Pure Play

Taoiseach to lead transparency Drive

Received by email this evening - proof that Brian Cowen is indeed setting new standards - looking for support to install windows in his office:

Title: Department of Taoiseach Windows Support Contract
Published: 09/07/2008
Published by: Department of the Taoiseach
Full Text: http://www.etenders.gov.ie/search/show/Search_View.aspx?id=JUL104703&ln=EN

keith

I'm not normally like this - adult language coming up

Don't much stray into politics here - but I really enjoyed this mashup which I saw on Damien's blog. Adults don't laugh enough, this will change that for a few moments :-)

keith

Subscriptions Online - summary points and Q&A

Sean Donohue, Marketing Sherpa summarised some of his takeaways from the 2 days

Adapt to changing subscription business models

• Continually rebalance mix of paid and free - continuous analysis required - monthly or at least quarterly. New content, different user/subscriber types
• Sell service as well as content - filter and aggregate data, save time, offer analysis
• Exploit your niches

Make Web2 work for you

• Find a technology or platform that is a good fit
• View it as a long term strategy

Optimise your marketing mix

• Measure, monitor and track your marketing spend
• Paid search -
  • If CPC is rising explore long tail terms
  • Look at second and third tier search engines
  • Focus on the profits that are being generated by each click stream

Defend against the economic downturn

• Plug your leaky payments bucket
• Focus on customer retention and cross-sell/upsell opportunities
• Repurpose content for additional revenues
  • Elsevier (scientific and technology book publisher) digitised 4,000 books for the subscription based sciencedirect.com platform.
  • marketed through free trial and volume discount
  • Signed up 2000 customers for free trial
  • Converted enough to make material impact on their annual turnover

Target tests for maximum potential value

• Identify your major pain or biggest subscription driver and try
  
  • Upselling to higher sub package
  • Trial registration path
  • Feature/service that gets visitors over the hump
• Form a hypothesis and test it

Comment during discussion on offering a free trial or not - person from FT.com said that they dropped free trials a while ago and offered a money back guarantee only. She said this has not proved as effective as the free trial. A free trial allows you to continuously market to the potential subscriber - but should always be done having taken their credit card details first.

Suggestion on subscription renewals or conversions from free trials to subscribers - watch usage patterns and prepare a specific marketing message or offer to people who are low users or who have not used the service coming up to renewal or conversion deadline.

Another attendee brought this a stage further and suggested segmenting active customers with different services and communications for each. Reward highly active users/subscribers.

keith

Customs Agent recommendation required

Was asked today if I knew of a customs agent - someone who provides a service to individuals of clearing their stuff coming in from the USA when they move house.

Anyone got any suggestions? Either leave a comment here or ping me at keithbohanna@gmail.com

thanks, keith

Recommendations in Kilkenny for house movers

We settled into a new house in Kilkenny city about 8 weeks ago and over the year it took us (we put our house on the market just as the market folded up and left) we had the pleasure of dealing with Clodagh Daly (estate agent) to sell our house and Conor Bass (solicitor) to handle the legals on the purchase and sale side.

Can recommend both without reservation. They both use email (you might laugh but not always common in those professions) and were prompt and professional to deal with.

Update - I forgot to mention Kilkenny Self Storage (a sister company of Gibbons Removals). Martin Gibbons and his family/team run both and were accommodating and friendly to deal with. Once again I would recommend them without reservation.

keith

Failte Ireland eBusiness initiative

Failte Ireland are in the process of launching a major development initiative for their client businesses this year with a combination of e-business training and mentoring which appears to be similar to the Tech Check programme from the Enterprise Board's.

As part of that initiative myself and Genesis Business College will be delivering training programmes around the South East between the end of April and the end of June 2008.

If you are in the tourism sector and you are interested please contact either myself (keithbohanna@gmail.com) or your local tourism body. You should be receiving a brochure and booking details in the post within 2 weeks from Failte Ireland.

One impact of winning this tender is that I have had to email each of my clients and prospects and tell them I am off the market for new work until the end of June - a difficult thing to do but essential in terms of expectation management and scheduling my time for the next 3 months.

keith

Getting the most from your website

Giving a talk to a group of businesses in Carlow today on the above topic. They are clients of Carlow County Enterprise Board and part of the Owner Manager Network.

It is being held in the Seven Oaks Hotel - looking forward to it :-)

keith

2008 budget calculator

From Tax123 (start up based in Waterford) comes the 2008 Budget calculator - notified via email newsletter and blog post just before 18.00 this evening!

Link here: www.tax123.ie/Budget2008Calc.php

keith

Only the sunshine is missing

Sitting here with a double espresso buzzing its way through me in the quiet of early morning (I work from home and enjoy getting up at 6am and having a space around me by myself for a little while).

This is my time - both because of that space and also I do my best work now. And on my headphones I am listening to Snow Patrol, Eyes Open - really enjoying it.

keith

PR companies and payment terms

In conversation with a good friend this morning we discovered we have something in common - both of us have done work for PR companies advising them on their use of blogs with their clients. And he is carrying a 3 month old invoice for services while I am at 2 months.

Is it the sector or just a coincidence? I have to admit it is tempting to name and shame - if only to see if my client is monitoring the blogosphere for mentions of their business as I advised them to do :-)

keith