Genius Ideas in Las Vegas

As I was having dinner with my cousins tonight, I realized that Las Vegas has done some amazing things to remove money from your pocket. Here are three things that I feel are the smartest.

ONE: Beer Pong at O’Sheas – imagine you are in college, you have been playing beer pong in your dorm room for four years and now that you’re 21, you are in Las Vegas. You don’t have a lot of cash and you are not too interested in playing $25 blackjack. As you’re walking down the street, you see o’Sheas has beer pong. 4-hours later, your wasted and you spent about $200. On top of that, as you are walking out of the hotel, you spend another $100 on blackjack because your too wasted to not play. That was $300 worth of beer pong. Genius!

TWO: Oxygen Bars and Water Massage in the Malls – I have seen these in many malls in Souther California, but I have never been interested in trying them. I’m sure you feel the same way, and so do all the customers sitting at the oxygen bar and getting massages. There is something magical about Las Vegas that makes people want to do something they won’t do at home. It could be as complex as getting a tattoo, visiting a hooker, or something as simple as getting a water massage. Genius!

THREE: Painting the ceiling of the mall to look like dusk – today we had lunch at the mall inside the Venetian. I stress inside because when we put our name in at the front, we were asked, “Would you like to be seated inside or outside?” We then had to take a group evaluation and the conclusion was, “Outside is good, it’s nice out right now.” But there is no OUTSIDE, there is only INSIDE. We were covered by 42 floors of steel and concrete. The air was cool and still, the light was artificial and unchanging, but today, I had lunch outside, inside the mall at the Venetian and I never once considered leaving the mall and going to a great local restaurant only a few blocks away. Genius!

There are plenty more Genius ideas in the City of Sin. I’ll be sure to let you know all about them.

Friends With Benefits: Book Review

 Friends With Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook

Friends With Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook

I just completed reading “Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook“. Did I enjoy it: Yes. Can I recommend it: Maybe.

If you are totally new to social media (as in you don’t have a Facebook or Twitter page) for your business, you will get a lot out of this book. If you run your own business and are thinking about getting into social media marketing, you will get a lot out of this book. But if you have been on Facebook and Twitter or you have your own blog, you can probably skip this one.

This handbook is written for the newbie (no disrespect) and I was able to only get a bit of knowledge out of it (I’m so advanced). I would have liked more information about using Facebook pages for business and how to Tweet for your business. The topics in the book are elementary (or 101 if you prefer).

The writing style is perfect for the content and explains all the terminology in detail, but fails to dig deep for the advanced user. Just a hit of this sub-surface information would have made the book a lot more useful (for me).

Overall, if you are considering social media marketing for your business or organization, consider “Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook“.

[ad#Arras: Post Ads 468x60]

How to write a useful CraigsList Ad

So as I am preparing to move from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, I turn to my favorite source of furniture, CraigsList.org (CL). Unlike past attempts to furnish my pad, this time I am living alone and need everything for my place. Jumping from ad to ad, I have come to one simple conclusion: the common man does not know how to write a useful FOR SALE ad. Being that I studied advertising and marketing, I would like to make some suggestions on the best way to write your future CL ads.

Sell your product in the title – no matter what the medium, you only have five seconds to grab the readers attention. The title is the best way to do this. Tell me what you are selling and try not to be cute. Example: “Ikea Queen Bed with Mattress Dark Brown Platform Slightly Used“. Now if you read this title, you know exactly what to expect. If I am looking for a platform bed, I’m going to look at this ad, but if I’m looking for a sleigh bed or Thomasville, I know to avoid this ad. This little title will save me the  seconds it takes for me to click the ad and then click the back button. Over time, it’s going to save me hours.

Put in the actual price you willing to take – I realize that there are cheap people who see something for one dollar and will click you ad regardless of what you’re selling. But for people who are actually going to purchase your item, I want to know the price ASAP. CL has a space for the price, use it. Do not put the price in the title field, use the price field. If you are willing to take less (or more) add “obo” (or best offer).

Do not reinvent the wheel – if you are selling a product (new or used) and you didn’t make it yourself, you probably bought it from somewhere else. So when you are selling that used 27″ flat screen TV, do a Google search for the product name and number. What will you find? Only all the details about the product. Copy and paste the important details of the product into your ad. Now I (the buyer) will be able to see all the important specs of the product. How does this help? It will eliminate all the email questions people will be sending you. As the seller, this will save you a lot of hassle. Once again, only serious buyers will be contacting you.

Add a personal touch – after you have all the technical specs in the add, feel free to add a personal touch. If you loved your couch and paid three-times as much as you are selling it for, now is the time to tell me. You can also put in any special notices like “scuffed corner” or “missing pillows”. Some people think that adding faults to the ad will eliminate some buyers, and it will. But some people don’t care and are glad to know what is wrong with your product.

Pictures, pictures, pictures – most of the crappy CL ads are missing images. Please take a picture (at least two) of your item, from different angles, and post them to the ad. When you are taking your pics, turn on all the lights in the house or open all the blinds. I want to see the product and if your camera is a cell phone, this will help the picture a lot. CL offers an option for four photos, I recommend you use all four slots. If you happen to mention that there is a surface flaw in the product, try and take a picture of that too.

The goal of your CL ad is to sell your product. The easier you make it for me to find and fall in love with your item, the quicker and easier it will sell.

[ad#Arras: Post Ads 468x60]