Box Scores: Sept. 6-13 – “Willy Wonka, Fear and Mediocrity”

It’s Monday morning and that means it’s time for Box Scores. We’re guessing you’re as excited as we are, and with good reason. So go ahead and read up to see some of the best posts the internet had to offer last week, courtesy of the bright minds of the online marketing and social media industry. Their insight will be a great start to an even greater week for you, so read up, learn a bit, and be inspired to rock and roll this week. First up is a great post from Alex Bogusky on fear.

-“If you have to be afraid of something, then fear mediocrity.”

This Alex Bogusky post on Posterous is a late addition to Box Scores, as in it should have been included last week, but it’s so good it’s worth sharing now anyway. Read it. That’s pretty much all that needs to be said.

-“Willy Wonka had it right: Offer an experience instead of cash”

Andy Sernovitz makes another appearance in Box Scores with his Willy Wonka . Why did he bring up Willy Wonka? Because too many companies want to give away cash and, as he puts it, “A much better prize is an experience or event that only your business can offer. Make it something that only you can give, and make it worth talking about.” The rest of the post has some great tips on how to make that happen, and it’s certainly worth the read.

-“Social Media Is Not New”

Here’s a very important bit of insight from Adam Singer on social media: “…I don’t think brands need social media experts, they need good marketers.  By now, marketers worth their salt understand all media, and if they are really good, they also have their finger on the pulse of where this is all headed.” That’s an interesting thought to consider. Keep it in mind when examining your current marketing strategy.

-“How To: Backup your Tweets and Make Them Searchable with Google Calendar”

This is just one of those posts from Steve Rubel that’s worth reading and considering. It’s simple, explanatory, and flat-out helpful if you care to back up your tweets and make sure you can access them later. Hope you all find it helpful too.

-“A piece of home on the road”

Christopher S. Penn comes in with his awesome style of having very unique posts that are almost as much life lessons and tips as they are business lessons and tips. This post talks about bringing together some small reminders of the important things in your life (the post explains better than I do), but here’s one of the best parts: “It doesn’t have to be big or obvious – you can even keep it in a desk drawer if need be, but make it a place that you use to remind you of what you stand for, what your true power is, and what you want to achieve in the world.” Deep stuff. Definitely worth the read.

-“How Passion Can Transform Your Blog”

Problogger receives a guest post from brilliant blogging professional Leo Babuata from Zen Habits. In the post, Leo talks about the importance of passion when writing your blog, and he lists some great ways to make that happen. From “Write what you’re passionate about” to “Pump up the jams,” Leo’s tips and insight are worth the read. Especially if your creative juices need a boost.

From fearing mediocrity to Willy Wonka (and that wonderful Chocolate Factory experience), Box Scores have you covered on some of last week’s best posts and online content. We’ve shared what we found important, so tell us what you think by leaving us a comment below, dropping us a line on Twitter, or sharing your thoughts on our Facebook fan page.

On a final note, we’ve still got 6 days left in our Deep Bench 9-9-09 “9 Hour Giveaway,” so check out this post to see how you could win 9 free hours of Deep Bench’s work for you (or someone/somewhere important to you). It’s definitely worth the effort. We promise.