over to: http://InternetMarketingMagician.com/ and find out.
But, it's a bit like clearing out, when you move house. I never knew we had so much stuff. Did I really write all this? Some of it isn't that bad.
On top of that, our original internet marketing web site "Automatic Millionaires" - despite being a perfect description of the aims of internet marketing (making a lot of money . . . automatically) - did not make it obvious what the web site was about. So I've taken the stuff from that and consolidated it into Internet Marketing Magician.
Now we've done that, we'll be doing our other websites. These others have nothing to do with making money on-line. In fact, the internet marketing web site only came into being as a result of what we'd learnt (the hard way) doing all the other web sites about personal development, healthy eating and real estate. And, because one of the ways to make money is to make the most of your assets we did just that!
Now there's a thought . . . how many other internet "experts" have you come across who only have websites about marketing on the internet? Quite a few, I bet!
What amused me greatly about this web site transfer is how the supposedly omnipotent search engines can't take a simple move to another server in their stride. Strange, really, because the URL remains the same, but they simply can't cope. It's a bit like going into the store or a bank and asking the clerk for something slightly out of the ordinary and they go into a spin!
So this web site has dropped from a listing of about fifty or sixty pages, on some search engines, to ziltch! I suppose the robot has made its regular trip round to my old server, to check out my latest articles, found no one at home and pulled the plug.
I'm now awaiting the sting in the tail: because I've amalgamated all that stuff from the Automatic Millionaires website, the size of the Internet Marketing Magician website has increased somewhat. So the search engines will eventually stumble across this "new" site, note it's size and alarm bells will ring.
You can imagine the conversation going on in its little oh so logical brain: "A "new" website? Haven't seen this before. And it's so big! It must have been created by those awful software thinggies we hate. . . into the bottomless pit for you, my lad! Now which of these watches is best: the one that is stopped or the one that's a minute fast? Oh, definitely the one that is stopped. At least it's exactly right twice a day, while the other one is never right".
The joke is this . . . my website is exactly the sort of website the search engines allegedly love: plenty of helpful relevant content . . . centered around a theme . . all original content, written by a human being and not by software.
I'll keep you posted on that. If my server logs, show the "new" site getting crawled by the search engine robots and nothing shows on the results pages, we'll all know what's happened.
Just as well I'm not stupid enough to rely on fickle search engines. It's people I'm interested in helping, not search engine robots. So never be in thrall of the search engines.
In doing this transfer, I was amazed to see just how much information I have in just one place. There is over a hundred pages of content, including three lists that translate the most obscure internet, marketing and video production jargon into plain English, reviews of products and even reviews of people I think are worthy of a listing.
There are plenty of my original articles about internet marketing, of course, but there are also articles about how to be successful on the site.
Why is that?
Because no matter how much technical jargon you absorb, unless you approach the internet – or any business - with the right attitude, you will not succeed. Having had thirty odd years in business on my own account – good and bad – I know just how vital the right mindset is.
So, if you're wondering how to carve out your own piece of internet real estate, hop over to: http://InternetMarketingMagician.com/ and find out.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Did Google Spies Infiltrate My "School For Spies" Seminar?
Probably not, but it really felt spooky. Yet at the same time, gratifying.
You see, about a week after I'd held a very successful Internet Marketing Guerrilla Seminar, at the wartime Special Operations Executive's "finishing school" for spies, the internet was agog with news about Google were "turning" on some of their long established AdWords customers like a gator on benzadrine!
In truth, the writing had been on the wall since last December, when Google announced their intention to take a long, hard look at the landing pages of AdWord advertisers.
You see, Google haven't been savaging their paying customers without good reason. They are merely keeping the Good Ship Google on course to make the world's information readily accessible, on demand. Google's commanding lead in the search engine market (not to mention it's massive AdWords income) depends on searchers continuing to have confidence that, when they want to know something, they can turn to Google, confident they will find the very best available information right there.
That's why Google are putting the squeeze on squeeze pages - so, when you click on an AdWord, you don't have to surrender your name and e-mail address before you get to what you came for.
They also don't like sites which are thin on content, yet stuffed with the maximum amount of AdSense ads the Google TOS allow. Nor are Google too delighted with mini sites, which set about selling you right from the off. So all these types of site will either get the chop, or - at best - pay more for their clicks and/or languish further down search engine results pages.
Sure, Google realize you have bills to pay and you can't put up a site and make no money. That's why they are prepared to share their AdWords income with you in the form of AdSense on your web site. So, nil desperandum, all you puzzled AdWords advertisers, go quietly and create sites rich in relevent, good quality content - the twin mantras of Google's success. Then the Gods of Mountain View will smile on you and reward you with an AdSense income which is all the greater because you have a good web site with the sort of high quality and relevant information Google wants to provide to every single one of its millions of searchers.
You see, about a week after I'd held a very successful Internet Marketing Guerrilla Seminar, at the wartime Special Operations Executive's "finishing school" for spies, the internet was agog with news about Google were "turning" on some of their long established AdWords customers like a gator on benzadrine!
In truth, the writing had been on the wall since last December, when Google announced their intention to take a long, hard look at the landing pages of AdWord advertisers.
You see, Google haven't been savaging their paying customers without good reason. They are merely keeping the Good Ship Google on course to make the world's information readily accessible, on demand. Google's commanding lead in the search engine market (not to mention it's massive AdWords income) depends on searchers continuing to have confidence that, when they want to know something, they can turn to Google, confident they will find the very best available information right there.
That's why Google are putting the squeeze on squeeze pages - so, when you click on an AdWord, you don't have to surrender your name and e-mail address before you get to what you came for.
They also don't like sites which are thin on content, yet stuffed with the maximum amount of AdSense ads the Google TOS allow. Nor are Google too delighted with mini sites, which set about selling you right from the off. So all these types of site will either get the chop, or - at best - pay more for their clicks and/or languish further down search engine results pages.
Sure, Google realize you have bills to pay and you can't put up a site and make no money. That's why they are prepared to share their AdWords income with you in the form of AdSense on your web site. So, nil desperandum, all you puzzled AdWords advertisers, go quietly and create sites rich in relevent, good quality content - the twin mantras of Google's success. Then the Gods of Mountain View will smile on you and reward you with an AdSense income which is all the greater because you have a good web site with the sort of high quality and relevant information Google wants to provide to every single one of its millions of searchers.
Did I Say "School For Spies"?
Yes, I did hold that recent Guerrilla Marketing Seminar at a secret location, used in World War Two as a finishing school for the undercover agents of the Special Operations Executive.
This was where men and women, who were trained in the dark arts of sabotage assassination, spying and other essentials were brought to be given their final briefing, before being smuggled into Nazi controlled Europe. And, Ian Fleming - creator of James Bond - also worked here during the war. How authentic can you get?
Wartime British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill's instructions to the SEO was characteristically to the point: "Set Europe ablaze".
So, it seemed a highly appropriate location - given our mission in 2006 was to set the internet ablaze with new thinking. And, judging by the enthusiastic reception, we did just that.
Then, as if to set the seal on the success, along came the Google AdWords blitzkreig, confirming all I had put forward on the day. But, just in case you thought it was all blood, sweat, toil and tears . . .
Here's some of us taking a bit of "refreshment", before consuming rare and costly ingredients, spices and potations. It was never like that here in the old days!
This was where men and women, who were trained in the dark arts of sabotage assassination, spying and other essentials were brought to be given their final briefing, before being smuggled into Nazi controlled Europe. And, Ian Fleming - creator of James Bond - also worked here during the war. How authentic can you get?
Wartime British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill's instructions to the SEO was characteristically to the point: "Set Europe ablaze".
So, it seemed a highly appropriate location - given our mission in 2006 was to set the internet ablaze with new thinking. And, judging by the enthusiastic reception, we did just that.
Then, as if to set the seal on the success, along came the Google AdWords blitzkreig, confirming all I had put forward on the day. But, just in case you thought it was all blood, sweat, toil and tears . . .
Here's some of us taking a bit of "refreshment", before consuming rare and costly ingredients, spices and potations. It was never like that here in the old days!
Copyright 2006 Paul Hooper-Kelly and InternetMarketingMagician.com
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