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Spider Simulator
2006-12-02 15:57:02
Here's a neat tool that I ran across which can be used as "quickie" evaluator of the "searchability" of pages on your website. It works by mimicking the search engine spiders that are constantly out on the Web, evaluating and indexing Web pages for inclusion in search results. The tool is provided by Summit Media out of the UK, and it's free for all to use.To use Summit Media's tool, you simply enter the name your company and the web page URL you'd like it to evaluate. It quickly returns a basic analysis of your page, with respect to important attributes that the spiders are looking for. If you want your pages to move up in the rankings, potentially driving considerable more traffic to your site, this is a great place to start.I've found it to be a really handly little part of my SEO toolbox. For the heavy lifting I use a dedicated SEO software package, WebPosition. But for an easy, free, fast check of of a web page or two, you can't go wrong with Spider Simulator .Click on ...
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Online Journal for Internet Marketing Program Test...
2006-12-02 15:57:02
It's time to fill you in on another great Internet Market ing Resource that I have encountered. This one is called Marketing Experiments. MarketingExperiments.Com is a member of the MEC Labs Group and a division of Digital Trust Inc. MEC is an online laboratory with a simple (but not easy) five-word mission statement: To discover what really works. The Lab tests every conceivable marketing method on the Internet. The research is done by MarketingExperiments.com and funded by their Research Partners. A portion of the results are published in the Marketing Experiments Journal .Internet Marketing lends itself to much more objectivity than most offline methods due the ability to gather data quickly and quite competely. However even online, everytime you start a new campaign, you're essentially beginning from scratch and likely to waste effort and money prior to either getting it right or abandoning the effort. The great thing about the Marketing Experiments Journal is that they are cont...

Keyword Discovery Site
2006-12-02 15:57:02
I've run across yet another great free resource for marketing on the web. This site is focused on Search Engine Marketing (SEM). It's specifically targeted at finding niche keywords to use in the search engine optimization (SEO) of your website, as well as keywords to use in your CPC advertising campaigns.What's unique about this site is that it combines a number of important web-based resources for finding good keywords into one, easy-to-use interface. Simply go to this site, sign up for a free account, and you are then able to drop into one "basket" all keywords that you've found, using a variety of different methods that NicheBot has aggregated into a single interface. I find it an extremely convenient and fast way to conduct keyword discovery.The interface contains six different tools, all accessible with a single click: Keyword Discovery , Word tracker, Overture, Thesarus, Keyword Analysis and Google Ranking. NicheBot does a great job of providing you with key information. T...
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Free Conference Calls
2006-12-02 15:57:02
Let's talk once again about some great free sites, which help you run your business like a Fortune 500 company--on the thin budget of a startup. Web 2.0 has risen to bring back a multitude of "free" web-based services, which were common before the "original" advertising-supported web companies nearly went extinct after the dot.com bubble burst in 2001. For early stage companies in particular, the return of this "no-fee" model can be a great thing. All you need is to do a bit of searching, and you can find many great services on the web to help you grow you business, efficiently and cost-effectively. I've found a couple of sites that will make you look like one of the giants of industry, to your partners and customers, in one important area.Formal conference calls have historically been the domain of big companies, but no more. Here are two sites that allow you to set up the ubiquitous ?dial-in? conference call, to simultaneously connect multiple parties in one call. Everyone gets ...
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Behavioral Marketing ? What's all the Fuss About?
2006-12-02 15:57:02
There's a "new" form of online marketing that's all the rage, and is getting a lot of press these days. Different people call it different things, including "Behavior al Targeting", but for the purposes of this discussion we'll call it "Behavioral Market ing ". The most interesting thing about this technique is that it real isn't new at all.Let's talk about what Behavioral Marketing is, and isn't. It's not any great new marketing theory or technique. It's really just another form of database or segmentation marketing. Marketers have been attempting to categorize and segment potential customers since the beginning of the free enterprise system. What 's really new and exciting about it is that it has couple age-old marketing techniques with web technology that enables the marketing segmentation to be applied more efficiently and accurately. As I stated in the headline, it's all the rage, being used by brick and mortar companies like Best Buy in store design, and pure web compani...
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Expense Controls for Early Stage Software and Tech...
2006-12-02 15:57:02
You've seen it too many times before--the free-spending startup company which burns through their funds like a cocaine addict on vacation in Columbia. It's ultimately a sad tale, with great potential often wasted, many jobs lost and multiple lives hurt. But it is sometimes hard to feel sorry for the management teams that put these companies in precarious positions with poor judgment and lack of self-control---they should know better, and end up getting what they deserve.4 WAYS THAT STARTUP COMPANIES SPEND THEMSELVES OUT OF BUSINESSSpend it almost as fast as it comes in, because the market is overheated. This was endemic during the Internet bubble years, when even formerly conservative VCs were imploring their portfolio companies to "spend money faster", and "get the eyeballs now, we'll figure out how to monetize them later". A lot of that was going on back then. Crazy, as we all look back at it now. A more common situation where money tends to get spent way too fast is when a sta...
More About: Software , Tech , War , Ware , Pens

Overture and its Bid Tool
2006-12-02 15:57:02
I wanted to tell you quickly about another very useful tool for Search Engine Marketing. It's the Over ture Bid Tool , which you can access from several different places. I've linked a site above that is accessible to anyone; if you are currently doing business with Overture, you can of course access it from within the Overture site.For those of you who don't know, Overture is the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) division of Yahoo. Overture was the pioneer in the PPC business, and was later purchased by Yahoo. It is now officially known as Yahoo Search Marketing, but many people still know it as Overture, so the brand has stuck around. It's a direct competitor to Google Adwords; although it was the pioneer, Overture's technology has fallen behind Google. Yahoo has a big new upgrade of the service which will be available soon (it was supposed to be released by now, but was delayed). It is supposed to help Yahoo get back in the game and catch up with Google in the PPC business--we shall see. Go...
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Favoritism in the High Tech Workplace
2006-12-01 14:43:02
I?m going to address a topic that isn?t often discussed formally by top management within a business, certainly not out in the open. It?s a major topic in HR circles, I?m sure. It?s also a major topic, in hushed tones, around the water cooler and during lunch among friends. But regardless of how little formal attention it gets, this is an important issue that exists in nearly every workplace, large and small. While it?s not something that gets addressed in management meetings or SEC filings, I?d venture to guess that it can have as much affect on a company as most ?high profile? management topics.The ProblemThe issue that I? m referring to is Work place Favoritism. If you?ve ever worked in an organization larger than two people, I suspect that you?ve seen it. Favoritism is part of human nature. No two people interact similarly to any other two, so it?s impossible for all workplace relationships to be ?equal?. It?s only natural to gravitate to people that you share common interests wi...
More About: High Tech , Tech , High

Technology Acceleration
2006-12-01 14:43:02
Technology is a GOOD THING. Well, most of the time it is.I?m sure you?ve seen articles bemoaning the NEGATIVE role that technology advancement has played in our lives. I have recently joined the ranks of those doing the bemoaning.Gadgets are GreatDon?t get me wrong?I?m a tech guy through and through. I?ve chosen to work in the technology industry for 20 years, and I love gadgets as much as the next guy. I?ve got TIVO, a laptop, a cell phone, Wi-Fi, all the standard Hi-Tech fare. I?m an email fanatic. With great anticipation I?m eyeing high end Home Theater equipment; just waiting for prices to drop a little more, and for standards to settle a bit. I love many of the things that technology does to enrich our personal lives, and I embrace the productivity improvements that it brings to doing business. And I believe that those who create new technologies and products ALMOST ALWAYS have good intentions, from a societal perspective.The Law of Unintended ConsequencesBut I also believe tha...
More About: Technology , Techno , Tech , Ology , Acceleration

Gates and Microsoft
2006-08-06 19:57:19
One of the big news items in the last couple of weeks was Bill Gate s announcing that he was leaving Micro soft . It wasn?t really an earth shattering announcement; he is intending to transition out of a direct operational role with the company over a two year period, and will remain Chairman of the Board after the transition. I?d like to congratulate Mr. Gates on his enormous accomplishments in the technology industry. I would also like to applaud his coming transition to devoting most of his remaining career (which is considerable, since he is on 50 years old), to philanthropic purposes via his foundation. If he is as successful in his charitable pursuits as he has been in industry, the world will likely be a much better place for it. Warren Buffet?s recent announcement that he is going to give away the bulk of his fortune through the Gates Foundation, is great endorsement to his promise in that field. I?d love to see him consider supporting my favorite charitable cause, Autism Res...
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High Tech Article Marketing on the Internet
2006-08-06 19:57:19
Many companies these days have a focus on Online Market ing , for pretty obvious reasons. The Internet has grabbed a hold of most markets, and is now the main source of information in most industries. In many it has also quickly becoming the actual center of revenue, via e-commerce activities on company websites and online retail sites. But like most marketing methods, competition quickly clogs up the available channels of reaching customers. This is especially true for the fast moving software and high tech markets that PJM Consulting addresses. Time to market and to the customer?s wallet is at a premium, when every company is attempting to establish themselves as the leader of an embryonic market. As a result, it?s getting harder all the time to reach the top of the organic search engine listings, and the cost of an Ad in PPC engines such as Google Adwords and Yahoo Overture continues to climb. Downloadable white papers work in B2B markets, if they are well targeted and written, bu...
More About: Article Marketing , High Tech

Maintaining and Editing your High Tech Blog
2006-08-06 19:57:19
Blogs have become important marketing tools for many companies these days. Of course, being in the forefront of technology means that software and tech companies are early adopters of business Blogs. Whether it?s for marketing purposes as an online newsletter, to obtain feedback from the customer base, to have dialogue with potential clients, or to simply add interesting content to your website thereby increasing its ?stickiness?, business Blogs are all the rage.It?s challenging enough to come up with the content to include in your Blog. What you don?t need is difficulty in implementing that content, quickly and easily, into your Blog. Unfortunately, some of the standard tools provided by the Blog software companies and services leave a bit to be desired. I use Blogger by Google as the infrastructure to my own Blog, Morettini on Management. I am generally happy with Blogger, as it has most of the features to meet my needs, and is generally stable. But one area where Blogger is weak...
More About: High Tech , Tech , Blog , Main , Your

Is Advertising the Future of Software Revenue?
2006-08-06 19:57:19
There is a strong movement toward Internet-based software applications. Of this, there is little doubt. I have written on the SaaS trend in the past, and believe it is real. But sometimes market trends such as the move toward SaaS are overstated, both in terms of the speed of change, and also how much change the trend will ultimately affect a market. We have a word for this overstatement of a trend: ?hype?. So, is traditional software revenue model of licensing dead? Will all software eventually be ?given away? to the end user, and supported solely by advertising revenue?If you believe many of the pundits in the computer trade press, the answer is a resounding ?yes?.What do I believe? It?s a bunch of hooey. I?ve got a few gray hairs, and have been in the technology business for a while. In technology, this type of hype is neither unusual nor infrequent. For background purposes, let?s backtrack a bit, to few recent, major ?trends?, which were heralded as the ?next big thing? by the m...
More About: Software , Advertising , Future , War , Ware

A Special Appeal
2006-08-06 19:57:19
To all the loyal readers of the Morettini on <High Tech> Management:I rarely diverge from High Tech Management topics in this Blog. The following note is about a very important cause to me, and to society at large.I am participating in the upcoming San Diego Walk for Autism fundraiser, a charity event near to my heart. The Walk for Autism Research is the signature fundraising event of Autism Speaks/NAAR, one of the prominent parent-founded charities which funds Autism Research. I am asking for your generosity and seeking donations as part of my participation in the Walk--all donations going to Autism Research. You can find more information on the event at the San Diego NAAR/Autism Speaks-Walk for Autism website.The most important reason to contribute to Autism Research is the suffering of the children affected by this hideous disease, along with the difficulties it presents to their families. More than 50 years after it was first described, Autism remains a mystery, and is aff...
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Software and Technology Customer Service
2006-08-06 19:57:19
An under-rated competency, which should be considered more important to software and technology companies, is customer service. I guess that?s only natural; tech companies are very focused on gaining strategic advantage via technological advances and product differentiation. Once the product is in good shape, companies shift there focus, and become hell bent on marketing and sales activities to attract new customers. But what about taking care of existing customers?  And how about the operational details of what happens when someone?be it a prospect, new customer or existing customer?contacts the company for assistance? I find these are areas that software and tech companies aren?t ?naturally good at?. It?s not part of the DNA of most tech companies. Very seldom will you see a founder or CEO who came up on the support, or customer service side of the tech business.Because of this, customer support is quite often an afterthought, a detail that senior management never seems ...
More About: Software , Technology , Techno , Customer Service , Tech

Technology Sales & Marketing-Is a direct or indirect approac
2006-08-06 19:57:19
A question that often arises when my consulting practice engages with early stage companies is ?How should we sell our product? Should we build a sales force, or sell through distributors, dealers or OEM partners?? The answer, like most topics discussed in this forum, is rarely as simple or straightforward as the question itself. It depends?on a lot of different factors. First of all, if direct, does that mean building an expensive direct sales force, or a marketing driven model with direct sales from a website? If indirect, does it mean distribution through 11,000 mass retailers, or a select few, highly specialized, technical Systems Integrators? There are so many different options within the direct vs. indirect argument. I will tell you upfront that I have a bias toward using multiple channels?direct and indirect?if at all possible. It?s always been my opinion that this is usually the best way of achieving the highest total return, from the high product development investments...
More About: Marketing , Technology , Market , Techno , Sales

Strategic Advantage
2006-08-06 19:57:19
How does a company compete in the long run? I?m not talking about day to day stuff?but what sets your company apart, and gives it a place in the marketplace that allows it to survive, and hopefully, thrive? There are a lot of different terms used to describe the ability to compete: strategic advantage, differential advantage, competitive advantage, unique value proposition, etc. But all these terms mean essentially the same thing?what have you got that the market wants, that other don?t? Drinking the Kool-Aid At PJM Consulting I have the opportunity to talk to a great many technology company CEOs, many which are of the early stage variety. I?m taken aback that some of them don?t even understand the concept of strategic advantage. To start a company, and not have thought about what is going to allow you to break into an existing market, seems pretty strange to me. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. A far greater number of CEOs understand the concept of strategic advantage, but hav...
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Search Engine Optimization
2006-08-06 19:57:19
Marketing on the Internet has been quite a hot topic for some time. That means different things to different people?Banner advertising, pay-per-click ads, email newsletters, direct marketing via email, affiliate marketing, Electronic Press Releases, etc. Any and all of these may be an important part of your optimal online marketing mix, depending upon the specifics of your business and resources. However, there is one online marketing method that nearly EVERYONE should be pursuing. In my consulting practice at PJM Consulting, I find that too many technology companies are not actively utilizing this marketing method, and it?s very surprising to me. I?m referring to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is the practice of modifying the content and infrastructure of your website, to ensure that the Search Engine s find it, when someone enters a keyword search that is highly relevant to your site. This just doesn?t happen automatically?unfortunately. Offline Marketing Analogies M...

Promoting your content through RSS feeds
2006-08-06 19:57:19
To many of you, this article will be preaching to the choir. In fact, quite a few people already read these articles via an RSS feed in a newsreader, browser, or on their Google, Yahoo or MSN personalized homepage. If you haven?t already done so, you can subscribe to my articles simply by clicking on one of the icons on the right side of the Morettini on Management Blog, just below ?Google News? link. There is an icon for a generic XML feed, and also simple icons for adding my feed to your Newsgator Reader, or your MSN or Yahoo personalized page. There?s even a way to have the feed sent to you instantly via email as soon as it?s published, via the email subscription box provided by Feed blitz. So you can play around with receiving an RSS feed, right here on my site.However, RSS is still an emerging opportunity which many companies haven?t yet exploited. So for those of you not already using RSS in your business, here?s a brief tutorial:The origin of the term RSS is a bit hazy, and it...
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Hiring and Retaining High Tech Employees
2006-08-06 19:57:19
Among the many interesting things that I get to examine in my Consulting Practice, one of the most fascinating is the differing cultures that are created within Software and Tech nology companies. Much of a company?s culture flows from the attitudes of the founders of the company. But the culture really consists largely of the people who are employed by make up the company. A company?s culture is a living, changing concept that is controlled by these employees in aggregate?from the CEO all the way down to the ?worker bees?. I believe that culture plays a huge role in the company?s success or failure in the long run. For this reason, as well as many other obvious ones, there is probably nothing more important to a high tech company?s long-term success, than hiring and retaining employees. So what?s the best way to hire ?the best? and motivate and retain them for the long haul? That?s the $64,000 question. There are many paths to success, and even many ways of accomplishing the same g...
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Software vs. Hardware
2006-08-06 19:57:19
Much of my consulting practice centers on working with early stage software companies. But I have substantial hardware market experience in my background, and I do take on consulting assignments with hardware companies. So what are the differences and similarities between successful software and hardware businesses? Capital Requirements One of the larger differences is that software companies generally require much lower capital to reach profitability and continued growth. This is primarily because of the lack of need to invest in expensive semiconductor development tools, semiconductor masks, manufacturing plants/equipment, manufacturing engineering personnel, unfinished goods inventory, higher cost of finished goods inventory, etc. So except for startups backed by substantial institutional capital, it?s much easier to startup software companies compared to their hardware counterparts. Margins Another important area where software companies have an advantage is in margins?...
More About: Hardware , Software , War , Ware , Hard

Outsourcing Software Development Offshore
2006-08-06 19:57:19
This has become a very hot topic in the last several years. I?m referring to the practice of companies in the US, and other developed countries, outsourcing software development projects to companies in lower cost, developing countries. This is a strategy that has ?taken off? and is rapidly becoming mainstream in the software industry. Much has been written on the social and macroeconomic consequences of this phenomenon. My take on it will be strictly from a business perspective. In my research in this area for a number of clients, several important questions popped to the forefront. I?ll address them one at a time. What are the circumstances whereby outsourcing to a lower cost country makes sense? This is a complex question with no simple answer. There are actually many reasons to consider outsourcing. The first and most obvious is to lower your development expenses, of course. How much can you save? The answer depends upon what your costs are in your home location, as wel...
More About: Software , Outsourcing , Software Development , Development , Men

Flattening of the Growth Curve
2006-08-06 19:57:19
In every company?s history there comes a time (or two or three or four times!) when your momentum slows, and the sales curve begins to flatten. This can be one of the most trying and frustrating times for software and technology companies. It?s certainly not as difficult as the startup phase, when ?crib death? is an ever present fear. And a no growth, flat revenue scenario is much preferable to declining sales combined with negative profitability that follows, which leads to a ?death spiral? if no effective action is taken.I do find this situation is often more confusing to company management than either the start up or death spiral scenarios. This is because it often occurs just after a period of fast growth and prosperity, where it seems that the company can do no wrong. As a result, senior managers are often in denial about what is happening?whereas in the startup or death spiral situations, the situation is much more obvious, usually motivating folks to take fast, decisive actio...
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