Archive for Marketing Basics
I’m Boring or How to market yourself without being controversial
Posted by: | CommentsThis past week I was on vacation at the in-laws cottage. My son brought a friend and the two of them spent much of the week listening to music by the Arrogant Worms. They listened so much that every time I woke in the middle of the night I’d have one of their songs running through my head.
One song has stuck with me, for a reason other than the sheer repetition. “I’m boring” is about a nerd who talks too much about boring topics so people run away from him.
While there was some joking around that this was about my husband who does like to talk about science a little too much, it does have a marketing connotation.
You may have noticed some online superstars – you know, the ones with thousands, if not millions of followers.
Many of them became popular because they are controversial. They say over-the-top things that get the online world buzzing. People reply, people argue about them, people visit their sites to see what all the fuss is about. They’re not boring!
One colleague of mine recently rebranded herself to be a little more “in-your-face”. She’s being more blunt and less polite all in an effort to be “more authentic”. This revamped version seems to be working for her.
And yes, being authentic online is essential, particularly if you’re using social media. And being controversial helps. If you can get people arguing about you and your ideas, well, as they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
But what if your authentic self is, well … boring? Read More→
Are Large Corporations Beating Small Business At Social Media?
Posted by: | CommentsSometimes I feel like I’m living a slightly schizophrenic life. As a marketing consultant specializing in social media, I spend a large chuck of my life immersed in the online 
World. I’m connecting with other online experts, and using each of the tools. I’m looking at how other businesses are marketing themselves online. I’m online for hours a day. And even when I’m not talking to other marketing experts, I’m dealing with online business people who know what they’re doing.
But occasionally I need to get off my ass and actually leave my office. When talking to business owners in the real world, I see an entirely different perspective. In the last several weeks I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with business owners were still trying to decide whether or not they need to bother with a website, never mind things like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
These two extremes in my life, have got me to thinking. One of the big rallying cries around social media is that it levels the playing field. Because most of these tools are basically free (as in no cash is needed to use them) it meant that solopreneurs and small business owners could easily compete with large corporations.
And on the surface this is true. After all, we can all create a Facebook account and set up a fan page, but only major corporations can run a television spot during the Superbowl.
However, when we dig deeper I believe social media is actually widening the gap between large corporations and micro business. Read More→
Your brand is not for everyone
Posted by: | CommentsThe title of today’s blog post is actually a quote from Mitch Joel’s Six Pixels of Separation. He goes on to say:
“Just like in marketing, it takes a certain type of person to drive a BWM, and that may not be the same kind of person who likes retro country funk music. The point is not to try to be all things to all people.”
This is a hard concept for business owners – particularly new business owners. Your first instinct is to try to serve everyone. But while in most cases I think a person’s first instinct is usually right, in this case it’s dead wrong.
Not everyone is going to be your customer. Not everyone should be your customer. Even people who are about to purchase what you offer are not an ideal fit. Nor should they be. You have your own personality, your own style, your own brand. He might be a BMW while you are an off-road SUV. Nothing wrong with that. You just need to learn to attract other off-road SUVs.
Let me tell you a story that explains what I mean.
I know a woman who does consulting. She is also a Read More→
Start February off with a Taste from The Blogging Boomers Carnival
Posted by: | CommentsRecently I was watching the movie Julie & Julia, the dual stories about the life of Julia Child and of a young woman who decides to cook every recipe in Child’s classic book and blog about the experience.
This woman didn’t just talk about cooking and she didn’t just talk about her successes. She blogged about her struggles, her failures as well as her own life. The background story, the stuff that makes her a person, was what made readers resonate with her, just as much as the cooking.
That’s what the Blogging Boomers Carnival is about; a collection of baby boomers blogging about their passions as well as themselves. Each week, one of us plays host to the rest and posts summaries plus links to the best articles.
It’s a fine line between sharing information and sharing yourself. It’s a line that many people struggle with. Baby boomers in particular have a hard time getting personal online. The Blogging Boomers Carnival members have learned to dance on that line, sharing their collective knowledge and experiences while letting their personalities show through.
If you take a moment to visit each post and maybe leave a comment or two, I know you’ll be richer for the experience. Here goes:
When traveling outside of the U.S., iPhone users can easily incur charges in the thousands of dollars. Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels reveals the “secret settings” that ensure you can use your iPhone while traveling internationally without breaking the bank.
Do you ever wonder if you are settling for less than you deserve? The Midlife Crisis Queen knows that feeling! Here’s what she learned from HER midlife crisis.
With the New Year, could there be a new economic optimism emerging? SoBabyBoomer wonders why this optimism might surface when the U.S. stock market just finished its first decade of negative returns since the Great Depression.
January getting you down? Anne at It’s All About Aging has tips for getting though till spring.
Over at Contemporary Retirement, Ann has all the excuse-busting tips you need to get started on slashing your stroke risk by up to 80 percent.
At the Writing Without Periods blog Mary talks about the sense of freedom that comes with cleaning out closets and drawers, and the good feeling that comes with donating those items you no longer want to others who need them.
Janet at Gen Plus heads over to the VerdExchange conference on green energy and innovation in Los Angeles. Great timing in view of President Obaman’s State of the Union address.
The Boomer Chronicles wants to know: if money were no object, what would you do for work?
Contrary to conventional wisdom, LifeTwo.com reports that college educated women are less likely to be divorced.
If you’ve been ever caught dashing into the grocery store in a frumpy track suit and dirty hair, you know how embarrassing it can be, and that’s exactly why The Glam Gals say every woman needs a “going to the grocery store outfit.” Catherine Zeta Jones understands what they mean. Get the whole story at Fabulous after 40.
Vaboomer.com takes a look at 1960s fashion. Remember the Mini-Skirt?
And finally, from The Baby Boomer Entrepreneur, if you’ve been wondering what good Twitter’s list feature is, read The Top 8 Ways to Use Twitter lists.
Happy reading.
Andrea J. Stenberg
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Using Twitter to Find People You Don’t Know
Posted by: | CommentsTwitter can be great tool to get to know people. As you follow them and read their tweets you’ll start getting a handle on who they are. Over time, you’ll have an idea of their personality, their business and their interests.
But if you’re new to Twitter, how do you find people to follow?
First, look for people you already know. You can go to their website and see if they have links to their Twitter profile. If so, just click on the link and start following.
If you don’t know their website, you can type their name into the “find people” box on Twitter. Even if they’re not using their name as their Twitter handle, if they’ve included their name in their profile, they should turn up.
Once you’re following people you already know, it’s time to start connecting with people you don’t know yet. One of the easiest ways to find these people is to go to the Twitter profile of someone you are following who is interesting and engaging. Then look at the list of people they are following. Odds are, the people they are following will also be interesting.
Don’t worry about Read More→
