Posts Tagged ‘facebook’
Box Scores, Feb. 15-21 – “Copycats, Pitching & Minority Report”
Well, as you’ve probably come to expect, we’re back this fine Monday with your favorite Monday morning…expectation… That’s right, it’s Box Score time, and we’ve picked some great posts from the past week to show you what brilliant insight the blogosphere had to offer.
Also, we’d be remiss not to mention our favorite upcoming, creativity-fostering, mind-expanding mind-blowing OTA Sessions conference happening March 25-26. What’s that? You want to know more? Oh, well check it out right here. And when you’re done with that, read up on this week’s Box Scores below. First up, the wise Jim Connolly…
-“Why copycat marketing can hurt your business!”
It’s easy to look over at another brand or agency’s marketing strategy or efforts and think, “Well hey, if they’re doing it, we should be doing it too!” And because it’s easy to do that, we will occasionally just straight up copy them. Want to know why it’s a bad idea? Here’s an intro thought from Jim Connolly; “Amateur marketers will copy what they see others doing, wrongly assuming that it must be working.” See…wrongly assuming. Go read why it’s wrong. You’ll be glad you did.
-“Minority Report In Your Living Room: Gestural Interface Computers “Five Years” Away”
This is just a bit of tech awesomeness from Read Write Web that we thought you guys would find interesting. Mostly because we thought it was awesome. According to the post, “John Underkoffler, a science consultant for Minority Report, has worked for the last decade with his company, Oblong Industries, to take the gesture-activated interface from the screen to, well, the screen.” To see the screenshots (which are worth taking a look at), check out the full post over at Read Write Web.
So you want to pitch a blogger. Maybe you need to pitch a blogger. If you want to do it in a way that works out well for everyone, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check out some tips on doing it right. Getting your tips from a guy like C.C. Chapman – who has pitched plenty of bloggers and, more importantly, consistently receives TONS of pitches from others – is a good decision. Here’s a lesson in pitching. Take it to heart.
-“Don’t Forget The Little Side Streets”
As usual, Chris Brogan goes beyond pointing out something worth noticing. He points it out, tells you why he pointed it out, and gives you a checklist to make sure you get as much value from his out-pointing as you can get. Because that’s what he does. So, read up on why you shouldn’t forget the little side streets and then hit up his checklist so that you don’t have any excuses for not visiting the little side streets more consistently. You’re welcome.
-“Do You Really Need An Hour?”
This Advertising Age post from Darryl Ohrt brings up a question that we know numerous companies and agencies should be asking: Do meetings REALLY need to take as long as they do? One of the best points Darryl makes is this: “If our fantastical creative solution to a client’s problem can’t be conveyed within 20 minutes, perhaps it’s time to do a little refining.” Good point. So, do your meetings really need to last a full hour? If not, you just might find yourself (or your employees) an extra 40 minutes an hour to get work done. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Boom. There you have it. Great thoughts from great thinkers (one of whom – Chris Brogan – will be presenting at the OTA Sessions-sponsored Trust Summit on March 26th) to open up your mind a bit this Monday morning. Let us know what you thought of this week’s Box Scores by leaving a comment below or dropping us a note on our Facebook page.
And, if you liked what you read here, just think about the thought-provoking insight you’ll get from the OTA Sessions. It may sound like we’re selling it hard, and we are, but we’re only pushing it so hard because we want EVERYONE to get the value out of it that we think they could get. We know it sounds cheesy, but we promise, we’re doing it for you.
Have a great week!
Photo (“minority-report-1″) c/o eyeliam. Thanks eyeliam!
Box Scores, Feb. 8-14: “Valentines, Dabblers & Albert Einstein”
First things first, we hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day. Actually, first things first, we hope you remembered Valentine’s Day. That said, we had a fantastic week and so did the blogosphere. Don’t believe us? Check out this week’s Box Scores to see some of the blogosphere’s best offerings. Consider it a late Valentine’s gift from us to you.
Oh, and one more gift from us to you. If you haven’t signed up for the OTA Sessions yet, here’s your chance. There are still some tickets left and you REALLY don’t want to be the one who missed out on such a stellar event. Just hit up the site and see what the OTA Sessions have to offer. You’ll be glad you did.
-“Frightened, clueless or uninformed?”
According to Seth Godin (who seems to know a thing or two about marketing), there are three types of people: frightened, clueless, and uninformed. Seth’s advice is to “comfort the frightened, coach the clueless and teach the uninformed.” Anyone who wants solid advice on reaching their customers and clients would be wise to read this post.
Are you a dabbler? Not sure what that means? This Christopher S. Penn post might be able to explain it. It matters, and if you’re dabbling, odds are you might be giving up too soon and failing too fast. The important thing, according to Christopher, is that “there are goals which are intimately tied into methods. How you get there is part of getting there.” So…are you getting there by dabbling, or by following through on your goals and methods?
-“Is Reading Blog Posts Worth Your Time?”
Seems like blasphemy that we’d include this Copyblogger post on whether blog posts are worth your time, but the question is a good one. There’s a difference between reading a blog post and learning from it and taking action from it. James Chartrand gives some great advice on how to make that happen. If you really want to get some value out of reading through your blog posts every morning, this is the post for you. So read it and get smarter. You’ll be glad you did.
-“The Albert Einstein Guide to Social Media”
This post is just straight up worth reading. Amber Naslund comes with some awesomesauce as she uses quotes and thoughts from Albert Einstein in relation to social media. Amber’s ability to take Einstein’s brilliant thoughts like “Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted” and “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough” and relate them to social media just might be the fresh perspective you need to open up your mind a bit more.
-“The 3 Benefits We Care About”
Christopher S. Penn is back for more in this post on what we care about. More specifically three questions decision-makers in business want answers to: How can I save more money? How can I save more time? How can I save more money? If you can answer these questions for decision-makers, you’ll probably be in a good place. You can thank us (and Christopher) later.
And there you have it. A Box Score offering full of delicious wisdom and insight for you. We hope you got as much out of them as we did. If so, drop us a line in the comments below and let us know what you thought. Or, jump over to the Facebook page and let us know there. We’d be happy to hear your input.
Oh. And don’t forget the OTA Sessions. You’ll be very sad if you do.
Photo (“Albert_Einstein_Imagination”) c/o WalkingGeek. Thanks WalkingGeek!
Box Scores, Feb. 1-7 – “Showing, Listening, Speaking & Super Bowls”
Now that the Super Bowl excitement is over, we should probably provide some Box Scores for you on this fine, post-Super Bowl XLIV Monday. That’s right, football excitement aside, the blogosphere provided plenty of wisdom and insight for your mental consumption. Don’t pass it up. Get smarter while you recover from your food hangover and read these posts.
Jonathan Fields has rock solid post on the importance of using visuals to illustrate a point. Words are lovely (in fact, I, Mike, make a living off of them), but sometimes imagery is what it takes for someone’s brain to truly understand an important fact or two. This post on the Apple iPad’s inability to display Flash technology should help you understand what Jonathan means.
Sometimes I wish we could just feed the Brains On Fire RSS feed into Box Scores, but that would be unethical and all that junk. Instead, we try to diversify the Box Scores as much as possible, but Spike Jones just seems to catch our eye on a consistent basis. Here’s a two sentence summary on why the rest of this post is absolutely worth reading: “Don’t monitor the conversation, learn from it beyond what your competition is learning from it. Listen in a way that will help you reframe how what you do and why you’re doing it.”
-“6 Great Approaches to Public Speaking”
This is just a solid collection of public speaking tips/posts from ReadWriteWeb. Interested in improving your public speaking skills? If you’re not, maybe you should be. Check out this post, hit up their links, and let your next presentation (and every presentation after that) be your best. Once you start to notice fewer “ums” and “uhs” and a little less nervous sweating, you’ll be glad you did.
-“What Have You Been Putting Off and What’s Holding You Back?”
Two great questions in one great post from Darren Rowse at Problogger. Ask yourself these two questions, and then see if your answers resemble Darren’s initial response: “Why didn’t I do it? Was it laziness…. or busyness….? If I’m honest about it I’m sure it’d be a bit of both of those things – however I suspect it was also partly fear that held me back.” Now, if you want to get over your fear, do what you’ve been putting off, and feel good about it, check out Darren’s post. You definitely won’t regret it.
-“Content Needs to Get Most of Your Attention”
Valeria Maltoni comes in with a sick combination of thorough but easily digestible content on her Conversation Agent blog discussing…well…the importance of great content and a great content strategy. From the importance of design to key elements like reciprocity, Valeria’s post is worth reading to see how you can improve your blogs content (and consequently improve your blog). Enjoy.
There you have it. Some great posts from the past week, brought here together in a convenient set of Box Scores just for you. Hope you get as much out of them as we did. If you have any to add that we might have missed, leave us a comment below or drop us a line on our Facebook page.
Also, if you want to see all of this year’s Super Bowl ads, Advertising Age online has a good collection for you. Let us know what you think!
Photo (“Southern Tier Youth Football Conference”) c/o Jim Danvers. Thanks Jim!
Box Scores, Jan. 25-31: “Fun, Courting Clients and Emotional Truth”
It’s another exciting Monday morning, which means we’ve got another exciting set of Box Scores to help you get this week started off right. The best posts from the blogosphere gathered right here for your reading and learning enjoyment. So read up, tell us what you think, and let us know what we missed. We’re here for you.
Oh, and don’t forget to take a look at the OTA Sessions site when you get a chance. If you haven’t registered yet, you’re gonna want to do that. Anyway, on to Box Scores!
Bottom line? The post is worth reading. The action steps recommended are worth taking. Immediately after you finish reading the post. So read up on Drew McLellan’s insight and advice and then get in touch with your clients or potential clients, whether that’s to say hello, to drop them a quick recommendation, or simply to make sure you don’t miss out on some business. You’ll be glad you did.
-“How Well Do You Know Your Audience?”
As Jason Falls puts things over on his Social Media Explorer blog, “It’s easy to assume we know our audiences.” It’s true. Assuming we know our audiences is easier than doing the research it takes to know for sure. This is a friendly reminder to make sure you really know your audience. Read the full post to see what we mean.
Because Mike is Mike, it’s hard for him to go more than a few weeks without including some link or post involving Marvel Comics. This great post comes from Vice President, Executive Editor Tom Brevoort. The post centers on getting past the flash and flare of action and focusing on what’s more important in telling a story: emotional truth. As Tom puts it, “that’s my 2010 goal: push back towards the fundamentals of striving to find the emotional truth of the stories and the characters…” How many companies could take a page from this thought process to tell their stories (or their clients’ stories)? It’s not the tools, it’s the people behind them that matter.
-“20 Ways to Up Your Blogging Fun Quota”
This Problogger guest post from Christie Burnett doesn’t just apply to blogging. It actually can apply to a lot of our daily business functions. Part of the “Work. Play. Do Good.” Deep Bench philosophy involves play. Whether it’s advice like “Draw: Put pencil to paper or pen to tablet and say something with illustrations, instead of words” or “Inspire: Source relevant inspirational quotes to share with readers,” Christie’s thoughts show that, beyond blogging, businesses could use creative ways to approach problems and ideas.
-“Dating Rules for Courting Your Clients”
This post is very applicable to the very folks that make up our beloved “deep bench”: freelancers and other small agencies. The folks at Men With Pens help point out how to choose the right clients and not fall into the “temptation to work for demanding or low-paying clients because [you] need the money or are afraid [you] won’t get better clients.” They have plenty more good advice in this post, so read up and be sure you’re making the right decision when you take on your next client.
We’ve tried to cover quite a few areas in this week’s Box Scores. From knowing your audience to comics to taking on clients, we tried to give a good mix of great posts from the past week. We hope you got as much out of these posts as we did, and we’d love to hear what else you have to offer. If you’ve got another post to share or just want to compliment us on a job well done, leave a comment below or drop us a line over on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you.
And one last thing: we won’t call it a shameless plug because we don’t feel there’s any shame in it to begin with, but we will drop you a prideful plug one last time to check out the OTA Sessions. You seriously, seriously won’t regret it.
Photo (“Audience of the Open Ocean”) c/o David Goehring. Thanks David!
Box Scores, Jan. 18-24 – “Loving the Competition, Cardboard Pizza & More”
Well, in a week where we conducted our usual Deep Bench business and also managed to launch a website for a conference we couldn’t be more excited about (the OTA Sessions, if you haven’t seen it yet), things got pretty hectic. But hectic usually equals fun as far as we’re concerned. And, to prove that it wasn’t too hectic, we managed to pull together some great posts from last week into today’s Box Scores. Read up, get smarter, and get excited. It’s a great day to be alive.
-“Four Reasons to Love Your Competition”
The folks from Men With Pens come at us first with a post to get you revved up for success this week. Although the post is intended for bloggers, a good business owner could (and should) put all of these concepts to good use. Before you complain about your competition or get mad when they seem to copy a new strategy or idea, think about these thoughts from Men With Pens and remember that competition isn’t always a bad thing.
Future OTA Sessions speaker Spike Jones drops some insight on us courtesy of the Brains On Fire blog. The point is to know what you do or don’t do as a company and then do (or don’t do) those things well. As Spike puts it, “‘Like’ is not a Brains on Fire word. We want people to love you or hate you. Those are powerful emotions. ‘Like’ is a deathtrap.” (his emphasis…with good reason). The question is, does who you are NOT inspire love or hate? If not, maybe it should.
-“Getting Started: Brands and Cause Marketing”
Lauren Fernandez is the kind of bright, young individual you read about in dozens of posts about talented, up-and-coming professionals. Oh wait. She’s not “that kind” of person. She is that person. This post from her blog emphasizes a point that, though important in marketing, seems to be a rare point of discussion in the blogosphere. Cause marketing is important. Brands can use it so well if they just know what they’re doing. Here’s her much-needed insight on how you can start to know what you’re doing with cause marketing (and why it will help your brand).
-“Can Dominos Turn Around Their Cardboard Reputation?”
Rohit Bhargava takes a good look at Dominos Pizza’s recent (and very drastic) pizza recipe reformation and the marketing/PR efforts that have gone along with this revamp. From a poignant and sincere video describing the change and what it’s meant to the Domino’s team to a microsite featuring Twitter updates that include good AND bad reviews of the new pizza formula, Rohit praises the effort Domino’s is putting forward. Read the post and see why their effort goes far beyond a simple pizza recipe change (and why it might help your brand to REALLY listen to consumers).
And with that, we wrap up another week of Deep Bench Box Scores. While we feel these are some great posts from the past week, we’re also all about hearing from you, the reader. So drop us a line in the comments below to let us know what you think, and, while you’re at it, you can add a link or two for posts YOU found particularly helpful or insightful last week. Or, drop us a line over on our Facebook page and we can talk with you there.
Hope you enjoyed Box Scores! Check back next week for more (or subscribe to our RSS feed here for all of our Deep Bench content) and don’t forget to check out the OTA Sessions site for more info on that event. You won’t regret it.
Photo (“Experimental Pizza Delivery Car”) via John Lloyd. Thanks John!
Box Scores, Jan. 11-17 – “Surprises, Entourage & Rockstars”
That’s right, it’s Monday morning and we’ve got some gems for you in our weekly Box Scores. To clear the air, you may recall that I mentioned a little something about a big OTA Sessions announcement last week. Well, while that announcement has yet to come, the good news is that we actually will be revealing some huge news within the next 48 hours. And that’s a fact, Jack! So, start off your week by reading these great posts from the blogosphere last week. Then get ready for…OTA.
There’s a reason Julien Smith has co-written a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. Because he’s good. And this advice from him to you follows suit. If you want to succeed, you have to find success in places that others won’t. As he so eloquently puts it, “This quote, by the Spanish poet Antonio Machado, punched me in the face when I heard it: ‘Traveler, there is no path. Paths are made by walking.’”
Every once in awhile you go to a concert and you walk away more anxious to buy the opening band’s album than the closing band’s. Is it what you expected? Of course not. Is it usually a pleasant (and sometimes BIG) surprise? Yes. Well according to Narciso over at Method + Moxie, part of that surprise comes because the band is willing to go all out and leave everything on stage. So…do you do that in your life every day? As Narciso puts it, “We’ve got so many things that get in the way of our own true strengths.” So stop that. Go surprise someone. Today. Now.
-“What Entourage Can Teach You About Successful Freelancing”
If you’ve never seen HBO’s Entourage, chances are you’ve dreamed about it. One man rises to fame and fortune and brings his best friends along for the ride. Sounds like a blast, right? Well Copyblogger’s Julie Roads realized how similar Entourage is to freelancing, and her points are well-made. If you’re already an Entourage fan, you’ll enjoy this quite a bit. If you’ve never seen Entourage, you just might want to after checking out this stellar post.
-“What makes your advocates feel like rockstars?”
Spike Jones knows a thing or two about building community and igniting movements. It’s sort of why he gets paid. Rather than writing another worn-out “how to be a rockstar” post, Spike takes a different (and probably more important) approach to the rockstar concept – making your supporters feel like rockstars. If you don’t quite understand what “Empower with responsibility” means, you should read this. You’ll be glad you did.
-“My language is just grating!”
This post from Drew McLellan is a two-step reminder not to fall into a rut with your creative language and writing as far as content goes. The first step is the reminder not to do it. The second step is a fun and challenging exercise to help you make sure you’re not doing it. A point to ponder from Drew: “Whether you are a copywriter day in and day out, a business owner who crafts an occasional flier or an exec who writes 10 e-mails and memos a day…your audience deserves your best words.” Truth. Do you give them yours?
And so ends another week of Deep Bench Box Scores. Hopefully you got as much out of these insightful posts as we did. Let us know what you thought by leaving a comment below or tell us if we missed any posts worth including by leaving a link or telling us over on our Facebook page. We collect Box Scores each week for you and would love to hear what you have to say.
Oh, don’t forget…we’ve got exciting news coming very, VERY soon, so get pumped and be ready to buy your OTA Sessions ticket. One glance at the concept (and a second glance at the speaker list) might cause more excitement than you’re prepared for. Be ready, and we’ll be ready for you. See you soon!
Photo (“Rockstar”) by N1NJ4. Thanks N1NJ4!
How To Make A True Community…Graphic.ly
If you’re a part of the marketing/advertising/PR/social media industry, it’s possible and likely that you read 1-7 posts a day on “being real” and “building community.” These posts are written and, presumably, read by you and many other people in this industry.
So why, when I ask for a beta invite to some “social media” app or program, do the informational emails read as follows:
“Hey Mike,
Welcome to ______, a super awesome, well-rounded, and all-powerful social media app that literally does EVERYTHING you want it to do. That’s right. It runs Twitter. And Facebook integration is COMING SOON [Ed. note: This means it does not, in fact, do everything.]. And we’re doing 10 million things to make it better in the next week so that it totally rocks your face off and you love us and we’re awesome and la da da da da….
Thanks for joining our “community,” Mike. We love you and we’re your best friends forever now! P.S. – Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for a bunch of updates we’ll be emailing you anyway. Hooray social media!
-The ______ Team”
I’ll be honest. These emails almost make my brain explode. And not in a “this is so awesome, I’ll brainsplode from the awesomeness” sort of way. More of a “did they just copy and paste this from the last ‘Generic Social Media App Team’ email I received?” brainsplosion.
And then the always honest, always open Micah Baldwin blew those stereotypical emails away with his beta invite to Graphic.ly. While I’d love to discuss Graphic.ly in detail (seeing as it’s a digital comics platform and I love comics like NBC execs love being stupid), I’m going to focus on something important:
The “Welcome to Graphic.ly” email that Micah sent.
First, after sending the email from HIS actual account (not no-reply@randomapp.com or support@fakeapp.com, but a legitimate, to-Micah’s-inbox email address), Micah says this [with a few parts clipped a little bit]:
“The Graphic.ly Baby Beta is unique in that we are truly giving you a product before it has matured. IT WILL SUCK BADLY….
We decided to give you the Baby Beta because we know that you care about building a really kick ass product, and we know that we must crawl before we can walk. If we dont get you involved now, the end product will just, well, suck badly.
You will be disappointed. A lot, and I mean A LOT, of features are not working yet. We have included only 2 books (all free), which I bet you have read. But the plan was not to wow you with catalog (we have hundreds and hundreds of books and merchandise to upload), but to let you understand what we will be when we are all grown up. We want, when you finally see the final product, to see your fingerprints on it. To be able to tell your friends, “I built that.”
He eventually goes on to explain what beta testers will find, what they’ll think (which is that it will need work, according to Micah) and what we beta testers will do to make it better. He does NOT just go on to say that Graphic.ly is the greatest app/program/whatever ever and will only get better and better and better. He’s REALISTIC about things. Which is so refreshing.
Of course, he’s not done there. Micah then gets super crazy on us and shares not only his personal email address, but also throws out his IM name, his Gtalk name, and his phone number. All of those things.
Granted, it’s not as if the Graphic.ly community is loaded up with spammers that are going to bombard him with annoying messages/thoughts, but I can’t tell you how many apps I’ve received beta invites for and I can’t even name one person who works for them. Typically, a robot sends an email, I glance at it, disregard it and move on. The fact that, if I really wanted to, I could contact Micah himself to discuss improvements to Graphic.ly is so much more real and tangible than any invites I’ve received thus far.
Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe I just haven’t been a part of the “right” communities and programs. But I checked my inbox on about the last six I’ve received, and Micah’s Graphic.ly email was the only one that compelled me to do more than read it and disregard it.
So, if you’re looking for a lesson on being real and authentically engaging with your community, I’m throwing this out as a prime example. The fact of the matter is that I’m already spending time on Graphic.ly and I’m looking for ways to improve it. Does it help that I’m a fan of comics and do pretty much anything I can to support Marvel Comics (a partner in this effort)? Of course.
But does it matter more that Micah and the Graphic.ly folks made me feel like I’m a true, genuine part of this team? Definitely.
Good work, Micah. I look forward to contributing to this effort and improving it. Hopefully more companies trying to “build community” look at what you and your team at Graphic.ly are doing and try to improve their efforts as well.
It could be a spectacular change for everyone.
What do you think? Does stuff like Micah’s email really even matter? Is it more of a formality no matter how “personal” it feels? Are there other great examples we’ve missed out on? Share your thoughts in the comments below or join the discussion over on our Facebook page. And, to subscribe to the Deep Bench RSS feed and have our content delivered right to you, click here.
Box Scores, Jan. 4-10 – “Living Social, Dynamite & Groucho Marx”
Well folks, it’s Monday, January 4th, and it’s been a very busy week for us here at Deep Bench. Today marks the day that we will announce the speaking lineup for the OTA Sessions, which should be exciting on more levels than we even know how to count. But, before all of that insanity is unleashed, we can’t kick off a Monday without our traditional Box Scores, so here you go. The blogosphere offered up some great posts last week, so here’s a chance to see what you might have missed. We’ll start with the wise and always enjoyable David Armano.
The “who controls social media” debate has been a much-discussed issue in the online world. David Armano wrote this post up for Harvard Business (yeah…that Harvard) and his thoughts are worth reading. One of his most interesting points is this: “If you’re not genuinely, honestly engaged in the social network, you’re not going to get far with those who are.” Maybe you’ve heard that before, but it never hurts to hear good advice more than once.
-“The 7 keys to social branding”
Sometimes a good guest post rocks just as hard as the usual blogger’s regular content. Tamsen McMahon demonstrates this phenomenon to perfection with her guest post on Valeria Maltoni’s “Conversation Age” blog. Although the points may seem simple (“Clarity – Speak your messages in their languages”), it’s the explanation behind each that makes this post so valuable. So read up on what Tamsen has to say and see if you agree with her 7 keys to social branding.
-“What every mass marketer needs to learn from Groucho Marx”
In honor of Seth Godin, we’ll keep the description of his post short by quoting him: “If Wal-Mart or some cultural shift has turned what you do into a commodity, don’t argue. Find a new place before the competition does.” The way he connects it to Groucho Marx is just frosting on the cake.
-“Project Management and the Dynamite Philosophy”
Amber Naslund comes correct with some awesome advice on project management and how she manages to get as much done as she does. Amber starts with the tools (her tools, as she wisely points out that everyone is different), how she uses them, and then the big boom for a finisher. Literally. Her closing advice is “Blow Things Up.” After you read the post, you’ll see why it really is the Dynamite Philosophy. (Ok, I couldn’t resist…and boom goes the dynamite…)
-“What Vegas Can Teach You About Marketing”
Tips like “Know what you can afford to give away” and “Only reward behavior you care about” don’t make perfect sense upon first read. Luckily, Rohit Bhargava is able to completely justify them, all along with the fun and excitement of Sin City itself, Las Vegas. So if you want to learn a bit from Vegas (and from Rohit) read up and let us know what you think.
-“NBA Jam to Make a Comeback on Nintendo Wii”
This pretty much just makes Mike happy. Since it was on Mashable, we figured we could post it here too. Boomshakalaka!
And those great posts make up this week’s Box Scores. Hopefully the advice and wisdom from all of the bloggers helps kick off your work week with some productivity and some general awesomeness. If you feel we forgot any great posts or that you have a post or two worth adding, let us know in the comments below or by leaving a link on our Facebook page. And if you want more Deep Bench content delivered weekly, subscribe to our RSS feed by clicking here.
By the way, we weren’t kidding about that OTA Sessions announcement. We’ve got a video coming from Hugh in a few hours, and we just hope it gets you as excited as it gets us. We have a feeling it will. You’ll be hearing from us soon…
Photo (“Fireworks barge explosion close-up”) c/o Shiny Things. Thanks Shiny Things!
Box Scores, Dec. 21-27 – “Objectives, Mothers & Gangs With Axes”
Well, we’re midway through the “holidays” portion of “Happy Holidays” and we here at the Deep Bench office have a special holiday gift for you to help celebrate. That’s right, it’s Monday morning, it’s the start of a fresh, new week and we’ve got Box Scores wrapped up in a nice little post (and if we could add an internet bow, we probably would). Also, our condolences go out to any/all who were subjected to the #snowmaggedon over the past few days. We know how you feel. Anyway, onward and upward!
-“How To Create Measurable Objectives”
Amber Naslund has shown that she’s got the chops to keep making the Box Scores cut, and this post on creating measurable objectives certainly fits what we look for in Box Scores. Discussing goals, objectives, strategies and tactics, Amber presents some complex information in an easy-to-understand format, which means that everyone can learn from it. Don’t be one of the folks who misses out.
-“On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting For Your Ideas”
Deep is probably an understatement on this one. So is powerful. And inspiring. The point is that you should read it, and soak in every heartfelt word that Copyblogger’s Jon Morrow put into this post. There’s a reason Jon fights for everything in his life. Part of that reason is because he has no choice. Part of it is because his mother fought so hard for him. And part of it…well…as he puts it, “If my mother could ignore a doctor who would condemn me to death, then I can ignore my inner demons who tell me I’ll never make it as a writer.” Read it. Be inspired.
-“It’s about the journey – NOT the money!”
While we’re on the subject of inspiring and personal posts, check out this hit from Jim Connolly on the importance of why your life journey is what matters, not the money you make along the way. And if you weren’t interested in the post before, here’s this: “By the time I was just 10 years old, I had witnessed 3 murders and at age 17, I was left for dead after being attacked by a gang armed with axes!” So…yeah…there’s that. It’s worth a read.
-“Pepsi to Skip Super Bowl Ads in Favor of $20M Social Media Campaign”
A few months ago, The Onion did what it does best and wrote a (fake) news article on Pepsi ceasing all advertising. Consequently, we at Deep Bench wrote a blog post questioning what that would or wouldn’t mean for Pepsi in the long run if it ever happened. Then, this story from Mashable came along and mentioned that Pepsi will be skipping its Super Bowl ads for a social media campaign instead. We’d like to hear your thoughts on this one, so drop a comment in the comments section below and say what’s on your mind. Is this a good call from Pepsi? A groundbreaking effort? A stupid decision? Let us know.
-“Forbes: A Year In Review: 2009 Social Marketing Trends”
This is just a great recap of…well…social marketing trends. Jeremiah Owyang wrote this post for Forbes, and it’s full of all the intelligence and insight you’d expect from Mr. Owyang. Whether discussing companies that slashed print and TV budgets to focus on social media or discussing his key point that “This year, consumers are more connected, and moving faster than brands,” Jeremiah brings up some great points in this article that organizations should make note of as they head into 2010.
On that note, we’ll close out the final Box Scores of 2009. It’s been a great year here at Deep Bench and we hope you’ve gotten as much out of reading Box Scores as we’ve gotten out of researching and sharing the posts we include. For that matter, we hope you just had a fantastic 2009 regardless, and we look forward to sharing more with you and learning more from you in the upcoming year. Make your New Year’s a good one and we’ll hope to see you on the interwebs sometime soon.
Thanks for everything this year. It’s been a blast.
-The Deep Bench Team
P.S. – If you’d like to share your thoughts on any/all of these Box Scores, drop us a line in the comments below or hit us up over on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear what you have to say. Also, if you’d like to head into 2010 by automatically getting our Deep Bench blog posts delivered right to your RSS reader, go ahead and subscribe here. Happy Holidays!
Photo (“winter wonderland”) c/o planetlight. Thank you much, planet light!
Box Scores, Dec. 14-20 – “Loyalty, Magic & More Time”
Well folks, the holidays are in full swing and that makes for some exciting news. We’re giving you the gift of our weekly Box Score updates to provide some insight and knowledge from the blogosphere’s best. That’s right, last week led to some great content and we figured we’d stick with the holiday giving spirit by passing these posts along. So read up, learn a little bit, and enjoy the rest of your holidays.
-“Frequency Does Not Necessarily Equal Loyalty”
Coming to you first is Spike Jones on the Brains on Fire blog with a short and to-the-point post that is as beneficial to businesses and corporations as it is to the marketing/advertising/PR community. As Spike puts it, “…This is just a simple reminder that if your customers are frequent purchasers of your product or service, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have their undying loyalty.” His post gives a crystal clear demonstration of why that’s the case. We suggest you read it.
-“Twitter Reveals Most Discussed Topics of 2009”
For those folks who thoroughly enjoy stats and information, Mashable has pulled together Twitter’s most discussed topics of 2009. Conveniently placed in categories like “movies,” “tech,” and “TV shows” (Harry Potter, Google Wave, and American Idol, respectively), the results are definitely interesting and are worth reading through. Any topics you were surprised to see make the cut? Any that you expected to see but didn’t? Let us know in the comments section below.
-“Accentuate Your Differentiation Point”
Adam Singer gives some great advice on how to stand out and distinguishing yourself with your blogging. From “Don’t write about Twitter” to “Don’t sound like a white paper,” Adam gives some solid advice that’s worth reading if you’re blogging or thinking about starting a blog. And really, the point of the post is pretty much applicable to life in general, not only blogging. Just so you know.
-“The magic of keeping in touch”
Jim Connolly’s blog efforts are full of intelligent and actionable content, and this recent post certainly follows that pattern. Jim gives advice not only on WHY it’s important to keep in touch with customers and clients, but also HOW you can do it (and do it well). So listen to his advice – including tidbits like “it’s called a newsletter and not a salesletter” – and make sure you do some work to keep in touch with your clients heading into the new year.
-“How to Be A More Productive Blogger [And Add 37 Minutes to Every Hour!]
There’s a reason Darren Rowse is known as the Problogger. He’s good. Courtesy of Darren, here’s a simple way to increase your blogging (or work) productivity by cutting just a few minutes’ worth of bad habits from your day. The result? Adding 37 minutes to an hour. That’s a lot of minutes. Definitely, definitely worth the read. Trust us.
So there we have it. Some great posts from some great bloggers as we head into this great holiday week. Hopefully you get as much from these posts as we got, and we hope that you get a chance to enjoy at least one or two relaxing days (or in the case of some of our Deep Bench crew, one or two chaotic days) with friends and family. Either way, we’ll be back next week with more Box Scores for you, as always. Happy holidays!
Like what this week had to offer? Are there any posts that you feel should have been included? Care to share your holiday plans with us? Leave a note in the comments section below or drop us a line on our Facebook page. We’d be happy to hear what you have to say!
Photo (“Distinctively Red”) c/o pshutterbug. Thanks Prabhu!
When Seeing the Big Picture, Don’t Overlook the Small Details
Have you ever worn glasses? If you’re not a nerd like me, maybe you’ve worn sunglasses a time or two (so much cooler). If you have, it’s possible you’ve made the same observation I’ve made on numerous occasions…
When you’ve got a bit of dust on your lenses, you really don’t notice it all that much. You manage to look past the dust that’s literally RIGHT in front of your face (note the proper use of literally there, by the way). You see the big picture because the little specks of dust and dirt don’t block your big vision.
This is a mistake we make in the marketing world. One way it happens is that we get so caught up in our brilliant idea and “big vision” that we let the dusty little details pile up on our glasses and we never notice them until one of those specks or smudges is so big…so noticeable…that we have no choice but to take off our glasses, wipe them down, and start back over. Whether it’s a detail that exceeds the budget or a guerilla effort that you neglected to fit into the timetable, those smudges suddenly become impossible to ignore and can hinder the progress of an otherwise stellar campaign. And you (and probably your boss) are left wondering why you didn’t see them sooner?
Another way it can happen is with client work. When you first land that new client, your passion and excitement radiate throughout the team or agency. You’ve got a fresh, straight-out-of-the-case pair of glasses and a crystal clear vision of where you want to go with your new client. But, as months and years go by, the dust piles up. Meetings are “postponed” without ever being rescheduled. Instead of brainstorming the next phase of the campaign, you’re told to “just run the January ad again this month.” But none of those specks are big enough to totally impair your vision, so you never really notice them.
Until your client fires off a 10 bullet point email citing your shortcomings and unmet expectations throughout their campaign. Or, in a (usually) worse case, you lose the whole account. It’s only then that you take off the glasses and see the amount of dust you’ve let pile up over the months and years.
This is just a friendly reminder to take off your glasses (or sunglasses), give them a good wipedown, and make sure you’re giving your clients a clean, dust-free effort.
You just may be shocked at how clearly you see things after you do.
How about you? Have you lost sight of the details during a campaign by being too focused on the “big vision?” Do you have clients that deserve a wipedown of your marketing glasses? Have you lost clients because you failed to notice the dust building up on their account? Enlighten us with your thoughts in the comments below or drop us a line on our Facebook page.
Photo (“Through glasses”) c/o Rob Pongsajapan. Thanks Rob!
Box Scores, Dec. 7-13 – “Condiments, Sleep & Hooking Readers”
As usual, Sunday has led to Monday, and that means it’s time for your weekly Deep Bench Box Scores. We read some great posts last week in the blogosphere and we wanted to make sure we shared them with you, so we’ve collected them right here in our Box Scores. Read up on the recap and make sure you check out the full posts. Then leave us a comment below and tell us what you think.
Talk about an inspiring way to kick off Box Scores. The always-entertaining and forward-thinking Mark Cuban brings his two great passions in life (sports and business) together for this rock solid post on his love for the challenge that is business. As he puts it, “The sport of business isn’t divided into games. It’s not defined by practices. It doesn’t have set rules that everyone plays by.” So how do you win the game? Read his post and see what he has to say about it.
-“Sealy Admits Reality: No One Gets 8 Hours of Sleep”
This post from Rohit Bhargava is interesting because he points out an important bit of information: sometimes, no matter what convention and tradition might say, you just need to go with the simple truth (like the fact that humans don’t usually get the “8 hours” of sleep they supposedly should get). Sealy recognized this fact and has put it to use in their latest marketing campaign. Check out Rohit’s full post to see why he thinks Sealy made the right decision in doing so.
-“Social Media Is Not A Condiment”
Sometimes social media is included as an afterthought or a bonus in a campaign. Lisa Braziel points out that social media isn’t a condiment in this thoughtful post on the Ignite Social Media blog. Dispelling myths like this one – “Myth #4: The more social media the better” – Lisa points out why social media shouldn’t be considered an add-on for your campaign efforts.
-“Are Your Facebook Fans Truly Engaged?”
Valeria Maltoni presents some interesting research on how to keep fans engaged on Facebook fan pages. Although the post is short and the tips may seem simple or obvious, chances are you either haven’t put them into action or even thought of them yet. Check out Valeria’s post over on Conversation Agent to see 5 ways “to keep your Facebook pages working for you.” It’s worth it.
-“What a Bestselling Author Can Teach You About Hooking Your Readers”
One of the writers in our Deep Bench office is a huge Steven Pressfield fan (Mike). Consequently, Mike was excited to see that this great Copyblogger post on hooking readers featured Mr. Pressfield himself. And, in true Copyblogger fashion, the post goes far beyond the basic “see what this author’s good at” content and delivers plenty of guidance from Steven and the post’s author, Jeff Saxton, on ways to suck readers into a story so quickly that they won’t even realize how hooked they are. Because if you’re able to do that, you definitely win.
So there you go folks. Some great posts from the blogosphere that will hopefully give you some guidance and inspiration in the following week. As always, if you feel we missed a great post or you just want to tell us how much you liked this week’s Box Scores, leave us a comment below and let us know. You can also drop us a line over on our Facebook page if you’d like.
On a final note, if you can’t get enough Box Scores and the rest of our Deep Bench blog content, subscribe to our RSS feed by clicking here so you never miss a post.
Photo (“Red Hook”) c/o Ludovic Bertron. Thanks Ludovic!
Box Scores, Nov. 30-Dec. 6: “A Mensa Crisis, Timing & Sharks!”
With our esteemed Head Coach and President Hugh Weber out last week in L.A. for the Ford Fiesta Movement wrap-up party (more to come on that later), the Deep Bench office was a busy one. There’s no such thing as a vacation here, so we worked hard to rustle up some great posts to include in this week’s Box Scores just for you. Read up, learn a bit, and let us know what you think when you’re finished.
-“Socialized Media: The Powerful Effects of Online Brand Interaction”
Recently voted PRNews’s PR Blogger of the Year, Brian Solis came correct early last week with this post on brand interaction and its impact on sales. In the post, Brian points out “why monitoring, establishing and cultivating a strategic presence and inspiring meaningful engagement is so critical in social media. It impacts the bottom line.” Worth the read if you weren’t sure before.
-“Stay Cool in a Communications Crisis: How American Mensa Handled It”
Up-and-coming online rock star Lauren Fernandez presents an interesting perspective on handling communications crises in her first published magazine article for Associations Now Magazine. Her breakdown of a crisis situation (and resolution) with Mensa serves as an excellent example of how to handle a crisis and why you should always be prepared for one. Even if you may not ever think you’ll need a crisis communication plan, you might. Read Lauren’s article to see why.
-“6 Marketing Tips – Good Timing!”
Jim Connolly brings some great insight in a not-often-discussed-enough topic – timing. From common sense planning like making sure you aren’t planning an event during a major event (like the World Cup Finals) to more complex stuff like avoiding wasting major chunks of time on minor things, Jim’s post is full of insight and is worth keeping in mind (and opening back up) the next time you’re planning for an event.
-“Making Your Corporate Blog More Social”
This Jason Falls post gives simple ways to help your blog with social media. While his tips aren’t in-depth or earth-shattering, they are easy to utilize. From making your comments section social media savvy to adding a “share on Facebook” button, Jason’s tips are helpful for those looking to share their content as far and wide as possible.
-“Mashable’s Social Media Guide for Small Businesses”
This is simply a huge, link-laden and extremely beneficial post from Mashable to help small businesses take advantage of social media. Countless links ranging from social media tips to video use and PR/marketing to statistics and analytics (and plenty more) makes this a must-read for both small businesses looking to use social media as well as large businesses looking for ways to improve their own social media use. Probably star/bookmark/favorite this one while you’re at it.
-Like Shark Week? You may like this then…
While it’s not exactly an “ad,” we’d love to hear your thoughts on this Shark Week effort. After you’ve experienced it, of course…
And those are some of the best posts from this past week. If we missed a few, pass us a link in the comments below and tell us why it should be included. Perfectly content with these? Tell us below. Feedback rocks our world. If it’s easier, drop us a line on Facebook and tell us over there on our fan page.
(Oh, and if you want to make sure you don’t miss out on future Box Scores or other Deep Bench blog posts, click here to subscribe to our RSS feed.)
Photo c/o StormyDog (Allan Lee). Thanks Allan!
Box Scores, Nov. 23-29 – “SM Purists, Conversations & Serendipity”
Well after a thankful week full of Thanksgiving thankfulness (and a weekend spent learning about ice fishing for/from one of our awesome clients), the Deep Bench crew is pleased to bring you this week’s edition of Box Scores. We’ve got some stellar posts from some top notch pros, so read up on their wisdom and give thanks that, even after Thanksgiving is over, people are still providing fantastic content we can all learn from.
-“Why Social Media Purists Won’t Last”
A great start to Box Scores comes from Jason Falls at his blog, Social Media Explorer. Jason shares his thoughts on the increasingly-popular “social media’s great, but you need to make money too” mindset. In his words, “Conversations do not ring the cash register.” The good thing is he supports his point with solid logic and a pretty “kick-in-the-butt” inspiring attitude. Read up. Your profits-driven bosses will be happier, and you just might be too.
-“Are You Getting Off Track With Your Readers”
This one is for our fellow writers (both copywriters and blog writers) and comes from the ever-informative Copyblogger blog. James Chartrand explains why keeping your readers engaged with a tight focus can really make a difference for them and for you. Read up if you want to make sure you aren’t losing your readers with rambling paragraphs and seemingly-innocent (or “funny”) tangents.
Drifiting Creatives have a pretty fantastic story that’s worth reading up on when you have the time if you haven’t heard it yet. For now, however, we’ll share this post with you and let you do the background research on your own. As creatives, they’ve got a tough task of connecting with clients quickly and easily. Questions do this, but as they put it, “Asking questions is pretty easy, but asking the right questions can be freakin’ hard.” Then they share how they overcome that hurdle. Which begs the question… do you ask the right questions?
-“Careful what you share, it just may start a conversation”
Having seen the topic of this post unfold live on Twitter, this Communications Conversations blog post from Arik Hanson was a fun one. It may or may not involve an individual who brought a massive Mac desktop into a Caribou coffee shop, but more importantly is this fact that Arik points out: “You never know what’s going to interest your community or spark a conversation.” He then lists some great ways to spark conversation with YOUR community. Read them and, in the tradition of last week, be thankful.
-“Why Serendipity Shouldn’t Matter”
You know any post that starts off with “I’ll be contrarian to my good friend Chris Brogan” better be a good one with the fierce loyalty Broganites show. Luckily, Christopher S. Penn brings up some great points in this post on serendipity and how much of our “luck” we truly do control. His concept he presents is a cool one and, as he puts it, “More than a few spirits perked up as they [people doing a certain exercise] realized just how much of a hand they had in their “luck.” Your luck starts with you and the efforts you take on to make luck happen. Read Christopher’s post, remember that fact and then make yourself lucky.
And with that, we cap off this week’s Box Scores. Hopefully you enjoyed the mix of inspiration, insight, and introspection. More importantly, we hope you had a great Thanksgiving and we hope you’re as ready as we are to rock some socks off and change the world this week. Nothing like coming off a break well-rested and prepared to make a difference.
Make sure you let us know what you think of this week’s posts by leaving a note in the comments section or speaking up on our Facebook page. And just in case we missed any great posts you feel are worth being included, let our community know by sharing a link below or on Facebook. We certainly appreciate your input.
Photo (“Give thanks!”) c/o KevinDooley. Thanks Kevin!
Box Scores, Nov. 9-15: “Being Connected, Experts & The Future”
It’s been a busy, busy week here at the Deep Bench office, but that doesn’t mean we’ll make you wait for your beloved Box Scores. That’s right, it’s Monday morning and no amount of excitement at the Deep Bench office (even something as exciting as a killer website redesign) will keep us from sharing some of the blogosphere’s best posts from last week. So read up, learn a bit, and pass the knowledge along.
First up, one of the week’s highlights from Todd Defren at PR-Squared on…well the title really speaks for itself.
Todd’s predictions on the future of marketing manage to stay both reasonable and insightful. What’s his prediction? I won’t spoil it here, but check out the post and see for yourself. And while you’re at it, let us know if you agree or disagree with his predictions by sharing your thoughts over on our Facebook page.
-“Don’t Hire Me Because I’m An Expert”
This post, a very smart one from Tom Martin over on Advertising Age, discusses an important distinction between “experts” and explorers. His point is this: “By definition, experts are always looking backwards…the problem with experts is that they can only really tell you how it has always been done.” Explorers take a different route, and it’s worth checking out the full post for the details of Tom’s logic.
-“Discussing the PR Revolution”
This Box Score from over at the Top Rank Blog isn’t so much a blog post as it is a PRSA panel discussion recap featuring some solid PR pros and their thoughts on the industry. From questions like “what’s next in the realm of online and how will it impact PR” to “What kind of skills do the new PR professional needs to be the new architect and move away from the tactical role,” folks like Brian Solis and Joseph Jaffe share some great wisdom with their answers. It’s a lengthy but informative read, to say the least.
-“5 ways to promote internal training and events”
This is a short but thoughtful post from Drew McLellan on how to overcome the cliché “email and flier” approach to getting the attention of your employees. With tips like “Catch it on camera” and “Let them eavesdrop” as well as clarification/details on how to do those things, this post will make any manager trying to promote internal events a happier person (and a much “cooler” manager).
The ever-insightful Valeria Maltoni shares her thoughts on being connected and what that really means in the online world. One bit of insight? “Reach is to conversation like connection is to conversion.” Reaching out to someone isn’t necessarily all it takes, so read her post to see why taking it to the next level could make a big difference for you or your organization.
-“7 Visualization Groups On Flickr to Find Inspiration”
Technically this should have been included last week, but seeing as designers need some love from Box Scores too, we’ll share it anyway. This post from Flowing Data shares some Flickr groups worth checking out if you’re looking for visualization inspiration. Check out what they have to offer and see how you can take potentially boring information and make it into to deliciously informative eye candy.
And, once again, we’ve come to the end of another great set of Box Scores. From the future to “experts” to good looking visuals, Box Scores covered a wide array of information and insight this week. The question is, do you agree? Did we miss any posts that should’ve been included? Did you particularly enjoy one of these posts specifically? Share your thoughts in the comments below or over on our Facebook page and tell us what you think.
Photo (“Connected!”) c/o visulogik. Thanks Hans!
Box Scores: Nov. 2-8 – “Customer Service, SEO & Freaks and Geeks”
Nothing helps you enjoy a week like great weather. Fortunately, we’ve been having some unseasonably wonderful weather here in good ol’ Sioux Falls, South Dakota, so the Deep Bench crew is in fine spirits on this fine Monday morning. Hopefully you’re in fine spirits as well, but whether you are or you aren’t excited about the new week, we’ve got good news: Box Scores are in. So read up and learn from some of the best posts that the blogosphere had to offer last week.
-“Stop asking the wrong blogging questions”
First up is a great post from Mack Collier regarding superpowers and how you can give them to your readers with your blog. Mack tells us to consider this question: “What will a reader gain from having visited your blog?” rather than “What can my readers do for me?” His advice is sound, so read the post for the full details. Then start putting the insight to good use.
-“6 Cheap Tips For Better Customer Service”
David Spinks is producing some consistently stellar content over at The Spinks Blog, and this post on improving your customer service is no different. Tips like “Don’t get mad at people for wanting help” and “Check up on your customer once in awhile” seem simple, but David’s easy-to-relate-to explanations make this post easy to pass along to anyone, whether it’s to your lone customer service rep or to the head of your entire customer service department. So…probably do that. After you read it, obviously.
-“4 Ways To Build Relationships With Web Content”
Stepping in and rocking a guest post on the PR-Squared blog is no easy task, but Shannon Paul brings some great insight to this post on using web content to build relationships. From the interesting examples leading up to the meat of the post (like awesome, though barely known, musician Nick Drake and doomed-by-its-own-brilliance TV show “Freaks and Geeks”) to the actual helpful tips like outbound links and guest posting, this one is worth the read.
-“25 Link Building Tactics to Improve Blog Search Engine Rankings”
This post is pretty much exactly what it says it is, and that’s a good thing. Lee Odden brings his expertise in the SEO realm to help folks improve their blog search engine rankings. Even just half of these tips would be helpful to just about anybody with a blog. If that includes you, check them out, learn from them, and put them to good use.
Plenty of posts have been written on the “who owns social media within the agency” question, but this Amber Naslund breakdown is one of the best we’ve come across on the subject so far. SPOILER ALERT: Amber thinks social media is an organization-wide effort. Now, if you really want to understand why she thinks that (trust us, you do), check out her full post and do some learnin’ while the learnin’s good. You’ll be glad you did.
Rain or shine, Deep Bench Box Scores will (almost) always be ready on Monday mornings. This week we were fortunate enough for it to be shine. But even if the weather isn’t spectacular where you are, hopefully these great posts from some brilliant minds managed to brighten up your Monday. Let us know what you thought (or if we left out any great posts) by leaving us a comment below or filling us in on our Facebook page. Oh, and if you want to make sure you never miss another set of Box Scores (or any of our other posts), you can subscribe to our RSS feed by clicking here.
Photo (“Nice Weather”) c/o Rachel Amarette. Thanks Rachel!
Circus Peanuts: Over 100 Years of Niche Marketing Success
Long story short, I don’t know if there’s a more polarizing candy than circus peanuts. Yes, I’m talking about those delicious orange morsels of marshmallow-ish goodness that dance across your tongue like miniature ballerinas of flavor and happine…what’s that? You hate circus peanuts? Oh.
There are two key elements to keep in mind when considering circus peanuts:
1) Lots of people hate them and consider them to be completely disgusting.
2) There are a select few people who don’t hate them and instead defend them like warriors defending their homeland.
Sounds a bit to me like a thing we marketing/PR/social media folks refer to as a “niche market.” And if you’re part of a niche market or industry, it’s your job to reach Group 2. Sure (depending on your market) the people in Group 1 may not be as vehemently opposed to your product as circus peanut haters are to circus peanuts, but they most likely won’t be interested in what you offer if they’re not a part of that niche.
So if you’re trying to reach Group 2, it’s not just your job to get their attention. It’s also your job to deliver something they want. And not only want…what they need.
If you’re selling circus peanuts, they better be some DELICIOUS circus peanuts (remember, circus peanut haters, delicious is in the mouth of the be-eater). Because if you make crappy circus peanuts, you’ve alienated an already small market that now has no reason to pay for your peanuts.
Here’s a good general rule of working in a niche market: Be awesome. Your client base is too small for you not to be. Whether that means making the highest-quality product, having the most engaging/connective presence as a company, or creating the best word-of-mouth campaign and then maintaining that WOM strength is up to you.
Staying strong in a niche market isn’t as easy as it sounds. For all the people who claim to “hate” circus peanuts, they’ve been around since the 1800s. If you want to stay around that long in your niche, you better be ready to work like a dog. Or a circus clown.
What do you think? Do you agree with the message or did the image of the circus peanuts turn you off from this post entirely? You have insight to add to the discussion, so tell us your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.
Image c/o CandyUSA
Box Scores: Oct. 26-Nov. 1 – “Rockstars and Velcro”
If it’s Monday morning, it means it’s time for Box Scores. And last time we checked, today is Monday. Hopefully you’ve recovered for your candy hangover and you’re ready to rock the world with ideas and intelligence. Speaking of rocking, that leads us right into our first post of Box Scores, featuring a good amount of rock as well. Don’t believe me? Read up and do some learning, courtesy of Mack Collier and a few other bright minds.
-“Social media needs fewer rockstars, and more rockstar ideas”
This post from Mack Collier is a great way to kick off Box Scores. Why? Because Mack explains why we need to focus less on the “rockstars” of social media and focus more on the ideas and mindsets that made them rockstars to begin with. We may not all have 50,000 Twitter followers, but so what? This industry thrives on great ideas from a wide variety of people. Just make sure you’re one of those people offering the great ideas, and you’re doing it right. Don’t believe us? Read Mack’s post and see for yourself.
-“Social Media Time Management: Resource Allocation”
Amber Naslund takes a solid look at how organizations can engage in social media effectively in this post from her Altitude Branding blog. Full of great insight and excellent visuals, this post is both helpful for organizations as well as agencies looking to give some advice to clients. Her entire “Social Media Time Management” series is insightful, and this post is definitely one of its gems.
-“Three Ways to Make Your Competitors Irrelevant”
Quite often, Copyblogger posts feature tips and hints to help you improve your blog/copywriting. But that’s not all the Copyblogger blog provides readers, and this post from Brian Clark helpfully reminds readers that they’re about more than just words and writing. Just about all of us are in “ultra-competitive” markets. Anybody not looking to beat out the competition most likely won’t succeed. We suggest Brian’s post. Whether you choose to read it is up to you.
-“How To Write A Blog Post That’s Stickier Than Velcro”
For a post that is a bit more writing-related, Problogger brings in a guest post from Marelisa Fábrega discussing…well…pretty much exactly what the title says. With points like like “Make it Unexpected: Lose Weight by Eating Fast Food” and “Tell Stories – A Well-Told Story Jump-Starts Action,” Marelisa’s post stays completely informative and humorously “real.” And, for the most part, the suggested tips and ideas can be applied to other areas in life beyond blog writing. So if you’re not necessarily a “writer,” just pretend the post is titled “How To Produce Content That’s Stickier Than Velcro.”
And so ends another edition of our weekly Box Scores. With only four posts in this week’s set, we’d love to get some input from you readers. Are there any fantastic posts we forgot to include? Were these just so great that you’ve forgotten the rest of the posts you read last week? Tell us your thoughts (or post suggestions) in the comments below, or over on our Facebook page.
And one more thing. Have a great week.
Image c/o wstryder.
Box Scores: Oct. 19-25 – “Thought Leadership, Seinfeld & Selling Ethically”
At this point in your day, you’ve probably figured out that it’s Monday. And whether you think that’s an excitement-inducing opportunity or a depressing fact of life, I’ve got good news for you – Box Scores are in and they are waiting for your eyes and your brain to give them a good read. So get excited for some great posts from around the web the past week and use what you learn from them as this week continues. You’ll be glad you did.
Up first, Dave fleet with some insight on how you share your message…
Sometimes we do what we think we’re supposed to do “because that’s how it’s been done.” But every once in awhile, a shift from the norm could end up making a big difference in the lives of your clients (and more importantly, their customers). In discussing the benefits of an audio book over a traditional book in his life and why more companies should consider diversifying their media outlets, Dave Fleet mentions this: “Part of that is reaching your target audience wherever they inhabit, so each person can consume information in the way in which they choose.” Smart advice. Are you listening/reading?
-“What Seinfeld can teach you about social media”
Lots of people like Seinfeld (the show and the comedian himself). Not many of those people can write a very fitting, very appropriate post relating Seinfeld to social media. Christopher S. Penn is one of the few that can, and does so masterfully in this post. Check it out to see how a “show about nothing” relates to an industry that, like show, is far from being about nothing.
If the thought of conducting business “ethically” makes you cringe like Eric at the end of Billy Madison, this post from Johnny B. Truant on Copyblogger may not be worth reading. However, we here at Deep Bench rock the “Work. Play. Do Good.” mantra for a reason and hope you’d consider operating under a similar system. This post explains how you can write persuasive copy for sales without having to cheat, lie, and connive to get the job done, so read up and put his advice to good use.
-“Twitter Use Up Among Social Networks, Mobile, and Younger Users”
The headline isn’t shocking news, but there are definitely some interesting facts and statistics worth looking into. ReadWriteWeb has posted some thoughts on Pew’s latest Twitter research and the results are important to note (specifically the jump in numbers for younger people using Twitter). Statistician or not, paying attention to the trends and changes keeps all of us on top of things, so check out the post and make sure you know what’s changing in the social media world.
Now, if you’re reading this on Monday (which we would hope you are), there’s good news: You have a full week to start implementing the insight you’ve gained from the posts above. If you’re reading it later in the week, there’s still good news: these posts totally fall into the “better late than never” category. So now that you’ve seen some of the good stuff the internet had to offer last week, tell us what you think of this week’s Box Scores by leaving a comment below or jumping over to our Facebook page and discussing them there.
Photo c/o PlayfulLibrarian. Thanks Amanda!
On the Business Highway, How Are You Driving?
Every day, we drive through city streets. If we’re in a hurry, we weave in and out of traffic, increasing and decreasing speeds without a thought or a care. It’s second nature. It’s just part of driving.
I tend to think the same thing when I’m driving. But every once in awhile, I think about when I was 17 and I spent a night in a Houston, Texas hotel on the 25th floor. I remember looking down at the highway right outside my window and being completely fascinated by the speed at which the cars wove in and out of their respective lanes. I remember being blown away by the sheer number of near-accidents taking place right below me. It was like one giant, shifting puzzle of almost (but not quite) chaos and havoc. All at 75 miles per hour.
How many of us live our lives that way? How many of us go through our day to day actions like we’re in the driver’s seat? Everything seems to flow along so smoothly that we don’t ever notice the chaos that’s going on around us. We’re so accustomed to it that we don’t think twice.
Here’s the problem – if we don’t step back every once in awhile to get the bird’s eye view of what we’re doing, we’ll never see the mistakes we’re making behind the wheel. Every once in awhile, we all need to look down from the 25th floor of our lives and examine the big picture: the projects we’re working on, the relationships we’re building and maintaining with clients, and our lives outside of work.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the things we’re working on and the desire to succeed that we don’t realize how many near-accidents we’re driving through in our lives. And when one of those lane changes or speed bursts backfires on us, the accident will be an ugly one. It could be a client sitting low on the totem pole that finally gets tired of being ignored. It could be a great friend who gets fed up with being rescheduled for lunch so you can meet with yet another potential client. Or it could be a son or daughter whose soccer game gets skipped once again so you can work late.
Maybe if we all recognized how chaotically we were driving on the road of life, we’d consider slowing down a bit every once in awhile and remembering that, whether we drive 55 or 75, we’ll get to the same place. I’m not saying people shouldn’t work as hard as they can. If you don’t work hard, you won’t succeed. Plain and simple. I’m just saying that a little more care and focus might ensure that you avoid a potential accident in the future.
What do you think? Do you drive too fast and neglect to check the sideview mirror before another speedy lane change? Do you feel that slowing down will leave you in the dust of someone else with more drive? Tell us what you think in the comments below or on our Facebook page. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Deep Bench blog if you like what you’re reading.
Photo c/o morbuto.
Box Scores: Oct. 12-18 – “Twitter Psychology and Creative Juices”
It’s Monday, and you know what that means. You get a chance to start your week on a positive note. And we’re here to help you do it with our set of weekly Box Scores. So check out these great posts from the blogosphere last week. Then put them to good use and tell us what you think by leaving a comment below. First up, Brian Solis shares some wisdom from the always interesting Dr. Drew.
-“The Psychology of Twitter with Dr. Drew”
In this PR 2.0 post from Brian Solis, we see what Brian learned from one of media’s favorite doctors. (Hint: It’s not this one.) Dr. Drew discusses social media narcissism, the importance of real world relationships and what he tweets about. Brian contributes some good insight of his own, and the post is certainly worth a read.
-“Social Media for the Risk Averse”
Amber Naslund drops some great knowledge on how to deal with the folks who still aren’t quite sold on social media (specifically the ones who are afraid of the inherent “risks”). Though it’s easy for people in the industry to assume everyone has “seen the light” of social media, that in itself is a risky assumption to make. Amber points out why those people are risk averse, and then offers some great information on how to convince them of social media’s value. Whether it’s a battle you yourself are fighting or a battle a client may be fighting, this post is good ammunition for explaining the value of social media.
-“Why It’s Time To Do Away With The Brand Manager”
This Advertising Age post emphasizes the increasing importance of companies having “brand advocates” in their workforce. The post mentions that “Forrester recommends giving market research and analytics, dubbed “consumer intelligence” in the report, a much more prominent and central role…” Our question is, do you have someone (or some people) in your organization who represents that role? If not, this post will help you see why you should.
-“How do you get the creative juices flowing?”
Drew McLellan tends to write consistently valuable content. This post is no difference, and is worth checking out whether you are in a creative rut or just want some new ideas on how to keep things fresh. Tips like “Personify it” and “Get out” (as well as the explanation behind them) really make this post worth the read, so get your creative juices flowing by giving it a read.
-“The #1 Reason My Blogging Grew Into a Business”
If you’ve ever had the feeling of wanting to be successful but not quite knowing how to get there, this post from Darren Rowse at Problogger is one shining example of making it happen. Darren talks about the moment his blog went from simple hobby to moneymaking business opportunity and what it’s done for him since then. In the basic sense, he says this: “The #1 reason my blogging grew into a business was that I began to treat it as one.” To really understand the how and why, check out his post. If it hits you like it hit us, you should definitely be inspired.
Hopefully these great posts rock your socks off and gave you some inspiration heading into the week. We try to share the best, but there are lots of great posts every week that get left out. If there are any must-reads that didn’t make it in this week’s Box Scores, drop a link in the comments below or come share it on our Facebook page. Of course, if you simply thought Box Scores rocked, you can tell us as well. Have a great week!
Photo by manwithface. Thanks man…with face.
Fear Is Human…How Do YOU Overcome It?
- Daredevil: The Man Without Fear
Maybe you’ve only talked about it. Maybe you’ve recognized it and attempted to overcome it. Or maybe you don’t even realize you have it. Regardless, all of us, at some point in our careers, have had to deal with it at least once. Most of us deal with it almost every day.
Fear.
Sometimes it’s simply a nagging worry. And sometimes it’s crippling…paralyzing even. So how do you overcome it?
Well, as some folks (specifically my Twitter friends) know, I’m a big comic book nerd. To me, comic books go far beyond heroes in tights with superpowers and, when done well, comics can reflect some of the most important elements about human beings and their tendencies. And the comic book world often translates over to the “normal” world pretty smoothly.
So when I came across this recent post from Marvel Comics Executive Editor Tom Brevoort on Fear, it made too much sense not to combine two of my passions (social media and comics) here on the blog.
As Tom puts it:
“It takes a decent amount of personal courage to champion a story or an idea or a creator that you believe in. And even when you do, you then have to be proven right, to the degree that it’s acknowledged, or the whole exercise is self-defeating. Once you’ve built up a certain track record, it gets easier to get people to trust you and your judgment-but getting there can be extremely difficult, and fraught with peril.”
How many of us fall victim to this “peril” day after day in the marketing/advertising, social media strategy or creative/graphic design industries? How often do we shun a potentially revolutionary idea because it will be seen as “crazy” or “impossible?” How frequently do you abandon ideas that might be seen as “too extreme” in order to continue the daily grind that gets you a paycheck? How often do we see certain people or companies that have successfully built up that “certain track record” and felt that we’ll never reach that point?
Too often, it would seem. If not, maybe we’d see a bit less of the “same old” that we see on commercials, billboards and blog posts every day.
Of course, the post isn’t simply meant to point out Fear. Tom follows up that thought process with this inspiring bit,
“We talk a lot about Fearlessness at our Retreats, whenever creators are in town, because that’s what’s gotten Marvel to this point over the last decade or so, a willingness to experiment and shake things up, and not be ruled by old demons…If you want to do this job, in almost any capacity, you’re going to need to put your self-esteem on the line along the way, and that requires Fearlessness.”
So…do you plan to let Fear rule over your creativity? Or will you shake things up and, like Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, unleash your Fearlessness on a world ready to be rocked off its hinges?
Chances are you’ve got some great ideas. Don’t let Fear hold them back.
How do you recognize and overcome fear in your daily life? Is it self-motivated? Do you rely on others for help? Or are you struggling to overcome a fear right now? Tell us how you handle it in the comments below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.
Image found here.
Box Scores: Oct. 5-11 – “October Snow, Carp & Verizon’s Revenge”
It’s Monday, October 12th, and if you live in normal places, it’s probably brisk autumn day. If you, like us here at Deep Bench, live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, there’s snow on the ground. But just like the trusty mailman, we’re here to deliver Box Scores so you can start your week off right. Rain or shine, sleet or snow, nothing would keep our beloved Box Scores from you. So, read up, learn a bit, and tell us what you think the comments below.
-“Are you Seeking Value, or Waiting for it?”
Kicking off Box Scores this week is David Spinks. David compares many of the people in the social media industry to…a bunch of carp. And manages to make perfect sense while doing so. Read up, and do your best not to be one of the carp in this industry (or life in general).
Julien Smith reminds us that it’s easy to see other people’s success as luck rather than hard work. Then he reminds us that successful people faced the same obstacles most of us face today. They just overcame them. Will you overcome your obstacles?
-“Enough With the Social Media Guru Attacks”
There seems to be a consistent amount of talk in the social media realm regarding the “posers” of social media who call themselves “experts” or “gurus.” Lots of people can’t stand that. And then there are some people who are tired of people getting upset and worked up over the people who call themselves “experts” and “gurus.” Jason Falls brings up some good points in this post (although one of the embedded videos has a bit of NSFW content). Either way, his point of “do good work and stop worrying” is worthwhile advice.
-“Storytelling: Actionable Insight from Analytics”
Julie from Top Rank’s Online Marketing Blog shares a recap of the MIMA Summit breakout session “Storytelling: Actionable Insight from Analytics.” As she puts it, “The need to better understand the value and application of web analytics data as well as social media measurement is critical for companies that want to compete online.” We agree. Read her post to see more insight and thoughts on the matter.
-“Verizon to iPhone Users: ‘Want Five Times More 3G Coverage? There’s a Map for That.’”
While we at Deep Bench don’t typically think anti-competitor ads are the most effective way to promote your company, this Verizon ad manages to do just that in a clever way. Living in iPhone-less South Dakota, this spot brought a vengeful smile to our faces. What do you think of the ad?
-“Culture Shock: Defining Moments in an Agency’s History”
Bottom line: this Advertising Age post from Phil Johnson is worth a read. The post’s subtitle reads “It’s Not What Your Office Looks Like; It’s What’s Inside That Counts,” and Phil does a great job of explaining, from personal experience, how true this is.
This week’s Box Scores brought a solid variety to the table. From fish to social media gurus, iPhone mockery to the excitement of analytics, we offered up quite a mix. What do you think? Did any (or all) of the Box Scores posts rock your face off? Were there any posts from the blogosphere you felt should’ve been included that weren’t? Let us know in the comments below or tell us on our Facebook page.
Photo by katmere.
Box Scores: Sept. 28-Oct. 4 – “Bestsellers, wasting time and social media ownership”
Whether you had an amazing weekend and you’re looking to keep up that positive vibe or your weekend somehow pulled a fast one on you and made you wish for Monday just to get it over with, we’ve got good news for you: Box Scores are in and they’ll be more than enough to either keep you feeling good or put you in the right mood to start off your week. So read up, gain some wisdom from a few fantastic bloggers, and share your thoughts in the comments section or on our Facebook page when you’re done.
First off – Brian Solis with some pretty heavy duty statistician…ing…
-“Revealing the People Defining Social Networks”
Brian Solis takes a look at a hefty number of statistics from almost every major social networking site on the market today. The information is great, and his description of why the numbers matter is also pretty solid. As he puts it, “As marketers, it’s your responsibility to peel back the layers of each network to observe and eventually interact with the very people you wish to reach. Each network possesses a vibrant culture and ecosystem that is powered by context and connected by influential social graphs.” Good point, Brian…good point.
-“There isn’t one bestseller list”
This Seth Godin post just goes to show that sometimes what would seem like a “logical” combination of popular things isn’t always as logical as one would think. The post itself is worth the read, but his closing paragraph sums it up nicely: “Brands fall into the trap of combining market desires all the time. They forget that perhaps, just perhaps, the people buying diapers are different from the people buying hats, and putting diapers and hats into one combo pack isn’t necessarily smart, even if both are bestsellers in their own right.” Do you see this as an issue in your industry? Do you find yourself or your company doing it? Should you be doing it?
Like Brian Solis’s post from earlier, Scott Monty also looks at some numbers in this post from his Social Media Marketing Blog, but his numbers focus on how people are spending their time on the internet. Not surprisingly, a good many of them are social in nature. In fact, “for those of you interested in the social space, 92% want to connect with others, 76% wish to discuss, 72% aspire to be part of a community, and 56% desire to influence others, and 52% hope to activate support. Those are pretty strong numbers.” We’d agree. If you’re not thinking social media serves a purpose…well we’d clearly beg to differ.
This post serves as a recap of a panel full of thought leaders discussing “who owns social media” at the Agency/Client Forum as part of Advertising Week in New York. The recap is written by William Martino and focuses on that important question. And rather than stick the answer right here in the recap, I’ll let you click over and read the post to find out the answer for yourself. Why? Because it’s worth it.
-“Companies Must Plan Holistically for Social –Beyond Marketing”
Jeremiah Owyang delivers the insight in this post discussing which other areas/divisions of a company (besides the marketing team) need to prepare for and develop skills in social media. Just goes to show you how much social media can impact your organization on multiple levels. Of course, that’s if it hasn’t already. Read Jeremiah’s post to see what we mean.
Are you impossible to reach? All calls go to voicemail, emails only returned at your leisure? According to Danny Brown, you’re only hurting yourself (no matter how busy it all makes you feel). Why? “Your competitors, on the other hand, like to be disturbed. They like new ideas from the many. They like phone calls; emails; faxes. They like meetings that only happen when… well, when something happens or needs to.” So…do your clients “bother” you too much, or do you see their calls, emails, and Twitter direct messages as opportunities? If it’s the first one, you might want to reconsider.
So there are your Box Scores for this week. From bestseller lists to a do not disturb lifestyle, there’s a lot to consider in this week’s batch of the blogosphere’s best. Agree with these posts? Disagree with any of ‘em? Think we should have included a different one or two? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/deepbench.
Photo by alexkerhead.