welcome to your
bi-monthly misfit dosage!
 I hope you enjoy this email newsletter and will forward it to any friends or colleagues that care about a wide array of marketing topics, advice and tips applicable in B2B, B2C, A2M and small business settings.
This edition is packed with informational tid bits and links to helpful news, resources and original commentary as only a marketing misfit can tell it.
And what the heck is a *marketing misfit* anywayz, you ask?!? Click here
for
the answer. You can also get more of my editor's message for this edition here.
Got marketing? Then you need the misfit! :-) Contact me if I can ever be of assistance.
Marketing lessons from the campaign trail:
if you don’t give ‘em what they want, your competition will
The marketer and the nutritionist:
what they share in common
Heads are going to roll for this!
The Facebook Freakout
Mitch Arnowitz, Managing Director of Tuvel Communications, recently posted a question on the
Ad-Marketing listserv:
Question:
A PR person presented me with the following scenario and I thought I'd toss it to the list for input. A client org of theirs is taking a beating about some decisions that they've made. Some opponents have been vocal on industry e-mail lists. Unfortunately, the client hasn't been able to develop relationships with those that others listen to. Do you think that the org should include social media outreach as part of an overall strategy? Should they actively try to engage their detractors now or sit on the sidelines until the brew-ha-ha simmers down? Again, there are several parts to a planned response but this question is specifically about social media's involvement. What do you think?
Marketing Misfit response:
All the hype talk about social media marketing (SMM) is that transparency and "keeping it real" are key for making it work successfully. In many "best practice" articles and blogs you read about SMM, on the top five is never avoiding the detractors as part of your transparency efforts. It appears that HUMBLENESS is a big hit. Facing up to errors, admitting where things could have gone better and sharing what is being done to rectify the problems or issues seems to be an extremely well received SMM approach. Despite any blunders made, people like when companies or organizations take ownership of issues, good or bad.
Moreover, all the SMM buzz on countless leading marketing web sites is about how wonderful that SMM outlets allow companies and organizations to manage your own brand far more than ever before. What better way to control your own brand's reputation by you personally taking the reins of the conversations, no matter how bad they may be initially. An organization has the opportunity to turn the ship around with openness, honesty, sincere concern and leadership in so far as what are the next steps to improve, fix, etc. No one's perfect, including companies and organizations. People never expect perfection but do expect to see you get back up with grace, integrity and determination to set things right.
My .02 cents ... don't let the organization sit on the sidelines for too long. But before letting them engage ... just like any PR crisis campaign, identify talking points (based on the threads of discussions) which should definitely include a sincere apology/acknowledgment /admission, as appropriate. From there, it's all about moving forward with a lessons learned approach. Killing 'em with kindness and honesty always helps to diffuse bad blood. But it's got to be genuine to work.
Mitch's response:
This is SUPER input and thanks so much!
Is your blog-idea-well running dry?
Below I share 10 ways I keep blog inspiration fresh and new ideas flowing!
#10: read favorite blogs
Keeping up with your favorite blogs helps to keep you in tune with what subjects are being written about. It can also validate what topics are most engaging and of high interest.
#9: discover and read unknown blogs
Sometimes an online search will unveil a diamond-in-the-rough kind of blog or web site. Make notes on what content works and what topics don't appeal as much.
#8: watch the news
Take a few minutes each day to watch some kind of news coverage, local or national. There are many stories discussed on the news, from political to health to business to lifestyle stories. Make a note on special trends or upcoming events of interest.
#7: read the papers and magazines
No, I don't just mean the Washington Post or the Wall Street Journal. It can be any paper or periodical. But the point is ... read! Even if it's a woman's magazine or a motorcycle product catalog, read, read, read. There are many hidden ideas in the most unlikely reading materials just waiting to be discovered!
#6: clip away like a coupon addict
When you do find articles or excerpts of interest, cut them out if you can. Keep all your clippings in a "blog inspiration" folder. When you get bloggers-block or are running low on ideas, hit up your blog inspiration folder. You'll find that you'll meant to write about this or that, or reading a clipping again might inspire a new idea that will steer your thoughts in a totally different and unexpected direction.
#5: observe your surroundings
Pay attention to your environment. I get inspired from the most mundane moments like talking to my girlfriends over the phone, a quick trip to the grocery store for milk or speaking with a family member about such and such issues. Sometimes, it's the smallest things that have the most inspirational impact.
#4: handy dandy notebook!
As item 5 above indicates, you never know when inspiration will hit. Given the unpredictability of ideas, I always carry a notebook and pen. And if I don't have my notebook on me, I make it a point to jot the idea down quickly on anything, the back of a receipt or once even the palm of my hand!
#3: scan headlines
As you visit web sites or news sites, pay close attention to the headlines. By scanning major headlines, you can get ideas as to what topics are hot, which trends are in and what words or phrases can generate interest and buzz.
#2: subscribe galore!
Create an email account specifically for subscribing to any and all email newsletters of interest to you. Create inbox folders with specific topic names (e.g. "email marketing" or "crochet and knitting," etc.) and file away incoming emails to their appropriate inbox folders. Then, the next time you aren't sure what you should blog about, peruse through this designated inbox and your many inbox folders. Believe me when I tell you that if nothing else works to inspire you with writing ideas, this tip definitely will! You'll find so many idea-goodies, you'll be thrilled and ready to blog!
#1: take a break!
Taking breaks in between blog posts is absolutely essential in my book. Writing content requires time, patience, focus and care. And it's a lot of work to keep a blog up regularly. The best way to stay refreshed is to simply make a habit of walking away from the computer, take breaks when necessary and go do something fun. Go hug your kids or your pets. Hang out with friends. Trust me, taking breaks will help your mind stay fresh and your idea juices flowing.
Sneak Peek to Upcoming Misfit Articles
Social Media Marketing
Does Twitter *really* work for business or
is it a total
waste of time?
Non-Profit Marketing
Improving Annual Awards Programs for Members
Marketing's Got Gas! Part II
Gas-crazed marketing across the land continues!
Constructing an Email Newsletter from Ground Zero
...and from zero I mean: no budget, no subscribers, no nada!
Marketing Misfit Resource
Press release fundamentals for any business or organization
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You'll receive real-value marketing info, tips, advice and commentary from a seasoned marketing veteran with a passion for helping organizations extend their outreach and marketing programs.
September 10, 2008
...then check my blog for a
complete review post-event!
The panel I'll be on will be talking about *Writing for Online Audiences: Writing Web Copy, Selling to e-Markets, and Standing Out Online* and will be
covering several topics, including:
- differences of writing
for web vs. print
- how to make your writing stand out from the crowd
- how to get started with web
writing career how to start
blogging
I will do a complete write-up and I hope
to also have some video clips to share
as well. Stay tuned!
Client:
transporation logistics company
CMS GlobalSoft, Springfield, Virginia
Project:
design company's first-ever e-mail newsletter to be sent to 5,000+ subscribers
Approach:
worked with company's marketing manager to define all content and
design requirements
Result:
company CEO and staff delighted with end-result; various subscribers e-mailed in to complement CEO on very nice email communication
Client love:
"With minimal direction, Mayra whipped out a terrific email newsletter for our organization. She did most of the content work (btw, she even authored and designed the white paper our newsletter is promoting) and all the design creative and production. Our clients loved it and we are just super happy with the end result."
Sadaf Atashbarghi, Marketing Manager
I subscribe to hundreds of marketing newsletters and web sites so you don't have to!
Simply, I "scrape" the internet daily for quick marketing nuggets of information, editing leading marketing stories, white papers, surveys and interviews down
to 1-2 brief sentences to recap the main key points.
Below is this edition's "scrapings" from
the web (btw, you can get my web scrapings via real-time if you follow
me on Twitter):
- e-Marketer: U.S. marketers to spend $40M by year end 2advertise to business audiences on online social networks such as LinkedIn + Facebook
- Grizzard Comm Group: current economic squeeze causing significant numbers of donors to charitable causes to cutback or eliminate donations
- Direct marketers: Got a catalog? r rising postage, paper+production costs $squeezing u dry? Why not scale back? http://tinyurl.com/55l7bd
- MarketingSherpa sez...want your blog 2succeed? u gotta b real, sincere + informal. Misfit adds...talk *less* u to get better response
- As acquisition budgets come under pressure, digital marketers will need to focus on how they get more bang for their buck
- In a recession, smart organizations will look to see how they can acquire or service customers more cheaply online than thru other channels
- Video has potential to evolve into a viral campaign. Knowing users can pass along your video should hold marketers to a higher standard
- ComScore data for July: Google led the core search market with 61.9% of searches conducted in the US
- Mediamark Research: 1 in 10 prefer ads delivered via emerging media; most prefer ads in mainstream media
- Most brands aren't meant to live for eternity, much as we'd like to believe they are; some become outmoded, or time and trends pass them by
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