Last week I mentioned that Black’s Photo was pre-announcing site changes and I wondered aloud whether this was a smart strategy or not. Well, this week Future Shop takes a different approach…
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_Something different this week as we ask Five Questions of “SideCar’s”:http://sidecar.to entire interactive team. SideCar, one of Toronto’s newest boutique interactive firms, recently garnered press for making the shortlist, along with a few better-known agencies, for a very lucrative contract with web-newcomer CWM Inc. The team behind SideCar’s upcoming pitch spoke with One Degree about opportunities, ethics and being a small fish in a big pond._
*One Degree: This pitch opportunity with CWM Inc. is quite a coup for small firm like SideCar. How did you get their attention?*
Stephania, Creative Director: Well, since this is CWM’s first foray into the e-business landscape, it’s only natural they would be interested in taking the plunge with a company on the bleeding edge, a company _avec vision_.
Suzanne, Account Director: Also, as newcomers to the web, they require a great deal of personalized attention. One of the ways we piqued their interest was the level of support we offer throughout the e-business development process. By presenting SideCar as a team who will BE there for CWM, from website genesis to revenue generation, we provided an attractive alternative to larger, more impersonal firms.
Julie, Intern: I heard the client’s assistant’s boyfriend is a designer here.
*One Degree: Can you let us in on some of the pitch tactics SideCar plans on using to secure CWM as a client?*
You’ve decided to add blogging to your online marketing mix. Now what?
The basic rule to blogging is that any new addition to the blogosphere has to be cognizant that there is a community already established. There are no ‘rules’ per se, but there are underlying guidelines that will make or break your acceptance into the overall community. If you want to run a successful blog that is well-read and well-received, it is important to remember these general guidelines.
h2. Be authentic
There are many examples of companies who have failed when introducing ‘fake’ blogs – either through fictional characters (a.k.a. Character Blogs like “Captain Morgan”:http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2005/03/argh_captain_mo.html and “Uri Planet”:http://www.uriplanet.com) or the fabrication of ‘real’ people (a.k.a. Flogs “Vichy”:http://redcouch.typepad.com/weblog/2005/06/case_study_the_.html and “Sparkle Body Spray”:http://utopianhell.com/blog/fake-blog-fake-bloggers). These companies ventured into the blogosphere assuming that either people that read blogs would be amused or they would be fooled. These blogs achieved neither outcome. These blogs did get a great deal of airtime on other blogs, but the result was not positive for the brands being promoted.
h2. Be interesting
Everyone is interested in different information. You don’t have to produce lengthy articles and personal anecdotes if doing so is laborious (in fact, you shouldn’t – you run the risk of being inauthentic). You can post product modifications and releases, news on upcoming events and demos, answers to frequently asked questions, customer feedback (both positive and negative), job postings, links to mentions in the press and any other information that may be interesting to a reader. The more you post, the easier it becomes. You’ll find yourself in a meeting one day thinking, “I should blog this” and you’ll know that you are a full-fledged ‘blogger’.