Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Crass naming: Thanks for introducing my kid to new words

I heard an ad today for potato chips. What was normally something I would tune out, I found myself listening harder. That wasn't what I just heard was it? Sure enough it was. The product was called Heluva Good. And while I'm not shy when it comes to using certain words, I don't use them in business. In fact I shouldn't use them at all, but that's another story.

Isn't there more creative names for a company that don't need to use the word Hell? So I don't have my 6 year old asking for Hell chips or something to that nature. I'd like to think we as creatives can be a little more sophisticated than that.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Don't market your website if you don't have one

Now that title, as my husband would say, screams "Captain Obvious". Yet I'm still amazed at how many business owners promote their website with social media such as facebook, with a link to their website that says nothing more than "parked courtesy of godaddy.com".

That says one of three things to me:
1. That you are new. Very new.
2. That you don't know how to market. Or market very well.
3. That you rushed into promoting something that wasn't ready to be promoted.

You realized the importance of social media, and you are driving people to your site. But once there, nothing. No phone, email address or even a contact name. A missed opportunity. And also the possibility of turning people off.  It's like handing someone a blank brochure.

And you never get a second chance to make a first impression.