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Be different in ways that are hard to duplicate.
That’s one of the key lessons to be learned from Groupon, the deal-of-the-day website that caught fire on the web a few years back.
Coupons are NOT right for every business. In fact, I advise against them unless you’re in a business where you can regularly afford to absorb loss leaders. But there are some who do opt for this route and in that sense, it’s worth looking at.
As a professional writer, I’m a creature of habit and so when I find a business tool that I really like, I tend to stick with it. Case in point: notebooks for scribbling and general note taking. I buy myself a new one every year. I suppose I could just settle on whatever is on sale at my local office supply store, but I’m stuck on Moleskine‘s lined notebooks.
This is a brand that has a earned a huge following over the last decade, particularly online. There’s lots to love about these notebooks: great binding on a solid spine, a handy elastic band that helps keep the book closed even when you jam a pen in between the pages, a hidden inside pocket for storing business cards, and a red tasseled bookmark glued into the centre of the binding.
All very old school.
But Moleskine doesn’t stop there.
This is where things get interesting from a marketer’s perspective.
It’s only after you’ve made the decision to buy one of these notebooks…only after you’ve brought it home and released it from its cellophane packaging…that you notice the following little note inserted between its covers:
Moleskine is the heir of the legendary notebook used for the past two centuries by great artists and thinkers, including Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin. This trusty, pocket-sized travel companion held their sketches, notes, stories, and ideas before they became famous images or beloved books. The little black notebook, with its typical rounded corners, elastic closure, and expandable inner pocket, was originally a nameless object. It was produced by a small French bookbinder, that supplied Parisian stationery shops frequented by the international literary and artistic avant-garde for more than a century.
Now that’s some gorgeous prose! Moleskine could have just as easily opted to take that note and slap it over top the cellophane packaging, sticker-style. Instead, someone made a decision to print it on nice paper and tuck it away—a surprise that reveals itself only after you start using the product.
So why do you suppose they went to all this trouble of adding this little note on the inside of the product?
For one thing, it shows that the good folks at Moleskine have a solid understanding of who buys their product and of what those customers hope to use it for. Creatives like to be around things that blow on the embers of inspiration. Not a lot. Just enough. This little note serves as a nudge to its owner, saying “you can do this.” It strikes an emotional chord. And does so at the right time.
It’s also a nice, old fashioned touch, which is inline with the book maker’s product and how they differentiate themselves from lower-priced alternatives. What makes that particularly interesting is how effective Moleskine has been in cementing that perception…despite the fact that the company only been around since 1997.
There’s another motive behind the clever extra detail of including that little note. It reaffirms in the mind of the buyer that they made the right choice buying this product. And it reminds them again and again each time they crack open a fresh notebook. Not in a pushy-salesy kind of way. Rather, just a little friendly reminder why you chose this product.
A few other companies who use this technique:
Most of their competitors don’t do this. And that’s another reason why they do.
Little details get noticed. They’re often unexpected and they communicate a sense of craft. As a result, they tend to be the things that leave the best, longest-lasting impression in the minds of your customers.
(photo: Moleskine)
Odds and ends and interesting facts about ebook publishing, about who is buying ebooks and where this industry might be heading in the coming years.
Ebook publishing finished 2010 with roughly $1 billion in sales: an astounding 800% year-on-year increase. It’s also well ahead of the projected sales figures I blogged about last year.
John Pulizzi and Johnathan Kranz over at Junta42 have a great definition of what an ebook can (and should) be for businesses:
Think of it as a white paper on steroids (the sexy white paper): a report, generally 12–40 or more pages in length, that presents complex information in a visually attractive, reader-friendly format. The content is both informative and entertaining; the tone, collegial; the format, “chunky” rather than linear, to facilitate skimming and scanning.
Smashwords is now one of the largest distributors by title count of independent ebooks to retailers such as Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. Not bad at all for a company that only 24 months ago started with just 140 books by 90 authors. I like these guys.
Ebooks won’t replace all hard-copy books, but they are a suitable substitute for many—particularly in trade publishing. The attraction of ebooks is that they are convenient to buy and read right away, they’re affordable and they make keyword searches a cinch. But make no mistake: there are limitations to their form and design.
Ebook pricing continues to be a problem for publishers—particularly those whose business model remains rooted on moving and managing hard-copy books. I haven’t made up my mind fully on this yet. On one hand, it’s not smart to compete on price alone, but it’s a mistake to defend a higher-price strategy the way one publisher has done by saying “our ebooks cannot stand the low, mass market pricing some consumers think should be applied to every ebook.”
Preliminary research on this new market suggests that affordability is a powerful motivator behind ebook purchases: readers buy more books for less money.
Unlike many consumer technologies, older generations have been one of the largest early-adopters of ebooks. However, the market is rapidly changing. The measured intent-to-purchase consumer demographic is getting younger.
Seth Godin, best-selling author of a dozen books on marketing and ideas, recently announced he will no longer be publishing in, as he calls it, “a traditional way.” In its place: The Domino Project, which he promises “will redefine both what it means to be a publisher and what we think of as a book.” Watch this guy.
Pew Research reports that nearly two-thirds of consumers online (65%) have paid to download or access some kind of content. Music and games combined own the lion’s share of the consumer’s dollar online (66%), and eBooks claim 10%.
Although I can’t attend, the speakers’ list at Digital Book World Conference 2011 suggests this will be a great event. Looking forward to hearing what people have to say about it.
It takes far less time to write, edit, package and ship an ebook to market compared to what was entailed with conventional publishing 10 years ago. Maybe ebooks will mark the rebirth of serialized books: not just for novels but for non-fiction, too.
[Update] Post-Christmas 2010 sales data is starting to roll in. Wow! Of the top 50 in USA Today’s Best-Selling Books, published January 6, 2011, 19 had higher ebook than print sales. That’s the first time that more than two ebook titles have outsold their counterparts in print.
Although I find I am still pinching myself in disbelief, 2011 marks ten years since I first founded thinkit creative and took a bold step into this business as a writer, speaker and marketer. It’s been the best decade of my life so far and I’m really looking forward to what’s in store for the next ten years working with clients, friends and colleagues.
To mark this occasion, I’m sharing with you this list of things I’ve learned along the way…
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You do have to be a little crazy to start a business.
The thing that keeps people from taking a risk in life is the same thing that fuels those who do take that risk: fear.
Fear is fire. Use it right and you can stay warm, eat well and find your way in the dark. Just manage it with great care.
If you’re not doing at least one thing that scares you once in a while, you’re not trying anywhere near hard enough.
You’ll be amazed at how generous people are in sharing with you what they know. All you have to do is ask.
It takes a long time to be great at what you do. More than just putting in the hours, you must practice your craft.
Only do what you like to do and what you are good at doing. For everything else, find someone else to do the job.
It’s not hard to spend too much time working, but you can’t ever spend too much time with your family.
Even when you’re new, it’s surprising how many people you know.
Use fewer words.
My best ideas come to me when I’m doing something other than work. This is why it’s important to have a hobby.
There’s a big difference between work and a job. Work is hard, but it’s also that way because you care a lot about it. A job is just a place you have to go to do something you have to do.
The fundamentals that go into making a business successful are time-honoured and time-intensive. Don’t be fooled by anyone who promises you a fast-track to fortune.
Build a great product or service, think always about how you can make things better for your customers, and put in the hours. Do these things and you’ll weather any economy.
Some people are just difficult. No matter what you do, they’ll just keep pushing the bar further. They’re not interested in anything other than making demands of others. Stop wasting your time on people like that.
Analogous to what Louis Armstrong once said about music, there’s only two kinds of writing: good and bad.
People often say you need to write every day to be a successful writer. I disagree. What you do need to exercise daily is your own sense of good taste.
Memories are faulty. Get it in writing.
Time is money, but don’t be stingy. It’s good to be helpful. It costs very little and the difference it can make can be substantial.
Always remember birthdays.
Networking is the oxygen of your business. Learn to do it so that it’s like an involuntary muscle that flexes on its own.
Good people with a positive outlook aren’t all that hard to find. Surround yourself with them.
There will be bad times. No matter how hard you work or how hard you plan.
Be practical.
No matter how deserving you might think you are of success as a direct result of how hard you work, be humble and acknowledge the role that luck has played in getting you where you are and in giving you what you have.
Forgive people personally, but don’t ever forget dishonesty in business.
No matter who is paying, your client is the reader, listener or audience.
Give an audience only as much as they need to understand what you have to say. Leave room for them to see themselves in your idea.
Keep a box of thank you cards on your desk at all times.
It’s not about the money.
Writing is a lonely job, but as Margaret Atwood reminds, “nobody is making you do this.”
You can learn almost everything you need to know about how to be successful in business and in sales by studying the habits of a great restaurant and a professional server.
If all you do is spend time listening to those who call themselves thought leaders, you’ll be nothing but a follower.
Don’t go cheap on things that have your name and phone number on them…business cards in particular.
Hire a great accountant.
Know a mean lawyer.
Don’t waste time with difficult people.
A cheap office chair might save you a few bucks, but it won’t save your back from misery.
No matter who you are, there’s always someone else out there who is smarter than you who can build a better product. So be good to people, always.
If you’re not worrying about looking after the little things, big things will get you.
Almost anyone can talk about how complicated something is. But only a few can teach how simple it can be.
If what you do matters to you, communicate with passion. Otherwise, what’s the point?
If you’re satisfying everyone, you’re not doing it right.
Don’t use so many semi-colons. Like Kurt Vonnegut once said, “all they do is show you’ve been to college.”
You can’t teach someone how to write. That’s a hustle. However, you can always learn how to be a better writer.
Be choosy about metrics. Just because you can measure something doesn’t mean it’s relevant.
Know the difference behind the motivations of someone who wants you to work for spec and someone who asks you for your professional advice.
If you haven’t heard from a client in a while, call and ask why.
Get over yourself. Others think about you far less than you realize.
Give a damn when no else is looking. Especially then.
Worrying about things is just something that business owners do. Accept that, and don’t let it consume you.
The more you listen and ask questions, the more you will be valued as someone who is great to talk to.
You only own the first draft. After that, it becomes a team effort. So put everything you can into that draft.
There’s something to be said about just showing up. I’ve found a lot of new business just by being somewhere at the right time and being approachable.
The things you worry about the most are the things that tend to be the least likely to come true. It’s the unexpected that jumps up and bites you the hardest.
It will piss you off how often you have to learn from your mistakes.
Don’t swear unless you really, really need to.
Be curious.
Spend far less time talking about you. Show how you can help others.
Exercise often.
Have goals, but don’t be one of those people who sticks rigidly to a five-year or ten-year plan. You’ll be amazed by how much there is to be gained by just letting things happen.
Don’t spend too much time alone, no matter how solitary you think your work is supposed to be.
If it’s a business tool that makes money for your or is mission-critical to your operation, buy the best.
Free comes with a price.
Even writers and editors have an editor. And you can’t pay a great one enough for what they can do for you.
Be generous with everyone. Make an extra effort for those who don’t have the resources or opportunities that you have had.
Always speak well of others. Even about those who have done you wrong.
Even if you live in a sprawling metropolis, everywhere is a small town when it comes to your personal reputation and that of your business.
You are what you post.
If your client is fun to work with, pays on time and values your advice, no job is too small or favour too great.
To launch a business and make it grow year after year is a bit like losing weight and keeping it off: there’s no magic pill that’s going to make it happen, but there are always plenty who will try to sell you otherwise.
When you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work, but it’s still hard. The difference is that you don’t care how hard it is. You just want to do something great that you can be proud of.
Everyone underestimates how much luck there is in a recipe for success.
You know you love what you do when you willingly give up a lot to protect it.
In the service industry and in any economy, good people are always in demand.
Ten years goes by really quickly when you do what you love.
I’ve long been fond of George Harrison’s “While my Guitar Gently Weeps,” and not just because it’s one of the best Beatle songs on an incredible album loaded with creative dichotomies.
It also has a great story about how it came to be.
Fresh from a trip to India, Harrison was keen to incorporate Eastern philosophy into his work. This included committing to the idea that things can happen for a reason” if you let them. Harrison decided to test this by promising himself that he’d write a song based on the first words he read when opening a book chosen at random.
From a book in his mother’s library he read “gently weeps” and interesting things happened. The outcome was a timeless song. This example teaches that inspiration can be anywhere…and that it’s often found when and where you’d least expect it.
But you need to open yourself up to new experiences to make this happen.
Here are 21 things you can do—and think of each one as a place you can go—to add fuel to your own creative fire and find new inspiration, no matter what kind of work you do”
Read about something you don’t know much (or anything) about. There’s no fiercer potential to untap than that of a beginner’s mind.
Listen more. Talk less.
Do something other than sit at your desk.
Spend time with people outside of your usual social circle.
Read Metafilter and its companion AskMetafilter. Don’t skip the comments.
Do something that scares you.
Play guitar. Or the kazoo. Or the bongos. Anything musical.
Exercise.
Learn how to bake bread.
Visit an art gallery.
Teach what you know: it will teach you what you *don’t* know.
Look for examples rather than explanations to illustrate an idea.
Listen to your music in random shuffle mode.
Read more poetry. Write some, too.
Strike up a conversation with a stranger.
Meet more people more often.
Have a nap.
Draw. Even if you don’t think you’re much of an artist.
Turn off the radio, close your book, switch your phone to vibrate, shut off your computer, and spend a little time in the company of your own thoughts. It doesn’t have to be meditation, it just has to be quiet time for your mind.
Take a position on an issue that is entirely opposite to your personal beliefs and defend it.
Stop relying obsessively on to-do lists and just do something impulsive.
(Photo: Rebelbutterfly)
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