Five years ago, Steve Spangler was a science teacher outside Denver. These days, his educational toy company, Steve Spangler Science, employs nearly 30 people and he speaks to groups of science teachers across the country.
Mr. Spangler largely credits his blog for his success. Steve Spangler Science recorded more than $5 million in revenues last year.
"One of the secrets," says Mr. Spangler, "is to make sure you're writing headlines and content that are picked up by [content-sharing site] Digg.com and other bloggers."
He wasn't always a believer in blogs. It was after a video of Mr. Spangler demonstrating the explosive effects of dropping Mentos into Diet Coke spread across the Internet that he realized their power to help his business.
The Wall Street Journal spoke with Mr. Spangler about his blog's impact on his business.
WSJ: When did you realize it was time to update stevespanglerscience.com?
Mr. Spangler: I took the business online in 2002. Every small-business owner thinks as soon as you push the button, [customers will] come – but they don't. I remember a day in 2002 when we did $200 in sales – I was celebrating. We had some people coming to the site, but we weren't converting [into sales].
WSJ: So what did you do?
Mr. Spangler: I found a couple Web sites [that I liked] and they said "Netconcepts" on the bottom. So I contracted [the company] to redesign the Web site. I wanted to find somebody that wasn't in my industry, to not get the same old stuff. I liked what [the Netconcepts LLC founder Stephan Spencer] was saying about showing people you're the expert in that field by what you write. I found out how important it was to have more content, like our experiment library. People started visiting.
WSJ: What was your reaction when Netconcepts suggested you write a blog?
Mr. Spangler: I said, "I don't think I have anything to say." But I developed the blog. A lesson came when Insta-Snow [a powder that turns to snow when water is added] was featured as one of the month's top stupid products on Good Morning America. I thought I should refute it [in the blog], but [Mr. Spencer] said I should blog this as: "It's great to be stupid." So I said on the blog that in fact it was stupid that someone else hadn't thought of it… I watched sales skyrocket.
People didn't know my blog from anyone else's -- but they happened to pick up the headline: "It's Great to be Stupid."
WSJ: What was your next lesson about headlines?
Mr. Spangler: In Sept. 2005, I went on network television to demonstrate the Mentos Diet Coke experiment [where the candy is dropped into the bottle of soda, triggering a geyser]. I had done it before, but this time by accident the news anchor got soaked. She was wearing this beautiful St. John's outfit, and she was absolutely drenched. [The local NBC station] streamed the video, and the number of views on the site – 9news.com – hit an all time high. It went viral within a couple of weeks and ended up on VH1.
Lots of people grabbed the post from my blog. The headline was: News Anchor Gets Soaked; Mentos Experiment Sets New Record. It wasn't misleading, just tantalizing. Thank goodness I knew how to blog.
WSJ: How has your blog changed site traffic and sales?
Mr. Spangler: These days, the blog gets 15,000 to 20,000 unique visitors each day. Early on, if I got 200 or 300, I was ecstatic. I attribute 13% of overall sales online to the blog. People come in to us through the blog. They're searching on something, and the blog indexes so well on Google.
More at:http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/
Via-Startup Journal
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Skillance has made the job search for freelancers a lot easier by putting the freelancer directly in touch with the interested party
The UK-based startup Skillance has made the job search for freelancers a lot easier by putting the freelancer directly in touch with the interested party. How does it work? First, determine what skills you have and want to market. The site ranges from the absurd to the professional, so if your talent is juggling Chihuahuas but you can also file tax returns really well, you’re in the right place. Then, create a user account complete with a name for and description of your service and your contact information, which will allow others interested in your skills to find you in a search. If you’re looking to hire someone, browse through the “skills required” section or run a keyword search. Registration and all of the site’s services are free. With Skillance people can turn to the web to get the best deal on a service they need. For example, if you want a website designed but cannot afford to pay a company 1000's of pounds or dollars, wouldn't you rather just go to a web designer directly who can charge you a fraction of the price? The same concept can be applied on any professional skill or service you require. Companies also look for skilled professionals so they can hire them for contractual purposes and short-term periods.
more at:http://www.skillance.com/
more at:http://www.skillance.com/
BuySellMy.com is not about fluff, useless services, or anything else. This site is about helping you sell your domains and websites
BuySellMy.com is not about fluff, useless services, or anything else. This site is about helping you sell your domains and websites.
BuySellMy.com sells off a site or two and acquire others. There are either sites offering services that charge a lot per domain and don't offer many helpful services, or they charge little with no helpful services. BuySellMy.com hopes to eliminate these issues.
BuySellMy.com is easily affordable by anyone, and we offer great services such as the ability to display images/screen shots of websites, statistics showing how many views your listings are receiving, and many more. Furthermore, it is by no means limited to beginning domain name traders. Experienced traders and website developers can also take advantage of this incredible promotion, with some potentially very large additions to their portfolios.
With good ".com"s being harder and harder to acquire, this move will surely make a few hundred savvy entrepreneurs seeking TLD's very happy.
More at:http://www.buysellmy.com/
BuySellMy.com sells off a site or two and acquire others. There are either sites offering services that charge a lot per domain and don't offer many helpful services, or they charge little with no helpful services. BuySellMy.com hopes to eliminate these issues.
BuySellMy.com is easily affordable by anyone, and we offer great services such as the ability to display images/screen shots of websites, statistics showing how many views your listings are receiving, and many more. Furthermore, it is by no means limited to beginning domain name traders. Experienced traders and website developers can also take advantage of this incredible promotion, with some potentially very large additions to their portfolios.
With good ".com"s being harder and harder to acquire, this move will surely make a few hundred savvy entrepreneurs seeking TLD's very happy.
More at:http://www.buysellmy.com/
Study Matrix is an online community for aspirants
Study Matrix is an online community for aspirants. A community of everyone who dream big and desire "clear" success. Study Matrix fosters focused collaboration, providing channels to communicate and share information related to your aspirations.
It is very useful and focused for realising our dreams.Let us say, an aspirant wants to become a Doctor. He joins an aspiration network, a community on StudyMatrix.com portal, with thousands of members, who share his aspirations of becoming a Doctor. The portal allows aspirants to engage, collaborate, learn, share and compete.StudyMatrix.com provides end to end and complete solution for today"s learners. The portal has implemented several relevant modules and gadgets that help in collaboration, competition, self-expression, engagement and self-development of aspirants who intent to succeed clearly.
More at:http://www.studymatrix.com/
It is very useful and focused for realising our dreams.Let us say, an aspirant wants to become a Doctor. He joins an aspiration network, a community on StudyMatrix.com portal, with thousands of members, who share his aspirations of becoming a Doctor. The portal allows aspirants to engage, collaborate, learn, share and compete.StudyMatrix.com provides end to end and complete solution for today"s learners. The portal has implemented several relevant modules and gadgets that help in collaboration, competition, self-expression, engagement and self-development of aspirants who intent to succeed clearly.
More at:http://www.studymatrix.com/
Job Board Reviews is your guide to the online world of careers and jobs
Job Board Reviews is your guide to the online world of careers and jobs. JobBoardReviews.com is designed to help job seekers, employers, staffing & recruiting professionals find the most targeted Job Boards for their professions and positions and share their experiences with others.Employers have wasted a lot of time and money posting open positions that are never seen and never filled. Job Board Reviews offers important information about job boards. The number of resumes, number of jobs, and traffic stats are some of the statistics available in an easy to navigate format, all in one place.
More at:http://www.jobboardreviews.com/
More at:http://www.jobboardreviews.com/
11870.com is a place for people to discover, keep track, and share their views on businesses and enterprises around the world
11870.com is a place for people to discover, keep track, and share their views on businesses and enterprises around the world through reviews, pictures, and videos.
11870 team has created a service which aims to make info super easy to find. 11870 users can index, track and share their opinions on business all over the world using pictures, reviews, and videos. Once you’ve signed up and have become an official 11870 member, you’ll get your own page to keep tabs on business, which you can keep private or share with everyone. The site also includes your regular socializing functions: messaging, friends, profiles, and personal stats.
more at:http://11870.com/
11870 team has created a service which aims to make info super easy to find. 11870 users can index, track and share their opinions on business all over the world using pictures, reviews, and videos. Once you’ve signed up and have become an official 11870 member, you’ll get your own page to keep tabs on business, which you can keep private or share with everyone. The site also includes your regular socializing functions: messaging, friends, profiles, and personal stats.
more at:http://11870.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
