Idea | Home Wealth Project

Horizontal marketing isn’t a new idea

Feb 7th

Posted by Home Wealth Project in Marketing Tips

But it is the new reality for just about every organization.

Vertical marketing means the marketer (the one with money) is in charge. Vertical marketing starts at the top and involves running ads, sending out direct mail and pushing hype through the media. Your money, your plans, your control. It might not work, but generally the worst outcome is that you will be ignored and need to spend more money.

Horizonal marketing, on the other hand, means creating a remarkable product and story and setting it up to spread from person to person. It’s out of your control, because all the interactions are by passionate outsiders, not paid agents.

Most marketers instinctually want control. We reach for the budget and the ad and the press release and most of all, the powerful media middleman. We buy SuperBowl ads or shmooze the reporter.

Horizontal marketing, though, requires giving up control. We spend all of our time and money on a great story and a great service and a remarkable offering. The rest is up to the market itself. You can’t control this, and you can no longer ignore it either.

View full post on Seth’s Blog

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One Idea Can Make $1,000,000

Nov 3rd

Posted by Home Wealth Project in Home Biz Opportunities

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4 Volume Book Set Reveals Secrets From 45 Years Experience Of The Man Who Gave America The Ginsu Knife And Many Hot As Seen On Tv Products. How To Find An Idea For A Tv Product, Get Your Idea On Tv, Get Finance For It, What Makes A Successful Tv Product.
One Idea Can Make $1,000,000

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A Not So Radical Idea: Encouraging Your Customers to Buy Less

Jun 2nd

Posted by Home Wealth Project in Business Trends

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There’s a growing movement in the green business world that’s about more than just creating eco-friendly products – it’s about encouraging so-called sustainable consumption. It’s about getting consumers to buy less and think more holistically about their purchases.

“The need to develop new consumption patterns is the mother of all innovation challenges,” wrote Aron Cramer, president of business social responsibility organization BSR, on GreenBiz.com.

Yet, the concept of sustainable consumption puts many businesses in an awkward role.

As a society we’ve become hard-wired to shop for low prices, with the assumption things can easily be tossed and replaced in a few years. Businesses have focused on getting customers to buy lots of stuff – not on creating products built to last. The problem is, that leads to a whole lot of waste piling up in landfills and harming the planet.

To change that, environmentalists and business leaders are trying to rewrite the basic rules for what constitutes good business. The idea is that businesses play an essential role in promoting sustainable consumption through the way they make, market and dispose of their products.

According to a 2010 report by BSR, here are the three ways businesses can encourage sustainable consumption:

Product design – How products are built – from the materials used to the durability to how they’re used – affects how sustainable they are. Businesses need to think about consumption patterns from the get-go.
Consumer engagement – Companies are in the position to help their customers better use their products and engage them on the topic of smart consumption patterns.
End-of-use – Creating plans for how products will be disposed of sustainably and recycled or reused can greatly lower their environmental impact.

BSR also acknowledges that there’s a great business opportunity with sustainable consumption. Businesses that show their customers their commitment to sustainability will ultimately develop more loyal and engaged customers. There’s an opportunity for small businesses to show their value compared to bigger competitors that typically compete mostly on price.

Some large companies have taken a leadership role in this movement. Outdoor apparel maker Patagonia has long championed the longevity and durability of its products. Just recently, it launched a new initiative called Common Threads that promotes the repair, reuse and recycling of clothing. The purpose, it says, is “to wrest the full life out of every piece of our clothing.” The company helps its customers resell their Patagonia clothes and offers to fix broken zippers and other clothing malfunctions for free.

More and more companies are using the same kind of language and working on ways to promote sustainable consumption to their customers. Ford Motor Company worked on a pilot program in Toronto promoting the use of public transportation. The company even acknowledged in its 2009 sustainability report: “By 2050, there will be 9 billion people on Earth…Putting 9 billion people into private automobiles is neither practical nor desirable.”

Is your company doing anything to promote sustainable consumption?

From Small Business Trends

A Not So Radical Idea: Encouraging Your Customers to Buy Less

View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends

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Idea tourism

Mar 20th

Posted by Home Wealth Project in Marketing Tips

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It’s possible for a tourist to visit Times Square in New York City, see nothing new or unexpected, and leave the city unchanged.

Same with the Eiffel Tower in Paris or a shopping mall in Dubai. Tourism doesn’t always open your mind, but when it works the way it supposed to, it sure does.

Which brings us to the notion of idea tourism.

It’s possible to do a drive-by of some of the big ideas of science or politics or technology and see only what you want to see. I don’t think there’s a lot of point in that. If you want to truly understand Darwin, then go to a lab and do some experiments. If you want to understand a gun lover, go to a shooting range for an afternoon. If you want to see how social networking will actually change the way ideas spread, go use it. Intensely, and with a purpose in mind.

Only when we try the idea on for size and actually use it do we understand it. With more ideas offering visitation rights than ever before, learning how empathize with an idea is critical.

View full post on Seth’s Blog

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The Source of the Fountain of Content Idea Utopia

Dec 14th

Posted by Home Wealth Project in Marketing Tips

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The Source of the Fountain of Content Idea Utopia

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

Image: luc legay via flickr

Everyone online these days is encouraging you to create content, but with a constant demand for fresh ideas it can be a bit tough to come up with topics to write about day in and day out. I have a few sources I turn to consistently for inspiration, but today I’m going to reveal what for some will be the source of the fountain of content idea utopia!

If you want to create content that is fresh, relevant and even a tad cutting edge, look no further than the topics being presented at upcoming conferences related to your industry. While not universally true, most conference organizers try to put together programs that represent the kind of things their members and community are asking for most or that are on the horizon.

If you consistently follow and write about these topics you have the ability to insert yourself into the conversation as these conferences occur and may even get yourself invited to speak or contribute on one of these hot topics as your content bubbles up to the top of searches related to these topics.

You can start trying out this simple, but powerful tactic with a quick visit to this list of 100+ Upcoming Social Media and Tech Events – from the prodigious writers at Mashable.

Simply find a conference or two that looks interesting, scroll through the agenda, and presto, instant relevant content ideas served up on a platter. With a little research you should be able to turn up a list of event for just about any industry out there.

View full post on Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

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I spread your idea because…

Oct 27th

Posted by Home Wealth Project in Marketing Tips

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Ideas spread when people to choose to spread them. Here are some reasons why:

I spread your idea because it makes me feel generous.
…because I feel smart alerting others to what I discovered.
…because I care about the outcome and want you (the creator of the idea) to succeed.
…because I have no choice. Every time I use your product, I spread the idea (Hotmail, iPad, a tattoo).
…because there’s a financial benefit directly to me (Amazon affiliates, mlm).
…because it’s funny and laughing alone is no fun.
…because I’m lonely and sharing an idea solves that problem, at least for a while.
…because I’m angry and I want to enlist others in my outrage (or in shutting you down).
…because both my friend and I will benefit if I share the idea (Groupon).
…because you asked me to, and it’s hard to say no to you.
…because I can use the idea to introduce people to one another, and making a match is both fun in the short run and community-building.
…because your service works better if all my friends use it (email, Facebook).
…because if everyone knew this idea, I’d be happier.
…because your idea says something that I have trouble saying directly (AA, a blog post, a book).
…because I care about someone and this idea will make them happier or healthier.
…because it’s fun to make another teen snicker about prurient stuff we’re not supposed to see.
…because the tribe needs to know about this if we’re going to avoid an external threat.
…because the tribe needs to know about this if we’re going to maintain internal order.
…because it’s my job.
I spread your idea because I’m in awe of your art and the only way I can repay you is to share that art with others.