12. August 2010 by Frank Goad.

I’m the last person on Earth that should be talking to everyone about balance, which is precisely why I’m doing it. In a little over three weeks, I’ve worked on three benefits, one of which was the Almira Fawn Benefit concert at the Kentucky Theatre, August 3rd. (By the way, it was an amazing two hours of music by some who are legends - or nearly so around here - and by some who are legends-in-the-making.) I’m proud of the work I’ve done, but now I have to finish it. It’s 2:00AM, and I’m bug-eyed at everything that’s piled up.

Part of it is timing, meaning summer is when a lot of benefits happen. The trouble is, by doing so many in such a short time (I’m trying to wade through around 1,200 pictures alone and edit a two-hour video) has put me behind in everything, paying clients included. So, what’s my point?

Most of us have a benevolent streak in us and, whether we’re trying to help a family member, our church, a civic organization, a club, old folks, whatever, when we over-commit ourselves, we’re cheating everyone. This came home to roost in a harsh way with me this week, so this blog post is a bit of a cautionary tale. I was so distracted, I forgot something critical and caused my wife some genuine anguish. How? I was very tired and trying to keep way too many balls in the air, and I wasn’t doing anything well.

So, let my harsh experience be your wake-up call. Stop and look at how you’re scheduling yourself. That we in this country over-schedule ourselves is no secret; that we accept it is the problem. In our mad rush to be successful or respected or popular or simply feel that we’ve accomplished something, it’s easy to forget that we can try too hard and act without first reconciling the costs with the benefits. Again, I’m pointing the finger squarely at Frank.

What to do? Simply this: Schedule some time off for yourself. Of all the things we have in this life, time is the one commodity that cannot be replenished. Use it wisely. Use it with friends and family because their happiness and love are the only things that really matter.

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22. July 2010 by Frank Goad.

Several news items caught my eye this week and I was struck by how intertwined they are. Our former dependence on electronics is now a full-blown addiction, and we’re happily shoveling our money into these things. Despite the new tech, we’re seeing bad behaviors, forgetting the good behaviors, and we might not be as happy as we think we are.

First, Amazon reported that they now sell more Kindle e-book readers than hardcover editions: 180 Kindles for every 100 books. This is interesting in light of a recent report saying that electronic books and publications can take as much as 10% longer to read; the iPad was between 3% - 4%. I don’t own one (I read them on my laptop), but the folks I know who have one say they love the variety of materials at their fingertips. It reminds me of the joy I felt when I got my first MP3 player - I didn’t have to prepare for a journey by carefully selecting the CDs or (showing my age here) cassette tapes to take. That I could reach in my pocket and choose from thousands of songs at the flick of a finger brought a low-rent rapture. (It’s not an iPod though.)

Second, the availability of iPads is still low and folks are gobbling them up like candy. The “me too” crowd is announcing their own versions, so be prepared for an iPhone-Android sort of battle to play out on tablets. Why are they popular? Because of the number of apps that allow you to use an iPad like a reader and, moreover, a book. These apps come complete with simulated page turns, the ability to “dog ear” a page to mark it and all the other touches that help a piece of plastic behave like paper. That’s right - the goal is to make electronics “feel” like paper.

Third, Apple could soon overtake Microsoft in revenue. They have delivered a sort of seamless interoperability between platforms that Microsoft has never matched. Windows architecture is clumsy and MS has never relentlessly pursued simplicity the way Apple has. An iPhone has one button on its face; the iPad operates much the same. It’s a more hassle-free existence. There’s a price for that simplicity, though.

Fourth, if you plant your flag in Apple’s court, to a large degree, they own you. iTunes works well with Apple products and gives you a simple way to buy books, music, movies and software. Apple is now the largest supplier of digital music, but don’t bring a Zune, Zen or anything else to the party - it’s Apple or nothing. Which leads to …

Fifth, Apple is defending itself, along with AT&T, in the U.S. against charges of monopolistic behavior, just as Microsoft has. They told the public AT&T’s exclusive deal for the iPhone was only two years; now it turns out that it’s five. Three years ago, Apple got smacked by the European Union who called iTunes a monopoly. New tech, old behaviors.

Sixth, Apple is responding to a letter from U.S. Representatives Edward Markey and Joe Barton charging that Apple’s location-based services invade customer’s privacy. Apple has responded saying users can turn off these functions, but do they really understand what it is and does, and how to use it? So, again, you’ve planted your flag and there you are with them looking over your shoulder.

I’ll stop despite being able to continue ad nauseum. What’s the point? I’m not saying that we’re being hemmed in. You have the choice to eschew all these shiny things and do like Wendell Berry and use paper and pencil, till the soil (mostly) with horses and live simply. We’re humans, though, and most of us are quickly bored and want new toys pretty regularly.  I’m just like all of you - I love tech (cameras in particular). These days, though, I’m wondering if it’s worth the cost. The care and feeding of this technology has a greater toll in time than capital, and time is the most precious thing we have.

Here’s an example: How many cell phones have you had? Why did you switch? Probably new features or “…it was a cooler model.” Did you love them all, or were some of them “dogs?” How easy was it to get your data to the new phone? See? You had to spend time to be able to use it as you wanted to.  While tech does give us advantages, they come at a cost.

The real point of this article is, make life easier for your customers. Let them have choices. Build rock-solid systems and be slow to change. This sounds old fashioned but, as I’ve been looking at businesses around Lexington, I’ve noticed that some of the most profitable are also the oldest. They’ve spent years or decades learning what makes their customers happy and refining that to an art. Why are Apple’s customers so dedicated? Above all, their products are simple, reliable and predictable.

A computer or system is only obsolete if it no longer serves your needs in a reasonable time (or if you can’t get parts - that’s a big one). The U.S. Treasury still creates coin press masters with a machine that’s over a hundred years old. Why? Why not? It works perfectly and there are no ugly surprises.

While Apple, Microsoft, Intel and other large corporations are battling for world domination, it seems that, for the average small-to-medium-business, having an army of loyal customers in an age of throw-away gadgets is a real key to success.

Ask yourself, do you have simple, reliable, one-button systems for your customers? Better yet, ask them how to build one.

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10. June 2010 by Frank Goad.

No one can do it all.

The title says it all. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about getting everyone on earth to come and peruse your site. The bad news is that you do have get the people who spend money with you to come to it, and that takes money. Sounds like you’re still at square one, doesn’t it? Let’s talk about this for a minute.

Remember this: The Internet isn’t free if you’re trying to get customers. If you are a customer looking to buy, then it costs less – yes, your customers pay, too. They have to pay for access (cable, wireless, etc.), buy a computer, pay for anti-virus software (you don’t need it if you don’t connect) and, above all, they “spend” their most precious commodity - time - looking for information, products and services. If you want them to visit your site, make it worth their time and money whenever they “stop by.” Always remember that a website is not a brochure and it needs updating often to offer real value.

The Internet is an advertising medium and advertising costs money. In the beginning it was a communications tool for computer scientists and geeky folk. Now it’s the backbone of international commerce and consumer choice. Just as you pay for brochures and magazine ads, you have to pay for Internet advertising. How so? Google AdWords, site construction, consulting on building traffic, and so on, all cost time and money. Even if you do it yourself, it’s not free. What do you make per hour? Every bit of time you spend building a website is an hour you’re not earning money.

Like any advertising, there are ways to keep the costs down, but you still pay and that’s the real point: Not investing properly in your Internet “properties” shows a poor return on whatever you spend. Consider these two scenarios:

A. Let’s say you spend $5,000 to get a really cool website built by your hotshot nephew. He’s been to tech school and can make it do some amazing stuff. Your site looks like a playground in a monitor. You launch it and, by using free Google Webmaster Tools, you find out hardly anyone is coming to it, and those who do barely hang around. There can be many reasons but, for this story, let’s go with the assumption your nephew is not trained in graphic design or visual communication techniques and knows less about advertising copy writing. Your website is the equivalent of a child’s picture book that’s really interesting at first, but soon loses its appeal. A major function of your site is to be an advertisement (and usually a cash register, too), and if function follows form or technique, you’ll likely be disappointed.

B. Let’s say you spend $500 to get a site built and, even though “it ain’t pretty,” the traffic is good … at first. You check the Google tools and see that you are way off your peak visits and dropping. You remember that you haven’t put any new content up since you posted the site. People have seen it and have moved on. Fresh content keeps them coming back. That’s why the major networks like CBS, CNN, The New York Times and myriad other sites do well - they keep fresh content coming. Even if it’s just a new weekly coupon, your loyal customers will keep checking.

These days, there are four groups that you really need to consider if you’re creating a new site or getting ready to revamp your current site:

1. Coders: Technical folks who build your site and make it work and connect. Websites are programs that display their results graphically.

2. Designers: If they’re good they guide visitor’s eyes where you want them to go. From my (long and sometimes bloody) experience, many designers aren’t good coders and vice versa (I’m going to get hate mail on that - sorry, but it’s true). A designer is trained in visual communication that’s art and graphics based, an important skill that isn’t inherent to web coding.

3. Search engine optimization (SEO) experts: Most coders say they know SEO, and some do, but it’s a sophisticated discipline that’s more like statistical research and psychological profiling. It’s darn near a black art at times, but there’s a real craft to doing it well and a marketing background is a real plus.

4. Content providers: You still need folks to write persuasive copy and figure out what people want. Your site is a lot like a magazine in that you want folks to read what’s there, look at the pictures and come back every “issue” through subscriptions. You might say, “We do videos.” Who writes your script? Whether read or spoken, it requires special skills to be compelling.

Are there people who do all these well? Sure, but they’re rare and their rates make many folks gasp. My strong suits are numbers two (design), and four (content creation). I provide content including advertising copy, strategy, graphic/art direction, feedback measurement systems and creative campaigns. I also am very well versed in visual communication, meaning I know how to guide the eye around the page to make sure they “get” the most important things.

I’m okay at search engine optimization issues but don’t hesitate to get help because it is critical to getting a great return on your investment and eyeballs on your site. How am I at coding and actually constructing a website? Lousy and I have no desire to do it because, well, I do other things much better.

Can you do all these things? Probably not, so be honest with yourself, move some money around in your advertising budget and get folks who know how to do these things. Remember that it’s an investment, not an expense. Given that around 97% of people go the Internet first to find products and services, it’s just smart business to do it right and ensure that they think of your site as a reliable place to go.

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