MarketingHackz was never meant to be a stand alone blog. We didn’t start it for that reason. We wanted to build a Hackz Network that encompassed a lot of different ideas and niches, with a few central thoughts and beliefs…

The reason we launched MarketingHackz first was simple - all blogs and businesses need marketing. Without it, there is no hope to stay alive, no matter the industry.

One of the things I originally wanted to do here was play with test cases. To have a concept, launch it, and go from there. Well, we have our first test case. And I apologize for not bringing you in sooner…

NetHackz.com

NetHackz deals with Internet productivity - web worker style. You and I both know that the quicker you can get in and get your work done, the quicker you can get on with your life. This is especially true for freelancers and Internet entrepreneurs. So NetHackz is going to be dealing in the realm of techniques, tips, tutorials, software, etc.

But our first major article… How was the topic chosen? How did we market it? I mean seriously… There are thousands (millions) of Internet related blogs! How did we hope to grab any attention whatsoever?

How To Crash A Server With A Blog Launch

1) Pick a news-worthy topic

It doesn’t matter whether you are writing a press release, figuring out how to propose an idea at a company luncheon, or suggesting a raise to your boss - if you can find something that is relevant and newsworthy you’ll have a better chance at success.

In our case, we chose Firefox. Firefox was already a hot button topic because of the launch of Firefox 3 yesterday (Tuesday). We launched on Monday. The Internet was already buzzing with it. Why not write about Firefox (and more to the point, the add-ons of the browser).

You can do the same in any marketing you do yourself. If it’s a blog - find something newsworthy and tie into the topic. If it’s a traditional marketing campaign - find something newsworthy and tie into the topic. Look at how popular going ‘Green’ is right now. Do you think that it’s by chance that every marketer is using it?

2) Nail the design

The design itself (color schemes, layout, plugins, etc) is crucial to a blog’s success. If I would have kept the same theme that I began using for a blog three years ago, the site (and the network) would have gone nowhere.

The idea is that you need to direct a user to where you think they need to go. In the blogging world, it’s pretty easy. Each post has it’s own page, and the comments flow from there. You just link directly into that page, because that’s where the content is. But in corporate presence world, you have to guide them through based on what they’re looking for. Take a look at the new Tech Solution site… There is little room for wandering there.

For all intents and purposes, it doesn’t have to be a website. The design is crucial in any marketing platform. Whether it be business cards or brochures or newspaper advertisements - you need to have a presence that stands out.

3) Figure out the perfect marketing medium

Many people try to promote a website through traditional marketing or word of mouth. Sometimes that works, but the percentage of success stories is so low that it shouldn’t even be looked at. In fact, a website is nothing more than an additional marketing resource.

When we launched NetHackz, we didn’t put it on T-shirts or get business cards made up. We attacked the social media scene. We got it on Digg and StumbleUpon. And from there… The server crashed.

The aftermath

Monday night at about 9pm, I was out with a friend, and started getting calls from my hosting company, Ritu, and some other people.. “The server crashed.” “The site’s down.” Sure enough - my buddy logged on with his Iphone and saw CSS-less text. Then nothing.

18,800 visitors, front page of Digg, fantastic traffic from Stumble and Reddit, and the hosting company pulled the plug. It was taking down their network. So what does a good businessperson do? Call in and bribe :0)

I was able to get them to turn it on long enough for me to export the database and the config files, and then I moved them to MediaTemple - where I can move in between servers and add more if I need it. I paid for it, but at least I can say I was a proud recipient of the Digg effect!

Basically, marketing comes down to three things - the message, the design, and the medium. If you hit all three, you will have customers a-plenty and traffic abound!

What about you? Have you had any wildly successful marketing experiences that you want to share? Let us know, and I’ll get a hold of you to do an interview and a story to be published here on MarketingHackz!