New T-Mobile G1 Phones Inspire Futurist Predictions

This past weekend my wife and I each purchased new T-Mobile G1 phones. The impetus for this decision? Both of us heavily use Google services (GMail, Google Calendar, Tasks, etc.) and the G1 is the best phone currently available for working with our GMail accounts (for now…).

However, as we spent some time this weekend playing with the phones and showing them to the in-laws, a few things occurred to me and I find myself inspired to tell the future. Here goes: Read More

The Power Of Blogging For Local Business

I know, I know, I’m always harping on the benefits of creating a blog. Up until this point, however, it’s mostly been about me giving advice without giving any real support. So how about a mini-case study then? Read More

Basic SEO For Your Local Business

Do you own a “local business?” While many would say that ALL business is local, some businesses are more local than others. Dry cleaners, restaurants, gas stations, etc. are inherently local, and if you want people to find your local business using a search engine, here are some tips for accomplishing your goal.

The old-fashioned printed Yellow Pages used to be the way that people found local business, but not anymore. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has gone so far as to predict the Yellow Pages will be officially dead 2012 .

1. Put local keywords in your home page’s <title> tag. In addition to including your business name and main keywords, you should also include a local keyword or two. Let’s say you own a steak house in downtown Denver called “Jason’s Steak House.” In addition to using the words “steak” and “house” in the title, you might also consider listing the city, state, and popular name for your neighborhood in the title as well.

<title>Jason’s Steak House in Downtown Denver, Colorado </title>

This way, people searching for “steak house downtown denver,” “steak house denver,” and “steak house colorado” are more likely to find your site.

MyGeoPosition.com has an excellent and free tool for creating geographic META tags.

2. Geographic meta tags. They’re still being adopted, but geographic META tags allow search engines to determine “where” your website is in the physical world. Seach engines, GPS-enabled cell phones, and other devices use geographic meta tags to find a business. MyGeoPosition.com is a great tool for figuring out what meta tags to add to your home page. Type in your business address, make sure to verify the location on the map, then click on the “Geo-Metatags” tab. All you need to do is cut and paste these meta tags into the top of the code of your website’s home page and your site is now associated with a specific geographic location.

3. Get your business listed with all the free local directories. See tip #5 on our page titled “10 Small Business Internet Marketing Tips ” for a list of free local directories. Submit your business information to each of these and you’ll increase the likelihood your website will appear at the top of the search results.

4. Get your customers to review your business online. Yelp.com, Citysearch.com, Insiderpages.com, and Judysbook.com are all examples of local business review sites. Ask your customers to review your business on each of these sites and raise your local profile.

5. Get links from other local businesses and organizations. Do you belong to the local chamber of commerce? Do you donate to local schools or community groups? Why not ask them for a link? Search engines can associate websites with a specific location, so links from other local sites may help increase your local search engine profile (only the search engines themselves know for sure, but it’s a good guess). If you make sure that the link text includes an important local keyword you can be doubly certain to increase the likelihood your website will rise to the top of search results.

Contact us to learn more about how Spork Marketing can help bring search engine visitors to your company’s web site.

Cartoon Pig Hawks Buffalo Jerky – Creative Advertising Types Cringe

Note: We had NOTHING to do with this ad. This isn’t our work, it’s not even our idea.

Wow. If you’re anything like me, you couldn’t stop laughing. This ad is terrible! The special effects are definitely “special,” the production quality is awful, and I can’t help but wonder; What’s with the pig?

If you followed the plot in this little ad, you’ll hear the pig say “we stopped giving away hams.” I don’t even want to think about why a cartoon pig was giving hams away, not to mention why the cartoon pig escaped the charging buffalo while the man (who was clearly running in place) was flattened. And what about that stampede – who associates stampeding beasts with savory buffalo jerky?

This ad is a train wreck…right? Yet I took the time to post a copy to Youtube, and everyone I’ve shown the ad to has laughed pretty hard. So, it’s obviously making an impact. While it’s not making me take the Wildcard Casino very seriously, I’m definitely contemplating stopping by the next time I’m in Blackhawk. So the question before us is this:

Q. Is a tragically bad advertisement actually good advertising?

Before we decide, here’s a little background information. I’ve actually met the man shown in the ad. He used to have his vehicle serviced at an auto dealership that I used to work at. His name is Ed. He and his wife own the Wildcard Casino, and they’re some of the nicest people you can know. I’m not much of a gambler, but a couple of people that I worked with always enjoyed visiting the Wildcard and they were always taken care of. In other words, that guy that’s in the ad (his name is Ed), you’ll probably see him when you go to the Wildcard. That’s an important point we’ll emphasize again later.

It’s also important to note that this ad runs on zone cable in the wee hours of the night. If you didn’t know, zone cable is extraordinarily cheap. In Denver, you can buy nearly 500 thirty second commercial spots a month for less than $2,000. These ads will run on popular cable channels (like ESPN, CNN, etc.) between midnight and 4am. Not a great time slot mind you, but inexpensive enough that it really doesn’t matter. I know of a couple of local businesses using this cheap advertising to decent effect.

Here’s what I like about the ad:

It’s definitely memorable. For all the wrong reasons, I’ll probably never forget this ad. The image of a poorly animated cartoon pig talking about hams will always put a smile on my face.

It’s funny. This is a funny ad. It’s just that I’m laughing at the ad instead of with it.

When you go to the casino, you’ll see the man in the ad. Being able to meet the person in the advertisement at the business that’s being advertised is a good thing. I know, I know, it sounds cheesy, but the truth is it’s better to use your own image for your ads instead of a trained, professional actor. It’s more authentic, and it often helps people identify with your product or service. That’s especially true in local advertising.

The casino’s logo, location, and phone number are visible during most of the ad. It’s advertising 101 – get your business name and information as much exposure as possible. Since they’re not displaying a website URL, I have to take some points away. Hopefully, the phone number they’re listing in the commercial is being tracked. If not, I’ll have to take some more points away.

Here’s what I don’t like about the ad:

Low production values often send the wrong message. While clever low budget advertisers emphasize the fact that “we’re saving money on our ads so we can make our product better,” the people that created the ad for the Wildcard Casino probably didn’t consider the negative. Some of their potential customers might be thinking: “If they can’t afford a decent TV ad, why do I want to do business with them?”

I can’t tell if they’re serious. I’m a huge fan of campy, corny humor. Unfortunately, I can’t tell if this ad is trying to be funny or not. If they’re trying, then I’m happy. If they’re not, then I’m a little scared.

The brand is damaged. Because of the low production values and the fact that I can’t tell whether or not they’re trying to be funny, the brand is being damaged. How much damage is a subject of debate, but it’s safe to say that they’re going to loose some people’s respect forever.

Bottom Line: I don’t think this ad is good for the image of the Wildcard Casino, but I bet it’s effective. I didn’t call up them and ask, but I’m going to guess that the ad is working. So, to answer the question, I’ll trot out this old line: There’s no such thing as bad advertising.

Thanks for reading!

Jason