Escape the Mundane + Experience the Remarkable

The Plight of the Bookstore

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Business

For the first time in about a year, I was in Barnes & Noble yesterday buying a book and realized that bookstores – as we currently know them – are on their death bed.

As I stared blankly at the business section, I noticed some favorites and some new books. Most had an attractive title and compelling cover art. But something was missing:

Social proof.

I’ve read hundreds of books and know not to judge a book by its cover. Literally. It may have the most captivating inside flap, yet will leave you wishing for your time and money back.

Big-box bookstores, no matter how well staffed, will never have the ability to guide you into a buying decision the way Amazon or 800-CEO-Read does. I among most other book buyers, base 99.9% of the buying decision on reviews and chatter online for a book.

While yes, they could integrate some kiosks or what not into the store to read reviews, but at that point why leave the house? I can do that from the comfort of my couch and my iPhone’s Amazon app. And have the book on my doorstep the next day.

So What Is A Bookstore Owner To Do?

Over the upcoming years, I’m predicting a huge transition in the ways bookstores position themselves. Just as any other business must focus on a niche in a highly competitive market, bookstores will start segmenting themselves.

If a bookstore is to compete successfully against online stores, the staff and offerings must become extremely compelling. Someone should be able to walk into the store, rattle off a few favorite books to a well-read worker, and within minutes be happily walking out of the store with a book perfectly suited for their desires. If the bookstore can’t accomplish this, they will follow in the footsteps of Borders.

This past weekend I was watching CBS Sunday Morning and they had a great segment on a bookstore doing just that:
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Is This The Future Of TV Commercials?

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Marketing

With the ever evolving use of DVR’s and online video, it is only a matter of time before we see a drastic change in how advertisers market their products on TV.

As we all probably know by now, a growing number of shows and movies have started integrating products into the script. While some shows pull off the placement well, others fail horribly. Case in point:

If this is the future of product placement, I’m selling my TV.

Could you imagine someone doing this in real life? It would be ridiculous:

Rethinking Follow Friday on Twitter #FF

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Marketing

I dread Twitter on Fridays. Absolutely dread it. Because my entire follow stream and @ replies are filled with string after string of Follow Friday recommendations.

For those of you wondering what I’m talking about, Follow Friday or hashtag FF, is a ritual where tweeters send out tweets listing users who they feel should be followed by their follow-base. For example see pic above ^

The Flaw in Follow Friday

The fundamental flaw in this annoying habit is these tweets provide absolutely no value to anyone.

Who are these people? Why should I follow these people? And now that I’m thinking about it, who are you & why should I trust you with this random recommendation?

And don’t get me started on those who RT the #FF saying thanks, therefore sending the same message to the half dozen people again.

Put in other words, when you string together a bunch of random twitter usernames, no one knows why they should follow these strangers.

My Cure to the Follow Friday Addiction

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All-Inclusive Resorts: Perfection of the Value-Add Business Model?

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Business

A few months back, I had the fortunate opportunity to be invited to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun with one of my old college buddies. Not one to say no, I took him up on the offer. To summarize the experience in one word: amazing.

While it was nice to be there and partake in all the events, I couldn’t help but be entranced by their business model. Within 12 hours of my arrival I had already eaten many plates of sushi, drank countless blended drinks and pretty much cleaned out the pre-stocked fridge in our room. How can a business sustain this clear over indulgence of someone like me? I’m assuming amazing budgeting and math skills as well as a strong understanding of consumer psychology. But is that it?

Demand for Inclusivity

The most remarkable concept of the all-inclusive model is how effectively the value-add entices guests. Through conversing with fellow guests, people generally enjoyed not caring about what they did or what it cost. They loved that everything on the trip was included with that little wristband.
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Using the SPIN Selling Method to Write Great Ad Copy

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Marketing

Writing ad copy is not easy. Or let me rephrase that, writing great ad copy is not easy. However, it’s essential for success in business. But most copywriters get the entire process wrong. It’s not about how awesome you are, pal. It’s about the needs of the audience.

So as an entrepreneur (aka marketer hat), how do we accomplish great marketing copywriting?

I’ll let you in on my secret to copywriting; I use the SPIN selling model. For those of you unfamiliar with the SPIN cycle. Neil Rackman’s book, SPIN Selling changed my professional career completely. In summary, the method teaches you to use a series of specific questions in a sales situation. I highly suggest you read it.

But for the sake of this article, put the book on you wish list, toss on your marketing hat and keep reading…

The SPIN cycle is an acronym for situation questions, problem questions, implication questions and need-payoff questions. Each step in this strategy essentially brings the answering party closer to selling themselves on the product or service.

In ad copy we obviously cannot list a string of questions as the method suggests. But we can use the underlying concepts to bring the reader in. And closer to a conversion. Here’s how:
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