I personally call BS on this viral experience. It would be pretty easy for Capital One to use this as a clever marketing tool. After all, if someone trusts us with $100 million, why wouldn’t you trust us with $5,000? Not to mention, the photos of the receipt have the bank’s logo and web address all over, increasing brand awareness. The whole story, explanation and idea just seem a little too perfect in my world.

What are your thoughts?

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Netflix provides such a great value at a low cost that it’s impossible not to compare everything else to it.

And this leads to the main event, Netflix vs Daily Burn!

I also use the iPhone app called Daily Burn to track my calorie intake and workouts.

I was considering upgrading my Daily Burn account from the free version to the Pro. The free version of Daily Burn offers 90% of what you would ever use to track your daily nutrition and workout history. The Pro version gives you a little more flexibility and options to use tools the free version doesn’t have.

The practice of offering a good online product for free with the ability to upgrade is a super common strategy. As I was contemplating the pros and cons of upgrading my Daily Burn account, the cost of the Pro version was a stumbling block for me.

Daily Burn has two pro versions – the Pro Lite for $5.99/mo and the Pro for $9.99/mo. I was trying to compare the value I would gain by comparing the service to another service I pay for. The first thought that came to my mind was Netflix and the tremendous value they offer for $10/mo.

Like most of you, I love Netflix. In fact, I use Netflix as my primary source of digital entertainment. I stream Netflix to my TV and watch it on my laptop and iPhone. For $10 a month, Netflix delivers a huge amount of entertainment and value to its customers. By itself, Netflix takes up roughly 30% of the bandwidth for the entire Web (crazy!).

It was hard for me to justify ponying up $10/mo for the Daily Burn Pro when I might use it once or twice a day and it only has a few additional options/tools than the free version.

This raises the questions:

Is Netflix’s price structure too good to be true?

Is Daily Burn’s price structure out of whack?

I compare the services this way – Netflix is an obvious choice for me. I do not have to think about justifying the price. With Daily Burn, I have to sit and think about it. I question the value of their service.

When someone considers your product, will they think – Deal! – or will they question the value? If they have to contemplate the value, you have probably lost them as a premium or paid customer.

Perhaps Daily Burn’s Pro is a tremendous value but was presented horribly to me, the customer, allowing me to stumble over the cost.

If Daily Burn added video testimonials from Pro users talking about how the Pro version changed their lives, perhaps I would see the justification of the cost.

Instead, I’m going to stick with the way things are because the pain point is not obvious enough to me.

Do you compare the different values for services this way?

What other standards do you use to compare the costs of different services?

Creating viral content is not at all an easy task. For most, it equates to hours spent before the keyboard, trying desperately to simply come up with a catchy and unique title or phrase. There are many methods of brainstorming which can make the process much easier. Many believe that viral content is something that is to be used sparingly on a blog or website, but with the many different varieties of viral content it is not difficult to keep viral content fresh and appealing.

A simple example of viral content that is a sure-fire method of drawing traffic towards a site would be a how-to guide. A how-to guide for a simple DIY procedure, such as building a solar panel, can draw many new readers to a web site. There are many things which people are simply clueless about, so there is a chance that even an article that describes the process of properly doing laundry may go viral. Like many of the other variations of viral content, only a small amount of imagination is required.

Providing some sort of product to readers or visitors to your website is an astounding method of drawing attention. For writers looking to give an impression of their work, creating an online ebook and making it available on the web is an excellent method of gaining web traffic. Of course, this book will require hours upon hours of work at minimum, but will pay off well in the long run. Attempt to cover a topic which is considered a niche, and do research to make sure the market is relatively untapped.

Creating viral content can be as simple as creating a title which is designed to attract attention, or sometimes, outrage. Titling an article about fluoride water treatment, “The poison being put into your water” is something which is likely to catch someone’s attention. Another way to title an article which garners attention is to offer hidden insights. A title such as, “The two things you didn’t know about genetically modified organisms” would suggest to the reader there is some knowledge to be gained from the article.

The key areas in viral web content which should be paid closest attention to are the titles, and the introductions of articles. While the rest of the article should be up to par as well, a reader will most often decide whether the article is worth the time to read based upon the title or the first few sentences. This is why newspapers will tend to load the first paragraph or two of an article with the most information. Just as questions can be used within a headliner, questions work quite well as an introduction to an article.

The main body of an article that is being designed to go viral may not be the component which draws in the reader’s attention, but it is certainly what keeps that attention. Readers are likely to become annoyed of articles with bold, extravagant titles that have no substance or facts to back the title up. Always lead through an article with the most important points of information. Using bullet points to clearly separate different facts and information allows readers to quickly skim through the content. When writing, always remember to keep the sentence structure simple. If this content is to go viral successfully, using clear sentences is necessary in order to appeal to more than just English majors.

Viral content is certainly the next and biggest thing for online communities, and those who wish to produce it really must earn it. Creating viral content is certainly not as simple as creating a funny or painful looking video. In many ways, viral content is much more rewarding and worthwhile than silly pictures of cats. It may take hours to produce even just a single article which can be considered viral content, but the amount of traffic such an article can potentially draw in is well worth the cost.

Have you had content go viral? What was it about the content that people latched onto? Drop a link to your most viral post in the comments below.

Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?” His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers — and as a counterpoint Tivo, which (until a recent court victory that tripled its stock price) appeared to be struggling.

When you approach marketing do you start with the Why?

1. Solve a real problem or create something that doesn’t exist

I am not a big fan of building a better widget. I tried that method before and realized it goes nowhere. This time around I am building something that does not exist yet. This is a little different than solving a real problem like world hunger or more efficient power lines. I am building something new that fits with people’s need to be social and play games.

2. Find a good partner

My partner and I are completely different in a lot of ways and in some ways very similar. Startups are hit and miss to begin with so it is very important to find a partner who balances the relationship and brings additional value to the partnership. My partner brings decades of business experience to the table that has not only saved us from common pitfalls but saves a fortune in legal and other services usually required for a start-up.

3. Lack of money forces innovation

As with most start-ups we did not begin with a million dollar budget on day 1. Most first-time entrepreneurs get hung up on needing a lot of capital at the beginning to get the ball rolling. This isn’t the case. Where you lack in finances, you can be sure to find innovative ways of finding a solution. For example: spending a few hours researching 3rd party solutions to your problem can save you thousands of customized development. Of course, 3rd party solutions aren’t usually the end-all-be-all down the road but they can sure help you get your prototype working.

4. Beg, borrow and trade

Starting a business usually involves using the services of lawyers, accountants, developers and so on. You’d be surprised how many different services you have that they might need. See if you can get a discount for swapping some services or perhaps an across the board swap if you can. Although this form of trade can take more of your precious time away, it can save a bundle. Most start-ups have more human resources than financial resources. Think back to #2.

5. Find true believers

It is important to weed out the people who don’t believe in your idea vs. those who do. I had to find a partner, developers, investors and so on. A lot of people will hear out your idea and some will see the potential money in it, but if they are not a true believer they can add hindrance. You can find yourself wasting your time trying to convince the non-believers when you could be spending that time actually talking to those who are interested.

6. Things usually take longer than you think

One of my biggest problems is thinking that development can happen overnight and in reality I am usually wrong. If you think it will take a week to develop, it will probably take 2. It is important to clearly define the next phase of development and make sure the people doing the development sign it off as being doable. It is an important rule to never plan out more than 2 weeks of development at a time.

7. Work with self-starters

Not everyone is cut out for working at a start-up. Apart from the possibility of complete failure, people requiring constant supervision can drain you. I am fortunate enough to be working with one of the most talented developers I know. He brings his own great ideas to the table, he’s passionate about the idea and the project, and he doesn’t need any of my supervision.

Conclusion

This is a short and simple list with a ton of room to grow, and it probably will over the next few months. I will be sharing much more about this journey as it moves forward. If you are part of a startup I’d love to hear more about what you are involved in. Send me some links and let me know what useful tips you have discovered yourself.

I am a firm believer when trying to get ahead of the competition to always bark up, not down. If I had a 30% hold on my market and my competitor has 60%, I would do all I could to get them to acknowledge and talk about me and my company.

If I am the larger of the two companies in a niche, I do everything I can to pretend I am the only business in the niche. When asked a question about the competition in this situation, I would reply with: “I haven’t heard of them, are they any good?” Nothing gets under people’s skin more than being willfully ignored and neglected.

What are some ways to get the bigger business talking about you?

1. Make big innovations – such is the case with Bing in the search world. Bing turned the ship and started attacking Google on its flanks for market share. Do you like how Google was forced to copy Bing’s image results page? That didn’t take long, not to mention the number of other areas Google was forced to make changes.

Google chief executive Eric Schmidt on Friday said that Microsoft’s Bing search engine was the company’s main threat, not Facebook or Apple.

That is a pretty bold statement to even be mentioning the competition. If I were Eric, which I’m not, I wouldn’t utter Bing unless it was accompanied by a damning statement. Eric, in essence, validated and acknowledged what Bing was doing was not only successful but encouraging them to attack the flanks.

2. Constantly promoting your successes – If you are a smaller business trying to garner the attention of the bigger guys, one way to ensure this is to constantly update your successes no matter how small they are. Thanks to Jason Calacanis for this tip. When he started WebBlogs Inc. (which sold for A LOT of $) they would announce every new feature, widget, setting option and so on like it was the world’s greatest invention since sliced bread.

Nothing gets under people’s skin more than being told everyday about something new your competition is doing to kick your ass in the market. This is the look at me play, and it works very well. If their eyes are on you and the things that you are doing, their progress and drive gets a little slower and slower trying to out-smart you and your team.

How do you avoid talking about the competition?

1. Deflection through humor – If your competition is big enough that you can’t pretend they don’t exist, then deflect the comment with a humorous statement such as:

Person 1: What do you think of competition’s new widget?

You: Their new widget? I haven’t had time to look at it. I barely have enough time to let my dog outside.

2. Outdo them – Like a good magician, present the audience with a cooler, shinier object for them to be fascinated with. The key to pulling this off is being totally excited about that new thing you are talking about.

Person 1: What do you think of competition’s new widget?

You: We’ve been doing that for a year and it works great, but we are releasing our Beta 3.1 doohickey that will make their widget look like a whiffle bat at a Major League game. And here is why….

Conclusion:

Business is just as much mental as it is anything else. If you are fortunate enough to not have any competition to worry about, you are either the only game in town or in a pretty exclusive niche, to which I wish you the best. If, on the other hand, you are in a pool filled with sharks, it’s time to become a dolphin. (P.S. I am the king of horrible analogies.) Nevertheless, you know what I mean. Aim hit and deflect the ankle biters. Plus, have fun doing it.

Photo Cred *http://barkingdogmc.com

Here is a video I did in response to @terryjaymes asking for people’s inspirational stories or tips. I came up with two of my top tips. Make sure to click through to my site HERE if you do not see the above video.

Follow this link if you would like to see my post on how I contacted Warren Buffett.

Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter at @therealjosh

Click here to watch my video update at joshwhitford.com

Again I thank you for your support and for asking me what in the world is going on. I figured I’d put together a video giving everyone an update on what is going on in my world.

Links mentioned:

• Top Secret App Test Event (Oct 9th)
• Will You Be My Friend Project

They are all products that are used differently than originally intended.

Just because people use your product or service differently than you had planned doesn’t mean you should

fight it. It also doesn’t mean you should change completely what you do. Below are some examples of how

people have used products for non-intended uses.

Products people use differently, encouraging change

White ink becomes White Out.

First, people wanted to be able to print text on darker colored paper, so white ink was invented. Then people began using that white ink to fix their mistakes. Seems pretty logical to turn that into a product of its own and charge 100x more for it.

Another product re-purposing possibility:

For decades, militaries around the world have used condoms to wrap around the end of a barrel to keep water and sand out of soldiers’ weapons. I am sure if it hasn’t happened already, condom manufacturers could develop a condom line just for militaries and weapons that would involve little modification. In fact, they could probably make them more gun friendly and charge more for the same technology, manufacturing, materials and wrapping (in a handy camo color of course).

Products shouldn’t change just because people use them differently

A waffle iron making shoe soles.

Remember the story about the founders of Nike using a waffle iron to make the soles for their new track shoes? Just because people used it for a different purpose doesn’t mean you should go out of your way to risk changing the product’s original use. But if those waffle makers wanted to lisense or sell their technology for others to use, that would be an additional revenue line. But what do waffle makers and chefs know about track shoes and rubber?

What are the takeaways?

There are three big takeaways from unitended use products.

1. If people are using your product for something completely different and it is in a niche you are not familiar with, do what you can to monetize it by licensing or selling your technology to other companies.
2. If people are using your product in ways other than you intended, but the market is too small, let it be.
3. If people are using your product for different purposes (like the condoms) and there is a broader market: repackage, rebrand and charge much more for it.

Picture cred:
*http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00913/redone_913590a.jpg (condom)
*http://www.radarnois.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/1972_wafflenc.jpg (waffle iron)
*http://www.recessionwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/whiteout.jpg (white out)