Cautionary Tales
I crossed paths with a desperate marketer yesterday who craves more followers for his companyās LinkedIn page. A competing company recently gained 1,600 followers in 30 days, and Desperate didnāt want his company to fall behind. So he posted his story to a marketing forum and asked for help. Then the rotten advice began to…
Hereās a cautionary tale about LinkedInā¦ ā¦and why you must power-up your profileā¦ ā¦even if you rarely spend time on the platform. Yesterday, I met a guy named Bill whoās trying to ramp up his tutoring business.Ā He struggles to generate leads and land clients. And he described those struggles while sitting on the āhot…
It began as a shoulder ache. Now I have a headache. And itās all because of process automation gone wrong. I woke Monday morning ā after a restless, painful night ā with a sore shoulder. The pain had spread down my forearm, to my hand. I knew these symptoms. Iād had them before ā 15…
A VIP member of my Content Transformation Academy asked me last week: Whatās the ideal length for a subject line? āProvocative question,ā I replied. My answer: āSize doesnāt matter.ā The VIP shot back: āI read āshorter is better.āā āYeah,ā I replied, āSome say short. Some say long.ā I Googled āwhat’s the proper length for a…
I spoke yesterday to a business owner who doesnāt like getting emailsā¦ ā¦so she doesnāt want to send them. āI’ll be honest about email lists or subscriptions,ā she said. āI don’t really like being on them. because I always feel like I’m being bombarded by emailsā¦So I’m only intending to send (email) out once a…
Last week, I re-watched Romeo + Juliet — the 1996 version starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. I love the scene where the star-crossed lovers meet. Love at first sight around a tropical fish tank. Here’s theĀ video clip… Audiences enjoy love at first sight stories. (This clip — which is one of many on YouTube showing this scene…
A quiet morning in St. Louis, MO, USA. Your friendly neighborhood storytelling expert sits at his desk, peacefully interacting with some new connections on LinkedIn whenā¦ ā¦the alarm soundsā¦ ā¦The Lingo Alarm. Hereās the LinkedIn post that triggers itā¦ (Our company) delivers expertise, market experience and a proven track record in bio-based composite manufacturing (masterbatch,…
A sequel to the email I sent yesterday re: Dan Kennedy and direct response marketing (archived here in case you missed it) I worked in the newspaper industry for most of the 1990s. By 1996, I was working on the online side. Most newspaper display advertising was (and still is) paid brand awareness. No calls-to-action. No tracking. …
Raise your hand if you feel an emotional connection with Amazon because youāre drawn to founder Jeff Bezosās origin story. (Me neither) Why do I ask? Because I read yet another article about storytelling in one of those big-time business magazines that dished out rotten advice. The article saidā¦ āOnline shopping behemoth Amazon is another…
I spoke the other day with a business owner who said, āIām too busy serving my clients to spend time marketing my business.ā I hear that occasionally. Maybe youāve thought that yourself. I responded by citing the great Dan Kennedy who taught me long ago: All who run a business are in the marketing business. …