Todd Sattersten :: Astronaut Projects

Something to Check Out

There are two e-newsletters out of Holland that I have been reading for the last couple of months. I will need a couple more months before I can consider them for the Essentials List. So, let me tell you a little about them and you can decide if they are worth adding to your reads right now.

The first is Springwise. The editors scour the world for business ideas. This includes encouraging readers to tell them about the latest and compensating them for good leads.

Each article in the monthly begins with the country of origin. There are two or three paragraphs describing about the idea. Then, two or three more paragraphs talk about the opportunities created by the idea.

The sister publication is Trendwatching.com. Rather than ideas, this monthly highlights trends. The first thing you will notice is alot of made-up words. Every time you find a trend, I guess you need to have something to call it. Trends highlighted this month include transumerism, gravanity, and dormandise.

I like them both.

Open Source Problem Solving

Rob McEwen always wanted to own a gold mine. Opportunity presented itself and he bought his mine. This Fast Company article from June 2002 talks about how Rob turned everything around. It is how he did it that is most interesting.

More on this another day...

MLB could learn a few things

Mike Vreek understands remarkable. His family has a long history in baseball, and after being run out of the sport, he has bounced back and built a business around six minor league baseball teams.

One of his promotions was Nobody Night. Fans were locked out of the stadium until after fifth inning. The objective: establish a new all-time record attendance - zero. He ended up doing 270 interviews with media from all over the world as a result of Nobody Night.

He gets it.

Read the profile in Fortune Small Business

Another cool thing over at Google

Check out Google Answers. They have created a marketplace for people who have questions and people you can get answers. The questioner can name the price the answer is worth to them. Google and the researcher split the fee 25/75.

Provide a Good Product

Today, I was reading a back issue of the Wall Street Journal that had gotten buried on my desk. There was a feature article last week titled "Rising Clout of Google Prompts Rush by Internet Rivals to Adapt [subscription]". Market research shows Google getting 32% of all search request (is that all?) and the article goes on to give the many reasons that Google should be worried about Yahoo and Microsoft.

My thoughts:

• First, Fast Company published a more interesting article about Google in April.


• Google is still the best search engine. It provide the most relevant answers to my searches. They make it easy to use their technology on others' sites (see the archives). They are always trying new ideas (check out Google Labs). Easy to use and I get the best results.


• Yahoo! has lost its direction a bit. The home page is disaster. Their innovative products like My Yahoo! haven't really progressed much lately. I still use Yahoo! Mail, but Oddpost is making me consider a change.


• Microsoft is too slow. The WSJ article talks about them building search technology into the next version of Windows. They can build things into Windows that are no longer evolving. Blogging software, music players, IM are all examples of products that are contining to evolve. Stop innovating and risk being consumed by the Windows Machine.

Essentials #6 - Advertising Secrets of the Written Word

Last week, I talked about the amazing copy in Nike's advertising.

Advertising Secrets of the Written Word by Joseph Sugarman shows you how to write great advertisting copy. Joe knows what he is talking about. BluBlocker sunglasses were his creation. He sold a couple million pairs through magazine ads and infomericials.

There are alot of reasons I like the book. He is a great storyteller. Each chapter starts with a story about a product he was trying to sell and he proceeds to use that situation to illustrate the point he is trying to get across. The products are a little dated, but I also found that enjoyable. You'll read about the Pocket CB, Consumers Hero, and Magic Stat. He once sold his $240,000 personal airplane through a magazine ad.

The biggest reason I recommend this book is that you will be a better copywriter when you are done. I know for a fact that I am better. The advice is very practical and can be used immediately. Joe lays out 57 points every ad should cover and ends the book with 12 ads that he wrote and his explanation of their success or failure.

The knowledge he presents translates to any written communication where you are trying to persuade someone of something. I used his recommendations to improve a cover letter for a direct mail piece. I think you could apply his stuff to resumes, company memos, or school term papers.

Advertising Secrets of the Written Word costs $39.95 - a bit more than your normal hardcover. Don't let that stop you. It is an outstanding book.

The Audience

Being a new blog, I have been trying to get an idea if people are reading and what they think. By looking at the logs, the traffic on the site is gradually increasing. I have seen a couple of my posts come up on other blogs.

The post I want to talk about is over on Webmink. I decided to try a campaign using Google ads to increase readership here at A Penny For. I have been experimenting with 5 different keyword combinations. Some of the keywords I have been using include blog, weblog, and blogging. I am finding these are expensive words, often competing with others that are trying to market blogging software. The CPC costs between $0.25 and $1.00. The clickthrough rate on all of the ads is under 1%, so it is not breaking the bank.

Simon found my site through an Google Adsense ad that came up on his site. The interesting thing I am finding is that 70% of the clickthroughs are coming through these syndicated ads.

The other half of Simon's entry talks about the lack of a RSS feed.
I am working on that right now...

Change Will Do You Good

Today, kottke.org talks about a donut and coffee cart in Manhattan. For speed and simplicity, the customers make change for themselves with quarters sitting on the counter. Among other things, Jason observed alot of trust and twice the throughput versus his competitors.

My first job was working as a stocking boy at a family-owned grocery store. On Sunday mornings, a similar exchange took place for the morning newspaper. People threw their change on counter and were on their way. I never once observed a problem and customers loved being able to get in and out in a snap.

Not that I want to take the discussion of making change too far, but I always enjoy going into Wendy's. All of the registers have the automatic change makers (I don't even know what the official name is). I have always thought they were faster and have to be more accurate.

And why do we still have all these pennies...

A great way to eat good meals

My wife was reading an old issue of Working Mother and came across an article she thought would be good to highlight here.

A pair of women in Seattle have developed a great concept. Dreams Dinners lets you come to their store kitchen and make yourself a month worth of meals. You make a reservation with the meals you would like off the monthly menu. All of the ingredients are sliced and diced ahead of time and are waiting for you when you get there. You then do all the prep their kitchen, and at the same time have a chance to chat with others doing the same. The process takes about two hours and your twelve meals costs $160.

What they are also doing is creating a community within the store. Friends are made every night. Couples plan "date nights" to come and spend time together. In this case, making bread serves as a catalyst for creating a network of new people.

I think it is a great concept. They are considering franchising the idea. Watch for it!

Longevity Revisited

I had some friends disagree with me about my take on longevity [see below].

Of course, people consider longevity when they choose companies. My point was that it is about number 10 on the list of things people consider.

Spend your money on the other nine.