Thursday, November 25, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The New Southwest Airlines Ads Confuse Me
Okay, I admit it. I don't get these new commercials for Southwest Airlines that I've been seeing lately.
I mean, obviously I understand what they're saying - you can only find Southwest fares on Southwest.com, not on any of the big travel sites like Orbitz, Travelocity, etc. What I don't get is why this is supposed to be a good thing. When I'm making travel plans I like to be able to go to sites like Orbitz and get fares (or hotel room rates or whatever it is) from a bunch of different airlines at once so that I can compare. I might then go to a specific airline's website from there, but I think it's convenient to be able to go to one site and see a lot of options. So the fact that Southwest fares aren't on those sites is better for me...how?
"You want to fly all over, you don't want to browse all over." Well, yeah. And if I have to go to Orbitz/Travelocity/Expedia/whatever to look at some airlines, and then go to Southwest.com to see how their fares compare, that is browsing all over. If anything, it makes me less likely to fly Southwest, not more likely.
Is there something I'm missing with this? Help me out here, people.
I mean, obviously I understand what they're saying - you can only find Southwest fares on Southwest.com, not on any of the big travel sites like Orbitz, Travelocity, etc. What I don't get is why this is supposed to be a good thing. When I'm making travel plans I like to be able to go to sites like Orbitz and get fares (or hotel room rates or whatever it is) from a bunch of different airlines at once so that I can compare. I might then go to a specific airline's website from there, but I think it's convenient to be able to go to one site and see a lot of options. So the fact that Southwest fares aren't on those sites is better for me...how?
"You want to fly all over, you don't want to browse all over." Well, yeah. And if I have to go to Orbitz/Travelocity/Expedia/whatever to look at some airlines, and then go to Southwest.com to see how their fares compare, that is browsing all over. If anything, it makes me less likely to fly Southwest, not more likely.
Is there something I'm missing with this? Help me out here, people.
Auto Tech Support Returns
Last month I wrote about helping my cousin find an auto repair shop for her truck, even though I live all the way across the country, because everyone knows that I'm the internet addict of the family and can find a site for anything. Well, I'm at it again.
This time I'm helping with a search for car insurance. If you watch much TV you're likely to see at least one car insurance ad at every commercial break. (I've seen two in the few minutes that I've been writing this.) Every company has its own gimmicky ad campaign to convince you that their insurance is the best, so it can be hard to figure out what to choose.
I found this site that has a lot of great resources for people looking for affordable car insurance. (Or truck or motorcycle insurance, as the case may be.) There's an instant form so you can get car insurance quotes quickly, but there's also some good information to help you get started with your research. There's an article on insurance basics, info just for student drivers, explanations of how insurance regulations can differ by state, and other helpful stuff like that. I also really like that they have a car insurance glossary that defines the basic terms that you'll need to know. So if you're searching for insurance on your own for the first time, you can get a good handle on what you're looking for.
So I think I've got the car insurance dilemma solved. I wonder what research assignment is in store for me next?
This time I'm helping with a search for car insurance. If you watch much TV you're likely to see at least one car insurance ad at every commercial break. (I've seen two in the few minutes that I've been writing this.) Every company has its own gimmicky ad campaign to convince you that their insurance is the best, so it can be hard to figure out what to choose.
I found this site that has a lot of great resources for people looking for affordable car insurance. (Or truck or motorcycle insurance, as the case may be.) There's an instant form so you can get car insurance quotes quickly, but there's also some good information to help you get started with your research. There's an article on insurance basics, info just for student drivers, explanations of how insurance regulations can differ by state, and other helpful stuff like that. I also really like that they have a car insurance glossary that defines the basic terms that you'll need to know. So if you're searching for insurance on your own for the first time, you can get a good handle on what you're looking for. So I think I've got the car insurance dilemma solved. I wonder what research assignment is in store for me next?
Online Marketing for Dummies
When you're a blogger and you spend time on Twitter and facebook and other social networking sites, you're sometimes amazed by how bad some people and companies are at this whole social media thing. Most bloggers have gotten at least a handful of emails from people with blogs or websites trying to solicit a link exchange with your blog. Usually they claim that they've read your blog and really like it, and then further insist that their site is about a related topic, even if your blog is about cooking and their website sells bicycles or promotes travel to a random city that you've never visited.
When I get these types of emails I always wonder why these people and businesses never learn. Does this strategy really work? I understand trying to boost your site's traffic for free, but I feel like if this is your strategy, it's worth bringing in some professionals to handle your SEO services. In the long run it'll be better for your business and site's reputation and save you a lot of time in sending out emails to bloggers who are just going to ignore them at best or mock them publicly at worst. The same goes for other types of email solicitations - I've gotten emails from companies asking my to promote products and/or services on my blog. Some of the offers are well-targeted and make sense, and some...really, really don't. Sometimes professional list management can be worth it.
Of course, it's hard to blame small companies and websites for getting this wrong when even huge corporations have been known to fail at it. For example, I'm sure there were quite a few times in the past year when Nestle wished they had some professional Online Marketing help. It does seem like more and more businesses are starting to get a clue when it comes to social media, so hopefully we'll see fewer and fewer of these bad pitches as time goes by. And in the meantime, there's always public mocking to fall back on.
When I get these types of emails I always wonder why these people and businesses never learn. Does this strategy really work? I understand trying to boost your site's traffic for free, but I feel like if this is your strategy, it's worth bringing in some professionals to handle your SEO services. In the long run it'll be better for your business and site's reputation and save you a lot of time in sending out emails to bloggers who are just going to ignore them at best or mock them publicly at worst. The same goes for other types of email solicitations - I've gotten emails from companies asking my to promote products and/or services on my blog. Some of the offers are well-targeted and make sense, and some...really, really don't. Sometimes professional list management can be worth it.
Of course, it's hard to blame small companies and websites for getting this wrong when even huge corporations have been known to fail at it. For example, I'm sure there were quite a few times in the past year when Nestle wished they had some professional Online Marketing help. It does seem like more and more businesses are starting to get a clue when it comes to social media, so hopefully we'll see fewer and fewer of these bad pitches as time goes by. And in the meantime, there's always public mocking to fall back on.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sappy Stacey Moment: My Grandma Is My Best Friend
This Humana commercial gets me every time. It features lots of adorable little kids hanging out with their grandparents/best buddies.
I have no idea what they're advertising and I don't really care, but I love it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go call my grandma.
I have no idea what they're advertising and I don't really care, but I love it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go call my grandma.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
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