It’s Friday afternoon, I’m up the walls after a really busy but great week.
Before the afternoon closes out I’m determined to clear down my emails..
There is an email from Amazon in the middle of all my other emails …before I hit “delete” the nice image catches my attention and I give the contents of the email a quick glance:
“Reprave: Volcano Choir – BON IVER, new 2013 album from his collaborative side-project with fellow Wisconsin crew..“
hmmm… I love Bon Iver, which of course Amazon will know from my previous transactions.
Click …it’s a new album
Click …the reviews are good
Click …buy (they have my credit card and delivery address already)
Bought in under 30 seconds!
I’ll avoid clicking or looking any more because they have recommendations for me, which are always so spot on that I end up buying more. They also show me some of the other music people have purchased who also bought this album – even more temptation.
Amazon must have the best, most intelligent database management system for e-commerce ever – ask my credit card!
Know your customer, understand what they like, write to them and remind them you exist, make recommendations, make it easy for them to buy, update your database and start the cycle all over again.
Where was I?… Back to my emails
Note in diary: Send out an email to my database on Monday
Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion
Fuzion are a Marketing, PR and Graphic Design firm in Ireland with offices in Cork and Dublin
Tags: Amazon, Fuzion, Greg Canty
Greg Canty Fuzion Blog 
September 16, 2013 at 8:46 am |
Yes, but underlying Google’s “fantastic customer service” are some very questionable business morals.
September 16, 2013 at 8:52 am |
Paul – explain the point?
September 16, 2013 at 9:02 am
Their zero-hours contracts with employees, their huge % discount they demand from product suppliers, their leverage to squeeze smaller suppliers out of the supply chain, their aspirations to fully control the publishing industry……….
September 16, 2013 at 4:44 pm
Great point Paul – They are good at email marketing though!
September 17, 2013 at 5:48 am |
I think I read somewhere that some writers have chosen Amazon over Apple iTunes because the margins are better.
September 17, 2013 at 10:39 am
Fergal – interesting
September 16, 2013 at 6:48 pm |
Customer service employee are not on zero hours contract
September 16, 2013 at 9:13 pm |
thanks Ludo
September 17, 2013 at 10:48 am |
Also, writers use Amazon because if they do not, they lose the Kindle platform market. Each version of kindle/ nook has a unique file extension. If you are not an IT person or savvy, they pin you into a knoweledge corner. On an IPad or android device a book can be viewd on PDF!
September 18, 2013 at 1:50 am |
That’s an interesting point, as well. If you don’t have the IT knowledge you’re at the mercy of channels that do.
A platform like Amazon is attractive though as a conduit. Maybe when Google offer something similar with the same kind of profile they’ll be seen as a more attractive option.
September 18, 2013 at 7:51 am
Google Books is available but if I recall its simply pdf. Which in all fairness is a fantastic way to view most text based materials. But without the Niche’ file format,Amazon would be crushed under the weight of the Google integration advertisement system. As far as authors(such as myself) I am uber tech savvy and savvy in general. I spread my work across multiple platforms. Because my poetry is not targeted at one specific genre or demographic.
September 19, 2013 at 6:57 am
Ah, I see. I understood that Google Books provides copies of books already published rather than acting as a forum for people to publish (in the way that Amazon does). I might be wrong in that though.
September 19, 2013 at 7:08 am
it’s all new to me re book publishing
September 23, 2013 at 3:33 am
It really seems to have changed a lot in recent years. There is so much content being produced it’s a bit overwhelming at times. That’s not to say the quality is always there though.
September 25, 2013 at 4:11 pm |
http://www.bookbuzz.biz/ape-author-publisher-entrpreneur-2/
Interesting thread folks
The distribution of books from authors to readers is more direct, immediate, and inexpensive than ever. Gatekeepers must add value or face their demise.
Publishing 1.0 In 1440, Johannes Gutenberg created the printing press and more people could read the Bible. Whereas woodblock printing was capable of 40 pages per day, a Renaissance-era printing press churned out 3,600 pages per day. This caused a rise in literacy and threatened the literate elite. Believe it or not, in 1637, England restricted the number of print shops.
Publishing 2.0: Three companies—Apple, Aldus, and Adobe—enabled anyone with a Macintosh, laser printer, and PageMaker to print newsletters, newspapers, and books. Until desktop publishing entered the picture, the best case for solo writers unaffiliated with a publisher was a typewriter and a photocopier or gestetner.
Publishing 3.0: Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble enabled writers to create and sell books electronically as well as print paper copies on demand. Anyone with a computer, phone, or tablet could read these books. The imprimatur of a large publisher meant less and less. “Buzz” about a book meant more and more.
The link above will take you to a review of APE Author Publisher Entrpreneur by Guy Kawasaki a real go to manual for anyone interested in self publishing. It is a resource dream with over 400 “live” links to every possible site that can help you on your quest.
September 26, 2013 at 1:24 am |
Thanks for the link, Alan. I’ve read a couple of posts on Linkedin from Guy Kawasaki and I’m sure this will be useful.
Developments in recent years look to have been very liberating for writers and other creators of content. With more people creating the challenge now seems to be about getting noticed.
October 1, 2013 at 2:38 pm |
Trying to get through all that noise is a real test Fergal
October 2, 2013 at 1:52 am |
Definitely!
August 1, 2014 at 11:33 am |
Waterstones e-mail me books I will never read.
The local concert venue send me details of the upcoming Opera, which I have zero interest in attending.
But Amazon email me details of the latest golf book (I love golf) and the latest Interpol CD (ditto).
This is the difference between having a crap database and a good one.
We all need to be more like Amazon.
August 5, 2014 at 12:53 pm |
Your are right Neil ..because they get it so right they seldom spam