Tanner Montague came to town from Seattle having never owned his own music venue before. He’s a musician himself, so he has a pretty good sense of good music, but he also wandered into a crowded music scene filled with concert venues large and small.But the owner of Green Room thinks he found a void in the market. It’s lacking, he says, in places serving between 200 and 500 people, a sweet spot he thinks could be a draw for both some national acts not quite big enough yet for arena gigs and local acts looking for a launching pad.“I felt that size would do well in the city to offer more options,” he says. “My goal was to A, bring another option for national acts but then, B, have a great spot for local bands to start.”Right or wrong, something seems to be working, he says. He’s got a full calendar of concerts booked out several months. How did he, as a newcomer to the market in an industry filled with competition, get the attention of the local concertgoer?
Marketing
Lancet starts contest
for worst Web site;
winner gets makeover
Lancet Software Development Inc. has launched a search for the region’s worst Web site, and will offer the winner $2,800 worth of services to make it over.
Companies in the region can submit an essay detailing just how bad their site is at www.my-site-stinks.com. Staff at Burnsville-based Lancet will choose the worst by April 1, and provide a new version in the weeks following.
“The Internet has been around long enough where it’s really time for updating,” says Tom Niccum, president. His top four Web site sins:
No. 1, outdated graphics. Graphically standards have changed since most people created their first Web site.
No. 2, moldy content. “People often don’t refresh their Web sites at all. They have press releases from 1998,” he says.
No. 3, link rot, such as links to manufacturers that are out of business or otherwise outdated.
No. 4, amateurish text writing. People read more slowly on the Web, because it’s harder to skim. “You need to write differently on the Web. You can’s just slap your brochure on there,” Niccum says.
The “Complete Web Makeover Contest” ends April 1. The winner will receive a free LancetCard, a pre-paid card for consulting services, with 40 hours of time valued at $2,800.
They came up with the idea for the contest a few months ago, in an effort to “get people to stop and look” at their sites. Niccum believes companies should be slightly outrageous in their own marketing to get attention. “You have to shake people out of their complacency.”
Tom Niccum, Lancet Software: 952.230.7360; tniccum@lancet-software.com; www.lancet-software.com.
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