Just in time for Christmas! I have found this slick application by epigroove called GiftBox. It allows you to organize gifts you’re giving, gifts you’d like to receive, gift ideas, and returns. The free version allows for up to three holidays or for only $19 per year you can have an unlimited number of holidays.
GiftBox’s interface is very nice. Clean design, easy to use and it’s not stuffed with features you don’t need.
Google has re-branded Urchin ‘Google Analytics‘, and is now offering it for free. Google acquired Urchin in March of this year and quickly lowered the price from $499/month to $199/month.
I guess it makes sense that Google would make this move. As we all know Google is a data collecting machine and offering Urchin at no cost will greatly increase the number of users and the amount of data Google can collect.
What I am curious to see is how this is going to affect the landscape of the web analytics market. How will Urchin’s competitors continue to compete? Will we see their competitors making even greater strides to further differentiate their offerings from Urchin? I’m sure we will. Certainly many clients will be switching to Urchin, but I’m sure there are many who will continue using the web analytics software they have grown accustomed to using each day and remain loyal to that brand.
In constantly performing competitor analysis’ you have to look closely at your competition and ensure you have a competitive advantage, but what do you do when a competitor offers a comparable product at no charge? There should be more differentiating your product than just the price. For instance, with IntelliContact we not only offer low prices, but also features that our competition lacks. You should also differentiate on customer experience; how your customers interact with your software (easy to use, visually appealing, and reliable) and their experience when contacting support - Does someone answer the phones when customers call and sufficiently answer their questions? Are their emails answered in a timely manner? If you can work hard to ensure your customers are happy each time they interact with your brand - you’ll win.
If you aren’t familiar with 37signals you must visit their site immediately and try their various software products. Their primary product, Basecamp, is a project management software. Other products include:
Backpack - allows you to quickly and easily organize your ideas, files, photos and to-do lists.
Writeboard - create sharable web-based text documents.
Ta-da Lists - create simple, sharable to-do lists (part of Basecamp).
These are some of the best designed software applications I have ever used. They are very easy to use, wonderfully designed and not jammed with features you’ll never use.
Thanks to all at 37signals for providing exceptional software!
Your brand isn’t just your logo, slogan, or color scheme.
Your brand is the experience you provide your current and potential clients
as they interact with your company. Every individual in your
organization participates in forming your brand, whether they know it or not.
We were chatting about this at the office the other day and compared branding
to a scorecard. Each time someone interacts with your company they are keeping
score. Giving you a +1 for a great experience and a -1 for a poor experience. Needless to say it’s important that your company comes out on top. It’s important that everyone on your team comes to this realization. Your current and potential customers are watching closely so be sure to leave a positive impression each time they interact with your company.
This leads to my next point on branding and your collateral. I cannot stress enough the importance of quality design, content and materials for your sell sheets, brochures, or any additional collateral that you create for your company. While attending the Realtors conference I looked at the collateral design from many of the other exhibitors and I was not impressed. I know designing, and printing can be quite expensive, but it is absolutely worth it. Think of this way: when someone takes your business card, flyer, brochure etc that piece of literature becomes a critical representation of your company. You cannot follow every business card or brochure, these pieces must speak for you and your company when you are not around. So be sure they are of the highest quality in design and content.
I returned last week from the Realtors Conference and Expo in San Francisco which took place October 28th-31st. We attended as an exhibitor to market our software, IntelliContact. If you are not familiar with our software, IntelliContact allows you to create, send and track email newsletters and surveys. It was great to speak face-to-face with those interested in email marketing and IntelliContact.
Thanks to all who stopped by our booth!
