Capulet Communications blogs

Everybody Loves Lists

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:48:05 -0400

This comes as no surprise to anyone who's lived through the last fifty years, but humans in the modern world love lists. If it's not American Bandstand, it's Letterman's top ten schtick.

Bloggers of all stripes understand the power of the list, and exploit them all the time. I was reminded of this courtesy of popurls. Check out what the list of top items for del.icio.us--seven of the ten are lists:

Seth Godin Says Be Patient

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:48:08 -0400

Lately we've been handling a lot of launches for start-ups. We enjoy this immensely--we like being able to both strategize and then execute on that strategy. Plus, we often contribute to the start-ups' web presence by writing their website copy. Occasionally we even contribute to the development process of their app (for it seems these days that most of our clients have web apps).

Some clients, I think, expect to get 50,000 visitors the first week they launch. This happens on the odd occasion (bonjour, RobotReplay), but it's more the exception than the rule. So, sometimes we have to urge our clients to be patient. Seth Godin has our back on this one:

The media wants overnight successes (so they have someone to tear down). Ignore them. Ignore the early adopter critics that never have enough to play with. Ignore your investors that want proven tactics and predictable instant results. Listen instead to your real customers, to your vision and make something for the long haul. Because that's how long it's going to take, guys.

Here's one resource the start-up community could use: an anonymous database of actual visitor and user numbers for the first year of operation. That would help us set client expectations beyond the small data set to which we have access. Maybe we ought to talk to Boot Up Labs about that.

Client Plug: Give Dreams Not Stuff

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:24:22 -0400

In the early years of Capulet, as with most businesses, we said ‘yes’ to nearly everything (we did refuse a mail order bride project). For the past couple of years, we’ve had the luxury of being selective about who we take on.

It's especially nice to take on a client who’s social goals align with our own. DreamBank happens to be one of those clients.

DreamBank is a Vancouver start-up with a mission that addresses this issue. Here’s the elevator pitch:

DreamBank.org is about helping dreams come true and doing it in a way that helps the planet and important social causes. Instead of giving gifts that, although appreciated may not really be wanted, with DreamBank you contribute to someone’s dream. As well as helping fulfill a dream, your contribution helps spare the planet some of the nasty side effects of manufacturing and packaging unused gifts. Plus your gift automatically generates funds that are given to important social causes.

It’s essentially collaborative giving with a charity angle. Or, if you prefer, a gift registry for everything. Here are a few sample dreams:

We’re trying to get Rebecca to BlogWorld.
An eight-year-old girl wants a grey chinchilla (that’s our favourite one so far).
Darren wants to raise money for the David Suzuki Foundation.
Julie wants to send a kid to camp.

It’s a charming idea, and we’re pleased to be helping them with their online marketing. We’ve been blogging up a storm on their site, and running a fun outreach campaign to local bloggers. Plus we had a fun launch party at a French bistro.

Capulet Clients Win Kudos

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:21:31 -0400

Congratulations to Jiibe and ThoughtFarmer, two Capulet clients who were named to a list of Canada's Top 20 Web 2.0 Companies earlier this month.

The PICK 20 Web 2.0 Awards, sponsored by KPMG and Backbone magazine, recognizes Canada's best minds and sharpest practitioners. From the July issue of Backbone Magazine, distributed through The Globe and Mail:

With this issue, Backbone and KPMG unveil the PICK 20, the first and only national roundup of Canada’s Web 2.0 pioneers and practitioners. In the pages that follow you will discover 20 companies that are leading the way into the second iteration of the Web.

Read the full list of PICK 20 companies.

Client Plug: Our Marketing Campaign is a Series of Tubes

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:15:40 -0400

From Darren's blog over at www.darrenbarefoot.com:

Over the past month or so, we’ve been preparing a social media marketing campaign for ThoughtFarmer. ThoughtFarmer makes a simple-to-use wikified intranet solution.

We needed a good angle to promote their solution, and came up with a wacky idea:

After some brainstorming and false starts, we devised Tubetastic, a fake company with a fake logo, a fake org chart and, you guessed it, a fake intranet…

…We invented a fake tube manufacturing company called Tubetastic Inc. We created fake employee profiles for each influencer. Each profile is a sort of entry interview, with the answers coming from excerpts from their blogs and articles. We left one question unanswered, in the hopes that some folks might offer up their opinion.

That’s from a lengthy blog post (also cross-posted to OneDegree) I wrote up on the ThoughtFarmer blog. It goes into considerable detail about the intranet site we built and the snail mail packages we sent out. It also discusses our logic behind the campaign, and the risks we foresee. We even wrote a few Onionesque articles as recent Tubetastic news.

If you’d like to check out the Tubetastic intranet site, you just need to request access (trust me, there’s no spam risk–you’ll only get one email from ThoughtFarmer) and we’ll hook you up. I encourage you to check it out.

Our eBook is Becoming a Real 'Dead Tree' Book

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:20:16 -0400

You may remember that we published a 100-page ebook called "Getting to First Base: A Social Media Marketing Playbook" at the end of 2007. Thanks to all of you who bought the book and to those who reviewed it on your blogs.

Now, our little ebook is growing up. We're working on a hard copy version for San Francisco publishing company, No Starch Press. They have American distribution through O’Reilly Media, one of the giants of tech publishing.

The title will change and we'll be adding another hundred pages over the next five months, but the premise will stay the same: an intro to social media marketing.

We'll be documenting the writing process and new ideas for the book on our ebook blog.

Newsletter Writing Tips

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:45:35 -0500

I know, I know there are thousands of posts out there about how to put together a good email newsletter. So, why are there so many poor ones? In my opinion, if you can keep these top five pointers in mind, your newsletter will improve and your readers will thank you.

Be short and sweet. Unless your newsletter consists of one, extensive research article, articles should be a maximum of four paragraphs. No one wants to read more than that about your new CEO, upcoming events, spring sales, or the like. Also, readers have a short attention span, so five articles should be your max. When it comes to newsletter articles, short is sweet.
Sound human. Your readers are real people who will be more engaged if they think you're a real person too. Leave the jargon and acronyms behind and write in your true voice. Sometimes reading your stories out loud is the best way to judge the human factor.
Add value. We get so many marketing emails in our inboxes that we're getting less inclined to read company material. An excellent way to keep subscribers engaged is to add value with a relevant, compelling industry article, links to other articles on the web, or a thoughtful opinion piece.
Include a call to action. When you send a company communique, you want the readers to respond, right? So, give them something to do. Give them a link to click, a contest to enter, a special discount to take advantage of. You've got there attention, don't waste it.
Use an opt-in list. Don't buy lists, that crazy phase is over. Purchased lists are terrible, not targeted and, ultimately, unsuccessful. Take the time and make the effort to build a quality list. It will pay off in the long run.

If you want to read some examples of well-written newsletters, subscribe to:

Underwire: Full Support for Non-Techies
MarketingProfs Newsletter
JentleHands Monthly Newsletter (it's also beautifully designed)

Oh yes, one last thing. Make sure you've got a prominent newsletter sign-up box on your website.

Mistaken Identity No More

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:25:13 -0500

Since graduating with a writing degree more than 10 years ago, I've had the occasional inquiry as to whether I am the Julie Szabo who writes for the New York Times magazine, New York Post and Country Living magazine. Sadly, no. That's Julia Szabo, and although we almost share the same name, she most certainly has the more glamorous writing portfolio.

I did get the chance to work with Julia briefly when she was writing a pet column for the New York Post. Capulet client, Echo Memoirs, was making personalized pet books at the time and Julia wrote about the books in her column.

I think this case of mistaken identity is coming to an end though. Julia's real passion is dogs and she's writing more and more about them... so it's unlikely this pet-paranoid Julie Szabo will continue to be confused with doggie-loving Julia Szabo.

Julia and her colleagues (including Glen Close, yes another differentiator) have launched an online doggie community called Fetch Dog. The site is a resource for well-designed doggie gifts. It's got a Breeder selector application and an Adoption center. There's even a Cinematic Dog blog for movie hounds (sorry, I couldn't help myself).

Just for fun, I did try the slick Breeder selector. My ideal dog: the good mannered Labrador Retriever. Still, I think I'm more of a cat person.

Capulet's eBook Launches Today!

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 08:42:39 -0500

We've just published our first book here at Capulet Communications! Getting to First Base: A Social Media Marketing Playbook is a 100-page ebook filled with tricks, tips and case studies that show you how to:

Bring more visitors to your website
Increase your company’s visibility online
Approach bloggers and other online influencers
Create compelling viral campaigns
Get your website social media ready
Craft a potent social media pitch
Market effectively inside Facebook
Avoid campaign killers and online faux pas

Buy the ebook today for $29.

If you're a blogger and would like to review the book, let us know and we'll send you a copy.

Want to try before you buy? Read some sample chapters or view our 70 second introductory video. You might also consider becoming a fan of the book on Facebook.

Another thing... we’re giving $1 from the sale of every book to our favourite charity, the David Suzuki Foundation.

Blogging for the Capitals

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 08:50:59 -0400

James Mirtle points to this story in the Washington Times about the Washington Capitals' aggressive blogger relations program. The team has struggled on the ice, and that's been reflected in poor attendance over the past few years. In the face of diminishing coverage from the mainstream media, they've been inviting bloggers into the press box:

"I was watching the traditional coverage, both broadcast and print, and was remarkably underwhelmed," Keeley said of his decision to begin blogging last year. "The first thing I wrote was a general sense of being frustrated — well, really more than frustrated. Really angry. I started from this premise that Washington is not a sports town, but there's nothing innate that says it can't be. But the old media don't do anything to change that perception. In fact, they perpetuate, in my opinion. So we started this blog, the idea that if you're interested in hockey and want more coverage, come here."

Capitals owner and AOL magnate Ted Leonsis is really drinking the Koolaid. He's got his own blog, and posted a thoughtful response to the article yesterday:

Also, I do question some of the mainstream media and its programming choices and how it creates self-fulfilling prophecies in how it allocates its dwindling resources on some matters and ignores others. I also wonder - if you are programming one traditional way and you are shrinking, then why don't you try something different? What do you have to lose as an enterprise if what you are doing today isn't working? Embrace change. The NHL has and so have the Washington Capitals. Change is good.

Few CEOs blog, and fewer still would include an emoticon in their post. I'll forgive him that idiosyncrasy, but I can't forgive him for not accurately citing the Great One's most famous quote (or, possibly, the Great One's dad).

Another Great Common Craft Video

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:20:50 -0400

Our pals over at Common Craft have delivered another excellent video, this time for PRWeb. The strength of Common Craft's videos is in the simple, creative way they deliver information. If you haven't seen them already, check out the RSS and Social Bookmarking videos. Brilliant work!

While I fully buy-in to Common Craft's 'River of News' metaphor, I'm not convinced PRWeb can deliver on the promises it makes in the video. I've used PRWeb many times before. Sadly, it's made little impact. In truth, there's no simple way to get the attention of media and online influencers. The best way for small players to make some noise is to research media and bloggers carefully and send thoughtful story pitches directly to the right folks. I'm afraid no newswire service out there can beat the personal touch.

More on Second Life Marketing

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:49:50 -0400

I recently read three cutting critiques of marketing and advertising in Second Life. The first is by Rebecca Lieb (found via Adam):

Inhabitants of virtual worlds don't have real-world needs. To get very far in Second Life, you do need money (in the form of Linden dollars) to buy goods, services, and property. No small quantity of the virtual currency is spent on goods and services related to virtual sex. Way-far-out-there virtual sex, and no small number of sex businesses (one of which recently changed hands for $50,000) often seem like the primary purpose of Second Life. As ClickZ columnist Ian Schafer told the "Los Angeles Times," "One of the most frequently purchased items in Second Life is genitalia."

Ms. Lieb refers to an LA Times article, discussing some of the abandoned marketing projects littering the virtual world:

But the sites of many of the companies remaining in Second Life are empty. During a recent in-world visit, Best Buy Co.'s Geek Squad Island was devoid of visitors and the virtual staff that was supposed to be online.

The schedule of events on Sun Microsystems Inc.'s site was blank, and the green landscape of Dell Island was deserted. Signs posted on the window of the empty American Apparel store said it had closed up shop.

Google Analytics Explained

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:08:29 -0400

A while back, Darren posted a helpful article by James over at Work Industries about how to analyze and understand web statistics. On a similar topic, I recently came across this webcast on Beth's Blog that answers pretty much any question you've ever had about Google Analytics.

We encourage our clients--and anyone else with a website--to get intimate with their web stats. After all, if you don't know where visitors are coming from, what pages they're hitting and how long they're sticking around, how can you know what actions to take to improve your visitors' experience?

The Formula (No, Really) for a Successful Pitch

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:34:34 -0400

Today, I came across this creative note to PR professionals. If only we'd done better in Math:

Dear PR - The probability of a successful pitch can be calculated by the following handy formula applied to the details of your client's latest wheeze.

3NT x 4UP x 2BI x 5EAI
----------------------------- = P(copy)
3M^3 x 2ACE x 10L
Where NT = New Technology, UP = Unique Product, BI = Beer Involved, EAI = Engineers Available for Interview, M = Marketing Managers, EMEA or Mornings, ACE = Already Covered Elsewhere (ie, your American brethren have already spilled the beans) and L = the word Leading or Leader in the first para of the press release.

The Most Common Mistake in Product Demos, Marketing Collateral and Tech Docs

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:26:28 -0400

Ever since I started working in technology, I've watched companies make the same communications error again and again. When talking about their products, they start by talking about "how it works" or "what it does".

Here's a secret: hardly anybody cares how it works. They may say they do, but what they really mean is this:

How will it make my life better (where 'better' means 'more fun' or 'more productive' or 'longer' and so forth)?

I Built It and Here's What It Does

I first observed this phenomenon when I worked as a technical writer, writing and editing software manuals. I'd often review support documentation for a product that was written by the software engineers who built it.

Inevitably, the docs would itemize the product's functionality, often by describing each interface element: "The Save button enables you to save your work" and so forth.

It's an understandable mistake among developers. They built it, and they're describing how it works from their perspective.

The right way to write docs (and any product collateral) is to focus on tasks, not functionality. If the user will be saving files, then provide a topic called "How to Save Files" or "Saving a File".

But before you get into the nitty-gritty details, you need to answer that all important question: how will this make my life better?