2 Percent Creativity

Well, first we were humbled by the response from friends and associates to our launch email for our mothership, ChirpMill, however yesterday was even more humbling. The good folks at Campaign Monitor, the web-based email and newsletter campaign application we use to send and manage all of our email campaigns, chose to profile our launch email in their gallery. Here’s what they had to say…

When a group of experienced designers form a new company, expectations are set high. ChirpMill have come up with the design goods in their first newsletter. They have used an uncommon color combination, but it really works to set the design apart.

This is only a simple introductory announcement, but it quickly shows the style and brand of the new company. We look forward to seeing more from the Mill in the future.

For those of you who are looking for ways to better communicate with your customers, to keep in touch and to offer news, updates and information, well designed email and newsletter campaigns go a long way to building loyalty and a sense of community.

Check out the gallery for yourself and see some more great examples of email and newsletter campaigns.

Well, I have been trying very hard to avoid the plethora of widgets that many bloggers are adding to their sites, but this new link preview app called Snap Preview Anywhere by Idealab, is just awesome. Here’s how they describe their product…

What is Snap Preview Anywhere? Snap Preview Anywhere enables anyone visiting your site to get a glimpse of what other sites you’re linking to, without having to leave your site. By rolling over any link, the user gets a visual preview of the site without having to go there, thus eliminating wasted “trips” to linked sites.

So, check it out for yourself and see if your website visitors wouldn’t appreciate this tool on your links. Hover your mouse over any of the links on this page and watch the preview come up.

Blogger B.L. Ochman points us to one example of how some companies are using host avatars to enhance the customer experience on their websites. The Visa/MSN example she points us to uses javascript and flash to create a very compelling if sometimes slow experience.

Another example that we have liked for some time is a credit union (bank) in the Vancouver, BC Canada area—Coast Capital Savings. Be sure and check out this very simple use of flash and a woman avatar named Julie. As you view her, be patient and wait for her to go on to a few chores as she waits for you to decide what you want to do.

Now for the real fun.

First, in the ‘or other products’ question box, type in ‘mortgage’ and watch her response. She will play a game with you to encourage you to ask her for more information.

Secondly, here’s a real hoot. In the same question box type in ‘wanna go on a date’. Wait for her response
The use of real people or actors on corporate websites is a great way to create a remarkable and memorable experience, especially if the experience involves useful information.

The next stop on our trip is the last of the highlights, and what a highlight it was. Imagine our surprise. We were heading to the Alberta town of Drumheller to visit the world famous dinosaur museum. We had also heard about a small town just southwest of Drumheller, that would be a great place to stay for the night. We were fortunate to get the last room in the Rosebud Country Inn when we had called just two days earlier.

As we travelled east from Calgary to our destination, we saw nothing but flat, yellow wheat fields, after at least 45 minutes of driving. The prospects for an exciting night in Rosebud seemed unlikely.

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This summer, my wife, our youngest son and myself, travelled through the beautiful Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Before leaving on our vacation, we had searched out places to stay on the Internet. Bed and Breakfasts and Country Inns were our primary choice, as we wanted to do some research into our next online venture. What a trip it was. The next few posts are focused on three highlights of our trip—three outstanding examples of why staying at a B&B or an Inn, are always better choices than the hotel/motel alternatives.

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I have been following a company based in Chicago that, in the Web 2.0 community, have already become defacto authorities. Their following is astounding. 37 Signals began with four guys from all around the globe who decided to build a web app because they needed it for their own development and client work. They employed a very simple philosophy that is fully articulated in their new eBook ‘Getting Real’. Today, they have a suite of web apps that are redefining how to get things done. I am one of their biggest fans and a dedicated user of their web apps.

So, how’s their new book doing? Here’s a quote from their blog from today.

How’s the book doing so far? Since we launched it yesterday, we’ve sold over 1,750 copies. That’s exciting. These numbers demolish the sales pace of our first book, Defensive Design for the Web, which was released through the traditional publisher/bookstore model. DIY publishing: There’s a new sheriff in town.

At $19.95 per PDF copy (on average - they have a multiple copy version for $49.95), that’s over $35,000.00 in a week. I love it!

Getting Real book update: new version, sales, feedback, contributors, etc. - Signal vs. Noise (by 37signals).

Will it work? Will there be buzz? We will see. A team of very respected marketing, advertising and blog evangelists have teamed up to create a tremendous treasure hunt for Budget Car Rentals called, Up Your Budget. The details on the creation can be found at B. L. Ochman’s blog and is worth the read. We are certainly going to follow this project as it must rate as a 2% approach to corporate blogging and so far, from what we have seen, the blog looks like fun and the concept is solid.

Tom Asacker has a new look for his weblog (looks great Tom) and a recent post on a famous Drucker quote, “the aim of marketing is to make selling superflous.” Tom goes on to ask,

“Have you ever been approached by a Google rep? An iPod salesperson. Someone from IKEA, Ebay, JetBlue or Target? Me either. And that’s how you can tell that their marketplace offering is truly unique.”

What a great thought. The question for real estate professionals or anyone marketing their services is, how does this translate to you and your online marketing? Does your marketing attempt to “sell” or could it be a starting point in a relationship? Something to think about for sure.

Link: acleareye.com: Peter Drucker on marketing.

To be sure, there is another tipping point about to occur on the WWW. We are going from the information age to the recommendation age in the blink of blog. What was once all the information that you could ever want, to too much information and no way to find the nugget that I really want—when I want it.

To say that Seth might have something here with his new project Squidoo, is a little like saying there might have been something there when you first saw the Louvre in your 1995 Netscape browser. Download his latest FREE ebook, ‘Everyone’s an Expert’ NOW. Read it and understand it as soon as you can. Don’t walk, run.

Glenn

Link: Seth’s Blog: The next free ebook (Squidoo!).

If you are someone who buys the notion that the blogging bubble must burst, examples like today’s misquoting faux-paux by Stephen Baker, the resulting rant of injustice (justifiable I will add), by blogging evangelist B.L. Ochman and the surprise, surprise correction by Mr. Baker (way to go big guy), well, you just have to believe that there is something truly powerful going on here.

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