amy cham :: pixels + people

The Pricing Puzzle

Just what do I think I'm worth?

One of the things I learned quickly upon starting Paper Swan Photography was that figuring out what to charge--and what to provide--is one of the most difficult parts of the job.  When I first started, like so many others, I simply took whatever I could get--or worked for free--and was (truly) grateful for the opportunity.

Now I am in another place altogether.  I'm not a world-famous 'rock star' photographer, but I'm not a baby anymore either.  In this middle ground, where so many of us reside, there is, it turns out, absolutely no standardization in pricing.  None. Zero. Zilch.

Setting Goals for Content Sites

If you’ve been reading up on internet marketing, you’ve no doubt seen many articles talking about improving your site conversions. On a sales-oriented site, this is very intuitive…what portion of your visitors end up buying something? 

For a content site, though, it can be difficult to decide what a “conversion” might be, much less how to measure it and optimize for it. As this is something I have struggled with on some of my client sites, I thought it was worth a post and hopefully some discussion. 

This article is not intended to be a definitive, all-encompassing guide…rather, my hope is to get the wheels turning for how you might be able to more effectively use and measure your content-based site.

Free stuff - Rich Schefren's latest plus MySpace on social marketing

Two quick links to some very cool, very valuable, and very free documents:

• Andy Beard links us to Rich Schefren's latest free resource, "The Attention Age Doctrine." I haven't read this one yet, but what I have read of his other work is fantastic!
• Charlene Li gives us a link to a report MySpace put out a little while ago called, "Never Ending Friending," giving their take on how people use social networking sites, and what we can do about it. (Forrester also has a new social networking report out.)

I can't wait to dig into these...go get them!

The curse of the phone number

Upon finishing school, I relocated to Manhattan.  My cell phone, however, still thinks I live in Rochester. As I am getting things started for my business, I decided it was time for a Manhattan number so I can get my new cards printed and put it on my website (currently under development).  Last time I changed my number (a landline), they just ran a little recording saying "This number has been changed to....."  Simple transition, right? I was especially hopeful since my provider claims a mysterious service called "EZ Move"...

Escalation Bias: Are you sure about that?

Tonight, I'm working on a presentation for one of the final classes of my MBA.  We're reporting the findings of an April 2006 paper on escalation bias.  (Note, we did not write the paper, we are just talking about it.)

What is escalation bias? It's the phenomenon of standing by an initial decision, such as a product launch, despite learning new information that shows it is a bad idea.  (The paper is written in the context of a product launch, as is appropriate to a Product Management course...)

Survey: Marketing for Online Consumer Business

As you may or may not know, I am finishing off the final semester of my MBA at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. As part of my coursework, I am doing pro bono consulting work for a brand-new startup with a new web-based marketing tool.

My work for the client centers on a survey I am conducting to better understand how B2C businesses use existing marketing tools, how well these tools are working for them, and where there is room for improvement.

Everyone who takes the survey will have the choice to enter a drawing for one of two $100 gift certificates from a selection of online vendors, and will have the option of participating in a free one-month beta test of the client’s new service. Testers can receive up to four months’ total free service if they choose to participate in an extended beta. Both the drawing and the free service are completely optional, and there is no further obligation implied by participation in either the survey or the beta service.

The survey takes 5-10 minutes to complete.

The survey is here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=862633577249 .

If you are a blogger or webmaster, I am offering on-blog banner promotion of any sites that help to me get the word out about this survey. Additionally, the first four sites to send 12 respondents my way will receive a free copy of Seth Godin's new book, The Dip. Please email me if you would like to know more.

Online Press Releases

Lee Odden on TopRankBlog has a phenomenal post on using press releases online.

Not a whole lot I can add here, except to confirm that in my experience, press releases are one of the simplest and cost-effective marketing tools we can use--and yet they are rarely used well.  The typical press release is a blah announcement about a new customer or employee.  It doesn't get attention, and nobody is interested in publishing it.

An exciting press release, however, about something readers care about, with compelling wording and a call to action, and some incentive to take that action can be some of the best advertising money can't buy (short of envangelism by your delighted customers).

Enjoy!