Here’s something just for some fun on a Friday. (Not responsible if you get caught playing at work)
I found this post on the Mashable web site that are links to not 1, not 2, but 13 sites where you can make fun and funny images. Having worked in the safety industry I like the Warning Signs that you can make, but my favorite so far is the Tombstones Generator.
One of the things that I believe and talk about is that one of the best ways to build a profitable business these days is to give something away. I have written about how I like to give away free information because that sets me apart from the people and companies in my industry who believe the best way to preserve their market is to hide what they do and call it a secret formula that no one else can match.
I believe that there are almost no secret formulas today, especially on the Internet. By giving away the details of what I do shows my ability and expertise. It also casts a light on the darkness of the “secret formula” and lets people know that there probably is no such thing.
I have had many people ask me how do you make money with free? It’s a valid question and I answer that once I have written (or bought) the information it’s the perfect product to give away. It can be freely replicated and distributed for almost nothing. Then by showing them what I can do my potential clients are much more likely to hire me to do their work. Some of them may even be able do the work for themself, but this way I can show them that I can do it better and/or their time is better spent elsewhere.
I also argue that you can also make money by giving away something that costs you money. Here’s a great example of a restaurant that’s giving away free food on Mondays. Not only is their business making more money on Mondays, but they have been able to cut their paid advertising in general because the free food promotion is getting so much exposure.
My friend from way back in High School, Barb Gerson has a site that she started when she recently went into business for herself called “My Sales Tactics“.
We sometimes write back and forth about some crazy things like the Ohiopyle “Over The Falls Race“, but it’s usually business. She recently asked me to comment on her blog about what, if anything, that I was planning to do to get some free promotion for my business. I think that she wanted ideas on how to get free public relations for the fall season, but I wrote about how I’m increasing my networking activities and using that to promote my business.
I would love to be mentioned in my local newspaper or be interviewed by a radio or TV station, but I really haven’t spent much of my time working on that. I did have a reporter from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette call me about the post I wrote to get Pittsburgh to the top of Google for the Best City In The World, but they didn’t mention my name in the article. It is number 2, by the way, and has been for quite a while now which is quite a success, but I don’t know if it will ever make number 1.
While getting mentioned in the mass media would surely increase my site visitors I don’t know if it would help my business as much as having people that know me tell others about my skills. So I prefer to concentrate on networking.
I have noticed since the middle of July that my business seems to be picking up and hopefully the economy is really turning around, but most businesses are still a bit slow and if you have any great (or even not-so-great) ideas about how someone can promote their business I would appreciate you adding a comment and telling us all about it.
I have a category with some of my favorite site designs that are showing up on the web. These are not my sites, but they are the kinds of designs that I like in a website. There are different reasons that I picked these site designs, they all look good and are clear and easy to use. Sometimes I just like a picture or the name. Some of the sites are not in English and I still know what they are about.
The newest one is called The Color Cure.
They are a small creative team based in the Philippines. They have a great site. Clear, easy to read and I just love their menu. A cool simple idea that I haven’t really seen before.
Here’s something just for some fun on a Friday. (Not responsible if you get caught playing at work)
With the new school year going to start very soon (or already started) here in the US I thought I would recommend a site that’s fun and also educational. FunBrain is a great site for online educational games for kids of all ages. (math, grammar, science, spelling, history). There is also a section of teachers tools.
Most of the time I don’t get any reply from Craigslist ads that I respond to. Occasionally they will hire me or say “thank you, we’re going with someone else”, but usually nothing. This weekend I got a reply from one of the CL ads that said they weren’t going to use me because “I didn’t charge enough so I couldn’t be any good”.
I know people who know for certain that if something is more expensive it has to be better. I have never understood that thinking because I believe that price and quality are two separate things. They can be related or not so this reply really made me scratch my head. I sent back a reply that said OK, but it’s your loss.
The person sent me a venomous reply calling me names, telling me how much they hated my website and how unprofessional that I was. I knew right away it was a good thing that I didn’t have the “privilege” of working with someone who spoke to someone they didn’t even know that way. I’m sure that in the end he’ll get (and pay for) the website he truly deserves.
His email did get me thinking about my site. I have always believed that how elegant a site looks is far less important than how well it functions and how easy it is for the average visitor to find and use what they’re looking for. It’s nice to be pretty, but there are many sites that are plain and are incredibly functional (can you say Google). My site has brought me quite a bit of business over the years and I have had several non-customers tell me how much they’ve gotten out of my site, but I’m always wondering what else I can do to make it more functional and useful.
Last week Amy Africa wrote about almost this same thing. How you have to take a step back and view your site through your customers eyes. The most important thing by far is not how it looks, but how well it makes your visitor take the action that you want them to. It’s a good read.
Here’s something just for some fun on a Friday. (Not responsible if you get caught playing at work)
Learn How Everything Works!
How Stuff Works explains hundreds of subjects, from car engines to lock-picking to ESP, using clear language and tons of illustrations and videos. It’s a great alternative to doing your own work today.
I’m not sure why, but I have seen many ads on Craigslist lately asking for free website help from non-profits in exchange for a tax deduction. I sometimes write them back and explain that labor directly donated to a non-profit organization is not tax deductible. Many expenses like buying software to accomplish the task would be, but not labor.
I believe (I’m not an expert, check with your tax advisor) that someone could pay me to create a site for a legitimate non-profit and they could deduct their payment to me and I would have to declare the income, but I know for sure that I cannot donate my time directly to the non-profit and write it off.
I have had some pretty good exchanges with folks who refuse to believe this, even after I send them to the page on the IRS’s website that explains it in plain language. So, if you are a new designer or someone else who sells your services beware of anyone who tells you your time IS deductible and that you can write off your time as a donation to them.
Whenever I’m at a networking or social event where someone asks about my business, there is always someone who wants to know what they can do for their site to be number one on the search results page for whatever it is that they are selling or promoting.
My first answer is usually the same one. “You need quality one-way links from high ranking sites that point to your information.”
I then wait for their surprise and follow up, “You mean there’s no secret formula that you can use on my site to (magically) do it?”
I try to explain, “Of course, you need to have the search engines be able to find and index your pages, but then it’s mostly about having good inbound links.”
Sometimes I get a blank stare, sometimes just disbelief, but usually I get The Magic Question. “Why would a high ranking site want to link to mine?”
I usually answer, “That’s exactly what every site owner needs to ask themself. I also believe the best way to get links is to first have content on your site that’s worth linking to.”
I also try to offer more help and send them to this blog where I have written many times about how to promote your site with the search engines. I also read a post recently by Mike Grehan on the ClickZ site that can help.
Here’s something just for some fun on a Friday. (Not responsible if you get caught playing at work)
If you know me you know that I love movies. Some of the best ones that I didn’t know about before I saw them came from the various film festivals.
This year YouTube is presenting, in partnership with the Sundance Institute, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Directors Lab in the YouTube Screening Room. Hurry because it’s only there until until Aug 31, 2009.
