Event Marketing and Event Promotions

Top Articles of 2007 . . .

All the Best
Below you will find a series of top articles from 2007 selected by my blog readers. Thank you to all the readers, reviewers, and the people good enough to give their time for interviews. I trust that the information below and on the other sections of this blog will be helpful to you in the coming year. I'm looking forward to sharing some great information with everyone in the New Year. Here's wishing everyone "All the Best" in 2008!

Top Reader Selected Articles

• Beach Running Tips
• The Shift in Internet Demographics
• Ego: How to Destory Your Own Web Site
• Watch Out, People are Googling You!
• Graphic Design versus Web Design
• How NOT to make a Submarine Sandwich
• The Internet and User Demographics
• Does Your Web Site Stick?
• What is the Perceived Value?
• You Can Be Successful Online Without Programming Skills

The Audio Learning Advantage: Plug in and Learn

Over the last few weeks I've been doing a respectable amount of traveling. My last adventure brought me to Connecticut for the Thanksgiving holiday.  During my six hour drive I rediscovered the usefulness of learning new material from audio books. The best part about audio learning is when someone else's insight serves as the catalyst you need to solve a business problem or develop a new idea. Are you using audio programs to learn something new?

It's Easier to Multitask with Audio Programs
I'm currently in the process of going through Eben Pagan's Altitude program. Eben makes a point during the program to acknowledge the virtues of learning from audio books. Depending on the type of material, audio learning is one of the few things that allow you to safely multitask.  It's no different than driving your car while listening to your favorite radio station. Just make sure you take the time to load and setup your audio player before beginning your drive, safety first. 

One of my business mentors, Ray Justice, told me he acquired about 30% of his business knowledge thanks to audio programs.  To some people 30% might not seem like a lot, but when you factor in practical learning and traditional education 30% from audio programs quickly becomes a very respectable number.

The Abundance of Audio Learning Resources
It has never been easier to get audio programs. There are a vast number of resources both online and off. Online companies like Amazon and Audible have a number of best sellers in various audio formats. Your local public library probably has numerous books on tape and CD. It has never been easier to learn.

How You Use Your Time
Consider how much time you spend driving around in your car or doing other menial tasks. Grab your MP3 or CD player, then listen and learn. Consider the following:

"Americans spend more than 100 hours commuting to work each year, according to American Community Survey (ACS) data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. This exceeds the two weeks of vacation time (80 hours) frequently taken by workers over the course of a year."
Source: US Census Bureau News- March 30, 2005

Take the same time commuting and turn it into self education time.  Imagine what you could learn spending 100+ hours a year furthering your education. There are also other opportunities where you can plug in and learn.

Other Activities When You Can Plug in and Learn:

• When you Exercise at the Gym
• Cleaning the House
• Walking or Running

In order to become successful with your chosen path in life, you constantly need to be educating yourself. Audio programs represent one of the easiest and most versatile ways to learn something new.

Additional Resource:

• Creative Thinking: Brains and Brawn

 

Moving Forward with Your Ideas

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I had a brief discussion with one of my good friends regarding a business idea he started to develop earlier this year. His idea revolved around helping recent college and business school graduates quickly find a good job. My friend decided to put his idea on the back burner over the summer. During our discussion I asked him why he hadn't returned to pursuing his idea, his ironic explanation,"I don't think I know enough about the subject area." I personally believe that he knows a great deal about the subject area and he comes off as being knowledgeable and helpful with his target market. I couldn't give him grief about not moving forward with his idea because I was guilty of doing the same thing with my own ideas. Over the years I've learned two important lessons when it comes to implementing your ideas. First, don't wait to become an expert. Second, better to launch first and figure out improvements later. 

Being an Expert
Ask five different people for their definition of an expert and you're likely to get five different answers. Being an expert has more to do with how others perceive you as opposed to how much you know about a particular subject area.  It isn't about having a fancy title or your degree. You can become an expert in almost any area by virtue of positioning.

Positioning is analogous with a popularity contest or brand marketing. It is rarely the smartest and most experienced person who is credited as the expert.  Have you every heard of Sir Humphry Davy? He created the light bulb. Most people falsely assume that Thomas Edison created the light bulb. In fact, Edison didn't invent the light bulb, he made it practical to bring to market.

Think of ways that you can position yourself within your market and become the perceived expert. One place to start is by giving away high value information to your target market.

Being First
Does the name Clarence Duncan Chamberlin ring a bell?  He was the second person after Charles Lindbergh to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Everyone remembers Charles Lindbergh. If you are first to market, especially if it is a niche market, you are far more likely to succeed. Being first to market also allows you significant control of market share.  It costs significantly more money for a company or person to usurp a market leader. If you have an opportunity to create a niche market with a unique idea or process don't wait to refine your ideas, start immediately.

"Ready, Fire, Aim!"
There is no perfect time to implement you ideas. During my own business adventure I made the classic entrepreneurial mistake of investing too much time in planning the perfect product or service but waiting too long to launch. Successful entrepreneurs embrace the concept of "Ready, Fire, Aim!" Move ahead quickly with your ideas. This isn't to suggest you move forward without any planning or thought. There are plenty of people who pursue excellent ideas in the wrong place at the wrong time. Don't be a perfecting procrastinator! If you have a good idea don't sit on it.

Additional Resources:

• Creative Thinking: Brains and Brawn
• How to Remember and Use Your Ideas
• Thomas Edison and the Internet

How To Remember and Use Your Ideas

When is the last time you had a really great idea and a few minutes later it disappears from your memory? For many people this is a regular occurrence.  Our mind is bombarded with thousands of sights and sounds on a daily basis.  To remember a quick idea can be a daunting task.  The shame of the matter is that it’s the small things that can make a big difference.

Back to Basics
Start by finding a pen and a small notepad. Make sure both are compact enough to carry along with you on a daily basis.  Moving forward, keep a pen and notepad with you at all times. When you have an idea, write it down in the notepad.  Don’t discriminate.  Too many people discount their own ideas for a number of reasons. Every idea no matter how insignificant could potentially lead to something great.   

One of the world’s most creative individuals kept extensive handwritten notes. Over 3,500 notebooks were discovered after Thomas Edison’s death in 1931.  They contained a litany of ideas, sketches, and notes.  Edison used his notebooks continually to cross reference ideas.  Anyone can integrate parts of Edison’s methodology with pen and paper.   

Michael Michalko, who wrote Cracking Creativity, offers some Edisonian ideas for organizing written notes:

• Write all your ideas down from your daily experiences.  This can include ideas from meetings, information that you’ve gained through reading, and your own brainstorming.
• Organize your notes thematically into a set group of categories and subjects: e.g. SEO, Usability, Web Design, etc. In order to satiate all the techno savvy you can transfer your notes on the computer.
• After you’ve established a series of notes go back to glean additional insight to problems you may encounter.

You might be able to solve your problems by modifying or reinterpreting something you previously experienced.  Plus, when you have you ideas written down you don’t need to take the time to remember what you forgot.

In today's world of techno-overdrive, a pen and .99 cent spiral notebook are amazingly powerful. I would argue that strong habits and systems (regularly writing in a journal) can trump technlogy.

Source: Cracking Creativity, Michael Michalko. pp. 106-107.

Additional Resources:

• The Audio Learning Advantage: Plug in and Learn
• Thomas Edison & Highly Successful People
• How to Create Your Own Luck
• Some Sage Economic Advice for Desperate Times