Shel Horowitz Discusses Success with Business Ethics
Category: Marketing Techniques and Philosophies
Do These People Even Read Their Own Copy?
Latest idiocy in my inbox:
Avoid the PR Spam Blacklist
While we know that you do not set out deliberately to “spam” journalists, it is clear that the practices that we have relied on in the past are no longer effective for engaging today’s media. Many of these practices are, in fact, counterproductive.
Our industry is changing. And as professionals, we must adapt to the way that our audience – the media – is doing business today. Journalists want story ideas they can use. Journalists don’t want an email box full of spam.
New rules require new tools. And we think our application…(Named product and sales pitch begin here)
Hello–how did this happen to get into my in-box? If you guessed as a spam, you’re right. I have no prior relationship with this company, and if spamming me with a message about how spamming is ineffective is any indication of their intelligence, I’m not going to have a relationship with them.
An easy way to promote your store/office–with the power of water
OK, so everyone knows by now, bottled water is uncool if you live in a place where the water is fit to drink (and that includes most of the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as well as many other parts of the world). Issues include environmental impact, cost, depletion of public resources, and centralization of corporate power.
On the other hand, the health benefits of water are very clear—and having suffered a kidney stone, I personally make a priority of drinking water a whole lot.
So…what do you do when you need that second (or third, or eighth) drink of water, but you’re out and about? Triple Pundit just featured a free service that matches those offering water with those who need it.
And quite correctly, TP spent some time on the advantages to businesses of participating: getting people in the door, positive word-of-mouth, and more—but they missed a big promotional opportunity: This clever idea, called TapIt, so far has database listings only in New York City and Orlando, but the concept is infinitely scalable. If you have a physical location and can wash a few extra dishes, visit the TapIt site and click “become a partner.” And then, smart marketer that you are, send out a news release in your local area announcing that you’re the very first business in (location) to participate in this environmentally friendly act of good will.
Networking can Happen ANYWHERE
Proving yet again that you can network pretty much anywhere…I was listening to a teleclass and 37 minutes into the call, the presenter fell off. He didn’t come back on, but someone else asked if anyone was there, and I responded.
Fifteen minutes later, I had been booked as a guest on his radio show, he asked me if I would collaborate on a joint venture involving a pitch to National Public Radio, and another person who’d been quietly listening joined the call to invite me to consider a project he’s involved with.
All because I took 30 seconds to explain what had happened and introduce myself.
What networking opportunity can you seize? (Need idea starters? I suggest my award-wining sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First.
Today's Spammer Chutzpah Award
Actual submission from my contact form today:
subject = Resume Services
realname = REMOVED TO PROTECT THE GUILTY
position =
Company = SEO Company
Add1Street = 224 Lawrence Road
Add2City = New York
Add2State = New York
Add2Zip = 11111
Add2Country = USA
phone = 000-000-0000
email = REMOVED TO PROTECT THE GUILTY
comments =
Internet Marketing ServicesWe would like to get your website on first page of Google.
All of our processes use the most ethical “white hat” Search Engine Optimization techniques that will not get your website banned or penalized.
Please reply and I would be happy to send you a proposal.
Excuse me, but just how is spamming my contact form (and with fake contact info, no less) a white-hat approach?
Facebook is Not Just for Kids Anymore
By Angelique Rewers
Site sees 513% growth in 55+ user bracket
Number of college and high school users drops 20%
Using Facebook to reach your target audience? If so, be aware that the popular social media site’s demographics are changing rapidly and significantly.
An analysis of data from Facebook’s Social Ad platform conducted by iStrategyLabs reveals that the site’s users are getting much older in a short period of time. The study found:
* A staggering increase in the 55+ age group from 950,000 to 5.9 million in just the last six months
* A 70.8% increase in the number of total U.S. users over the last six months (71,901,400 total)
* That 54.6% of users are female
* That 16.5% fewer high schoolers and 21.7% fewer college students are using the site (iStrategyLabs reports this could be due in part to the fact that younger users are being alienated by their parents joining the service)
* That the majority of users (28.2%) fall into the 35 to 54 age group
Examined another way, between January and July 2009, the overall number of users…
* Ages 18 to 24 has grown only 4.8%
* Ages 25 to 34 has grown 60.8%
* Ages 35 to 54 has grown 190.2%
* Age 55 and older has grown 513.7%
What’s this mean for you?
First, the number of Facebook users overall continues to grow, making this popular social media site an increasingly important communications channel. Even if your organization is not on Facebook, you can guarantee that at least a fraction of your target audience is.
Second, if this data is correct — and it may not be as Facebook doesn’t guarantee the data it provides to advertisers is 100% accurate — then Facebook is not a young site anymore. With such significant changes happening at an increasingly rapid pace, it’s critical that you continue to monitor trends and adjust your advertising and communication strategy accordingly.
You can see a complete breakdown of iStrategyLabs’ data here.
Reprinted from The Corporate Communicator, a free e-zine dedicated to helping professionals communicate more effectively with employees, customers and the media. To get the latest industry news, research and best practices at your fingertips, register for a FREE subscription at www.thecorporatecommunicator.net.
Hey, Guys–Are You Macho Enough to Wear Pink?
I love this!
Troy White writes about a 97-year-old macho cowboy event, the Calgary Stampede, and how organizers got these touch cowboys to benefit breast cancer research by wearing pink.
Be edgy and/or challenge them – “Are you tough enough to wear pink?” This was the campaign they ran this year – everyone who bought a pink western shirt (yes – for the guys) was donating a percentage of the shirt price to breast cancer research. This was a HUGE success for them … in the parades – everything was pink … at the bars – half the guys were wearing pink … at the midway grounds – pink, pink, and more pink. Major success – and for a very good cause.
It reminds me of the long-running “Don’t Mess With Texas” campaign, also as macho as they come–and what you might not remember is that it’s an anti-littering campaign!
I love the idea it’s possible to reframe very progressive messages in ways that resonate with a cowboy crowd. The reverse is probably also true. I’m a very un-macho guy with a strong progressive streak. What kind of message would reach me for a conservative cause? Either direction, this method makes for a lot of food for thought in marketing.
I do spend some time discussing how to frame in my award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First,by the way. Please see elsewhere in this newsletter for a deep-discount offer on that life-changing book.
Ecopsychology Stats, With Marketing Implications
Scott Cooney writes on Triple Pundit about ecopsychology…the correlation between sustainable lifestyle choices and happiness (which seem to focus, in this particular article, on how much happier Germans are than Americans, even though Americans earn and consume so much more. But Germans have a lot more time off work, and presumably spend some of that time getting close to nature.
While he doesn’t exactly connect the dots–in fact, relying on the reader to make some rather big leaps in assumptions–there is a key takeaway here: that beyond the feel-good aspect of doing what’s right for the earth, sustainable lifestyles also offer inherent psychological benefits, because being outside in a clean and well-functioning environment reduces stress, increases feel-good hormones, etc.
And the implication for marketers–and this, I think, is extremely important–is that when marketing a Green product, you should have some hooks not only about saving the world, but about the better mental state that results in doing what’s right for your soul and your psyche, as well as the earth. I bet some very powerful campaigns could be shaped around this message.
For more on marketing Green,I recommend my award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First. It includes profiles of people like Amory Lovins and some unique, holistic ways of looking at Green issues in the marketing world.
What Do Cause Marketing and Health Reform Have in Common?
Answer: I just read provocative articles on BNET on these two topics.
First, Stacy Blackman, while supporting cause marketing, notes that these products are often more expensive, because the company has to cover the cost of the donation. However, I commented that a successful campaign would bring in enough extra sales volume that this shouldn’t be an issue.
Second, Jeffrey Pfeffer makes a fascinating case for lowering healthcare costs by improving US workplace conditions and decreasing job stress caused by anticipated layoffs and other factors. He notes lower stress levels AND better working conditions for many European businesses.
Plenty of footnotes for those who want to check his sources and assumptions.
Of course, there are many other factors–not the least of which is that most other industrialized countries have shifted healthcare from a privilege of the wealthy to a right for all, using a single-payer system that in many cases pays doctors on salary rather than fee-for-service. HR 676 in the US would bring this sensible system to our shores as well, and by some estimates slash health costs around 30 percent.
How to Run a Super-Successful Social Media-Based Product Launch
Of course,there are a hundred ways to run a great social media campaign–but when I received this e-mail, I thought it was such a good blueprint for running a social media campaign that I’d like to share it with all of you. Yes, I’ve seen others just as good; this one happened to strike my fancy, and when I wrote for permission, it was granted.
Model this in your own campaigns, and your success chances will be high:
Dear Shel,
Thanks again for supporting what is turning out to be an incredible book campaign. Because of you the Ask and You Will Succeed Campaign has turned out to be one of the largest internet campaigns to date. Our goal is to have over 125 affiliates sending 12 million opt in emails on June 16th, along with a Blog strategy, Social Media Plan, Contests, Internet Radio, Internet TV, Press and much more.
Below you will find several suggestions on what to say to your friends, associates and family on Facebook and Twitter. Our Facebook expert Debra Simpson put these posts together to send to your data bases. You may want to model the strategy here for your next product launch.
Please start posting these immediately to your Facebook and Twitter Sites.
Social Media Verbiage for the Ask and You Will Succeed Campaign
For Facebook:
1. Here are some Short URLs for your postsAskSucceed.com
https://tr.im/AskSucceed AskSucceed.com/partners.html
https://tr.im/AskPartners Ask And You Will Succeed Fan Page
https://tr.im/FanPage Facebook Posts:
I’m a Fan of Ask and You Will Succeed. Check it out:
https://tr.im/FanPage
2. Send your contacts to the Ask and You Will Succeed book launch page:Ask Your Way To Success. In this life enhancing guide like no other, Kenneth Foster shows readers how to solve any problem, any time, any place by asking the right questions. Ask and You Will Succeed is based on the commanding questions that govern the creative laws of success, and shatters the myth that success is the result of the advice, hard work, or driving ambition of others.
https://tr.im/AskSucceed Human Excellence expert Kenneth Foster shows readers that asking the right questions can increase happiness, prosperity, and productivity, in work and in life. Most of us spend our lives asking the wrong questions and getting nowhere. Ask and You Will Succeed gives you a new perspective on what you can accomplish when you ask the right questions. When you change the questions you ask, there’s no limit to what you can do.
https://tr.im/AskSucceed
3. Send your contacts to the Ask and You Will Succeed affiliate sign up page:Be part of the largest internet book campaigns in history. Kenneth Foster’s book, Ask And You Will Succeed is being launched June 16th. Kenneth has a lot of benefits to affiliates who want to support his efforts. Check out the bonuses here:
https://tr.im/AskPartners Kenneth Foster, author of Ask And You Will Succeed currently has commitments of over 8 million emails going out to opt in data bases with a goal of 12 million and he’s well on his way to hitting this. Another goal is to Tweet to 2 million people on Twitter and have 2 million posts about the campaign on Facebook. He also has a Blog strategy, YouTube plan and a traditional TV, Radio and Press plan. Be part of it by becoming an affiliate:
https://tr.im/AskPartners For Twitter
4. Please RT (retweet) any tweets you see about Kenneth Foster and my book Ask And You Will Succeed5. Send your contacts to the Ask and You Will Succeed book launch page:
Learning to ask the right questions will help you achieve unlimited success and personal fulfillment. Check out:
https://tr.im/AskSucceed Solve any problem by learning to ask the right questions at the right times.
https://tr.im/AskSucceed Kenneth Foster shatters the myth that people can’t fully control their own destiny and presents questions that prove it.
https://tr.im/AskSucceed Ask and You Will Succeed gives readers the mental tools and skills they need to succeed.
https://tr.im/AskSucceed Ask and You Will Succeed is based on the commanding questions that govern the creative laws of success, Kenneth Foster
https://tr.im/AskSucceed Human Excellence expert Kenneth Foster shows how asking the right questions increases happiness, and prosperity
https://tr.im/AskSucceed Ask and You Will Succeed is packed with thought-provoking questions related to the creative laws of success
https://tr.im/AskSucceed Kenneth Foster presents life-changing questions that will help you define & attain success in every area life.
https://tr.im/AskSucceed Ask and You Will Succeed a breath of fresh air in a marketplace crowded w/advice on what to believe & how to live
https://tr.im/AskSucceed I’m a Fan of Ask and You Will Succeed. Check it out:
https://companies.to/askandyouwillsucceed/
6. Send your contacts to the Ask and You Will Succeed affiliate sign up page:Help Kenneth Foster market Ask and You Will Succeed and receive cool freebies
https://tr.im/AskPartners Be part of the largest book launch in internet history and get some great gifts
https://tr.im/AskPartners Want some great business and life tools? Become an affiliate of Ask and You Will Succeed
https://tr.im/AskPartners Ask And You Will Succeed is going to be the biggest book launch in history. Be part of it, sign up now!
https://tr.im/AskPartners Will you be one of 2 mill+ tweets helping Kenneth Foster launch Ask and You Will Succeed? Check out affiliate program
https://tr.im/AskPartners With warmth and gratitude,
Kenneth D. Foster
CEO, Shared Vision Network
Founder, Premier Coaching
Author, Ask and You Will Succeed