Archive for August, 2007

Pour 4: Getting The Word Out.

Ludacris knows all about Word of Mouf.

As I mentioned in Choosing A Name That Sticks, we have already fought half the battle by choosing a catchy name that people will remember. Now comes the part It’s where we get that name in front of people…and ultimately into RETOX BAR. It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure out that marketing is an ongoing process. As you reinvent yourself and adapt to seasonality (football season, summer, music), marketing has to change accordingly. But first things first…and that’s getting the word out.

I am personally going to enjoy this part of the bar owning experience. While doing my due diligence with regard to advertising, I discovered that media advertising didn’t realize the results you would think. It seems as though the buzz generated comes from word-of-mouth. The natural solution for me and my partner is MySpace. The first thing we did was setup a MySpace account for RETOX BAR. We browsed the city for women between the ages of 21 and 25 and asked current “friends” to pass the word along in the form of a bulletin. So far, we have over 300 friends in about 3 weeks time.

Planning special promotions and events are also key. While we haven’t discussed promotions in great detail. But we have planned our music line up for the remainder of 2007, and of course football season is upon us. We plan to capitalize on this by offering specials for Sunday and Monday nights. And we will be showing NFL games on a large HD projector and other TVs.

A large part of our demographic audience includes college students. Austin-based Study Breaks Magazine provides a great opportunity to reach students in our area. When I was in college, I remember picking up each edition (released monthly) to see the latest SB Girl and daily drink specials. This, if any, will provide the best form of advertising for us in any print media. In a single ad we can promote drink specials, our offering of high-definition NFL games, and a list of major musical acts.

If you have any ideas on how to promote RETOX BAR…I’m all ears. With 2 months left before we open our doors, the window of opportunity is closing. And in case you missed the rest of the “Pour” posts, take a look:

Pour 1 — Can I Buy You A Drink?
Pour 2 — Realize Your Business Goals. Do Your Research.
Pour 3 — Choosing A Name That Sticks.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Collectible Timepieces At 1-800-4CLOCKSâ„¢

1-800-4CLOCKSâ„¢ carries a wide variety of Grandfather Clocks, Wall Clocks, Mantel Clocks and more including Howard Miller clocks. Howard Miller makes it easy to choose a clock that best suits your personality and that complements your lifestyle. 1-800-4CLOCKSâ„¢ also has a blog called the Grandfather Clocks Blog that features educational posts about timepieces including one about the 4 types of grandfather clock tops. Best of all, 1-800-4CLOCKSâ„¢ offers free shipping on orders of $100 or more within the USA and to Canada.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Matt Schaub Does Not Equal Brad Johnson

Don Banks. Your logical assessment of Matt Schaub is wrong!

This weekend in my fantasy football discussion, I chose Matt Schaub to be one of this season’s sleepers. I’ll admit…my estimation is based on his college experience and a little hope. And I like to pull for the underdog. Last year, my rants involved J.P. Losman who actually didn’t have such a bad season last year. Of course, the constant ribbing from my friends only added to the satisfaction that I by the end of the season, I wasn’t completely full of it.

No doubt he has alot of weight riding on his shoulders. I mean…this is the team that passed up on Reggie Bush and Vince Young to draft Mario Williams. No offense, Mario (hey, man…you mind if I ride in your Veyron sometime?). This is the team that hasn’t made any notable improvements to its offense line. The Texans even remark at the offensive line issue on their website. These unexplainable moves (or lack thereof) give new meaning to the phrase “Houston, we have a problem”.

Don Banks is a sports writer for SI.com. Today he writes about “Schaub’s tough task” in Houston as the Texans’ QB.

[Matt Schaub] is getting his first shot as a starter in his fourth NFL season. Schaub started two games for the Falcons in his three years in Atlanta, but he made his name as a starter-in-waiting, largely based on his performance in one game, just as Johnson did. In October 2005, Schaub started at home in place of Michael Vick against the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots, whose defense was fairly well decimated against the run at the time, with the likes of Monty Beisel and Chad Brown in the starting lineup.

Schaub was boffo in a 31-28 loss, throwing for 298 yards and three touchdowns, for a eye-popping 112.1 QB rating. But he owns just one other start in the NFL (also a loss), and his six career touchdown passes and six interceptions have helped result in a ho-hum 69.2 passer rating, with a 52.2 completion percentage.

Let’s throw out those solid facts for a second and just say I have faith in the guy. And basing his future on his performance in 2 games isn’t necessarily practical either. With a slew of weapons to throw to, I think Schaub will have ample opportunity to move the ball down the field effectively…once he learns to throw the ball within 2 seconds.

I think I took offense when Don compared Matt to Brad Johnson. Don, please don’t compare Matt Schaub to Brad Johnson again. And I won’t compare you to Ethan Skolnick. Be sure to read the rest of Don Banks’ article at SI.com.

Speaking of QBs From Atlanta…
Just when you thought Michael Vick has been picked on enough…enter the Vick Dog Chew Toy. At $10.99 plus $2.00 for shipping & handling, it’s a steal. The creators of this doggie knickknack are donating a portion of these proceeds to various charities. Which charity remains to be seen as “squabbling over charitable donations” has occured.

Unlike Vick, our manufacturer is so sure of its durability they guarantee it against the most playful dog destruction. It Bends. It Bounces. It Flies. It Floats. And best of all, it lasts through the whole season and more!

I completely expect to see these guys on The Big Idea With Donnie Deutsch. Why didn’t I think of that???

Popularity: 2% [?]

Aaron Goes To Argentina

My brother, Jason, made a video for his friend, Aaron, who was recently in Argentina. I’m not sure what he was thinking, but if you enjoy South Park-ish humor, you’ll like this video. He’s also the man behind the Spurs celebration video. If you’re watching this at work, be sure to turn the volume down. It’s rated R for a few choice words he threw in there. Enjoy.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Blog Money — July 2007

This month’s revenues have taken a small dive. July 2007 was a busy month for me…particularly with the progressive opening of Retox Bar. While I’ve continued to make regular contributions to Derrich.com, I haven’t been able to go out of my way to take advantage of my #1 revenue source: PayPerPost. It is important to stay on top of the list of review opportunities. Failure to do so will surely impact your earning potential…unless you don’t mind doing a number of $5.00 reviews. AdSense remained about the same.

Last month, I mentioned that some bloggers were reporting a notable decline directly following Google’s elimination of arbitrageurs. Mine increased. While many bloggers noticed a significant increase in AdSense revenue for July 2007, my AdSense earnings decreased despite increased traffic.

The PayPerPost reviews I did happen to complete once again brought a steady stream of high-eCPM ads. Some of those posts included topics such as financial responsibility for teens, drug rehab, and traveling to Jamaica.

Here are my blogging revenues for June 2007:

Google AdSense:	$46.43
Text Link Ads:	$22.40
PayPerPost:	$164.50
AuctionAds:	$1.01
AzoogleAds:	$0.00
Amazon Associates:	$0.68
Advertising on brohans.com:	($4.00)
TOTAL:	$231.02

My TLA revenues remained flat. Although I set a goal to improve this source of revenue, I was unable to lure new advertisers to Derrich.com. If you guys have any suggestions on how I can sell my remaining inventory of 9 sidebar ads, I’d greatly appreciate it. Much of the problem is likely from the fact that my content isn’t specialized, which is understandable. But I know a few “general” blogs that have sold more ads than I have, so I know it can be done.

Thank you!
Once again a big thank you to my Top Commentators for July. They included Urbanist, Gregg Hawkins, Matt Propst, Derek Semmler, Brown Baron, and Ed Lau. So don’t forget, U Comment, I Follow…and keep ‘em comin’. Special thanks to sponsor, StockTrak.com for its continued support of Derrich.com.

Please share your blog success with us, and any practices or secrets you have applied to your own blog to increase your monthly revenues.

Popularity: 3% [?]

It’s Time For NFL Fantasy Football!

The preseason hasn’t even begun and my main league’s fantasy football draft is this Sunday. As often as I watch NFL Total Access and Inside Training Camp for each team…and Sportscenter…to prepare for this day, I’ve realized you’re never as prepared as you want to be.

Drafting strategies take many forms. A majority of fantasy footballers draft as many “skill” players as they can starting with running backs. I, on the other hand, take a different approach. I draft RB, QB, WR, WR/RB, TE, WR/RB, DEF, K for my first 6 or 7 picks. I try to get as many of the best in that position before anyone else. It’s a risky strategy because if you’re marquee player gets hurt, it’s likely your backup player is a scrub. To mitigate that risk, I watch for moves, injuries, etc like a hawk with the hopes of securing a worthy replacement for a potential injury or bye week. So far, my strategy has worked like a charm. I’ve finished either 1st or 2nd in the regular season each year…except last year (thanks, Shaun Alexander).

I thought I’d post my top 3 favs in each position for this post, but I don’t want to give away any hints for my league opponents before the draft. I will, however, list a few sleepers for each position.

• Matt Schaub, QB, HOU. Matt Schaub has always been one of my favorite QBs, but I’ve had few opportunities to root for the guy. He’s used to sharing time or being eclipsed by the “better” guy dating back to his career at Virginia. But each time he’s been given the solo spotlight, he’s come through. Unlike most fans, I’m a David Carr fan…but Schaub is bringing a huge desire to be noticed…to be successful, and that attitude should be a positive change for the Texans. Watch for him to do great things in Houston.
• Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC. MJD! MJD! What can I say? He’s 5 feet nothin’, but his 2 feet will carry the ball to greatness this season. He’s a sleeper because he’s not listed in anyone’s Top 5 running backs for 2007. He should definitely see a 1,000 rush/500 receiving yard season…with a 20+ TDs. Yeah. I said 20.
• Kevin Curtis, WR, PHI. In 2005 when Torry Holt was out, Kevin Curtis was making big plays and and continued to do so last season when he had the opportunity. Now, he has a chance to fill a top slot on the Eagles roster. This is more of a hopeful sleeper call, though. If you’re in a deep league, K Curtis should be a solid call.
• Bo Scaife, TE, TEN. I’m not the only one that likes Bo Scaife. So does former college teammate, Vince Young. Assuming Vince doesn’t suffer from the Madden curse, he’ll distribute the ball to the few targets he has…primarily the one he’s already comfortable with. Besides, Scaife is the only tight end in NFL history to rush for a touchdown, catch a touchdown, return a kickoff, and record a tackle in the same season. That’s gotta count for something.

My Rookie Sensation pick is Adrian Peterson, although Calvin Johnson will be strong. Sorry Jamarcus and Brady. You guys have to actually sign deals before you can play. Don’t matta much anyhow. I’ll be waiting to see what Kevin Kolb and Drew Stanton do when they get their shot.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Fisher-Price Recall Includes 967,000 Toys

That’s Nine Hundred, Sixty-Seven Thousand toys! Just about 2 months after the Thomas The Tank Engine recall for lead paint, enter Mattel to recall approximately 967,000 toys that contain “excessive levels of lead paint”. A majority of the toys are Dora, Diego, and Sesame Street figures. I don’t think my little one has any of these, but I can assure you we’re checking as you read this.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. (To access color photos of the following recalled products, see CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.)

The recalled involves various figures and toys that were manufactured between April 19, 2007 and July 6, 2007 and were sold alone or as part of sets. The model names and product numbers for the recalled toys, which are all marked with “Fisher-Price,” are listed below. The toys also have a date code between 109-7LF and 187-7LF marked on the product.

The following list of toys and product numbers are included in the recall:
Read the rest of this entry »

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BlogRoll

• Milk Was A Bad Choice
• CrackBerry.com
• Stock Trading 101
• For The Love Of Sports
• Project Spurs
• Busted Coverage
• WallStreetFighter

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