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Blog Rebranded
I updated my blog’s WordPress theme tonight. Lo and behold, it ruined everything. I had to reconfigure it, right down to the CSS. So I took the opportunity to rebrand this space. It used to be called “Thoughts on Business.” That’s boring. That’s limiting. That’s completely worthless from an SEO point of view. A title I had been kicking around for […]
MassLandlords.net Conversion Rates and Statistics
MassLandlords.net is at the point where we have enough traffic to learn something about our site design, in particular, our conversion rates for member sign-ups. Here’s an update that speaks simultaneously to how new I am at this, and also to the kinds of opportunities we have with statistical analysis. The site has a “join” page, which presents visitors with two […]
The Digital Gentrification of Facebook and the Internet
One of my concerns the last month has been a change Facebook made to their algorithm. They’re basically making it impossible to reach fans of business pages without paying to promote posts or get likes. They call it “declining organic reach.” If you decide to pay for likes, the results may surprise you. I wrote in December […]
New York Times Advertising Rates and Where to Place Ads
Last summer I picked apart a Sunday edition of the New York Times print newspaper with an eye on learning where people like to place their ads. Which sections carried which types of ads? What does ad specificity predict should be the New York Times advertising rates? I’ve been sitting on the data for lack […]
The Ugly Truth Behind Paying for Facebook Likes on a Facebook Business Page
The Experiment I recently tested paying for Facebook likes on a Facebook business page. It seemed like a low-effort way to build a channel for future marketing messages. Start with some good page content, put in some money, and watch it grow. In retrospect, maybe I shouldn’t have expected so much. Let me show you […]
How Twitter Became an Alternative to Small Claims Court
In July I did some freelance consulting work for a client who shall remain nameless. If you’ve been following my posts, you will remember who this was. You can imagine my dismay in October when, after many attempts to contact the client for payment, I filed a small claim in Worcester District Court. The money […]
A Modern Marvel: The Funnel
Let me tell you why this $1.19 funnel that I purchased from AutoZone should astonish you. Behind it lies not only a secret about consumer product pricing but also an amazing but true fact about manufacturing. First, the secret: a consumer product is typically priced at two to five times what it costs to make. […]
What Entrepreneurs can learn from Vaseline
Marketing will make or break a new venture, so why not study some good examples? Here’s a new commercial I like a lot, with features any startup should emulate: Why I like it: Lead with the product Get folks thinking along the right lines. This commercial leads with a shiny bottle featuring the brand prominently, […]
