Androids

I am starting a new agency called Androids, which will combine saavy branding and marketing with advanced math and analytics. All too often, agencies make decisions based on the intangible and cutesy, despite the fact that there is more data than ever to aid in effective decision making. Since my background is in math and marketing, I figure this is an excellent fit.

There is a possibility that I will move the contents of the Small Ninja blog over to the Androids site, which will be up by mid June 2008. Until then, I will keep posting here from time to time, but will be busy getting things setup with Androids.

Interesting site…webcam fun!

I’ve never seen a website with webcam navigation, until now. If you have a webcam, enjoy

Selling confidence

Remember, when you’re selling your offerings, you’re asking people to part not only with their money. You are also selling confidence in what you have to offer.

Biofuel Tangent

Today I came across an article that discusses how biofuel, once considered a key weapon in the fight against climate change, is now causing havoc with the world’s food prices. What shocks me is that the economics of crop supply and demand wasn’t more adequately and openly addressed. Now, people are starving and food riots are spreading around the world…welcome to the 21st century.

How does this apply to small business marketing? Like I say in the title, this is a tangent, but a small one. In marketing you need to understand the consquences of your actions before you act. Will the customer buy, and why? What’s my expected ROI? You need to set expectations and measure against them. Otherwise, you’ll waste valuable money and time on a poorly thought-out endeavor. And while potential marketing disaster isn’t going to cause a food crisis, the outcome can still be severe for your small business.

UPS Sucks…don’t let this be your company

Last week, I had my grandma send me her iMac in exchange for a Dell (she didn’t like the Mac). She sent the iMac through UPS, with instructions for the package to be held at the UPS facility. Note the TO BE HELD part, which you have to pay extra for, btw. The package requires a signature, and since I’m not home during the day, I want to pick it up myself before work. So you’d expect UPS to be reliable…not even close.

For two days, I visited the UPS facility to pick up my package, only to discover that it’s on a truck for delivery each time. Despite promises from facility staff, phone reps, and customer care, they dropped the ball several times – for something they were PAID extra for! How hard is it to KEEP a package at a facility?! Forget about the adage “you get what you pay for”. I had to resort to stalking the UPS driver in order to claim my package, which should never have happened!

Does your business claim superior service? How do you know? Can you back it up? You need to be absolutely sure that your marketing claims are present at every step of your operation. It only takes one mess up to torpedo your image. In this case, I lost all trust with UPS’s claims of reliable delivery. Don’t let this be your company.

Blog to death

If you’ve ever wondered why I only blog a few times a week, here’s why. The New York Times recently did an article about full-time bloggers who are literally working themselves to death. Small Ninja is a blog that I hope communicates useful information. I’m not interested in minute-by-minute content, but would rather keep the content relevant and interesting.

NY Times article about blogging

Back to WordPress

After using Typepad, I’ve concluded that I like WordPress better. It’s free and easy to use. I guess I got tired of paying Typepad for exactly the same thing I get with WordPress. Anyway, if you lost my blog for a bit, I’m sorry. Feel free to re-subscribe via the Feedburner link on the right side of the page, and you’ll be sorted out.

Find a mentor

As you’re working on your small business marketing, you should try to find somebody who’s "been there, done that" with marketing. There’s no sense in reinventing the wheel, and marketing is no exception. Your community likely has somebody with marketing experience. Seek out this person and learn everything possible. It’s priceless to have somebody by your side who can help guide your marketing efforts.

FREE!

How do you make money when almost everything is free? This is a real issue with real consequences, so pay attention. Wired’s Chris Anderson takes a stab at this issue in his upcoming book, "Free! Why $0.00 is the future of business".

Article

If this was your business, the government would shut you down

If this was your business, the government would shut you down. But since this is the government, c’est la vie…

More FBI privacy violations confirmed

Privacy is a HUGE issue, and will likely be the #1 PR topic before long. Please keep your customer lists, credit card numbers, and any other confidential information PRIVATE! Your customers trust you to keep their data secure. Don’t follow the FBI’s example – treat people with respect.