Online or off . . .

In just a few minutes, I'm on my way to Washington, D.C. as the relaunch of Washington Construction News is about a month away. One of the visit's highlights will be a meeting do discuss an impressive online addition to the publishing mix. Separately, I'll meet personally with a client who I've only known so far through Internet postings and emails. Finally, I'll spend some time with local publisher Karen Buckley, who I first "met" through a Craigslist online career posting.

The stories of the evolution to real business beyond these initial online meetings and encounters seem, in retrospect, to be somewhat improbable.

Somehow, out of a needle-in-haystack process, electronic ether has turned into meaningful business. Online networking has become something much more; a life-changing connection of experiences which would have been seen as unfathomably impossible just a decade ago.

But most of my online relationships are not real relationships; they are casual and frankly insignificant links. Looking through my linkedin.com list, for example, I noticed that most of the people there that I hadn't known first through offline contacts are really strangers to me. They are just "other names".

So what resulted in the change?

Somewhere, somehow, we moved from the general to the specific, from anonymous to personal. Most likely the beginning of the change occurred with an email not out of the can, followed by a phone conversation or (even more effective) a meeting at an industry association conference.

Now we were working on wholly different levels. I'm not suggesting the initial communication required much effort or work; in fact, if either of us had to strain too hard to make the connection happen, I think both of us would have backed away. (In sales, few people are eager to deal with a desperate sales rep who is trying too hard.)

Most successful marketing and sales is just like that. Sure, you have to put effort into the process and not rely on chance, or blindly spending huge amounts of money in hoping something will happen. But the real reason you succeed is you are able to connect through something more personal and meaningful than the results of binary electronic arithmetic.

Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Craigslist, Google Local, and more . . . you need them all

Yes, I know it seems strange, but if you are serious about construction marketing, you should now have a Twitter account and be exploring the microblogging space.

And you should be learning art of blogging (full scale) and video, and have Facebook and Linkedin accounts.

And understand Craigslist, and Google Local, and search engine optimization, and more.
You also need a presentable, effective and prospect-friendly website.

Is any of this stuff going to bring you business the way of the old fashioned Yellow Pages, conventional direct mail, newspaper classifieds or the like? Probably not, at least initially.

But these resources will cost you little if any money, and will (if you do things right) allow you to find number one space within your niche, as you are likely to be the first or one of the very first construction industry people to use them. And once you are in first place, it is hard to be dislodged.

Oh yeah, this stuff also can powerfully and quickly extend your word of mouth referral and networking opportunities. Goes without saying that you should only use these resources if you do really great work which generates positive word-of-mouth publicity on its own.

Stay away from the Internet if your actual work is crappy or you are running anything that could be seen as borderline. It won't take too long for you to be exposed in ways you don't want to be seen, if you do.

The selling message: Establishing equality

Michael Zenga of ZN Custom Builders in Boston started an intriguing thread on contractortalk.com, The Best Sales Technique I Have Ever Used. In it, he outlines a construction marketing model of asking a couple of key agenda-setting questions on first meeting prospective clients.

Look at this wording:

When someone comes into my office - I build Modular Homes - before anything happens, I say hello and then "I really appreciate you coming to meet with me today. Would it be ok if we were to set an agenda for our meeting?"

- They always say ok

"Great. We meet a lot of people and typically on a first meeting we are just trying to find out if we might be a good fit. You will have some questions for us about design options and price, and we will have some questions for you about your ideal home, time frame and budget. At any time you might realize that we are never going to be a fit, and if you do that's ok. Will you tell me if that happens?"

- always get an "oh sure."

"And is it ok if we tell you if we think it isn't going to be a good fit?"

- certainly!

"Ok so all we ask is that if we get to the end of the meeting and we think it might be a fit that we take 5 minutes at the end of the meeting and figure out what a next step might be, is that ok?"

- No problem!

Aha, the contractor is now establishing equality with the client, not subservience, and the prospective customer knows that the contractor can -- and will -- be ready to walk away if the client isn't serious about doing business.

Fair enough, but how do you establish your brand sufficiently to pull this off? After all, you have to attract enough potential clients -- leads -- to comfortably know that when you meet one potential client and turn him or her away, there is always another to follow. This gives you confidence and prevents you from looking desperate for the business. (Sure you can fake it even if you are desperate, but it is much easier to be real and know that indeed you can walk away anytime you aren't happy with what you are seeing.)

Here, I looked into the background of why Zenga posted this thread. He is offering an e-book on Internet marketing (free) , Insiders Guide to Expanding Your Business on the Internet, which I have a sneaking suspicion is a brand-building initiative to attract consulting clients and maybe to build traffic for his own business (though I couldn't find any overt selling of this sort on the materials I reviewed.)

In his materials, I found he makes effective use of the ballpark estimate technique. That is, in exchange for receiving client contact information, he will provide a price range for his potential services large enough that it isn't firm, but clear enough to show the potential client what to expect. This is a good approach, I think, because it weeds out people who are unrealistically low in their pricing expectations, while not tying you down to a specific number until you inspect and determine what is right.

Zenga's e-book contains other materials including advice on how to avoid using the conventional Internet leads services, the effective use of video testimonials, and the like. It is worth your review.

Changing times: When things stop working right

Retired specifications writer John Jensen at our CSC Toronto Chapter No Frills Trade Show booth. Attendance and visitor interest have declined in recent years -- I think because the show organizers have not adapted their event to the online communications environment

A decade ago, you needed to wait in line for the opportunity to exhibit at the CSC Toronto Chapter No Frills Trade Show. Exhibitors and visitors packed the hall at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and show organizers (wisely) capped the number of booths, creating the ideal marketing environment -- the scarcity of opportunity increased the value of the booths for anyone present, and increased demand even further.

About three years ago, however, the slowdown became visible, and last year (for the first time in decades -- the show has been around 31 years), the organizers failed to sell all their booths. This year, even fewer exhibitors participated and (most disturbingly to the show organizers) the number of guests attending the event dropped even more. Exhibitors began packing up their displays well before the official evening closing time.

The show is a voluntary event, and supports the activities of the CSC Toronto Chapter. CSC -- Construction Specifications Canada -- is the Canadian counterpart to the Construction Specifications Institute -- the multidisciplinary organization dedicated to specifications writing. Manufacturers representatives and service providers traditionally have valued relationships with the spec writers because, if your building material or technology is written into the specifications documentation, you are assured of a fair shot at the business, regardless of who actually builds the project.

The marketing challenge for the CSC show committee is to figure out why the show has stopped working the way it succeeded in the past. I had several conversations with show organizers through the afternoon yesterday to explore the possible reasons for the show's difficulties, and then to see if we can find solutions.

Show organizers say part of the issue is industry consolidation and (more importantly) the fact that manufacturers representatives are covering much larger territories. As well, fewer students attended than in previous years -- this could relate to the slightly later show starting time and the nearness of the show date to exams.

But I think the bigger issue -- and challenge for the show as for other conventional businesses and events -- is the generational shift in technology and the powerful impact of online resources and methodologies on industry practices and relationships.

Specifications writers, for example, today can access virtual libraries online; in fact many are working in the BIM (Building Information Modelling) space. As well their communications and relationships are developed and maintained much more online.

The show organizers, it seems, promoted their event with some limited on-line publicity (one marketing piece sent by a co-operating publisher, unfortunately contained the wrong email contact information), but the entire framework of the show and is general approach to promotion is similar to the past, with more conventional publicity and mailings.

But I don't think just "some online marketing" is all that the show needs to thrive. More, the show organizers need to recognize the changes in the thought processes and business methodologies of specification writers and the organizations wishing to sell to them.

I'm more convinced than before that online media are the primary entry points for developing and maintaining relationships; but that print media, shows, and other resources are no less important in the marketing picture. You however, need to truly connect online first and frame your marketing approaches around the electronic resources, including blogs, great websites, relevant social networking sites and Internet forums, and permission-based email marketing (not spam!)

There are generational aspects here -- young people generally have caught on to the new way of thinking, but I and many others with quite a bit of grey hair also have been able to adapt and embrace the Internet.

My advice to the CSC Toronto Chapter show organizers: Think interactive, think electronic, and think year-round. Then the event will recapture the imagination of younger people and others wishing a useful resource for specification and building technology information.

Bill Thomas and his effective online marketing approach

One of Bill Thomas's Youtube videos, which help explain to homeowners how his service works -- the videos and website marketing enhance trust, reduce inconvenience, and cut marketing costs -- allowing him to 'over deliver' to consumers, and thus expand his business further. Seems, however, the previous blog posting about his business has resulted in some unintended consequences. . .

Bill Thomas Jr. of Mechanicsville, MD, called me today to apologize for the delay in responding to my initial inquiry about his intriguing website, www.homerestorationsmd.com, and his intriguing approach to online marketing and roofing service sales. He said he had been on vacation, and his administrative staff did not give my call priority (and for some reason, my emails to his address did not get through to him.)

You can read the previous blog entry about his business here.

Regardless, he elaborated on how he has built a seven-figure business using Internet marketing techniques that other contractors would be wise to consider and emulate. (However, local competitors are not happy, he says; following the publicity about his business on contractortalk.com and this blog, he says he received at least seven "threatening calls.")

So how does his system work?

Lets start with the email he sent to me today:

Thanks, Mark. Truly a pleasure for me to speak with you. Your site is a great asset to the community.

I read the thread on ContractorTalk.com. Pretty neat. Some of the guys seem to "get it", and that's very cool.

I'll send you some links when I get back in the office.

Again, our system works like this:

The website develops the "know you, like you, trust you" automatically, saving both us and the customer MUCH time . . .

We over deliver on the education and the trust aspect, and back it up with social proof (testimonials, public video)

We know immediately what they're looking for and present them with an irresistible offer.

We over deliver on service, do something extra that's a benefit (not in the contract) then present them with before/during/after photos and video for total proof, peace of mind)

We encourage them to send their links to their friends and family that need our services.

Most of our marketing and follow up you don't even see unless you're a qualified prospect or a client.

It's all about the customer, and we're always trying to improve . . .

Thomas says a surprising percentage of his clients conduct the entire business relationship online. They feel trust and confidence in his services, and appreciate the convenience that they don't have to wait around their home while his employees complete the inspection to prepare the online proposal, then the final work. (A few clients speak with him on the phone, but direct sales calls and visits are not needed, he says.)

Thomas isn't a kid -- he's 52 year's old. The website is only part of his marketing system. "We know the 'hot' (potential clients), how to market to them . .. we do direct mail, we have a list database that is proprietary to us."

He says his company is set up to repair roofs, and this creates future business for more significant jobs.

"We get a lot of leads through videos, Google Adwords and search engine optimization," he said. "We're not blowing off a lot of money on our keywords -- we're right on our target."

He says the money saved on client acquisition -- he says his competitors may spend upwards of $85 per lead -- is used to over deliver to clients; to give them more than they expect, and thus build the reputation even further. Thomas declined to discuss his cost-per-lead, and the online sales approach certainly would reduce the direct sales costs, but he declined to get more specific.

He says he is ready to share his ideas and methods with other contractors elsewhere in the country, and is not seeking money for consulting services. He attributes much of his online success and knowledge to Mark Hendrick's internet-success-system.com.

Thomas added a PS to the email which is especially revealing (and shows the power, I suppose, of this blog!)

PS. I purposely try to communicate with my customers electronically rather than by phone. People that come to my site are usually highly focused local prospects, and when I DO talk to them by phone, we establish e-communication immediately. The idea is to save time on the phone, and I reward them by passing along the savings.

Since you published my phone # on your site, I'm now getting TONS of spam calls, sales people, and others -- and since I roll the calls to my cell -- it's become a little disruptive. I've gotten 25 calls or so since you and I talked this morning that are non prospects, and I usually don't get many of those per day. It's a testament to how well your highly ranked site (#1 for contractor marketing in my area) is working.

Would you consider removing the # from your post so I don't get international attention?

I know it's "fair game", but it's kind of time consuming, and maybe if you helped me out, I could write an article or shoot you a link from another site that could be helpful to your cause as a return favor.

All in all, international attention is good, but my focus is on my clients, and I hope
you understand . . .

I'm removing the phone number from the previous posting, as he requested.

Below is another example of his youtube videos:

Maryland roofer site raises questions, and may provide answers

The site www.homerestorationsmd.com and its related sites (check out http://www.billthomasjr.com for an entertaining video clip: Honesty in Marketing -- Clarity Trumps Salesmanship) raise several questions about alternative approaches to marketing and selling construction services to consumers.

In his website, Thomas proposes an on site inspection with a comprehensive emailed quotation (with photos and documentation) rather than a conventional sales call. Some posters on contractortalk.com thought this would be a rather ineffective way to sell roofing services; others thought that the site owner (Bill Thomas, Jr.) is on to something truly effective.

Certainly Thomas' site uses the tools and techniques I've read about for successful search engine optimization (and may be achieving even greater success in that regard through references on contractortalk.com and now this blog.)

But there is a gap and I hope I will find soon a good reason for it. I phoned the number on the website and it rang for I think six to eight times before landing me in Thomas's (friendly) voice mail account. I also emailed him, telling him I planned to report on his business in this blog, and invited his comments.

He hasn't responded in any way; not a return call, not an autoresponder from the emails, nothing.

Of course, I am not a qualified client for roofing services in the Maryland areas he serves so he might have just brushed off the inquiry and declined to consider it seriously. Then again, publicity and references from this blog are significant in the search engine space -- and this blog posting may well appear when anyone tries to search more about his business following the initial website view (a truly likely possibility, since after all he is using high-end Internet marketing techniques.)

There may be good reasons for his failure to follow up and respond and I will revise this posting accordingly if that is the case. And when/if he responds, I'll be able to share some additional observations with you.

The Google keyword tool

The Google Adwords Keyword Tool is a useful resource in defining your online marketing, both directly in determining which key words you should use for your Google paid advertising and, more importantly, understanding which search terms result in inquiries, and how many arise.

For example, I keyed "construction marketing" and discovered that last month 8,100 searches used these words (a significant increase from the average of just above 5,000.)

The tool offered insights into 'traffic' for other related keyword combinations, ranging from an indication that "marketing construction services" attracted 320 inquiries last month, to "marketing to construction" on average attracts 58 inquiries in a month.

The tool also you to enter a web page URL to find keywords related to the content on the page. Here we find "small business" attracted a whopping 3,350,000 search inquires last month (a big jump from the norm) and "construction job" attracted a million inquiries. Not surprisingly, if you use these high demand keywords you will pay a small fortune for an effective campaign -- I tested out one option, and found if I were to pay for the words for top billing, I would need a budget of about $4,000 a day -- for one keyword combination.

On the other hand, you can use this tool to narrow your focus; your goal is to find search terms relevant to your business, with reasonably high visitors, and reasonably low competition. Of course, you can get obsessed with this stuff and forget what really matters -- the quality AND quantity of response. Designing your site so it contains lots of relevant content that truly matches the keywords you expect people will seek in learning about your business, and building a site so good that it attracts back links and repeat businesses, will do a whole lot more for than simply analyzing the keywords.

And yes, this posting will (legitimately) boost keyword relevance for the words that matter here.

(Thanks to Tinner666 at contractortalk.com for the tip that leads to this posting.)

Gurus, gambits and gimmicks

This 'old' posting, Marketing,Leads, Sales and Recession, about how to allocate your time and resources on sales, lead geneation and brand development is worth rereading, esepcially if you are tempted to spend significant dollars on any marketing solution.

If you are like most people, you want a simple, fast, inexpensive (free is best) and absolutely effective solution to your marketing challenges. So, one day, you search the web and maybe land here. This blog may be the closest thing to your dream come true -- no one here is pushing a product or service, the advice is free, and you can find loads of useful links and connections for further answers.

But this blog won't solve your marketing challenges -- nor will the other, fancier sites, which invite you to submit your name and then spend some money for their answers. Nor will the advertising sales representative, or leads service telemarketer, or marketing consultant pitching seemingly foolproof wares. In fact, the easier the answer seems in the marketing materials, the less likely the you'll gain any value from the process.

Marketers, sales reps, and (gulp) con artists know how to play to your emotions, your dreams, you hopes for fast and simple answers, and they'll make things look downright easy and incredibly simple. Usually there is a catch. Sometimes you have luck, and sometimes, through your network and word of mouth recommendations (the best approach) or solid searching and research (it can work, but is harder), you find consultants and services that really help your business, at reasonable cost.

Search through contractortalk.com, for example, and you'll find several positive references to Footbridge Media for design and marketing support. This blog promotes our Ottawa consultants, Caswell Corporate Coaching Company. Google Adwords is truly a great advertising medium. Wow, I just gave three free plugs. You can also email me or phone, and receive some worthwhile ideas, hopefully, without a sales pitch. (If your business is in Ontario or North Carolina or you would like to start a regional construction publication elsewhere, you might want to do business with us, nevertheless.)

But none of these services, and nothing this blog tells you to do, will set your course straight for an immediate change and sudden improvement in your circumstances. You've got to do that yourself -- and if your situation is like most, the repair and revitalization exercise will take months, perhaps a year or two, before you see the corner turns and things really start to improve.

This can be frustrating, scary, and downright agonizing, especially if your motivation to change your marketing practices is a business crisis. You need cash now, you need results, fast, and you want to try something -- anything -- to make things right. Watch out! If you are not careful, if your wishful thinking and hopes override your common sense and caution, and a little bit of prudence, you'll be conned. You'll pay far too much for services that don't work as promised, or you'll be sent materials and information which, while valid, don't provide the quick fix you so badly need.

You can find emergency solutions; usually involving contacting previous clients, and most honorable consultants will give you some insights right away without worrying about money. But be wary if anyone makes things seem too simple, too easy, and too effective. You can move quickly with a flash of insight and understanding, but real change takes work and effort, and while you'll know pretty quickly if you are on the right track, you will still need several months to see your way to the end of the tunnel. You'll get there, though, if you persevere and change what you need to change.

About this blog's advertising

You may have noticed various advertising links on this blog. Some are extensions of our service to our print publication advertisers; others are Internet ads served by Google. My reading on blog/Internet advertising, especially for publishers who wish to convey an authoritative message, is to limit or ban advertising totally -- but we, after all, are in the publishing business, and we sell advertising for a living here.

Nevertheless, the actual revenue from the Internet advertising is minuscule and I certainly am not seeking to make the ad sales here my primary business. But it is useful to experiment with the different available online advertising models; understanding the processes, their effectiveness and relevance of course is useful for any business, whether you are selling advertising, or purchasing it.

A little (smart) marketing can go a long way

How could canvassing with this handwritten note generate $10,000 in sales in a matter of hours? Perhaps one answer is you don't need to be truly sophisticated to succeed in marketing within the construction industry -- perhaps you simply need to go out and do something!

One thing I've noticed in selling advertising services for the construction industry is its lack of marketing sophistication. Many businesses simply play it by 'gut' or by what one media sales rep or another suggests.

I validated this by evaluating the source of advertising in poorly produced and ineffectively distributed "police journals". These magazines are sold by telemarketers purportedly representing local police associations. Perhaps the telemarketers contribute a small amount of money (or even worse, some free magazines) to the police associations, but little really is achieved otherwise -- the publications have poor overall distribution, editorial content, or value. And the ads in them are not inexpensive.

Notably, the largest percentage of advertisers in these publications -- by far -- are from the construction community. You certainly don't see retailers, banks, phone companies, and the like using these publications. Notably, few businesses selling products or services specifically relevant to police or law enforcement, or with a true relevance for working police officers, use them either. In other words, the telemarketers are able to convince construction businesses there is some value in this advertising, when there is none.

Lets look at another example, my earlier blog posting revealing how a sloppy handwritten note, combined with door-to-door canvassing, brings in significant business for a local contractor. What kind of business (other than construction) could claim success with this type of marketing piece?

Now, the bad news is that the ineffective, sloppy and often inept marketing that 'works' or is tried in the construction industry tends to degrade its reputation -- causing mindless expectations of "free estimates" and destroying trust from the general public.

But the good news is you don't need to do much to succeed by doing things right (in fact, I suppose you could argue you can succeed by doing almost anything!) In other words, just a little intelligent thinking and resourcefulness will produce returns far in excess of your cost -- and you can easily manage the risks to achieve satisfactory results. The reason: You are not up against much competition, and these days, resources are available to reduce your costs and risks and enhance your results.

These include:

Effective associations

In the ICI sector, and if you are an architect or engineer, you should join the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS). If you are a home builder, consider your local Home Builders' Association, affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders (U.S.) or the Canadian Home Builders Association. You should also review resources available from appropriate specialty trade or general contracting associations. Almost all have resources to give you basic guidance in marketing -- and your membership, itself, will serve a marketing purpose.

Free Internet resources

See the links to Contractortalk.com and the Journal of Light Construction Online from this blog; you'll find a wealth of useful ideas and excellent peer support in these services.

Speciality (reputable) marketing services and consultants

I like Michael Stone (residential and sub trades, primarily) and Bernie Siben (AEC), but there are others you may find through networking through the consultants. Some heavily marketed and well promoted consulting services are overpriced and deliver commodity-style service. Stay away from them.

Inexpensive (effective) web and Internet design services

You'll see these referenced on the forums; Footbridge Media appears to have a very good reputation, for example.

Your existing clients

I cannot overemphasise the importance of connecting, relating, and listing to your existing clients. They can lead to powerful repeat business and referrals -- and provide you the perfect opportunity to asses your success and marketing effectiveness.

Notably, these marketing strategies will cost far less than the amount you waste on purchasing ads in overpriced police journals; or simply require the modest redirection of resources either of time or limited overhead budget allocations.

Simply put, you don't need to be brilliant at marketing in the construction sector -- you simply need to do a few things right and avoid some simple pitfalls to achieve success far beyond your competition -- and that is great news if you are wondering how you will survive the recession.

Footbridge Media bats 1000

You can't buy positive publicity like Footbridge Media is receiving on contractortalk.com and here. You have to earn it by delivering the goods.

This Contractortalk.com thread relating to Footbridge Media is interesting on two levels. First, of course, is the amazingly effective power of postiive testimonials through Internet forums. No cost to Footbridge for this publicity, of course, but high value -- from the referral element, good will, validation, and more. Note also the element of exclusivity that helps to create demand from new clients (and validates the relationship with existing customers).

You could never purchase this kind of publicity with advertising -- so how do you get it?

First, and obviously most importantly, you have to earn it by deserving it. Deliver exemplary, "wow" service to your clients, and they will respond positively. Can you encourage your clients to spread the word about you? Yes, but with caution. I'm pretty sure that if Nathan at contractortalk.com found there was an organized campaign to plant postings in his forums he would grow livid -- and yank the thread -- because, after all, he earns income from advertising revenue and "free ads" are not what his forum is about. In other words, if your clients are truly expressing joy with your service to the extent they wish to spread the good word, you probably could help them along, but if you try too hard, you will end up in the sandbox.

So, then, what is the second point in this posting? I've always advocated Internet marketing, good websites, and useful and practical resources to support your work -- even though I haven't used Footbridge myself, it looks like they have it right, and you might wish to consider their services. (How's that for some more free positive publicity for them!)

Who clicks on those (internet) ads?

Verticals and specialized sites like buildingtalk.com offer a defined industry demographic -- I doubt too many rural housewives who clip coupons would visit this site.

This blog posting, "Who clicks on ads? And what might this mean?" suggests that the people who click on Internet ads are unlikely to be the best demographic market -- lower-income rural housewives!

Obviously this posting does not take into account the fact that the advertiser can very clearly target and measure the results of their Internet advertising -- something that is much harder to do with conventional media. But it raises the question; and reality, that much advertising is indeed ineffective and wasted, and that other advertising (in conjunction with the overall business strategy) can assist in brand development -- and the comments validate this awareness. Finally, we need to consider the effectiveness and value of some of the construction industry vertical sites -- with enough content and value to truly deliver a qualified and measurable audience.

What advertising works for you?

Someone asked that question on the contractortalk.com forum, and the responses are interesting.

FOOA Day 2





Shortly after writing this entry, I will return to the meeting room for the second day of the Future of Online Advertising Conference in New York.

I have taken a low-profile "absorbing" attitude towards this conference. Notes describing specific speakers etc are in the files (and conference organizers promise a complete package when it concludes) so I will put together now simply some quick thoughts gelled from a number of different speakers.

• There are interesting observations that conventional 'corporate' ads don't work so well as ones that inspire some curiosity and make very strong use of photographic images. Combined with a little text (say 80 characters), response may be highest.


• One unconventional group has developed a rather interesting model for advertising within a 'vertical' sector. Within this group, only one ad is run across all the sites, it must meet very specific technical requirements, and the advertiser generally must buy ad on all sites for a month -- and prepay. If repeat business is an indication, this model is successful. It encourages a non-cluttered look on the web pages, and the exclusivity gives the advertiser real power and value. This type of initiative requires much co-operation over many platforms, however, so I doubt it will become widespread.


• Nevertheless, the issue of 'advertising clutter' is one worthy of attention -- as a publisher do we trade off real effectiveness by jamming too much advertising on our sites? Is there a place for a more controlled and managed approach here?


• RSS Feeds offer interesting and important advertising opportunities, again in moderation and with respect for the way feeds are distributed.


• Video is undoubtedly becoming more important, affecting everyone, and creating new opportunities (and challenges) for traditional publishers and sites. Things can get even more interesting with concepts of embedded product placements and linkages within video sites.


• Online advertising is a booming sector, radically transforming traditional publishing practices, ownership, and viability. I found it interesting at the conference to see how many people were working with laptops -- and how few were reading the free copies of Wired and Advertising Age (printed) provided to each participant (though I and I'm sure many others took these publications to read more closely after the conference sessions ended.)

I'm shortly heading back to Gotham Hall, for another day's dose of insights and observations.