AXM

Through practical experience I've found most of these to be true. Web and app developers would do well to keep these 10 points front of mind.

It’s hard to avoid the temptation of adding features and instead focus on reducing the complexity of what you do to its ultimate simplicity. This discipline, to stay focused on why you went into business in the first place and deliver the most elegant solution/experience possible, has its rewards. Apple and, particularly the iPhone, is a great example of the rewards creating with elegance in mind can bring. Unfortunately few companies are able to succeed in producing elegant products or services. The temptation of adding new and exciting features more often than not results in products that are too complicated, bulky and expensive. I recommend reading In Pursuit of Elegance, by Matthew May. This book makes a compelling and example filled case for why it is worth the effort to pursue elegance in product and service development. Those few who have brought discipline to their core business and focused their energies on making the complex simple, instead of making the simple complex, have a serious competitive edge. I call it the elegance advantage, and if you can get there, you will enjoy the advantages too.

Amazon had another record holiday season as Best Buy and Sears did not. It might be easy to explain this away on convenience or tax advantages, but there are equally valid disadvantages to online only retail. Amazon is a winner because they get the customer perspective and have innovated around the obstacles to an online only retail model. In short, they have built their business, systems and processes to deliver an exceptional customer experience. On the other hand, Best Buy has never gotten the customer perspective. For a time it was enough to have all of the shiny new tech products under one roof for people to come in and play with, choose from a wide selection and walk out with a new favorite toy in hand. But, Best Buy has always put its perspective first and they are paying for it now. They talk about their competitive disadvantage to companies like Amazon, but in reality no one was in a better position to deliver an incredible customer experience. If being brick and mortar is such a disadvantage how do you explain the sardine can like crowds over at the Apple store? As the customer enjoys an ever expanding range of options for how they learn about, shop for, buy and receive product, one strategy is sure to fail: whining. If you want to compete, you better figure out how to give the customer a great experience. One built from the customer point of view.

Hopefully you have enough information to get started. Setting up some basic alerts like this will allow you to keep an eye on what people are saying about you, your company, or your website. In the next post of this 3 part series on Google Alerts, we will show you can manage your brand through online reputation management.

One of my favorite lines from the classic film Blazing Saddles is when the Mexican bandit proclaims “badges, we don’t need no stinking badges”. But in real life, we do need badges. Badges help to shape who we are and how we want to be perceived in the public sphere. People want to belong….belong to an idea, a vision, a story, a culture, a cause. Here’s the important thing for marketers, we want the world to know that we belong. Bumper stickers, T-shirts, clothing labels, the coffee we drink, and the smart phone we carry…all say something about us. Give them a badge. If you have a story – something people want to belong to – make it easy for them to identify themselves with your story. This is the real genius behind Tom’s Shoes. But, it is also why Apple was able to sell more than 300,000 iPads on the first day. For Apple users, there has never been a bigger or better badge than the new iPad. It screams, “I am Apple”. It is uniquely visible when carried around, when used in public places or when an email is sent with a signature that reads, “sent from my iPad”.

The iPad is finally here. Whether you are an Apple fan or not, If you’re paying attention you should appreciate the significance of today. From where I sit, the iPad will be a huge success and it marks the beginning of the second iteration (following smart phones) of post PC personal productivity tools. These next generation tools are being built for a world where the internet is the operating system, applications run on the cloud, and widgets and browsers are your access points. In my mind, there is no contest between a local application using local resources and local data and a simple, lightweight tool that packs all the power of the universe into an intuitive little interface. Smart phones, pads and yet-to-be-designed products that leverage the net will quickly begin replacing PCs as our primary tools for getting things done and staying connected. In the massive lines formed outside Apple stores around the world, there is a significant, if unconscious, shift occurring – a shift from the PC era to the internet device era. When the internet becomes the operating system, things change….hope you’re ready.

I came across an interesting post today. With today’s accelerating pace of change, incrementalism just isn’t going to work anymore. Every organization needs to create an environment that encourages….maybe even forces innovation. Here’s an excerpt: “Drastic expectations reinforce the declaration of innovation and the innovation goals. If people realize that just doing what everyone else in the market is doing is not enough, then they will respond. Average expectations about the company encourage people to think and act averagely. Drastic expectations encourage people to think innovatively and act like entrepreneurs. You can read the full post here - Blogging Innovation, Mar 2010

I often come across digital, cross-media campaigns where the marketers behind the campaign have simply missed the point. They’ve basically slapped a digital bow on an analog campaign. Case in point: A couple of days ago, my nephew received a personalized mailer from a university (he’s off to college next year). The campaign also included a personalized landing page for response. The campaign knew his name, and made a point of letting him know they did. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to know anything else about him. Nor, did they attempt to initiate a relationship that would allow them to learn. For example, one of his most important selection criteria is his ability to play Lacrosse. This university will never know that Lacrosse is a dealmaker or breaker for him. Instead, they used his name, in several clever ways, at the top of an online brochure. Here’s the lesson: digital media requires a different marketing model, a different mindset. Digital is about engaging in conversations that create value for both parties. Companies must learn to use these powerful technologies to drive relevant interactions with their customers, and move beyond the “novelty” in these new tools to make sales.

Because of the pace of change, any fidelity to the status quo quickly becomes an anchor, constraining a company’s ability to adapt and compete. Consequently, alert and frustrated professionals are striking out on their own. Armed only with the belief they can do it better, and a genuine desire to innovate and create new value, they are winning customers and chipping away at once reliable business models. In nearly all cases, the new venture is more narrowly focused then it’s predecessor and is able to operate at a fraction of the costs. Though there are a number of factors driving change, the incredible growth in niched and hyper-niched businesses is a remarkable and unique phenomena of the new economy. And, it stands in stark contrast to the mass consolidation that marked the end of the old economy.

Following on my post “Rich Corinthian Leather” from February, I thought it would be useful to spend a little more time on authenticity and why it matters. When it comes to authenticity, as the saying goes, you know it when you see it. But, certainly what it is not is made up ads and packaging to ‘stylize’ a mediocre product or service, with the intent of having it appear to be something more than it actually is. But, does authenticity necessarily mean exposing the whole naked truth? The 1990 film, Crazy People takes a look at raw authenticity in a very amusing way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ArDB7AJAI&feature=player_embedded#! In real life, this approach probably wouldn’t work. So, where do you draw the line between highlighting value and the unauthentic? I think Melissa Pierce does a nice job explaining ‘appropriate’ authenticity in the following video post. http://www.viddler.com/v/6fd3d00d The point is, we must always try to do our best and put our best foot forward. But, this is where the line gets a little grey. Where does preparation, planning and presentation leave the realm of the authentic and become disingenuous? I think it comes down to intent – creating additional value or putting lipstick on a pig.

The concept of “open” in the new economy is about much more than just open-source software development. It crosses virtually all industries and is really about: · ‘Leading users’ creating remarkable product or service innovation · Collaboration with other leading users to perfect the innovation · Disseminate innovation across the broader user community · Building community participation in ongoing product advancement In his free ebook, Democratizing Innovation, Eric von Hippel opens with an example of user-driven innovation from the 1970s – the development of foot straps for windsurfing boards. I found this a fascinating example of how the most advanced users of any given product may begin tinkering with or modifying the original product to get more out of it. What I wanted to know was, how is ‘leading user’ capacity and desire to innovate playing out in the new economy? Following are two examples that I just discovered, courtesy of Chris Brogan and TED. The first is the application of Lego Mindstorms to create a control system and autopilot capability for a do-it-yourself areal drone or UAV. Not long ago, UAV’s where the very expensive and exclusive domain of the military. But because one GeekDad (Chris Anderson) decided to push the boundaries on both Mindstorms and r/c model airplanes, we now have a commercially viable auto-pilot system for $24.95. In the second example, Johnny Lee, a TED Conference Speaker, creates a sophisticated interactive whiteboard, and a 3-D tracking technology based on the Nintendo Wii remote. He has taken a $3,000 product (an interactive whiteboard) and recreated nearly all of it’s benefits, for about $50. The extraordinary thing here is how quickly his innovation was disseminated across the net (more than a million YouTube views in the first week) and how many other users have engaged in the conversation to educate other potential users, further adapt the original innovation, or come up with other tangential innovations. “Open”, my friends, is part of the new paradigm. It’s impact on our lives will only grow as, culturally, we seek more meaningful ways to engage with a connected world.

Why have frequent travelers – those who’ve worked for years to earn miles and build status – walked away from United, Delta, American, etc. to stand in line with the average Joe at Southwest? How is it that Zappos is growing and extending its product portfolio in the midst of a global recession? What is it about Nixon (the watch company, not the former president) that has allowed it created a cultish following amongst its customers? The answer to all of these: customer experience. Customer experience isn’t defined top-down or implemented through policy manuals. It’s the product of a different way of looking at company, employee and customer relationships – a perspective shaped by common interests vs. conflicting interests. It’s about opening communications channels, listening, eliminating friction, trusting your employees and trusting your customers. Great customer experience simply doesn’t work in an old economy model. Average products (or services), mass produced for average people and largely differentiated through advertising spin, simply cannot afford this kind of relationship with employees or customers. Though it may be difficult to quantify return in the short run, delivering great customer experience is the weapon by which you can make your old economy competitors irrelevant.

In one of my professional networks, a question recently came up: should you build a blog or build a site? And, the argument was made that a blog is chronological (time and date stamped) and therefore not as valuable as navigable site content. First, I think we need some clarity on what a website is.It can be pages, it can be a blog, or it can be both. When referring to a website, we want to consider two categories of content – ‘page content’ and ‘updateable content’. A good website should have both. As a rule, page content doesn’t get updated much. This is core site content that sets the baseline for the brand and the value it delivers. ‘About Us’, ‘Products’, ‘Solutions’, ‘Contact Us’ are clearly page content. You can have many layers of page content and it can become a significant amount of content, and number of pages, on the site. Page content is largely navigable via site navigation tools. Page content can also be found directly via search. Blogs, news, events, polls, and status updates are site elements that are intended to represent a moment in time and are updated regularly. This content is less formal than page content and is largely being driven by circumstances in the environment. It is inspired, not planned (well not completely anyway). This post, for example, was inspired by a response to a question in a business meeting. In this context, updateable content is dynamic – adapting to a changing environment. Though these posts are organized chronologically, they can be found through tags as well as on-site and search engine queries. Lastly, blogs and other updateable content communicate expertise, personality and action. Page content simply cannot “color in” the brand the way updateable content can. This is very powerful in building and conveying your brand story. In my opinion, one of the flaws in the site vs. blog argument is the assumption that site visitors are beginning their site experience on the home page, or that they need to navigate somewhere. The reality is, Google (or Bing) has become the universal home page and search has become the quickest path to virtually everything. Let me explain. Our search queries are getting longer and longer. This is because we’re learning – learning that if we enter exactly what we are looking for in a search query, there’s a good chance we will find it, quickly. The point is, we are now living in a ‘long-tail’ world. You can’t plan for all the long-tail possibilities. Updateable content allows you to address relevant topics as they emerge. Once you’ve addressed a topic and published, it’s searchable forever. This is not to say you shouldn’t continue to add to your navigable page content. But, page content, because it is more formal and planed, will be dwarfed by the volume of blog, news, event, and status update content on most successful sites. Updateable content is more likely to engage site visitors (blog commenting, polls, event registration, etc.) and to be linked to by other sites. So, where are we with this? A good site includes a healthy mix of both page content and updateable content. Navigable pages are important, and can really delivery against those search queries you know are coming – if you can manage to ‘rank’ on them. The problem is, everyone wants to rank on those high value phrases. In applying a healthy dose of the less formal, easy to publish, updateable content, your site will actually rank better across the board. But, it is the updateable content that you will build your long-tail rankings on. It is also this content that will give you the greatest number of backlinks to your site (helping overall site ranking) and convey the real personality and expertise of your company.

As I sit sipping my cup of Dunkin Donuts Coffee, I ponder….why is it, with all the coffee brands to choose from, I chose Dunkin Donuts coffee? I’ve never had it, or even personally known anyone who has. Dunkin Donuts doesn’t have any stores in Denver and they don’t advertise here. So, why did I choose Dunkin Donuts instead of something more familiar? Answer: Reputation. Two thousand miles from Boston, and without seeing a dollar’s worth of their advertising, I trusted Dunkin Donuts to deliver a great cup of coffee. (I was not disappointed.) To be honest, I’m not quite sure how I acquired that trust. But, my guess is, over time I was exposed to enough news, blog posts, FB status updates and/or tweets, referencing Dunkin Donuts Coffee, that it sunk in. Don’t underestimate the power of a great reputation.

Choice is good. So, more choice is better, right? …Not long ago, my wife suggested we try The Counter, a new gourmet burger joint in the neighborhood. She told me it was a roll-your-own kind of place – with a huge selection of raw goods to build with. (at that moment, I realized just how much I love my wife). We couldn’t get there fast enough. When we were seated, I was handed a golf pencil and a clipboard holding a stack of checkbox menus. Wow, this was gonna be fun. Six waded up order forms later, I felt like screaming, “curse you blasted burger tormentors”….but I didn’t. I bit my lip and pushed onward in my quest to build the world’s most perfect burger. But, I had only one shot to get it right. Get it wrong and I would forever second guess every crumpled menu…every checkbox checked. On my seventh try, encouraged by the piercing glare from across the table, I did it. I committed. As I handed my order to the waitress, I probed for some affirmation that I had chosen well. To which I received an utterly indifferent “ sounds good”. You know how this ends. Disappointment. The burger was actually good. Darn good. Just not good enough. Here’s the thing, given the angst in the labor and the dreams this burger was wrought from, it could never have been good enough. I should never have been given such power. I should never have been given so many choices. We’ve been back to The Counter a couple of times since that evening. My order these days, “cheese burger, please”.

If you’re a layperson, you may not recognize the enormity of what is happening right now in both large and small development environments around the world. But, the web applications they are developing today will make business work differently tomorrow. Companies today must be equipped to deal with, even embrace this change – because , over the next decade, we will likely see more disruptive change than our predecessors faced in a century. Are you ready?

Southwest Airlines just unveiled a Sports Illustrated promotion, featuring a string-bikini clad super model stretched out along the fuselage of one of their 737’s. Southwest’s problem: the message is inconsistent with their brand story and in direct contrast to past “very public” actions. In 2007 a Southwest employee kicked a female passenger, KylaEbbert, off of a flight for wearing too revealing an outfit. Right or wrong, kicking Kyla off the plan was more consistent with the customer’s perception of Southwest then the airlines current Sports Illustrated promotion is. Within Southwest, there appears to be some history of using attractive women, in somewhat provocative attire, to promote the airline. In the 1970’s, Southwest aired television commercials featuring flight attendants clad in hot pants and go-go boots. But, once the Southwest story was embraced by customers, customers made it their own. And, guess what? It’s not about sexy, barely clothed women. Southwest’s new PR problems are the result of a misalignment between who “Southwest” thinks they are and who “the customer” thinks they are. If you want to see just how big a problem, go to Google news or blogsearch.google.com and enter “southwest sports illustrated”. You’ll get the picture. All companies need to understand how their customers have embraced their story, and connected with their brands. For Southwest, it appears that sneaking kids on to the plane early so they can sit in the pilot’s seat (actually happened with my 3 year old son), kicking scantily clad women off the plan, having polite and modestly dressed flight attendants, and allowing early boarding for families have played a larger role in the Southwest story than a 1970′s Go-Go girl commercial. Here’s the point: If the SI swimsuit image where on the fuselage of a Virgin Atlantic plan,there would be no debate and this post would never have been written. But, Southwest is not Virgin Atlantic. Southwest would do well to remember that next time.