We Interrupt This Program…
Hey all. We’re going to get back to your regularly scheduled snarky home business marketing advice very soon, but in the mean time:
* I’m getting some feedback from y’all – my favouritest people in the world – saying I should offer an IttyBitty package. You’d get a USP consultation, discussion about target demographics, at least five usable taglines and at least 10 customized marketing ideas for your home business package. I’m thinking $100. What do you think? Would this be a good idea? Would you be interested? Should I get off my ass and update my services page? Leave comments telling me if this is dumb or not dumb.
* My good friend Sonia (yes, she’s the one who called me a bitch in my comments – you noticed that, too?) would like a 1000% increase in traffic. I think she’s calling me out to see if I can actually do it. Sonia runs a marketing blog called Remarkable Communication. It’s kind of like mine except she’s nicer. Well, except for the whole “bitch” thing. I tend to bring out the worst in people.
Therefore, since she’s probably an unbeliever in the power of IttyBiz readers, please go to her site, if only to prove her wrong and me right. Stumble stuff, too. That’ll really piss her off.
Some good ones:
Your Business’s Health: Crucial Facts Your Ad Agency Forgot to Mention
I stumbled this one because it was awesome. You might want to as well, if you’re into that kind of thing.
It’s time to get off our ass and save the world
Obviously, I do not need to say anything about this one. Read the title, people!
5 editor’s secrets to help you write like a pro
Please, God, let the people read this and pay attention. Eventually, IttyBiz will be hiring and I’d far rather look through decent writing than shit.
Special savings for you, Mr. Fancypants
Award for the best use of the word “fancypants” in a blog post.
* Fellow Canadian marketing dude Verne Ho of Creative Briefing has created the awesomest idea I’ve seen in a long time, Can’t Wait For Christmas. Why is it awesome? Because he did it just because Christmas is cool. Go, read. Keep your Digg buttons handy.
***
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Next Post: Home Business Marketing: Where To Spend Your Money, Part 1
Christmas definitely IS cool! And so is sharing the excitement with the entire world! I can’t wait for the countdown to hit 00:00:00:00!
I like the $100 service package idea. I know you just did a contest a couple months ago, but why not another contest to launch this idea? Maybe you could give away a free package or two to someone who agrees to let you share your advice to them with your readers in the form of a case study. I think that would be fantastic.
What do you think? Would this be a good idea? Would you be interested? Should I get off my ass and update my services page? Leave comments telling me if this is dumb or not dumb.
NOT DUMB!
Awesome idea.
I want your 30-day marketing expertise packed into a handy ebook that I can keep by my bedside when I want to laugh my ass of- Uh, I mean, gain pearls of wisdom every evening.
(Okay, shaddap, you know we listen to your advice.)
@ Sonia - I’m sorry, but I cannot resist a challenge. Consider yourself effectively hit, subscribed to and Stumbled. Now make me want to stay :)
Now. What I’d really like to know is why my blog - THE number FOUR position out of TEN for the BEST writing blogs of 2007/2008 as neutrally decided (see, wasn’t me!) by Michael today wasn’t linked to in this post. Does that not merit accolades? Tossed roses? Tossed underwear?
Sheesh. So much for fame, huh?
Oh, wait, yes, package idea - I’d go for that.
Actually, I *like* package offers. In fact, that’s a good idea. I’m going to add packages to our 2008 services. Thank you. Excellent. Carry on.
…and why don’t I see subscribe to comments yet? (Harry, please offer to fix that for Naomi…)
1. Really dig the $100 package idea. Very affordable for a small biz like mine.
2. The contest / shared suggestions idea is also cool. (Yay Willy)
3. I’m already a fan of Sonia, and I’ve already stumbled some of her posts. She has a great summary of Seth Godin’s Meatball Sundae.
Rock on!
Love the idea. Got my $$ ready!
Great idea, but I think you’re undercharging for all that. Then again, I know how good you are at it. :)
@James - The subscribe to comments are now there — Now you can finally get your IttyFix from your Feedreader.
@Naomi - Great idea. $100 is still affordable, and coming frm you we already know it will be worth it (just as long as you don’t make us put curse words in any of our taglines)
@@Naomi - Maybe you should get a tagline that has a curse word in it? It would definitely be relevant ;)
*flops over in relief*
HARRY! HARRY! One less thing you have to remember to remind me of!!
I… uh… I mean, thank you. That’s very much appreciated. There are deep benefits, as well.
Hells yeah, a $100 consult would be a pretty sweet… that is if, you’re as good as your blog makes you out to be! haha! ;)
@ Shycon - If you didn’t like it, I’d double your money. :)
Ha ha ha, I just checked my stats and said, “uh, what the fuck?” And then I see the love, I am verklempt!
As for the offer, you are already working yourself to the point of losing consciousness in major retail establishments, why not? I think it’s a fantastic product idea but too cheap. For anyone except us, that is. We are your friends and we deserve cheap good stuff.
@Sally I am glad you are my fan. xoxo
HA HA. I showed you.
I think I kind of like it cheap. We could call it, “Cheap and Dirty. Kind of like me.”
Did she just use the “F” word?
I’m shocked and won’t return to this site until she washes her mouth out with soap… and what does verklempt mean? Some form of German pornography no doubt!
This sort of language leaves me overcome with emotions.
Is there no end to this wanton traffic building filth? Santa will have his revenge upon you all.
I think it’s a great idea! Maybe make it $99 instead of $100. That’s almost the same amount but has a much cheaper feel to it. I’d have to wait until I have a budget for it but it sounds interesting. I definitely like the idea of giving away one to someone who will let you make it a case study. You might even be able to track the increased traffic from the different ideas for the site. Alternatively maybe give someone a discount in turn for tracking and case study info.
Btw… can you add suggestions for cheap but cool swag to the package. :)
My first reaction was “holy crap that’s cheap!”
Should the client have pre-requisites for you to be able to offer those guarantees? As in, not be consumed with existential ponderings? Cause that was my second thought - that if you’re not sure what your business is becoming then that package is a tall order to fill.
Rose has an idea there - cheap and cool swag ideas would make a good eBook.
$100 package very very good. I’ll have one.
Maybe, to bump your margins up, you could offer a $150 package where none of the tag-lines include swearing?
Thinking of a good USP and taglines is really difficult for most of us. $100 is a steal for that package.
I LOVE the package idea…I’ll take two for me and give several as gifts to small biz friends. Do it, Naomi. Do it NOW.
I am disappointed. The Subscribe to Comments doesn’t work. Had to come check in, because I received no alerts. Back to the drawing board, guys!
@James - Hmm… so much for not testing a free wordpress plugin. It loaded fine and this plugin seems to be the most-widely used (and only) one of them all.
@Naomi - When you are logged into the admin panel, goto Options > Subscribe to Comments and make the correct email address is in there. Everything else looks fine.
Anyone else not seeing updates via email?
Don’t do it Naomi!
Just kidding, it’s a good idea. I certainly think you could charge a lot more for it though.
I have a similar package that I offer, which is probably more in depth than what you were thinking, but I charge a full $500. And even at that price point I can barely keep up with demand, and customers are extremely happy with it.
I’ll be watching for the update to the services page.
I hate to seem really ignorant, but I also asked an interactive marketing friend of mine and he didn’t know, so here goes… what is a “USP consultation?” I just really don’t know what USP is. Tried to Google it and about all I got was Ultimate Sports Productions.
Thanks!
NOT DUMB!
I’d absolutely pay $100 for help with the USP package. I’ll be keeping an eye out if you offer it, because I will definitely buy it if you do!
Sounds like a great idea. Having some examples of what you mean by USP and appropriate taglines would be helpful!
I’m with Rose, but instead of $99 I’d do $129. $129 feels just as cheap as $100, and yet it is, you know, more.
Yeah, Lindsay, Santa was already pretty pissed at me. Oops.
BTW, I have a giant twenty-fold increase in traffic over at remarkable comm, that little “5 editor’s tricks” post is getting stumbled within an inch of its life. So a big warm and nonironic thank-you to Naomi and all the rest of you delightful creatures. xoxoxoxoxox
I’m thinking about your package–at a minimum, you have to put a limit on it. So maybe you sell 10 at $100, and then it goes up to $250.
I think you would get a lot of takers at $250, actually. $250 is way cheap.
@ Chris - that’s the plugin we use as well. Should work, doesn’t. Try to uninstall and reinstall.
James, I just found while digging thru the comments of that plugin’s site that it needed this change: http://txfx.net/code/wordpress/subscribe-to-comments/comment-page-31/#comment-237291
Hopefully that does it…
IT WORKS!!!
*ahem* Thank you, Chris. I shall think of you each time I get my Ittyfix.
:)
[...] off, I’d like to say that thanks to the awesomeness of IttyBiz readers, yesterday’s Remarkable Communication extravaganza resulted in a 2000% increase in Sonia’s [...]
Hey crazy comment people!
It appears subscribe to comments is up and running and generally lovely. This means James can get updates whenever anybody so much as sneezes. Hurray!
Lest I seem like I’m ignoring him, I responded to Michael about the USP by email, but for the rest of you lovely people, that part of the consult would be to help you figure out your Unique Selling Proposition, or what makes you so different from everybody else.
@ Lindsay - I had to look it up in the urban dictionary, too. :)
Ok, I have to bow to Sonia’s wisdom on $129. That does sound just as cheap as $100 (or $99)… but is more. :)
@ Naomi - see? It works. People comment, I come. Like magic.
Do me a favor - regardless of which price you choose, don’t do that long direct sales letter style of marketing. As a marketing guru, I want you to go forth and tell the world that LONG COPY SALES LETTERS DON’T HAVE TO SUCK!!
Even better would be that they don’t work.
Yay Naomi! Thanks for implementing subscribe to comments. It has made my life so much easier. :-)
Did you respond to my last comment about hiring you to get on the front page of Digg and having that translate into product sales? Don’t have time to go check right now…will try later.