RickyCadden.com

Boingo Knows Good PR

// May 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // cool, marketing

A few weeks ago, the Sling Player for iPhone was released through the App Store, though unfortunately users quickly discovered that it was barred from using the 3G cellular connection – only WiFi. Obvious iPhone-bashing opportunity aside (I used Sling on my unbranded phones over 3G with zero issues), that just plain sucks for iPhone users. So what does Boingo have to do with it?

Their PR folks took a bad situation and turned it into an awesome PR opportunity by offering iPhone owners one free month of their unlimited smartphone WiFi plan – a $7.95 value. Yes, I’m aware that Boingo already offered a free month, but they went to the effort to publicise this for iPhone/Slingbox owners.

AT&T already offers iPhone owners free WiFi on their WiFi Hotspot network, but Boingo adds a whole slough of connection options. I’ve used Boingo several times when traveling, and would highly recommend it if you’re a frequent traveler, specifically through airports. It’s a great feeling to be able to turn your laptop on and see that friendly ‘A Boingo Network is Available’ box pop up and know you’re connected.

If you’re an iPhone/Slingbox owner, you can get the hookup here . If you’re not, but are interested in checking out Boingo, you can of course use the same link. Props to Boingo for making themselves relevant as problem solvers for an otherwise unrelated problem.

5 Ways To Use Twitter To Increase Traffic

// May 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // marketing, Social Networks

Twitter is a powerful tool, but you can waste quite a bit of time there, as well. I’ve been using Twitter to drive traffic to Symbian-Guru.com for several months now, and thought I would share a few of the things that are working well. It’s important to note that simply having a large number of followers does not guarantee your brand will be successful on Twitter. You have to use the tool properly if you want to be able to get a solid return on the investment of time and resources.

Below are five tips that have helped increase traffic from Twitter to Symbian-Guru.com:

1. Build your profile. Just like your site’s homepage is where you make a first impression, your Twitter profile is often a deciding factor when someone is considering clicking on that ‘Follow’ button. Fill it out completely.

2. Feed your blog. There are a number of tools to automate this, but it’s helpful to have your site’s RSS feed coming into your Twitter feed. Readers can more easily get to your site that way, and good posts often get retweeted by your readers, which means more potential visitors.

3. ENGAGE. Set aside a bit of time every day to interact with people on Twitter. Do a few keyword searches, and find people who are asking questions that you can answer. Helping others is one of the best ways to build respect and authority in your field, and will increase the likelihood that they will visit your site to see what else you know.

4. Retweet others in your niche. This is similar to linking to them from your blog – it builds your rapport, and increases the likelihood that they’ll return the favor eventually.

5. Help your readers use Twitter. If you’re on Twitter, that likely means that you think your readers are, too. Regardless of your niche, do a few posts on how they can better use Twitter. If you blog about mobile, show how to use Twitter on their mobiles. If you blog about quilting circles, share how Twitter can help organize the next meet, or get answers to tricky quilting questions. If your readers aren’t using Twitter, then why are you?

While this is clearly not a complete guide, it should get you started. Using these tips and more, traffic from Twitter.com to Symbian-Guru.com has grown 27% over the past 30 days, and ranks in the top 10 sources of traffic for the site. Social media tools such as Twitter can be extremely valuable, if you know how to use them properly. They can also easily be abused, alienating your current or potential customers.

Ricky Cadden is available to help you use Social Media tools such as Twitter to grow your brand by authentically engaging with your current and potential customers as the experience your brand. You can read more about Ricky’s skills here, or contact him at Ricky(at)RickyCadden(dot)com.

Microsoft Going With Simple Advertising

// May 12th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // marketing

Let’s face it – Microsoft is not exactly known for great advertising campaigns, specifically when it comes to consumer electronics such as its Zune MP3 player and music store. For several reasons, the iPod has dominated the MP3 market, mainly due to its tight integration with iTunes, and that application’s robust feature set. However, the iPod/iTunes habit is an expensive one, without question, and Microsoft is finally taking advantage of the current economic environment to remind consumers that being an Apple fan is expensive.

Take this latest ad, comparing the Zune and Zune Pass to the latest iPod. Both the 120GB iPod Classic and the 120GB Zune MP3 players are priced at ~$230 on Amazon, currently. The Zune has TONS more features, but we’ll ignore that, for now. In the ad, Microsoft points out – correctly – that in order to load that 120GB iPod Classic up with a full 30,000 songs, it would cost…well…$30,000. Alternatively, the ZunePass is a subscription service that gives you unlimited downloads each month.

Yes, there are several caveats to the ZunePass – DRM-protected, limited device support, etc. However, you could easily argue that most people with an MP3 player are listening to their songs in one of 2 places – on that MP3 player, or on their computer. For a large majority of people purchasing either a 120GB iPod Classic or a 120GB Zune, this comparison is tough to argue with.

I like this ad because it’s loud, but not annoyingly so, and because it’s simple. It doesn’t take much to see the sense in the argument, and there’s a really simple call to action – go check out the Zune. Easy as that. There’s no question left in the viewer’s head as to who the advertiser is or what the promised benefit is. The only real question in my mind is why Microsoft hasn’t released a Zune app for Windows Mobile that allows you to play ZunePass content on your smartphone. What do you think?

I’m Currently Seeking Opportunities

// May 5th, 2009 // 6 Comments » // marketing

I’m currently seeking opportunities. After nearly 5 years of advertising, sales, online marketing, blogging, and social media, mainly for myself, I’ve realized that it’s high time I share my wealth of knowledge and experience with other companies. I know for a fact that I need to be in either a mobile- or internet-related position. Regardless of my personal passions, I’m firmly convinced that these industries are the way forward, and that these venues provide some fascinating possibilities to the companies that can appropriately and effectively harness the power that lies therein. I have been an avid mobile web user since WAP v1.0, and firmly believe that people who don’t see the value of mobile internet access simply haven’t been shown the appropriate reason yet.

So, what can I do? I’ve gained quite a good working knowledge of WordPress, vBulletin, and various aspects that surround setting up and managing an online community, and have done quite well with Symbian-Guru.com, boosting it into one of the top 5 resources within the Symbian community.

I’ve also been working to improve my existing skills with various ways to use Twitter and other social media tools to build and maintain a brand. This pairs nicely with my B.B.A. in Marketing and Management from Abilene Christian University. I spent 2 years at Time Warner Cable Media Sales, learning and gaining valuable experience in how major companies can use (and misuse) cable television to communicate with customers, and realized then that cable advertising misses one of the key factors of success in marketing – being able to actually *interact* with consumers, rather than just yell at them louder than the previous advertisement they encountered.

I believe I would do exceptionally well at building and maintaining a brand’s online reputation, by using my marketing expertise and social media know-how to build relationships with current and potential customers through geniune interaction. I would also do a fantastic job consulting with companies who may already have a community manager, but need to know where to go from there. I’ve built or helped build several blogs, and would love to help companies do the same – using my best practices to quickly get things up and running, and help to make ‘blogging’ an easy thing to understand. Along these lines, I would also like to share my knowledge and skills surrounding social media, and how to effectively use tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and others, without breaking your budget.

If you or someone you know is looking for assistance in these areas, please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email (Ricky(a)RickyCadden.com). You can find out more about me here, as well, including my full resume.

Leaking Your Own Products

// January 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // blogging, cool, marketing

In case you’re not keeping up with technology news, Microsoft sent out the latest beta of its new Windows 7 operating system last week, and it ‘somehow’ ended up on the torrents, for anyone to download and install on their machine. I have it installed on 2 of my laptops, my old Gateway MX6956 and my Fujitsu P1610 (dual-booting with XP). Simply put, it’s phenomenal. However, that’s not the reason for this post.

There’s been alot of speculation as to whether or not Microsoft itself put the Windows 7 Beta on the various torrent sites, which are normally a haven for media pirates and ‘cracked’ software. No one really knows for sure, and it’s not likely we will. However, it’s an interesting discussion, specifically due to the conversation about leaks happening in the mobile industry, where most of my writing occurs.

In 2008, Nokia battled product leaks with a vengeance. Despite its attempts, all but one of the 13 S60-powered smartphones that Nokia announced in 2008 were leaked. In the case of the E71, there were full video reviews on the internet MONTHS before the phone was actually announced. The 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia’s first S60-powered touchscreen smartphone, was technically leaked by the company, thanks to its cameo in The Dark Knight, this summer’s hottest film. Many bloggers have pondered whether Nokia seeded any of the unofficial leaks, such as the E71 (I would bet money that they didn’t).

Either way, the question isn’t really ‘are’ leaks good, but rather, *can* they be good? The answer to that, of course, is a resounding YES. In the public’s eye, leaks are exciting – they have the allure of the forbidden fruit, so to speak. With the Windows 7 situation, Microsoft is well positioned to gain from people loading up unauthorized copies – it’s a solid piece of code. On my Fujitsu P1610, which only has a Core Solo 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, it boots and runs several seconds faster than even Windows XP, which is regarded currently as the best Windows OS on the market.

They’ve also improved the install/setup process dramatically. On my Gateway laptop, it was roughly 45 minutes from when I clicked the big ‘Install Now’ button to when I had popped in a DVD to settle in with a movie with Mrs. Guru. That’s nearly unheard of for ANY operating system, much less Windows.

What do you think? Can companies use leaks like Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 to their advantage, or is all a lost cause? Even Nokia, I’ve noticed, is getting less flustered over leaks, and taking the proper stance of accepting the challenge of announcing an unleaked product. At Nokia World 2008 in December, the company proudly boasted that neither Engadget nor Gizmodo (two of the largest gadget blogs, known for running leaks) had leaked the N97, and even joked about it slightly.

A Guarantee Of What?

// December 29th, 2008 // No Comments » // marketing, stupid

Guranteed?

I’m not sure if you can read the sign on the back of this bus, but it says, ‘Exam within 15 minutes of your appointment, Guranteed.’ It’s for a Diagnostic Imaging office, promising prompt service. What struck me as odd is that there’s no explanation of what happens if you *don’t* get your exam within 15 minutes. Do you get it free? What if your insurance was covering it, anyways? You get a lollipop? Perhaps a free surgery?

What is a ‘guarantee’ worth, if there’s nothing offered in case it’s broken? While this is a great marketing idea, it really offers very little value to consumers. It’s also slightly misleading, similar to the car dealerships who promise that they will not turn you down, regardless of your credit. Sure, they won’t turn you down, but don’t expect a realistic interest rate, either, especially if you have the type of credit those ads typically attract.

So then, what is the purpose of a guarantee that’s not backed by something?

Marketing Waste

// November 29th, 2008 // No Comments » // annoying, marketing

As a blogger, I interact with PR folks and Marketing agents pretty often. Whether it’s through emailed press releases, embargoed information, or actual review units of products, I’m usually talking to at least 4-5 different people each week. What constantly amazes me is how spot-on some companies are with communications, and how so many others fail miserably at getting my attention towards their clients.

The biggest waste that I see from PR folks and Marketing agencies is in pure time. The time spent to send out an email PR is admittedly small. However, the time that I spend reading it, along with the various networks that it passes through, quickly becomes significant. If I choose to respond, for whatever reason, the cost rises again, and so on. As such, I’m constantly amazed at how many completely irrelevant releases I get each week, a number that is actually growing.

It’s not hard to figure out what I’m likely to be interested in. My site is SYMBIAN-Guru.com. My email is ‘Guru@Symbian-Guru.com’. A quick glance at my website gives it away first thing, ‘Everything you need to know about Symbian/S60, straight from the Guru.’ From that, somehow, there are at least a half dozen PR people who somehow think I’d be interested in their release of an iPhone or Windows Mobile application. Baffling. How much time would have been saved (and face) had they done even 5 minutes of research to see that I could care less about their iPhone app?

Past that, let’s touch on product reviews. If you send me something, and you expect it back, either say so, or include a return shipping label. If you don’t either specifically mention that, or include a return label, I’m likely to assume that you don’t need it back, and I’m probably going to give it to a friend or family member. If that upsets you, then you’re daft. It’s free publicity directly to a disconnected person (in most cases).

Also, if you send me something to review, assume that I’m interested in your company. While this should be obvious, it’s incredible how many companies just send out the product, with no documentation or anything. If that’s you, here’s what you need to do: write a stock letter, thanking me for my time, and giving me ~1 paragraph about the product or company. Give me some history on how it came about, or what features you’re most proud of, etc. Also, include a direct contact, even if it’s just email. Leaving me to go google for your company, only to find a ‘support@companyname.com’ email, is lame.

I really do love being contacted by PR folks and marketing people. They make my job easier because it’s less hunting that I have to do to find content. Also note – Don’t ever ask me to speak positively about your company/product. Ever. I’ll be honest in whatever I say, and my personal rule is that if something sucks, I’ll tell you why, and I’ll usually offer a suggestion to make it not suck.

Sacrifice For The Relationship

// November 14th, 2008 // No Comments » // annoying, marketing, Mobile, stupid

I’m an S60 fanboy, and I don’t have a problem admitting it. I’m rather proud of it, really. To be fair, I’ve used every other smartphone operating system on the market, save for Android. I’ve used a Palm, several Windows Mobile, and even a BlackBerry and the iPhone (which isn’t really a smartphone, imo, but that’s another can of worms). Think about those other operating systems, though. Picture them in your head……think about whatever experience you’ve had with one of them.

Now, save that and study the image in your head. Chances are, there’s a distinct image. With WinMo, it’s likely that little flag thingy, and if it’s a Palm, you’re likely seeing a big orange circle. Android brings that cute little robot/alien thing to mind, and the iPhone looks like…well….an iPhone.

So what about S60? What is there that’s ‘familiar’ about S60, that you can bring to your mind when you think about it? Not much, is the truth, specifically if you’re in the U.S. Is that cause there’s no S60 on the market (read = offered through a carrier) here? Probably. However, the last few S60-powered phones to hit AT&T, you probably wouldn’t realize they ran S60 anyways.

Nokia/S60 has a problem with AT&T, and have been succumbing to the carrier for a few years now. I’ve owned the E62, N75, and now the 6650, the last three S60-powered cell phones offered through AT&T. What’s annoying and frustrating to me is that these phones don’t really resemble my unbranded S60-powered smartphones much, visually.

For instance, on the 6650, the Nokia Download! app is nowhere to be found – it’s been removed completely, along with the convenient Switch application that makes it easy to swap between phones. Not only that, but most of the icons in the menu have been changed, and there’s no option to change them back. This 6650 has no less than 10 applications preinstalled that I, as the user, cannot uninstall.

One feature that I rather like about S60 is the ability to reorganize the main menu as I see fit. I have a very specific layout that I like to use, to keep things in the same place on all my phones. Unfortunately, AT&T coerced Nokia into allowing them to hardwire certain applications not only to the main menu, but in the exact position on the main menu.

How frustrating! And how is S60 supposed to grow its market share in the U.S. if it keeps allowing others to overtake it, and coerce it to do things that it’s not designed to do, such as limit the user? How is S60, and soon, Nokia, supposed to build recognition and brand loyalty if they don’t stand their ground on the very features that make them stand out?

Am I the only one that sees a major identity crisis here, with S60?

I’m Drinking Coffee 2.0

// November 13th, 2008 // 2 Comments » // cool, marketing

Yeah, you read that correctly. You may remember a while back, I posted on here about a cool marketing thing that Joffrey’s was doing, engaging bloggers (as we usually drink far too much coffee) about what flavors and types of coffee we like the best. I first got a sample of their Jamaican Me Crazy coffee, and then got a sample of their new Coffee 2.0, which I gave to Mrs. Guru to brew this morning.

I’ve been drinking Folger’s since I can remember, and I love it. I typically go through a pot a day (I know, I know, but still), and so getting me to change is quite the task. I can’t say officially that I’ve completely switched to Joffrey’s Coffee 2.0, but I *can* legitimately say that it’s freakin GOOD. Very smooth, with a natural taste and strong aroma. I’m a huge fan, that’s for sure.

If you’ve been looking to try out a new coffee, I’d highly recommend you check out Joffrrey’s. I don’t know if you can get it in any stores (I’ve certainly not seen it), but you can order it online here. A 1lb bag is $11.95, which isn’t too pricey, really.

Grab a bag and let me know what you think. With in-store coffee prices rising, I’ve long been tempted to just get setup with an online delivery service, anyways. Do you currently order your coffee online?

Sprint Pushes 2D Barcodes Along

// November 12th, 2008 // No Comments » // cool, marketing

I’ve had a 2D barcode reader pre-installed on my unbranded Nokia phones for a while now, and it’s incredibly useful. There’s even a FireFox plugin that lets you highlight any text or link and instantly create a 2D barcode for it. This is great for downloading something with your phone without having to download it to your computer first.

I have a 2D barcode on the back of my business card, and there tons of various marketing campaigns (such as this one from Ralph Lauren) that uses them. As even further proof that these little codes are really handy, Sprint, the third largest carrier in the United States (and seemingly, the one who’s usually up for experimenting with new things) has created an application called ScanLife for its customers that works on over 30 of its currently-offered phones.

ScanLife is a free application and it uses your phone’s camera to scan 2D barcodes and then translate them into whatever information they contain. It’s really brilliant, and there are a handful of other java-based applications that you can use, as well. Basically, any phone on the market today with a camera and a web browser should be able to use these.

I’m glad to see 2D barcodes getting a bit more recognition, for sure.