"\Small Business Chronicles\" by Jack Brandt

New Look and New Location

Jack — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:33:07 +0000

I’ve decided it may by time to retire Jackbrandt.info. The blog is not going away, however, it is just moving. I have moved it to www.jackbrandt.com. It is just easier to manage on the same domain I use my email, and it gets a colleague or two off my back for using a .info domain extension. So click this Jack Brandt link, to navigate to the new look and feel and please continue to enjoy the blog, even though I have not updated it recently.

This property will stay live for the next six months or so until the SEO at JackBrandt.com kicks in.

“The Long Tail of Ecommerce,” by Jack Jia (Ecommerce Times)

Jack — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:13:03 +0000

I know it has been a while since I’ve been here, but it’s also been a while since I have conjoured up anything worthy of writing about. Part of it is because I have been traveling quite a bit, and part of it is that the home life is a little hectic. No matter though. I came across an article this morning I thought worthy of linking back to. It seems it is good for those who would develop Ecommcerce solutions for SMEs, It would be good for the Small Business Owner looking to add Ecommerce or who has added an Ecommerce channel to their sales, and would be good for the Ecommerce software provider as well The artice is liked and titled “The Long Tail of Ecommerce,” by Jack Jia.

(more…)

Good Article about “The Seven Deadly Sins of Email Marketing Management”

Jack — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 21:08:41 +0000

In a followup to my post this week regarding Email marketing, here is a good article to help solidify it. It goes over testing your Email against spam filters, scrubbing your email list, etc. Check it out here: http://www.digital-web.com/articles/seven_sins_of_email_marketing/

So You Are Thinking About Email Marketing.

Jack — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 02:03:56 +0000

So are you using Email marketing? If you are I am sure you have seen some changes in your metrics if you are tracking them… If you are not, and considering it, you might want to keep reading. There is an increasing issue with “Opt in” email. The issue is that your Opt in users are not opening your emails anymore. It’s not your fault if you are providing valuable content. The problem is increased spam. Spam is killing your valuable marketing efforts. As a small business person, your time is valuable, and I know you want to maximize any tool you can to help make you more money. (more…)

Good Article on Measuring A Website’s Ability To Drive Offline Purchases For Small Businesses

Jack — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:40:43 +0000

Here is a great piece of recent recent research by Nielsen/Netratings and WebVisible good for both Web based service providers who are providing their clients with e-commerce solutions or the small business person that is thinking of jumping online with a Web based store in addition to their brick and mortar establishment regarding “A Websites Ability to Drive Offline Purchases for Small Business.” I found it intriguing with a lot of new statistical information. Have fun.

Google Selling Domains, and the/my Hype

Jack — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 17:28:11 +0000

Well, if you are a Web Hosting company, an ISP or anyone who resells domains as a loss leader or for a profit, you may have heard or even already looked at Google Apps for Domains and seen that they are now reselling domains through the two prominent registrars GoDaddy and Enom. This is really no surprise. Two of the largest registrars in North America working to build Market share.

While I am sure GoDaddy is hoping to build multiple registrations out of this deal to increase profit, I am sure Enom is also hoping to capitalize on the dropped names for their domain monetization business… Keep in mind this is only my opinion. And we know what opinion’s are like. Personally any registrar would be silly not to be knocking on Google’s door to sell domains if they can fit into the $10.00 domain and private registration(Whois masking) model. It is just good business if the registrar can get in there and make a profit. Google is giving the registrar another retail channel to capitalize on. The argument of course is does the domain business need another retail channel to purchase domains from in an already over-crowded marketplace? Google seems to think so. And, after trying to configure one of my own domains to Google Apps which includes Gmail for domains a couple months ago, even I had some issues configuring the domain for Google Page Creator, one of their free applications. If I were a layperson trying to do this, I would have been very frustrated. Registrations through accredited registrars will help with the auto configuration of the domain services for Google Apps.
(more…)

Microsites for brand(s), Microsites for Your Business

Jack — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 22:30:34 +0000

Okay – today we talk about something I have only a little knowledge in. We’re going to discuss Microsites. No, they’re not some bug that you kill with a fly swatter. They’re mini web sites that help you to market your business, product, or service more effectively. They are smaller more targeted web properties built within other Web Sites so that you can encourage your buyers to take action on that particular item. They are becoming increasingly popular, and will continue to grow in the next 12 months as a static medium. Keep in mind my assumption here is that you already have a Web Site where you are marketing your brand and solutions.

So, a recent article I read that of the companies who are large, over 500 million dollars annually, (who are only 30 percent of the companies out there) said they plan on implementing Microsites in the next 12 months. (more…)

Comments Welcome

Jack — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 15:30:53 +0000

I’ve noticed that I get to write a bit, and no one really comments on any of the “stuff” I seem to be writing… I urge any readers of this blog to feel free to register and comment on anything they feel important to them. Feel free to tell me that you may or may not agree with me and why. This Web Log isn’t just a venue to disseminate information into the blogsphere.

One of the main draws to a blog is to give the person or persons reading it the opportunity to have a voice in the community that is being heard… As a business person and as a consumer, I am sure there is something I can learn as well from the readers. It will also help me to be an active participant in my own conversations.

Also look out for my new article on Microsites coming in the next several days… Some interesting concepts in marketing your products and services.

Value vs. Volume: Don’t fall into selling Space and Bandwidth

Jack — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 02:57:23 +0000

I’ve been traveling again this week visiting hosting companies and ISPs in the Southeastern U.S. I’ve been talking to them about value, stickiness, and growth. One thing is certain, and that is they all have the same concerns… “We’re losing business, and we want to know what to do to stop it.” Or, “We are looking to find new avenues of growth so we are thinking about experimenting with our packages and offers.” These items bring me back to one word for everyone I have spoken to, and that word is value.

If you are a hosting company that is bringing on new business, but losing old clients to churn, you need to examine what you are doing today based on the perceived value of those clients that are leaving. I am going to make a statement that I am sure will make some of you say I am crazy and others agree. That statement is that Value in Web Hosting is NOT disk space, the number of email addresses you offer, or how cheap you are. There are companies out there today making good on cash flow numbers, but having a hard time getting or remaining profitable because they degraded their value proposition to prices, space, and stuff. You know what? The average end user has no clue what the “stuff” is. The average end user just wants a web site that functions the way they need it to. Occasionally you get the end user (and it will be more frequent in the coming months and years) that may require hosted applications, but the average guy, “like my Dad,” just wants to present his business online.

(more…)

E-tailing primer for the SMB Web Host or (The rest of the title was unfortunately truncated)

Jack — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 17:18:46 +0000

So, it seems like six or so months since I’ve posted a blog article here. In fact it’s been seven months now that I am counting them… Yikes! Well, we’re full swing into fall as far as I am concerned. People are back full time from vacations and time off, and its time to focus on making money and growing your business again. And I am here to make a few suggestions on how to do that if I can.

Today’s post is going to be aimed towards the small Web Developer or Hosting company looking to increase business in their local or regional locale. It is the industry I am in so I’m looking to get back to my roots for the selling season. With luck you’re in my industry too.

I am in the channel. I’m in the channel in every way. My company also sells direct to the end customer. We have a retail division that struggles with the same things that the smallest company does all the time. I just happen to be in a good position to work with them as well, so that I can bring you some best practices from our neck of the woods, as well as what’s making money in other businesses as well.

I will be presenting ideas and thoughts in this document to help you to hopefully make more money, create greater stickiness, which in turn increases RPU and creates longer than average terms for you. This is my goal. To help you make more money one client at a time, and when you look back at your financials, with a little hard work, hopefully you will see exponential profits where you had not before.

(more…)