DuctTapeMarketing.com
May 11, 2004

In this issue:
Featured Resource - Google- Define and Calculations
Featured Tip - Make Your Website Talk - John Jantsch
Featured Service - Audio Generator
Featured Listening - Between Here and Gone - Diana Krall

Vote for my Weblog!

Marketing Sherpa is sponsoring what they call the "Readers' Choice Awards for Weblogs"

The Duct Tape Marketing Weblog has been nominated as one of only three weblogs to make the cut for the Small Business Marketing category.

I would really appreciate it if you would take a minute and cast a vote for my weblog. I enjoy producing this material each week and this is one of the ways that I can keep doing it. Go here to cast your vote. You can vote for blogs in other categories and you may have a good time surfing to all of these blogs, but my blog in in category #5 for small business marketing.
Go here to vote

Thanks for subscribing - John

Featured Resource - Google

One of the things I love about Google is that they keep adding more and more stuff you can do with their site. They seem to have a playful laboratory sense of doing things. They create new tools and then without much fanfare put em on the site for all to join in on the fun.

Here are two fairly new ones that I use a bunch

Definitions: I know there are plenty of dictionary sites and ways to get definitions but here is my favorite.

At the Google home page type, define:XXXX (XXXX is your word) Hit enter and there you have it. 5 or 6 definitions pop up.

Calculator: Type a math problem or even a math question into the Google search bar and out pops the answer. 5+5, square root of 3492, pints in a gallon.

Featured Tip

Make Your Website Talk

By John Jantsch

More than anything else your clients and potential clients crave content and contact. This online, instant email, voicemail, 375 advertising impressions a minute world that we live in has created a major opportunity for marketers.

See, you can go through your entire day now without needing to talk to a single human being. But there is the opportunity. Most of us are wired to need human contact.

There are two things that every smart marketer must do. Find ways to cut through the clutter and deliver useful (educational vs. advertising) information and do it in a way that allows the reader to connect.

Now, of course, websites are perfect for half of this mission. Everyone has visited a website at some point and gotten a major dose of great information and I hope that your website delivers in this manner, but interacting with a website can be pretty tough.

I'm a big fan of using real photos on websites as you can see above, not because I think that I photograph particularly well, but because I know that people can relate better with someone they can see.

Today I want to introduce you to another powerful interaction tool - website audio. Basically, what I'm talking about is putting sound, or more accurately, your voice, on your website.

Audio technology is nothing new, but the latest browsers and the fact that many surfers are on high speed connections have made it very simple and user friendly.

Here are a few examples of ways to use this technology to really make your website come to life. Go to the pages and look for the little tape recorder type buttons to here the audio

Click on each link to hear an example
1) Personal Greeting - Let someone get a feel for your story or brand

2) Instructions - Tell someone how to do something

3) Promote Your Product - Here is a speaker showing off his talent

4) Make an offer - Tell them about special pricing and terms

5) Testimonials - Get your clients to sing your praises in their own voice

Can you think of any unique ways that you might apply this technology?

I've studied most of the product offerings for web audio and the one I use is called Audio Generator. One of the best things about it is that it is so simple to use. You call an 800#, record your message over the phone as you like, and immediately copy the code to publish the audio to your site. Of course, you can upload professionally recorded greetings in other formats if you like as well.

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John Jantsch is a marketing consultant based in Kansas City, Mo. He writes frequently on real world small business marketing tactics and is the creator of “Duct Tape Marketing” a turn-key small business marketing system. Check out his blog at http://www.DuctTapeMarketing.com/weblog.php

Featured Service

Audio Generator

Click here for yet another way to use this technology Audio in Email?

In the article above I have been singing the praises of a website audio. I have arranged a special $1 30-day trial of Audio Generator for my subscribers. There are so many good ideas on ways to use this technology that I highly recommend that you visit this site just for the marketing information you can find.

Featured Listening and Such

Girl In The Other Room - Diana Krall - Krall breaks some new ground with this album by moving away from the Standards and doing Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, Mose Allison, and Joni Mitchell covers. Not to mention several songs that she co-wrote with new hubby, Elvis Costello. Now there's a musical family for you. She seems to let loose on the piano on this album a bit more as well. I've heard her play a lot of music and didn't realize what a fantastic jazz piano player she really is. Great for a summer backyard get together.