Archive for Michael Fischler

28 articles
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Want Five Sure-Fire Marketing Rules?
In search of sure-fire marketing rules? Then this article isn't for you. Some marketing gurus claim they've nailed down "rules" guaranteeing success in any and all industries. Mike claims that what worked for Frank will sink Mary faster than a hole in a rubber duckie. May 7, 2001
You Say We've Had a Revolution?
The Internet's impact on at least one aspect of commercial life bears a remarkable resemblance to the telegraph's impact on the same: That earlier "revolution" didn't change the nature of business and marketing strategies, and the Internet "revolution" won't, either. Apr 9, 2001
Don't Get on This Bandwagon
The Web doesn't work miracles. It doesn't level the playing field or bring the little guy into the big leagues. But just because everyone else is scrambling onto the doom-and-gloom bandwagon doesn't mean it's time to get out of the game. Mar 5, 2001
Choose Your Weapons Wisely
No marketer should go into any program without some tips on how to choose the right weapon for a successful marketing strategy. Jan 8, 2001
The Level Playing Field Is an Empty Lot
It turns out the early enthusiasts were right: The World Wide Web really does level the playing field. And it's leveling one company after another right to the ground. Dec 14, 2000
Marketing: More Science Than Art
Marketing is more than a necessary evil, and it's more than a cash sinkhole of ads and brochures. Is this fact or fiction? Or is it the future? Nov 16, 2000
Where Does the Net Buck Stop?
Building a Net-accessible business - which includes but is hardly limited to a web site - is expensive, time-consuming, technically complex, resource intensive, and deeply dependent on top-tier project management. A Net initiative is a technology implementation project, not an HTML/JavaScript execution. We as marketers need to take an IT approach to the ponderous task of implementing a successful Net project. Mike reminds us to take a formalized approach to the work we're all doing. Oct 17, 2000
Let's Drive Over to Amazon and See What's New
Amazon.com. Here is a company that, operationally, is unparalleled. The folks there do everything right. They market on the web and via email brilliantly. They fulfill virtually flawlessly. They deliver everything they promise. But why doesn't Amazon.com make money? Maybe because it has overlooked a core marketing reality: People don't change to meet the capabilities of technology; technology changes to meet the needs of people. Sep 12, 2000
Information Highway: Exit 404
Every touchpoint - even those that come from mistakes - is an opportunity. Quality business can be generated when you fall on your face entirely - if you've learned how to land. On the web, the most prevalent "mistake" is the omnipresent 404 page. So let's take a couple of minutes and consider some ways to handle 404 pages - ways to turn them into opportunities to win new customers. Aug 7, 2000
Referrer Madness
Referrer logs can be one of a web marketer's most useful weapons. Mike explains the referrer log itself, highlights its contents, and shares three ways to use the information to further your online marketing. Not every webmaster or Internet service provider (ISP) makes referrer log information automatically available; you have to ask for it specifically. Tell your webmaster or ISP that you want "extended format" logging. And if your request for referrer logs doesn't register, consider changing ISPs. Jul 10, 2000
Integrating Online and Offline Marketing
One of the weakest areas of modern tactical marketing is the integration of online with offline. The finest web site and the most carefully planned print or broadcast campaign are both significantly hobbled if they aren't tightly interwoven. Mike examines the May 29 issue of The Industry Standard to prove his point. Jun 12, 2000
The 'U.S. Wide Web' It Ain't
As the web matures and its B2B nature reveals itself, it's vital that we realize its reach is not focused on just the U.S.A. -- it's the world that's touched by the World Wide Web. The world at large, especially in Europe, is well out of web infancy. Europeans are moving toward a web with a strong B2B focus at dazzling speed. If U.S. companies want to be global B2B players, they need to present themselves properly to the global market. Mike tells you how. May 1, 2000
Branding Your Company With the Press
Mike talks turkey about how to handle press relations online if you're a B2B business. Tips on reaching the PR marketplace, identifying the players, understanding them, and fulfilling their needs. Giving the press ease of access does the best job of branding your company with your press marketplace. It's that branding that gets your name in the paper. Apr 3, 2000
Taking the WE Out of WEB
Mike tells you what happens when he sits with new clients to begin establishing goals and developing strategies to help them move their business onto the Internet. He listens closely as they tell him everything they want on the site. Which is the second most important thing. What's the first? Making them understand that their web presence has nothing to do with them and everything to do with their customers. When the browser meets the server, it's all about creating and keeping customers. Mar 6, 2000
If You Don't Have Anything Good to Say...
Mike has decided to write something good about the web for a change. What has occasioned this new direction and spared you his grousing about the web and every little mistake everyone makes there? Encountering a site that gets it right. And having gotten it right, gives it to its visitors and subscribers in a smart, and continually smarter, way. Feb 7, 2000
My Stinky Seven Redux
Remember when Mike gave you his "Seven Best Reasons to Stay Offline"? Well, plenty of you sent him your own stinklists, and the stinks they list run the gamut. From pop-up mini- browsers and Java Applet ads to Microsoft's navigation system and porn banners. It's a great big webbed world out there... with a lot of room for improvement. Jan 10, 2000
Configurable Navigation Systems
What drives Mike nuts is how hard web designers make it for people to find their way around a web site. Most web sites are about as focused and convenient to navigate as the bargain shoe rack. Instead of helping you find your way around, instead of offering functionality and features that help you get where you're going and find what you're looking for, they lay everything out in a big mishmash of buttons and text links, then wish you luck getting there. Dec 13, 1999
My Seven Best Reasons to Stay Offline
Mike read a cute little article called "The Dirty Dozen" in another publication. The columnist reached out and asked various people what they hated most about web sites, putting comments together in an article. But there were a couple of omissions. First, although everyone was clear about what they didn't like about web sites, no one really offered any fixes. And second, no one asked Mike what he thought. He corrects these oversights with his own Stinky Seven. Nov 1, 1999
In Praise Of Plain Web Sites
After two days in fabulous Fiji on the South Pacific, Mike's tying up two days of client meetings. Yep, he's got it rough. And as he looks out at the gently swaying palms and the barefoot gardeners, the water kayaks lined up along the sand, and the squished paw paws on the ground -- his mind turns to cosmetic surgery. But Mike thinks B2B vendors should forget about cosmetics and focus entirely on functionality. Oct 8, 1999
Thank You For Clicking...Now, Please Get Out Of My Site
Marketing myths come and go. The latest says that significant resources should be devoted to creating web sites that are so interesting that people will return to them again and again. Sticky for B2B? Fischler doesn't think so. Unless you're in entertainment or the content business, stop trying to provide dynamic, engaging content. Worry instead about putting your site to hard, aggressive business use for customers, prospects and your own back office. Sep 7, 1999