Yearly Archives: 2004
Ian Lurie11 Nov, 2004
A Word About Bragging Modestly
“Brag Modestly” is one of the tenets of Conversation Marketing. Here’s a tale of someone who didn’t read the memo: In principle, a modest boast means you’ve gotten someone else to brag for you. Here’s an example: Me: Hi Fran, here’s this guy, Will, I told you about. He’s really good with search marketing and… Read More
Ian Lurie3 Nov, 2004
Behold, Internet Power
Well, the election’s over. Bush won handily, when you consider how close things were, and his gains over 2000. So why is that? The pundits talk of the Ground War, and President Bush’s appeal to the conservative right. But I don’t think that explains it. Now, I’m going to put all partisan feelings aside, here,… Read More
Ian Lurie6 Oct, 2004
Giving the Wrong Address
A cautionary tale from the vice presidential debate last night: Part of any conversation is the point at which you make a connection. Give the wrong address, and you’re hosed. Vice President Cheney, meaning to give the address for FactCheck.org, instead gave FactCheck.com. The latter redirects to an anti-Bush web site. Here’s an article about… Read More
Ian Lurie30 Sep, 2004
RSS and the Debates: RSS Has Arrived
I just finished a short piece on RSS and it’s value as a marketing tool, and found this article on Wired. The Bush/Cheney campaign will use RSS to push a live feed to thousands of pro-Bush blogs, during the debate. From the Bush campaign site: “Track the debates on your personal Web site or blog… Read More
Ian Lurie30 Sep, 2004
Make a Connection With RSS
The Implications of RSS in a Marketing Environment The most tenuous moment in internet marketing comes when your audience is ready to leave your site. Will they come back? How will you keep in touch? The traditional answer is e-mail – a well-written newsletter is a powerful permission marketing tool that can inform, educate and… Read More
Internet Marketing Ian Lurie28 Sep, 2004
Content Management and SEO
I just published a short piece about content management-driven sites, search engine optimization, and why the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Having a good content management system is important in any Conversation Marketing campaign. So is SEO. It used to be the case that dynamic web sites were invisible to search engines –… Read More
Ian Lurie27 Sep, 2004
Analyzing SEO Results
At first glance, measuring the results of a search engine optimization campaign seems easy: If you get a high rank for the keywords and phrases you’re targeting, then it’s working. If you don’t, then it’s not. But good, organic search engine optimization often brings unexpected results, by getting you high rank for terms you didn’t… Read More
Ian Lurie24 Sep, 2004
Reviewing JohnKerry.com
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons I’m a Democrat. I’ll just say that right now. So what I’m about to say in this article is said in the best possible spirit. Senator Kerry, I really hope you win. I really do. But your web site is awful. Let me count the ways: Registration required? Let’s start with… Read More
Ian Lurie22 Sep, 2004
Quantifying SEO
Matthew Henry just completed a great article about metrics in search engine optimization. His two metrics – Relative Position Index (RPI) and Click-Through Prediction (CTP) – have helped me prepare and target search marketing campaigns for years now. Some of the math is a little daunting for a marketing guy like me, but the message… Read More
Ian Lurie10 Sep, 2004
The Colloquium
Editor’s Note: Lenora Edwards is helping build the concept of Conversation Marketing – as part of that she’s working with me in organizing and running the upcoming Conversation Marketing Colloquium. Read on to get her thoughts on marketing in general, Conversation Marketing specifically, and why dogs like dog food… I am so excited about our… Read More
Ian Lurie7 Sep, 2004
SEO Matters
Here’s a great article about SEO – the authors note how few companies use it, and how 7 out of 9 companies that do use SEO reap benefits. Brag modestly – use search engine optimization – and you get access to some of the lowest-cost, highest-impact marketing and communications you can find.
Ian Lurie22 Jul, 2004
Unselfish Design: Building a site for your audience, not yourself
When you picture your web site, who is it for? You, or your audience/customers/clients? Seems obvious, right? A web site is built to address the needs of someone else. You want visitors to buy your product, get your message, support your cause, etc. and the only way to do that is to build a web… Read More
Ian Lurie19 Jul, 2004
Contingency Design: Learning to Say You’re Sorry
Ever had a miserable customer experience, but walked away smiling? The lousy dinner that was followed up with free dessert? The terrible phone service compensated by two months free? How about a free First Class upgrade after your flight was delayed? Why did you walk away happy? The meal sucked. The phone company drove you… Read More
Ian Lurie28 Jun, 2004
Why did Comdex fail?
I’d argue Comdex failed because the conference organizers did not have an ongoing conversation with their attendees. In contrast to Comdex, Jupiter Media’s Search engine Strategies conference is successful. Why? Well the Search Engine Strategies conference is linked with one of the leading web sites about search engines: SearchEngineWatch.com. SearchEngineWatch.com’s has a large subscriber base… Read More
Ian Lurie17 Jun, 2004
Search Engine Optimization: Don’t Forget the Audience
Here’s a great article about the forgotten element of SEO: The searchers. I see lots of folks who dive into search engine optimization campaigns with enthusiasm, and end up with a site that reads like those papers we all wrote in high school where we just… had… to get… ten… more… words… I spend a… Read More