Ok, the toilet might be extreme, but AT&T’s decision to try and alleviate its problem with infrastructure by altering its pricing setup for new users purchasing Internet usage on smartphones and the iPad, to me, goes against all rules for understanding consumer behavior.

This is marketing 101. The more you understand your customers wants and needs, and the easier it is you make it for your prospects and customers to buy; the more likely they will. This is the simplistic version, of course. Yet, I think I can make a safe assumption here:

AT&T…you may claim you’re saving consumers money with your new data usage plans; but you better get that PR machine rollin to counter the bad press. Why? Because, and I may be wrong…but with our busy lives…the last thing we want to do as consumers is calculate Megabytes and our data usage. It’s bad enough to figure our cell phone minutes used. This should be marketing 101…understanding consumer behavior….making it easy for prospects and customer to want to buy. This, doesn’t do that. People don’t want to think more than they have to. They’re busy enough as it is.  

Opinions herein are soley those of the blogger and this blogger could be wrong. Blogger is not an AT&T customer (and probably won’t ever be). But this bloggers’ opinion is to send AT&T marketing people back to school.

But, does it create revenue?

Whether you are highly creative, spend money on advertising or build a great website; those things don’t mean your business will make money. Now, you and I both know that organizations big and small have done great things with creative online video, full page ads and interactive websites; but will it work for you????

Answer:

Probably not!

Why?

The technical term is ‘media fragmentation’. What does that mean? It means that the marketing focus is all over the board and money has been gambled on things that haven’t had any proper research. It means that your approach is SATURATED. It’s been done before, and your message or brand doesn’t “resonate” in the mind of the consumer.  This doesn’t mean you won’t get “lucky”. Plently of small, medium and large organizations have built brand recognition and increased sales using those same tactics.

The problem is throwing money at it and hoping for the best. It is also the hurry and the lack of proper research.

If you are a small or medium sized business looking to market your products or services, throwing money at it might get you lucky; however, the proper market research and uncovering your customers true wants and needs will take you farther.

Like dating or relationships, “it’s complicated.” Yet, listen first, and join the conversation. Your business will not only save money, but you’ll find out more about your business, your competitors and what you can do, than any money can provide spending on a YouTube video, advertisement or fancy website. Lastly, if you are spending money, ask yourself this:

 Are you measuring results?

 Are they just in sales?

Are results directly tied to these tactics and have you set goals or benchmarks?

 Or, are they just a hopeful result of your expenditures?

If your answer is no to linking spending with tactics, then it is time to revisit your marketing strategy.

It still gets complicated from there. We can talk about surveys, questionnaires, statistics, bias and error in market research till your blue in the face. The fact is, as a small business or medium sized business, you don’t have time to worry about that. However, it still pays dividends to do some research, ask and document your findings. Trust me, it works and it’s better than just throwing money at it and hoping for results.

Cheers,

Frankie

1. One riffer just won a  Marinwood guitar signed by well known musican Jimmy Dillon.
2. Every week the top riff wins iTunes gift cards.
3. You can join a great musical community of over 3,000 fans.
4. Instead of playing music on a virtual app, you can sing, play and record your own music to your iPhone.
5. You can post your cool riff to your Facebook page.
6. Upload links to your website so listeners can hear more of your cool stuff.
7. Even if you suck at playing music, like I do, it’s still fun.
8. You can be as ruthless as Simon Cowell or cry like Paula.
9. Get free iTunes gift cards for referring your friends (see Facebook page for details)
10. Because $1.99 is a great price for endless fun.

Here is an extra reason: Riff Raters is not just guitars. Got a great voice? Sing to Riff Raters. Play a different music instrument? Let’s hear it.

Watching the conditions. It's business out there.

Keep Your Eyes On The Water

On February 13, 2010, in the sleepy Northern California town of Half Moon Bay, 13 people were hurt while standing on a jetty outcropping that protects harbors from the oncoming onslaught of the wave action that pounds this hardy coast during the wintertime. The spectators came to this spot to watch the Mavericks Big Wave surf contest. Mavericks, is a fickle surf spot that breaks only on the biggest of Northwest swells. These swells develop from powerful storms thousands of miles out to sea off the Aleutian Islands of Alaska and travel for days to Northern California waters. Because of these swells, Mavericks boasts one of the world’s most ferocious instances of watery power. Waves focus on a shallow ledge of reef, hundreds of yards from shore, off a tip of land known as Pillar Point. The sheer speed and momentum of all that water converging on this one piece of underwater earth slows both suddenly and dramatically. The cascading liquid rises to towering heights. Only the brave, fearless, just plain crazy, or a combination of all three, willingly paddle ten foot plus surfboards nearly a half a mile off land to immerse themselves in the exact area, where waves the size of buildings, slam down hard enough to kill the average person.

When these waves break out on the reef, they push so much water across it, the energy continues until it reaches the beach or the jetty. On this crisp February day, the combination of powerful swells and a high tide coincided with a rush of salt water that slammed into spectators like a pedestrian in a car accident, nearly knocking the entire scaffolding off the jetty where the contest announcers were seated. Fortunately, nobody lost their lives; however, there were some broken bones and no doubt some frightened souls and embarrassed egos.

What experienced surfers and business people alike will tell you about this incident is, in order to safely navigate the natural environment we all occupy, we need to KEEP OUR EYES ON THE WATER. It is terribly easy to be caught off guard in the ocean and business, whether it is the changing behavior of consumers, the performance of our products and services, or the actions of competitors. Surfers, when they arrive at a surf spot, typically spend several minutes watching the ocean. Wave riders continuously monitor the ocean, analyzing the tide, wind and swell conditions. They look for the frequency in sets of waves, the shape and direction of the swell. Surfers feel the wind direction and spot areas that can help them get to the lineup quickly. Rip currents, the enemy of swimmers and lifeguards everywhere, are a surfer’s friend. Before paddling out, surfers also have a keen eye for the competition for their share of waves. The surfer, also keeps his or her eyes on the water. They know a placid and serene day of surfing can turn dangerous very quickly. Waves of three feet can quickly become ten to twelve feet without warning.

Conditions in the business world can quickly become dangerous and out of control rapidly as well. Competitor products can undermine operations, surprising the marketplace. Simple, mistakes can quickly become a public relations nightmare. Vendors can suddenly go out of business. The surfer can sometimes be considered an adept weather forecaster. The entrepreneur and small business owner can also become a competent weather forecaster also. In the business world, the weather is not in the ocean, but rather the business climate itself. Like the surfer, monitoring conditions before paddling out and keeping all eyes on the water, the business person must monitor the environment constantly and develop a keen awareness for changing conditions. To do this, it is prudent to gain a grasp on all of the various factors that can affect the marketplace. This is where planning and research take place. Being prepared for potential changes to the environment is not a onetime operation. Business schools teach the SWOTT analysis as a simplistic method for gauging the environment. SWOTT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats and Trends. Essential for startup organizations, the SWOTT analysis is the basic weather forecaster for the business world. Like ocean conditions, the business environment is in a constant state of flux. Even the most experienced surfers and business people can be caught off guard. Yet, keeping your eyes on the water allows you to be prepared when caught inside of breaking wave the size of a tall building.

As a younger surfer, I made the mistake of not keeping my eyes on the water.

On a fine winter afternoon in Northern California, I made my way to the beach without checking the ocean conditions beforehand. On my drive, I could tell the slight offshore wind blowing from land to sea would make for waves that were groomed, like someone running a fine toothed comb across the cold, green water. When I arrived at the surf spot, I took a quick glance and saw that everything seemed to be in its place. A rather fun looking four foot swell appeared to be rolling through with a minimal crowd. The lack of surfers in the water was surprising considering the typical weekend gathering. I ignored the question of my usual spot absent throngs of people and quickly slid on my thick 4/3 O’Neill wetsuit as fast as I could. I spread some surf wax around on the deck of my smallest board and paddled to the lineup in record time, with my hair still dry. In the lineup, I marveled at the light dancing through high cirrus clouds, bouncing off the waves. I made some small talk with a friend in the water and proceeded to catch two incredibly fun right handed waves. I banked a few turns off the top of each wave and paddled swiftly to the lineup with a great big grin on my face. This was easy, I thought to myself. Maybe the horde of “50,000 of my best friends” were surfing somewhere else that was better. It was too tranquil for me to care. I relaxed, waiting for the next set of clean little waves to roll into the lineup. Just then, I looked to the horizon, where at that moment, my eyes grew as big as saucers. Approximately, fifty yards away and closing in like a locomotive, was a giant wall of water stretching from the point of land to my right, all the way down the beach as far as the eye could see. I spun my board toward China and began taking deep and powerful paddling strokes directly at the freight train of ocean bearing down on me. I hoped I could get to the bottom of portion of the wave and duck myself under before the breaking crest of water landed in front of me. It turns out my timing was just a split second off. The falling lip of this sizeable wave landed square on my back. I was in what they call the “impact zone.” The resulting force ripped the surfboard straight from my hands, which gripped the board with so much force; I thought my fingers were going to punch right through the fiberglass. The air in my lungs was subsequently forced out and my body was thrust into the sandy bottom, bouncing up into a watery suspension after the impact with the sea floor. Like clothes in a washing machine, I was forcibly spun over and over until I had no sense of direction to tell which way was up and which way was down. With my lungs screaming in agony for air, I reached my leg rope tethered to my surfboard, and followed it one hand over the other, knowing the flotation of the surfboard would carry the surfboard to the surface where the air was. When I finally reached my board and was able to take in a huge gasp of air, I looked back toward the horizon and found another avalanche of whitewater heading toward me. With air finally in my lungs I dunked myself as deep as I could go to avoid the underwater turbulence. It didn’t work. I was projected like a ragdoll once again, nearly colliding with my surfboard underwater. Fortunately, the energy of the entire wave carried me reasonably close to the beach, where I consequently reached for my board and paddled my way to the beach. The zipper on my wetsuit was ripped undone during my ordeal and cold, fifty-two degree water was thrust down my wetsuit like a blast from a fire hose. Dazed, I slowly walked up the beach, with bruised ego, thankful to be alive. As I turned my view from the parking lot back to the ocean, several more bombs unloaded on the sandbar before returning to a calm and peaceful state for several minutes. Then another set of ocean slabs struck and not a sole was in the water.

What I failed to notice in my haste to gain the upper hand on uncrowded, clean ocean conditions was the large long period swell closing out across the sandbar. Had I waited before hurriedly charging blindly into the ocean, I would have seen the set of waves that took me out. What looked like a day of happiness riding waves with a few friends, turned swiftly into deceitfully dangerous water.  I learned a lifelong lesson on that day that applies to business as well….KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE WATER.

 I do not care whether it’s Reggae, Punk Rock, real Jazz, R&B, Classical, or old fashioned Rock and Roll. However, these are just names. All these crazy classifications…Post Hardcore, Post Modern, Emo. We put all this music into these categories, which nobody can really remember or classify anyway. Can you?

 Thus, being subject to merely rating and commenting on fantastic musicians uploading their musical tweets to Riff Raters, I have stumbled upon a solution for a different sound for myself to upload to the app.

I must, however, preface this first. See, I haven’t seen more than five minute doses of the sun for over a month. It’s not that I don’t go outside. I’m a surfer by nature for chrissake. This incessant rain, clouds and fog have been permeating the landscape for possibly the last two months. Every single day.

So, now I understand the musical and maybe even hallucinatory raw sounds that come from the Seattle music scene. Thus, after watching a documentary about the nations’ National Parks, and being mesmerized by a deep seated need to break away from computers, advertising, cell phones, I found my solution in nature.

My riff, will be recording the hum of the natural world of waterfalls, wind blowing through trees, birds and the overall beauty of being in solitude. It’s a marriage of technology and nature. I’ll record my scenic riff, upload and then soak in the refreshing air and sounds that lack all the technology in the wild. Invigorated, and inspired by a solution to lack of musical talent, if only for a 20 second tweet. I’ll return to work.

Because, when the sun finally comes out and dries up all this rain, I’ll be left with the stimulating words of John Muir, “Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”

This is exactly why music is so innovatively thought provoking, rebellious and soulful at the same time. Because no matter how maniacally depressed you are seeing as Wall Street is in the tank because some Broker can’t afford to buy his sixth Tesla this year, and Brett Farve might retire…again…, you can still listen and play music.

What’s more innovative and cool and so genuinely, technologically organic than creating awesome, thought provoking and harmonious reverberation for the masses? Speaking of ratings, you can record and upload your ingenious musical creations to the Riff Raters iPhone app and show your true innovation with artistic flair. An entire community can ponder the philosophical meaning behind your work. Is your riff meant to be defiantly punk rock, like listening to Henry Rollins when he was in Black Flag? Or, is your riff poignant and emotional or mesmerizing like listening to Angel by Massive Attack?

Whatever your creation, music is innovative, what else is your late night entertainment alternative? You can listen to Conan talking about posing nude. Yay!

 You’re so ready! You can make the entire band Poison cry in shame and…YES, you’ve concocted the perfect rock star. You are now so perfectly equipped, all except for the shoes. You must ditch your shoes in favor of the socks. The socks are a must so that you may perfect your stage presence by skating across the linoleum floor; left arm outstretched pointing your index finger at the crowd. But watch out for the dining room table. There is no room for accidents here.

 Strolling up to your makeshift stage, the myriad millions of pixels dancing on your GIANT overly priced, flat screen, wall mounted television come into form. You hear the crowd chanting your name and you no longer feel like the tiny amoeba in this thing called life, waiting to get stepped on by AIG and your bankrupt State. Your inner consciousness is calling out to you.

Except there is one problem. You’ve been caught playing Guitar Hero to avatars on a screen instead of playing a real guitar and really singing into your iPhone on Riff Raters. Real people listening, real fans! But it’s all ok to do. Really! You can sing and play music to your iPhone. Why? Because nobody can see you in your $700 cotton sheets, with your makeup and your hair looking like you stuck your finger in the wall socket. Oh, and those socks. You accidentally grabbed the striped five-fingered socks. Whoops!

So, let me make one simple humble musical request.  Get out there and rap, play, sing, dance and pound those drums so loud and universally awesome the heavens nod in approval and Osama stains his britches. An original riff, a fantastic body quivering meditative burst of your soul.

It doesn’t matter whether you went to band camp, tour every garage in your community, or stand on the shiny milk crate in your room singing to a carrot stick (crap, I gave myself away). Pour your heart out. The technology is there. Join Riff Raters and share your “cool” with the world!

 Check out Riff Raters: www.riffraters.com

Join the Riff Raters community on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Riff-Raters/311970795194

The Apocalypse is coming in two years you know. At least according to Hollywood, the world will look like fiery garbage heap of destruction and mayhem. It’ll be like the worst hangover you ever had…if you survive. You’ll wake up and all you’ll have is that darn iPhone sitting in your hand telling you that you don’t have any phone service. At least you won’t have to call AT&T customer service anymore.

 When your hopes are dashed, there’s no more Facebook, Twitter or WordPress and you’re feeling blue and kind of like you’ve been in a 10 round fight with Mike Tyson. You somehow discover there is a lone cell phone tower in your area providing Internet service to your iPhone.

 What do you do? You pop on the App Store and download Riff Raters…because we all know Steve Jobs, MacBooks , Apple and of course cockroaches will still be in operation well after doomsday, like a roving gang, fighting off Bill Gates, Microsoft and Google from gathering information on what’s left of you, the cockroaches and anyone else lucky enough to survive. The next step is to grab that s***ty old guitar and play music. The music of the apocalypse. Play it LOUD. Music that would make Jim Morrison jump out of his grave and have a drink with you. The music the Record Labels and Simon Cowell (because we know he’ll survive too) won’t let you play because you are actually talented.

So, when all is lost, you can play awesome music, find survivors on Riff Raters and be the musical Rock God of the apocalypse.

 I love music. Music can change my moods like Paris Hilton changing shoes. I can go from an amped up coffee fueled, excitable, cell phone addled, people looking at me like I’m crazy to a state of zen filled bliss Buddha like trance in a matter of no time. All it takes is the right music.

 Or the wrong music!

 Take the songs in commercials for instance. Tireless commercial jingles that send you to find the nearest wall to bang your head against, screaming NO!!! Please make it stop!. These advertising agencies pay so called professional musicians to create or mix jingles that you’ll remember. Oh, I’ll remember them alright. It’s called branding in marketing circles. It gets stuck in your head so badly that it’s like someone peeled back your skull and cattle branded your brain. I’ll take almost any riff off the Riff Raters iPhone app for a commercial jingle any day. This is where these ad agencies should look for talent.

What’s my biggest fear? It’s that I’ll have that Geico commercial jingle with the money and whacky eyeballs, that were probably made in China, stuck in my head if the so-called impending apocalypse comes in 2012. No, that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that I’d the only survivor and the only things that still exist are a radio playing that dumb jingle and worthless money and eyeballs starting at me. Whew, maybe it was just a bad dream. Time to listen to some T.S.O.L. to get that jingle out of my head.

Thank you and goodnight!