Profile of a lost blogger

Somebody asked me last week what my profile was. That person had a hard time recognizing it. I had to agree with him. In the modern world, you must have a clear profile. This was at a job interview. 'Are you a writer? Or a project manager? A coordinator maybe? What?', he asked.

When I was in my twenties a girl kept staring at me at some party. Ok, what does she want? Why is she checking me out?
She then walked towards me and said: 'I can't figure you out, are you a metal dude, or an alternative person? You wear clothes that long-haired dudes wear. Your hair is short? You never chose sides so it seems.'

Do I wonder what my profile is? Sometimes. When people make me aware of this. The fact that I don't really care about choosing sides makes people uncomfortable. You are either, green, or red, or blue. Pick a color and stick with it.
That's what I don't do, I guess.

This blog to me is just a medium to write. Why online? Because maybe someone reads this. I'm an artist, I need at least the impression that there's an audience. I write about different things, that's my profile.

Am I an artist?
I play bass, I sing, I studied design and I've created magazines.
That probably makes me an artist.
Am I a motorcycle freak?
I ride bikes, created motorcycle magazines and wrote tasty articles about those two-wheeled monsters.
That probably makes me a motorcycle freak.
Am I a project manager?
I've managed projects, coordinated all kinds of things, even of stuff I didn't really find interesting.
That probably makes me a project manager.
Am I a communication specialist?
I write, I read, I love dragging on about copy and marketing excercises.
That probably makes me a communication specialist.

Choose one! I can't but if I have to I'm a bass player and a writer. None of both guarantee a living in this country. Maybe when I lived in the USA, I could make money playing bass in one or more bands. Or I could choose from a whole pile of motorcycle magazines and write articles.
But since I don't live there, I'm also the other things. Those provide me with an income.

So if you ask me what my profile is, I'll answer you depending on the situation. But I'm never something just because it opens doors. I'm one of those four profiles. Is that so strange? We call it allround. I like it.

On the other hand, it makes the path you have to follow somewhat difficult and bumpy. And it messes with the mind when you're forced to make the one choice.
I like a lot of things, I'm always interested in eveything, I'm curious.

But rethinking the remark made in that interview, I will look for a way to profile myself better. Just so people get less uncomfortable when trying to figure me out. And I will choose one of my 4 colors, depending on the mood I'm in. Is that ok?

Marketing of Mayones Setius GTM 6

About 6 months ago, I saw a secondhand Mayones Setius GTM 6 in a guitar store nearby. When you know this store is selling mostly Fender and Gibson guitars (or Fender and Musicman basses), you can imagine I spotted that Mayo faster than a frog catches a fly.

It was the standard Setius GTM 6, with flamed maple top in transparent black. Hanging against the balcony, 6 feet above the ground. Yes!!!
Now, I haven't played guitar in ages and I wasn't planning to do so, even if I could lay my hands on a genuine Mayones. Instead, I wondered how long it would take before someone would pick it up, play it and throw the cash they reserved to get a Fender towards the Mayones. In my dreams it wouldn't be a week, in reality, this guitar hasn't been sold. Well it has actually, and then returned a week later to trade it for a Gibson. That was only a couple of weeks ago. Why?

I happen to know the owner of the store and he couldn't make me any wiser. 'The guy doubted his choice and came back to get the Gibson', he said. 'So I'm stuck with the Setius again.'

Now, you all know I'm quite a fan of Mayones basses and of Mayones products in general. And the world loves the famous brands like Fender and Gibson. But I'm also fond of all creations that aren't mainstream. Fender created at least two bass guitar models that are copied thoroughly through the years. My Jabba Custom is kind of a Jazz copy anyway. So I like the looks of a jazz and prefer the extras that Mayones did.
A Setius GTM 6 on the other hand has a PRS touch to it but it is completely different if you compare the two. Can't really say what it was modelled after, most likely after itself. You could state that the body contour has a hint of an Ibanez S Prestige.

Mayones is well known in the world of metal, post metal, djent, industrial, gothic and all related genres. 'Textures', TesseracT', 'Paradise Lost' and, well, Limp Bizkit. If you haven't noticed yet, their guitarist has been playing Mayones guitars since ages. At least there's something positive about this band.
When you're in your twenties, and you like guitars, you check every brand there is. Maybe because some of your idols play a certain brand. Or you like the sound of a particular model. Maybe you want a Paul Read Smith but can't afford one. Whatever the choice, you're influenced by a number of reasons.

In the small country I live in, a huge selling point is the second hand value. Buy a Gibson, and you probably get most of your money back when selling years later. Buy a Mayones and you have to be lucky someone really wants that guitar, and is willing to pay the cash you're asking for it.
There's no wrong choice when buying a guitar (well, there is in fact). Quality guitars aren't cheap, every guitar plays different, and most of all your tastes vary over the years. But I still wonder why someone buys a quality handmade Mayones guitar and returns it soon after to get a Gibson? Was it the sound, the playability, the looks? Or was it the marketing via many channels that influenced the buyer? I can't tell which is the better guitar, both models are fingerlicking good.

Two years ago, I was in the same store to test a Fender USA Jazz bass. Almost went for it 'because you have to have a jazz bass' in your collection. The thing played great, setup was above suspicion and the price was kind of ok.
When I was about to order one the person behind the counter said: 'Great choice, you have chosen a guitar over 90% of bass players choose.' I didn't order the bass. And went to another store, tested the Mayones Jabba Custom, and bought it. It was more expensive, the case was cheaper but it played better, sounded more complete and looked the part. Still play it with love and haven't regretted the purchase ever since.

And yes, I do want to add a P-bass. Fender? Well, no, I'd go for the Sandberg California VS 4 or VM 4. Why? Looks like a P, sounds like a P, but has that flavour of 'now' in it. Not the typical safety buy, this one will be bought because it's the better choice.

Traffic generated by incorrect spelling

This might be a trick that is known for a longer time now, I see people tend to forget this when using keywords to generate extra traffic.

What is it about?
A keyword is nothing more than a 'link' to your website. And it's all related to search engines like Google. Whenever someone types a word in a search engine, that words is searched for on the internet and if you happen to use metadata on your website, you have a good chance that your keyword is picked up by the search engine.

You can use those words in your short and long copy, in titles, in your footer, maybe even in a language selection page that leads you to the homepage. Since we're using keywords for some time now, the rules became stricter and say hidden keywords are in fact forbidden.

To stumble upon this blog, you probably entered the word or term 'marketing' or 'SEO' or maybe even 'Mayones bass review'. At least, the last one is what I hoped for.

Now, how many times have you entered a keyword in Google to find information on whatever interest you had at that time? And how many times did you find yourself misspelling that word? Did you correct the word or did you hit enter without paying attention to your spelling missbehaviour?

No worries, we all make spelling errors, we may not intend to but we do. I'm no native English speaking guy so the chance of making a typo is... well...huge. And I'm not talking about syntax errors in this case.

A common trick working with keywords is to use misspelling in your metadata as well. As this increases the chance of generating traffic to your website. We're talking small numbers here, it's in any case an extra you didn't have before.

Example: You sell raincoats on the internet.
Keywords leading to your online shop can be: raincoat, waterproof, jacket, oil-coat, slicker, "brand name".
So you suppose people enter the correct word in a search engine.

What if you also incorporate the misspelled keywords in your metadata?
F.e. 'raincaot' or 'wateproof' or 'jaket'. They all lead to the product you were looking for. Combined with more words, the chance of a hit is even greater. 'Waterproof raincaot' or 'best waterproof jaket' maybe even combined with typical accessories or brands you sell.

Don't use incorrect spelling in your copy, that's not the intention. Correct spelling gives a more professional feel to your product. But in metadata, you can do almost anything you like. Keep it simple. And don't overact. Some words lead to a whole different location when being misspelled. Watch out for that. Lead people to your site, not those of many others.