Copywriting Watch Blog

The Technology Evangelist

A comment by Ed Kohler from Technology Evangelist leads us to a great guide for those not ready for prime-time feed-reading. A post on his blog, "The Lazy Person's Guide to Online Competitive Research," goes well with my earlier "Pay Attention or Pay the Price."

Three quick 'thinking-on-blog' notes:

1. Love the title, "The Lazy Person's Guide to..." and I hope Ed and his team do more of the same with their gadget reviews.
2. I noticed each post has a "Listen to this Article", which is powered by Talkr. Voice is a little robotic, but there are possibilities.
3. They did a great post on Panera Bread's free Wi-Fi. if you've read this blog at all, you know what I say: Viva Panera!

Thanks Ed, for your comment and your blog.

Technorati: Panera Bread, Online Competitive Research, Talkr

Why Iowa? Because...

A recent Business Week article mentions a hard-working husband who moved his family to Iowa.

An Iowa Business Blog points to Entrepreneur's recent rankings (Iowa comes in 50th).

A friend saw this Des Moines Register article and asked some brain-stretching questions:

1. Why are we struggling to keep people here in Iowa?
2. Do we need more people working on making this a better community?
3. Is it the (business leaders and government) lacking insight?
4. What does Iowa need?

I moved to Des Moines in March of 2003. Had no family here. Didn't know a single person in the Des Moines metro. I knew what I wanted in a place to live - and I didn't want to move again. I've lived in seven states from coast-to-coast and border-to-border. I chose Des Moines, Iowa after months of research (eliminating Omaha, Tulsa, Columbus, and Topeka). I am an entrepreneur (in spirit and in practice).

Several reasons I chose an Iowa life:

• Good People. (I underestimated this one. The people here are great!)
• Affordability.
• A forward-thinking leadership.
• An improving landscape of development, both economic and lifestyle.

The hurdles I knew were present?

• Others from both coasts would agree and come soon (that's already started).
• Forward-thinking, yes, but slow on action. (more on that in a bit).
• The stigma that Iowans have of the state we live in.
• The state, and the city it resides (Des Moines), may be ignoring their rural neighbors.

Let me give my answers to the questions my friend asked above

1. Why are we struggling to keep people? Leadership may be falling short in knowing what the people want. If they do know, they aren't acting on it. Iowa isn't big on risks. It seems to be a "follower" state rather than a "leader" state. That needs to change if we want to keep people.
2. Do we need more people working on this?: Actually, I think less people - but results-oriented people. There may be too many on these projects - which leads to talk without action. It may also limit the listening capacity.
3. Is it the (business leaders and government) lacking insight?: First, there's an abundance of rules and boundaries rather than guidelines and growth. Second, I wonder if those in a position to lead are listening to those they "think" are following. Do they use the tools available to listen?
4. What does Iowa need?: Focus, execution, and communication. Rules are for schools, Results are for Business.

Technorati:Iowa, Des Moines Register

Restaurant Inspections Missing Feeds

An AP story (list of who's carrying it) alerts us to a new consumer-friendly site from The Iowa Department of Inspections & Appeals, Informed Dining.

I was happy to find that the Panera locations I frequent most are doing just fine. When you do a search, input what you know. I didn't know the address, so I put in the name and county to get the results.

The only thing missing? Feeds. I'd love to see this content syndicated. An excellent resource for a blog that does restaurant reviews.

Looking for similar reports in your area? Try Spies Online for links in your neck of the woods.

Technorati: Iowa, restaurant reviews, Panera

Author Blogs with Amazon Connect

A New York Times article, "A Chance to Meet the Author Online," talks about an additional feature Amazon has for book buyers - Amazon Connect, or Author Blogs. I'm not sure I'd call them blogs. Two key components are missing (more on that later).

One of the writers featured in the article, Pete Hautman, comments on his most recent novel, "Invisible" on the book page with a link to his blog. Here's what Amazon Connect looks like:

Notice the jump in sales in one day! I wonder if the blog had anything to do with that. The reader comments appear below the author comment.

They only have a dozen authors doing this so far, but if you're selling a book on Amazon, you can sign up for Amazon Connect here.

As a reader, I like this feature and hope more writers get involved. Unfortunately, comments aren't active (at least not on Pete's blog) and they don't have feeds on the blogs - does that combination make it a blog? I think not, but they're half-way there.

What's the difference between a web site and a blog site?

1. Frequently Updated Content (this they do)
2. Permalinks (this too)
3. Syndicated Content (not yet)
4. Reader Comments (not at this time)

Still, it's a nice feature.

Technorati: Amazon, Authors, New York Times, Book Reviews

A Small Town Project

While looking for Iowa blogs to add to IowaBlogs.Net, I found one that caught my eye and my heart.

The Small Town Project is a blog hailing from Mount Vernon, Iowa, a small town east of Cedar Rapids. The item that caught my eye was the subhead, "An Empowered Citizenry" on the About the Project page. It's been around for a few months, but I like where it's headed.

Here's the nub: The blog uses WordPress. Compare the design of the blog site to that of the City of Mount Vernon web site and also the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce site. Just on design alone, the blogger is better.

Iowa business and government need to step things up or Zane will be writing again next year about how Iowa stacks up.
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Side note:  I am testing the Performancing for Firefox extension with this post. I wrote and published it (we'll see) from my browser.

Update: The post went through without a hitch. I tried to add Technorati tags, but it didn't work on this post. I'll continue to use it though. I dig the split-screen feature which allows me to browse-and-post, drag-and-drop. Very nice.

Pay Attention or Pay the Price

If you're a small business or independent contractor, you need to start paying attention to RSS and feeds (see Steve Rubel's Trends to Watch post). If you don't, you'll regret it later.

There's two important questions I ask:

• Are customers talking about you on their blogs? (and "How will you know?")
• If not, why not?

The way to find out what's being said is by use of feeds and news aggregators. If you don't have time, there are solutions. You can use services from Umbria, Intelliseek or Biz360. These companies offer data-gathering services that may be too expensive for small businesses. We offer a service that uses news aggregators and the human eye to send you only relevant reports.

Many business people I talk with say their customers aren't blogging. I say (nicely), get your head out of clouds (or worse - the dirt) and look around. If you're doing business in Iowa, just look at the list at IowaBlogs.Net. These are your customers and prospects. Pay attention - or pay the price.

Technorati: RSS, Umbria, Intelliseek, Biz360, small business

HASPO

Recently, a friend of mine asked why I'm always happy. Simple answer: choice. He wasn't satisfied. Not with my answer, Not with his job. I knew what he was asking, but defining my "job" wouldn't provide the nutrition he needed.

"HASPO," I said (on-the-fly, but it may stick). What's HASPO you say? It's the opposite of ASPOBO.

Hang Around Smiling People Often

Tom Peters writes in The Brand You 50:

I will tell you what I have learned: That those who exude optimism and self-confidence inspire enthusiasm and self-confidence in others.

And you can take that to the bank - but you better be making deposits before withdrawals. We're not going to always be smiling, but it's a better back-to-basics practice than the alternative. Yes, I have many I count as friends (because of their heart more than their grin) who will say, "Happy people make me sick."  Actually, it's the other way around. Which leads me to ASPOBO.

Avoid SourPusses Or Become One

Which Sales Letter Would You Read?

I ran across two sales letters this morning. Both pieces had my interest with their titles. One lost me as soon as I opened it. The other, I've bookmarked and will consider. Here are the sales letters:

RSS Announcer: As soon as I saw the size of the scroll bar, it was over. I didn't take (don't have) the time to read it. From what I glanced at, Ping-O-Matic or Pingoat give me the same thing for free. Lots of words, 85% of which I didn't read.

A Marketing Feast The whole sales letter is above the fold. That alone has me compelled to buy. They respect my time and know how to cut to the chase.

I've written before about long sales copy. The more I see it, the less I like it. Who reads it anymore? Is a 92% failure rate something to cheer about? Probably not, but why do we celebrate a 8% success rate. It's the same thing!

Long sales letters are getting long in the tooth. They don't work anymore. Want success? Keep it short.

Holiday Shopping - Do You Carry Smiles in a Bottle?

Aaahh, the holiday shopping season. Are the customers who are complaining the victim or the antagonist? Here are a few thoughts: Retail Record and Daisy Land and My Quest for Success and Room with a Moose.

On the other hand, Morons and Other Thoughts or Divas Dishing the Dirt and yes, even my Panera (their Panera?) has lowered themselves in my eyes - but that's for another time (if at all). And even without a counter between us, Life by Candlelight.

Twas the week before Christmas,
when all through the mall,
people were cursing and frowning
just look at them all.

When did it get to be so,
can't we each change our view?
We're all the same, just smile
It's so simple to do

Try this for a week,
or even a year if you'd rather
See each person as special
Looking into their heart as you gather

We're all pretty much the same,
You, me, and yes - even them over there
Don't lose your good spirit
Instead, make it something you share

Bill Walsh Blogs

The copy editor, not the football coach. You'll find them at Bill Walsh's Blogslot and Off-Topic. Either of his books, "The Elephants of Style" and "Lapsing Into a Comma," would make a great holiday gift for the writer in your family. Or both.