by Michael O'Neill | Jan 31, 2014 | Content Marketing, Marketing, Quote, Today I Learned
Ben Hunt writes in Convert! (165):
In a medium like mail order advertising, long copy sells. The long-standing motto in direct mail is “The more you tell, the more you sell.” This has been proven time and again.
I would say the same principle applies to marketing on the Web. […] Some web marketers apply the long-copy approach directly to the sales pages, and create squeeze pages that are 10 screens long[…]. The reason they do that is because it has been proven to work.
Do not assume that the long sales format is the only solution for any of your web pages. These long pages typically sell only one thing. Your web site may need to represent the breadth of what you offer, which means it needs navigation.
by Michael O'Neill | Jan 7, 2014 | Blog, SEO
Tonight (January 7, 2014) I noticed a curious change in Google Webmaster Tools search query data:
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by Michael O'Neill | Dec 20, 2013 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing
Velocity Partners published a fantastic ebook that gets to the core of the problem with poor execution, unclear content strategy, and underinvestment in quality content.
by Michael O'Neill | Nov 22, 2013 | Agile, Blog, Book Review, Scrum
In the introduction to Essential Scrum, Ken Rubin writes,
This book, Essential Scrum, is an attempt to be the missing single source for essential Scrum knowledge. It includes an in-depth discussion of Scrum’s principles, values, and practices–one that in most cases agrees with other agile thought leaders and “The Scrum Guide.” (Where this book offers a different perspective from what is widely promoted elsewhere, I point it out and explain why.)
Given this, the question is, does it deliver on its promise?
Absolutely.
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by Michael O'Neill | Nov 21, 2013 | Agile, Blog, Marketing, Scrum
This is a fascinating video to watch. David Quinn, Senior Marketing Director at EMC, reveals the intimate details of how his organization introduced Agile to the marketing group. I’ve been through this process twice now, and repetition doesn’t make it less interesting.
I think it’s worth watching, but be a critical listener. He has some interesting interpretations of Agile and Scrum… They aren’t wrong, per se. But don’t assume his approach will be “right” for your organization (teams don’t have daily standups/daily Scrums, apparently).
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by Michael O'Neill | Nov 19, 2013 | Agile, Flow, Scrum
From
Essential Scrum by Kenneth S. Rubin:
It is usually far less expensive to start fast and learn fast that we were wrong than to spend a substantial amount of time and money up front to ensure that we make the “right” decision, only to find out eventually that we were wrong.
by Michael O'Neill | Nov 18, 2013 | Agile, Flow, Scrum
From
Essential Scrum by Kenneth S. Rubin:
[…]the ScrumMaster observes how the team is using Scrum and does anything possible to help it get to the next level of performance. When problems arise that the team can and should be able to solve, the ScrumMaster’s attitude, like that of any good coach, is “I’m not here to solve your problems for you; instead, I’m here to help you solve your own problems.”
by Michael O'Neill | Nov 16, 2013 | Agile, Flow, Scrum
From
Essential Scrum by Kenneth S. Rubin:
The ScrumMaster doesn’t hire and fire and cannot dictate to the team what tasks it should do or how to do them. The ScrumMaster is also not responsible for making sure the work gets done.
by Michael O'Neill | Nov 15, 2013 | Content Marketing, Flow, Writing
Talk about the hard stuff. People already know the easy stuff.
by Michael O'Neill | Nov 15, 2013 | Agile, Flow, Scrum
From
Essential Scrum by Kenneth S. Rubin:
Managers need to foster an environment where people are constantly learning and adding to their skill sets. They need to make it clear that learning is not only encouraged, but is in fact a priority at the individual, team and organizational levels.
