Jay Baer Debunks 7 Social Media Myths At Marketo Summit (Live Blog)

                   

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Dayna Rothman | May 23, 2012

We are halfway through our first day at Marketo User Summit. So many new and exciting ideas have already been presented! My head is spinning. We are about to sit down for lunch while listening to Jay Baer, social media strategist, blogger and author of The Now Revolution kick off the afternoon. I am very much looking forward to the afternoon sessions.

Jay opens with his presentation on “The 7 Myths of Social Media”. You can feel the energy in the room as B2B social media is on the hot list for every enterprise marketer. With the consumerization of IT and customers becoming social, it is imperative that B2B companies begin to engage. So what are the 7 myths that hold B2B companies back? Take it away Jay!

Myth #1: My customers don’t use social media.

Actually, they do. In fact, 81% of adults use social media, and many of them are on these networks for business purposes.  In fact, there are more people on Facebook than not on Facebook.

Myth #2: Social media isn’t worth the trouble for B2B.

Even as business leaders, social media has become a huge part of our lives. Jay reports that 86% of business technology decision makers use social media for work! That means your target audience is looking to social media to help make business decisions.  In fact, customers exposed to a brand in the social space are 2.8x more likely to search for it down the road.

Myth #3: How B2C uses social doesn’t apply.

Think again. You can take a lot of cues from how B2C companies engage with your customers. If you have customers, prospects, and employees you can build relationships through social media. Always tell your customers a story, focus on the pain points, and let them relate to you in an emotional way.

Myth#4: If nobody tweets about us, we don’t need social media.

Do you know if anyone is tweeting about you? Start listening! These are great ways to engage with your target market. The more you nurture your leads through social media, the more loyalty they will feel towards your brand.

Myth#5: Having a “page” = having a social strategy.

You need to do more than create a page on Linkedin or Facebook. You don’t get credit in social media by just showing up.

Myth#6: Social is just about marketing.

Social media touches all sides of the business. People post reviews whether you like it or not, and every customer is a reporter. 70% of customers complaints on Twitter go unanswered. Connect with your customer service team and have them lend a hand.

Myth#7: Social media isn’t measurable.

Many B2B marketers don’t know what to measure or what the data means. Measure social engagement and track behaviors not eyeballs.

Great stats in Jay’s presentation. The conversations are definitely buzzing with how to become more social. Stay tuned for more live blogging and remember to tweet your updates at #mus12!

Learn how to qualify and prioritize prospects, nurture qualified leads, align marketing with sales and optimize results.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/b2bmarketingmarketo/~3/xEPFNdSHQmA/jay-baer-debunks-7-social-media-myths-at-marketo-summit-live-blog.html

printing copying commercial printing business

Business Cards

Posted by Brian on May 15, 2012 in JBS Printing LLC

We try to make things a simple as possible. That is why we have a business card program that will fit any business’ budget, especially if they are a small business or a start up, and still offer great customer service and support.

For $65 , you can get 500 full color business cards that will bring your company and message to life. Your cards will be printed on heavy 14 point glossy stock with an aqueous coating for that extra shine and impact. This also includes a pdf proof that will be emailed to you before going to print to make sure all files, colors and type is correct, so you can be confident that your business card will be printed exactly how you want it.

How do I order? To order give us a call or email JBS Printing and we will be happy to assist you getting your business cards printed. 781-871-4705.

Do I need to supply print ready files? The price is for print ready files supplied. If you need design and layout work we offer that services as well but there are additional costs. If you don’t know what print ready files are don’t hesitate to call us and we will be happy to go over what types of files are needed.

What is your turnaround time? Typically cards are printed and ready in about 5-7 business day from proof approval. We understand that there are other companies that can turn your business cards around faster, but due to the volume of printing we have, and the fact that we don’t want to sacrifice our customer service and be an “automated” company, we give ourselves more time to make sure your business cards are printed right the first time.

How are my business cards delivered? Your cards are shipped directly to your door via UPS or FedEx.

Does the $65.00 include shipping? Shipping is additional. We ship all over the country so pending on where you are located there will be additional charges with shipping. But the overall cost is still typically lower than most other printing companies charge for business cards alone.

Do you guarantee your work? If we make a mistake on our end then we will certainly reprint your job without any additional costs.

I have found other companies online that are less than $65.00. As with any industry there is always someone somewhere that can do things for less money. But there is usually a catch or downside. Typically online printing companies don’t offer the one on one support. You place your order online, you upload your your files, you sign off on a computer generated proof, and hope that your cards get to you on time and are printed correctly. We are online, but we are not an “online” company. You get real support from real people. There are some great online printing companies, but that is not he direction we want to go in. We want to be a resource where you can get the whole package, a good value and superb customer service. Most of our customers come to us after they had a bad experience with another company and then never leave. Don’t make that mistake, come to us first and save yourself the headaches.

Do you offer other types of paper besides the glossy stock? Yes, if you need a job custom quoted, don’t hesitate to call us and we will be more than happy to quote your job based on your specific needs. Another thing most online printing companies don’t and can’t do.

Can you print on both sides of the business card? Yes. Two sided printing is available. The cost for 500 double sided is $70.00.

Do you do other types of printing besides business cards? Absolutely. We print just about any type of item that a business may need including, envelopes, letterheads, brochures and marketing material and we have an entire promotional and ad specialty with over 300, 000 items.

How do I pay? Once your order is placed we will email you an invoice via PayPal. We use Paypal because they are easy to use and are safe and secure. Once the invoice is paid your job will go into production.

If your business is searching for a high quality and affordable resource for your business cards contact JBS Printing today, and let us help you with your printing and marketing .

Boston Printing Services | JBS Printing-Boston
USA brian@jbsprinting.net

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Source: http://www.bostonprintingservices.net/business-cards/

magnet printing same day printing

The Butterfly Effect

According to Wikipedia, in chaos theory the term butterfly effect refers to the idea “that a butterfly’s wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in another location. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of a system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events (compare: domino effect). Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different.”

The important thing is to know WHEN and HOW to “flap.” Let me explain! 

Every business owner and manager has seen the effect of one system, or the lack of good systems, impacting the company’s product and/or service.

Just last week, I was onsite at the facility of one of my favorite clients who was hosting representatives from another company, based in California. The five of us sat at a conference table with a couple of laptops and a projection screen, brainstorming and mapping a process that causes chaos in the client’s industry.

We spent two days developing a Master Control Checklist for that industry. It became more than clear to the participants how one step in the process affects many other systems, processes and people.

Trying to write a step-by-step quality control checklist—and anticipate the many variables that may be encountered in order to minimize the negative effects on the final outcome—can be tedious and grueling work. However, the results are amazing and rewarding. When you finally see the power of your systems at work, and the money that can be saved by reducing chaos and waste, you will never be the same again. 

During the second day of developing this system, we took a break at one point and somehow got on the subject of entrepreneurs—their good and bad characteristics. It seems that we entrepreneurs are notorious for not finishing what we’ve started before moving on to chasing the next big idea.

My client—yep, a true entrepreneur—was talking enthusiastically about some new opportunities he had discovered, when midstream he shot me a look and his hands began working as if to grasp invisible flying things in mid-air. 

“Here’s a blue one,” he said, “and here’s a red one—oh, there’s a yellow one.”

I was becoming concerned that two days of concentrating on systems had caused him some kind of brain trauma, when he laughed and said, “I’m an entrepreneur—I’m chasing butterflies.”

The importance of what he said was not lost on me OR my client.

Over the past couple of years, this client and I have been working together to systemize his company. He’s learned, as I finally had too, that it’s normal for an entrepreneur to see opportunity around every corner. But as business owners and managers, we need to focus on one “butterfly” at a time, rather than chasing and potentially getting bogged down in every new idea.

When we do have a new idea (say for a marketing effort, or even a whole other business), we must learn to write it down on our list—our “butterfly collection”—and pull it out and dissect it when it’s the RIGHT time to implement it, systematically.

Remember, if the flap of a butterfly wing might lead to a full-blown tornado, too much “flapping” around in your business might just lead to chaos. 

Stay the course!

Have I mentioned? Great systems work!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/piworld/blog/systemic-success/~3/VPOg6bQpYRo/the-butterfly-effect-distracts-entrepreneurial-print-shop-owners-philip-beyer

boston prints commercial printing companies

5 Ways to Create More Value

Value exchanged for payment constitutes the most basic aspect of business. It’s why a business exists, how a business survives and why it continues to innovate.

Daniel R. Blume via Flickr

Value, however is not what the business says it is, it’s what the buyer says it is by their willingness to purchase from one business over another and their willingness to meet the price asked by the seller.

Businesses that truly appreciate this understand that one of their primary jobs is to increase value in an attempt to sell more at higher prices.

One way to increase value is to stuff more features into your products and services in an effort to make them seem better than what others have to offer, but the problem with that approach alone is that it’s so easy to copy.

A far better long-term approach is to do the things that make your brand worth more in the market. To be the one that people talk about most.

You do this by committing to creating more value in the lives of your customers through tangible and intangible acts that allow you to build deeper relationships. This is how you build value that can’t be mimicked. This is how you build a brand that attracts customers that expect to pay a premium. This is how you create more value.

Measure

The first way to create more value is to understand the value you already deliver. So often we blissfully go about creating happy customers and doing as promised, without stopping to measure what exactly our client realized from our product or engagement.

The funny thing is, more often than not, they got more than we promised, received value that far exceeded what we felt was a reasonable fee. When you create some form of results review you can start to make real assessments about value and communicate these results as proof over promise.

One of two things should happen when you get serious about measuring value: You’ll discover you are not charging nearly enough or you’ll discover your clients are not getting nearly enough – either way you’ll have the information to confidently readjust your business based on value.

Lead

One of the most potent ways you add value is to lead. Your clients are quite often looking for someone to offer them direction. Take a stand and declare a point of view about your industry that you consistently support and become a leading voice for your point of view. Don’t worry about pleasing everyone, leaders take a stand, welcome all points of view and defend what they believe – and that’s where the value is created.

Create groups in social media for those that are attracted to your point of view. Write article, make presentations, blog and invite others, including your competitors, to share their views.

This kind of thought leadership is how you establish more value for your brand, but it’s also how you build a community that wants to be a part of something more dynamic than the typical me too players in your industry.

Teach

If you’ve learned how to something well, one of the best things you can do for your own growth, and those that follow you, is to teach others how to do it well.

This idea certainly applies to the natural elements of your business offerings, but where the real magic happens is when you expand this concept beyond what anyone would logically expect from your business.

For example, if you sell plumbing supplies, but you’ve figured out how to get a lot of value from your Facebook page, take the time to teach your customers how to do the same.

Bring in experts in every area of your customer’s life and make them available as part of what your brand stands for.

Inspire

Many people draw inspiration from art and creativity. One of the best ways to inspire and differentiate your business is by investing in and caring about great design.

Spend the time, effort, thoughtfulness and, yes, money to get design that inspires.

This is a tricky one because design that inspires is so relative, but know this, great design in your marketing materials, websites, products, packaging, even your invoices, is one of the easiest ways to stand out and differentiate your business. It is an investment that will return many times over.

It’s hard sometimes to convince people that design adds value, but all you need do is look around at most industry leaders in every category to find examples where great design is the leading difference.

Listen

I’ll end with another not so intuitive way to add value – listen to what you customers care about.

I know that seems pretty obvious, but we rarely do it.

Invest in the tools that allow you to monitor everything your customers are saying publicly in social media and invest the time to ask them what they need in face-to-face settings.

When you sit with someone and ask them something meaningful about their life, you shut off your phone, look into their eyes and really focus on and care about what they are telling you – you add value. Nobody listens much anymore and people know when they are being heard.

Doing this in the manner I’ve just described is harder than it sounds, but it’s how you fill your relationships with confidence and that’s a kind of value that people cherish most.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ducttapemarketing/nRUD/~3/yJsa77GD61E/

graphic design printing marketing printing

Penguin Books and Zappar Bring Augmented Reality to Print

Dear Mobile Industry,

As a member of the Print Industry I would like you to consider the following before declaring some sort of victory in the form of an editorial end-zone dance when the game has only just begun.

First of all, Print isn’t attempting to compete with you, or technology. We are part of the same team, we complete each other. Where would Augmented Reality be without PRINTED MARKERS or Print to augment? I don’t see millions of people walking around with Google Goggles, and even if they had them, don’t you think much of the digital content would be triggered by something printed? Signs don’t just appear out of the ether. 

Use of Augmented Reality IN Print doesn’t create a competition, it creates your Industry! We have been here, and will be here, long after the next tech or gimmick comes along. Don’t make it as though we are on our last breath since that is far from reality. You should be out there supporting us so YOU have someone to sell your services to.  Incorporating AR into books isn’t some favor you are doing for US, we both benefit from it. And since more people know what a book is than what AR is, you are welcome for the free publicity.

I dont deny that you are an important part of the world, and that you play a significant role in my life, but please don’t forget that is by choice. I choose to let you in. I choose which phone, which plan, which apps, which techs, everything about you I decide if it lives or dies. We invited you to play in our world, so please, be a good sport about it and let’s have some fun together!

Thanks for you time…
Deborah Corn 

Since the advent of technology, the print industry has labored to compete for the affection of consumers. With each new generation, consumers became more enamored with technology, especially that of the mobile variety. Smart phones and other handheld devices have succeeded in peeling consumers away from traditional print media. Print has managed to survive the relentless onslaught of technological gadgets being developed for consumers, but the industry has made note of its own steady decline. In an effort to regain the support of consumers, the print industry has turned to augmented reality.

Zappar and Penguin Books team to augment classic works of literature

Penguin Books, an acclaimed book publishing company, has announced its partnership with Zappar, a developer of augmented reality applications. Through this partnership, the companies aim to bring classic works of literature to life using augmented reality. The duo has successfully enhanced the titles Moby Dick and Lady Audley’s Secret using the technology. Penguin Books claims that the experiences contained within these books will be unlike anything readers have experienced before.

Zappar app can unlock interactive experiences

These augmented reality experience can be unlocked through the use of the Zappar mobile application, which is available for free for both iOS and Android mobile devices. These experiences were designed to be small bits of enjoyable digital content. This digital content is meant to make books more dynamic and provide readers with higher levels of entertainment. This may be enough to enable the print industry to compete with mobile technology.

Augmented reality may help print industry reclaim favor with consumers

Penguin Books believes that using augmented reality with books represents the dawning of a new idea in publishing. By making print media more interactive and engaging, Penguin expects to see more consumers drawn to books. The publisher has plans to continue using augmented reality technology to enhance classical literature and will be releasing additional titles in the future. Zappar is expected to be involved in these releases, as the augmented reality application has already served as a viable platform for this endeavor.

via Penguin Books and Zappar bring augmented reality to print – QR Code Press | QR Code Press.

Related posts:

1. Augmented reality and books, together at last?
2. Coolest Roundup of Augmented Reality in Printing
3. Visit Hawaii using Augmented Reality and Print!
4. Video: Making an Augmented Reality Print Ad for Mini Cooper
5. RR Donnelley to Produce Digitally Printed Books for Penguin Group Using Inkjet Presses

Source: http://printmediacentr.com/2012/05/penguin-books-and-zappar-bring-augmented-reality-to-print/

printing local print and marketing

The Difficulties of Choosing a Name – and the consequence of having more than one

Submitted By: Mette Eriksen on May 29, 2012

Anyone who has become a parent will know that choosing a name can be difficult. Having many different names can create confusion and I am sure that most people would prefer to be known by one name and perhaps a nickname. Now imagine if you had at least 7 different names. That is the case for what InfoTrends calls compact interchangeable lens cameras (CILC).  Since the first compact interchangeable lens cameras were announced by Panasonic and Olympus in 2008 under the Micro Four Thirds name, they have acquired a number of new names including:

The reason for the many names might be that each company that has entered this market has either been mindful of potential loss of DSLR sales or the desire to grab market share from DSLRs. For both camps though, it makes sense to find a name that all can agree on. By providing a clear and consistent choice of name it is less likely that consumers will confuse a CILC with a DSLR or a P&S camera with a large sensor.

In March, InfoTrends digital photography study reached out to consumers in France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. Consumers were presented with a list of names and were asked if they had heard about the different
types of cameras. The data speaks for itself.

Had you heard about the following types of
interchangeable lens cameras before answering this survey? – Western Europe

Confusion still reigns. The Non-Reflex name, which the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) in Japan introduced in January 2012, seems to have gained some traction. Compact interchangeable lens cameras and compact system cameras continue to score well for name recognition.

Digital camera vendors have a marketing challenge ahead of them if CILCs are to enjoy the success they are capable of. CILCs will need to have a name that resonates with consumers and which will be easy to
recognize. This will not only help consumers, but also retailers who are tasked with selling these cameras. In turn this will result in increased sales volume that the industry is looking for.

Please contact Jennie Lewis (jennie_lewis@infotrends.com) or Matt O’Keefe (matt_okeefe@infotrends.com) to learn more about the 2012 European Digital Photography study. Data tabulations are currently available.

Tags: CILC, Compact Interchangeable Lens Camera, DSLR, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Western Europe

Consumer |

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/printingsbestblogs/cross-media/~3/JOQ6uRLjxZ0/

small business printing printing company online

Kokanee

"In the continuation of a long-running campaign, Kokanee, Western Canada’s favourite beer, wanted to increase engagement and brand preference amongst its consumers. The solution was to search for a new Kokanee Ranger to protect the glacier-fresh beer from the mythical Kokanee-loving Sasquatch.

'Who will be Kokanee’s Next Ranger? You decide.'

Six Next Ranger candidates were created and consumers chose the winner through a 360-degree campaign that included television spots, online videos, 24/7 real-time interaction on the Facebook can and a collectible series of QR-code enabled cans.

Each of these unique candidate cans featured a stylized rendering of the Next Ranger candidate and the candidates’ slogan. Consumers could even vote for their favourite candidate directly through the can thanks to the candidate-specific QR code.

The Next Ranger candidate cans allowed consumers to engage with and directly affect the outcome of the campaign all from the palm of their hands.'

Designed by Andy Slater of Grip Limited in collaboration with illustrator Alex Fine

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDieline/~3/MgnWBNmA9tA/story01.htm

printing service online printing copying

7 Biggest Mistakes in E-Mail Marketing

May 25, 2012

OPEN Forum Message

Test Your Business Skills

Take one or more of OPEN Forum's Crash Courses on topics like Leadership, Search Engine Marketing, Facebook and more.

Learn more

Featured Response

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PAUL ROSENFELD

You probably aren’t expecting someone from Constant Contact to say e-mail is dead. Fair enough. And you are right: e-mail is definitely alive and well. However, you might hear differing opinions on the subject depending on which small business owner you talk to. This is because there are different approaches on how to best use e-mail to reach customers and prospects. In many ways, e-mail is dead for a lot of small businesses–not because of the tool, but because of the business’s approach.

If your e-mail list isn’t growing, your unsubscribe rates are up and your open rates are down, you may want to rethink how to use e-mail more effectively to reach your target audience. So before you throw the baby out with the bathwater and dump e-mail marketing altogether, consider if you’re guilty of any of the following seven behaviors.

Buying lists with hundreds or thousands of “leads.” You call it lead generation; recipients call it spam. While some marketers would argue that you need to start with a massive list and wait for opt-outs or bounce-backs to get to the real leads, the reality is that this approach is detrimental to your reputation. It also puts you at risk of being blocked from prospects who could actually convert to customers.

Capturing contact information from website visitors and not asking permission to e-mail them. If you’ve set up a mechanism to capture the e-mail of a site visitor, don’t assume this is a green light to start sending. While they may have a passing–or even a fervent–interest in your business, without their permission to e-mail them your behavior may be very unwelcome.

Sending mass e-mails more than once a week. There’s something to be said about absence making the heart grow fonder. What you want your e-mail to be is a pleasant yet expected surprise in the inbox, not the prompt for an eye roll and a subsequent delete.

Not segmenting your customers and messages. The next best thing to receiving a handwritten note is a customized e-mail that’s tailored to the reader’s specific interests. For steady customers, you can track this information and segment your list into groups accordingly. From there, you can create more customized content and offers that will drive customers back to your business while fostering closer interactions with them.

Not balancing content with offers. Each message should consist of three parts of valuable content and one part offer. When you take this approach, customers are more likely to remember your tips, pass them along, look forward to your messages and redeem your offers.

Not asking for feedback. Whether customers are in the store or online, be sure to ask for feedback and what other topics they’d like to learn about.

Viewing e-mail marketing as a silo effort. Create a dialogue and add social media sharing buttons that prompt readers to carry on the conversation in Facebook or on Twitter, for example. This two-way street fosters additional interactions, helps you get to know your customers better and invites more participants into your circle.

Before you send your next e-mail, take another look at this list. You’re bound to see better results if you keep these points in mind.

Image by OPEN Forum

Source: http://www.openforum.com/articles/7-biggest-mistakes-in-e-mail-marketing

printers in boston invoice printing

WANTED: For Immediate Hire

No experience necessary, no references needed, and no particular education requirements. No application or resume to submit. Guaranteed: all the overtime you want. Set your own hours and vacation times. Company car provided, along with your own office. Mobile phone and computer also part of your perks.

This sounds like a job anyone in their right mind would jump at! In fact, you would think candidates would be jumping OVER each other for a job like that. But, truth is, only a very few will answer THIS Want Ad.

Why?

When you begin to dig a little deeper into the ad above, it's a job only the few, the proud, the independent-thinking, big idea-dreaming, relatively fearless (often initially clueless) will risk taking on.

The want ad header might read: Own your own small business.

Resume? Some small-business owners have no high school education and lack a college degree of any kind. Yet, many are self-taught (or paid close attention while working for others), and have become highly educated in their field. Their goal: to be forever learning and improving.

Such self-starters don't limit themselves based on their background, but see the future as what counts. They don't reside in yesterday's accomplishments, but work to prove themselves every day, hoping to get a hit every time at bat.

Regarding overtime: many small-business owners work 50 to 80 hours per week and take very few real vacation days; they have no option to “complain to the boss” that things are too rough. They figured out early on who the REAL boss is—THE CUSTOMER. If the risk pays off, they will happily have hundreds of bosses!

Yes, owning your own business has some perks, but I believe many people don't realize that an owner doesn’t get paid unless the company is profitable. Oh, they may get a check each week, but the money may be borrowed or come from savings.

Imagine borrowing the money for your paycheck each week; now imagine doing that for a couple of years. I hear of many small-business owners who are doing just that in today's economy. Still, they’re willing to put up their life savings and homes for collateral in order to keep their business operating.

How's that for a system!?

One of my small businesses is helping other small-business owners get control over their day-to-day operations, in order to have a quality life and to receive MORE—not fewer—benefits from their years of hard work. That matters to me!

I’m convinced, however, that without the power of systems many owners will continue working the long hours and risking their savings and homes, without reaping any rewards.

SIDE NOTE: It pains me to hear some in our nation say that these small-business owners are not doing their “fair share.”

On the one hand, as a nation we say to job-creating entrepreneurs, “Get out there, you can make it, just go for it!”

Then, someone does just that—takes huge risks, lays everything on the line and MAKES IT— and the next message they hear is, “You need to give most of what you risked to gain, to us—it’s only fair!”

Who are “us?”

I’m thinking it’s the ones who would never answer the want ad above.

FINAL NOTE: Poor systems waste and rob from the profits of hard work. I’m thinking—BAD system!

But, did I mention? Great systems work!
 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/piworld/blog/systemic-success/~3/ZGhkJizpP-E/wanted-for-immediate-hire-if-you-have-guts-print-shop-owner-philip-beyer

two side printing graphic design boston

The Naked Marketing Guide to Compelling Copy that Closes Sales

How smooth is your copy?

Is your writing powerful, seductive, and engaging? Can you move people to act, without having to give it a second thought?

Some people are like that. The naturals. They always know exactly what to say, and how to say it.

Lucky them.

The rest of us have to work at it. We have to study and figure it out, one hard-learned lesson at a time.

It’s just like dating and relationships — some people just “got it” straight out of the gate, and others needed more time to figure it out.

Here’s one for the non-naturals …

Some people are naturally smooth … and some aren’t

You know that guy (or gal) for whom it all seems to come so easily? They always know what to say and how and when.

I’m jealous of those people.

The rest of us mere mortals tend to flounder around a bit more before we find our groove. We have to work, and work hard, to figure things out. And it often takes a few tries.

That’s okay though, because we get better every time (practice makes perfect!), and every opportunity to try your “line” or your pitch is another opportunity to polish it.

But it can be a longer road, and it’s normal to feel a bit discouraged and start looking for shortcuts.

Enter the world of the pick-up artist

In the world of dating and relationships, the shortcuts are called “pick-up,” or the “art of seduction.”

There’s an entire body of literature dedicated to the subject, full of jargon like “compliance test,” “neg,” “bounce,” “DHV,” and plenty of others.

Do yourself the monumental favor of not looking them up.

These bits of jargon all refer to the ways and methods that can be used to manipulate someone into bed — for a one night stand.

The internet marketing world equivalent is promises of magical, instant, push-button profits through some loophole in Google or Facebook’s system that you should rush to exploit.

Never mind that the loopholes all close sooner or later — the real problem is that it’s the business equivalent of a one-night stand.

Do you want a bunch of one-night stands for customers?

I thought not.

True seduction isn’t about impulse buys or one-night stands

The opposite of pick-up artistry is the true seduction of Naked Marketing. This isn’t about one-night stands. Not by a long shot.

Naked Marketing is just the opposite — lining up all the right steps and factors to create a powerful attraction and desire that leads to a relationship that will last a long, long time.

We’re talking about the stuff of fairy tales and happy marriages, loyal customers and raving fans.

Something real that lasts forever, evolving over time.

And not morning-after regrets.

Start by being sexy

Just as with finding a mate, the first step in powerful Naked Marketing is to attract attention with a headline that is as sexy as you can make it.

Now, of course, there as many ways to be sexy as there are people to see you do it, so having a good idea of who you’re talking to and what they like is critical. Sexy doesn’t always mean “involving sex” — it just means whatever will be attractive to the person you’re trying to attract.

Remember that this is your first impression — the first exposure to you and your work for a brand new person, might eventually (if everything goes well) become a lifetime customer.

What that first impression should be is up to you and your customer. Maybe you’ll woo them with humor. Maybe you have something to teach them. Maybe you have a viewpoint they’ll be interested in, or an idea to share.

Example: Need more customers? Naked Marketing will find them, attract them, and lock them into profitable relationships for the long-term.

Whatever it is, it’s got to be something that will grab their attention on the very first try, and get them excited enough to listen for more. It also has to be something genuine — you can try to fake this, but you’ll fail.

Then create desire

Sexy headlines are just the beginning.

Once you’re past the initial attraction, you have to introduce real desire into the picture.

So how do you create that desire?

Not by just stripping down and asking for a sale, that’s for sure! (Unless maybe you’re Barney Stinson, that is …)

Across the board, there are a few things that make something desirable: it’s got to be interesting, it’s got to be attainable, and it’s got to be worth the trouble of getting it:

• Interesting means that that at a fundamental level, it will alleviate a pain that the person is experience, or create some kind of pleasure that they want but don’t currently have.
• Attainable means that if they like what they see enough to act on it, that action is actually within their means to take. The supermodels on the covers of magazines at the supermarket checkout might be awfully attractive, but that doesn’t mean they’re waiting for your call!
• Worth the trouble means that when all is said and done, the effort required to take that action is substantially less than the value of the outcome that they’re after.

Or on simple terms, it’s something that they want, and they can get it at an acceptable cost (in money, time, effort, etc.).

Example: The Naked Marketing Manifesto teaches marketing that really works in plain English, on small pages, and in large print. In other words, it’s a quick, easy read that just might change your life. Oh, and it’s a free download — no opt-in required.

The upshot for you is that whether you’re offering products, services, or anything in between, it’s got to be structured and packaged in a way that will be both interesting and attainable to your target customer.

If you do all of this and do it well, then they just might be thinking about getting naked, too.

Then make your move

So you’ve created intense desire with an offer that is interesting, attainable, and more than worth the trouble. So far so good, but you aren’t done yet!

Everything that you’ve done so far can be likened to a fantastic first date. You’ve gone out, gotten along, and the chemistry is just perfect. Then you reach the end of the evening, and you either lean in for that first kiss, or you chicken out and it all fizzles.

What’s the first kiss in a business relationship?

It could be an email opt-in, or it could be a purchase. It could be as simple as a social share, or as involved as jumping on the phone for a mentorship call.

The key is the commitment.

You work up the courage to ask for a commitment, and they make it. This is the call to action that every copywriter since the beginning of time has been telling you that you need. If you want somebody to do something, you’ve got to tell them exactly what you want, and how to do it.

Example: Click here to download my Naked Marketing Manifesto right now!

If you make an offer that they will truly desire, on terms they find acceptable, and ask them to make a commitment in so many words, then odds are that they’ll do exactly what you ask.

But that isn’t the end of the story — not if you’re looking for a serious relationship, that is …

There’s always a morning after!

It’s not enough to get someone to take an action — anyone can do that, and most people do. The last step in truly effective naked marketing is the morning after.

There’s nothing worse than waking up regretful, and you can make sure that your customers don’t experience buyer’s remorse by being mindful of the process you’re taking them through, and making sure they are as comfortable and happy with it as you are.

If you’ve done everything right, the morning after should be a wonderful time of celebration because your new customer is so ecstatic about their interaction with you — so much so that they can hardly wait for the next time.

And of course, that’s bound to be the case.

After all, you knew your customer well enough to get their attention with some genuine sexiness, and then created desire with an offer that is custom-tailored to make their heart beat faster. Then you asked for a commitment which they happily made, and you repeatedly exceeded their expectations and asked for a little bit more.

Sounds like true love to me.

So that’s it: Naked Marketing in a nutshell.

Now of course, there are more details. A whole manifesto full of them, in fact. And you can get it all for free — no opt-in required. Just tweet or share, and it’s yours.

Now over to you.

In this post, I used the metaphor of Naked Marketing to show you the steps that I follow in my marketing.

Does the metaphor work for you? Would you prefer another? Please leave a comment and let us know!

About the Author: Danny Iny (@DannyIny) is the co-founder of Firepole Marketing, the "Freddy Krueger of Blogging", and the co-author (with Guy Kawasaki, Brian Clark, and many others) of Engagement from Scratch! (available on Amazon, or as a free download). The latest and greatest thing you can get from him (for free, of course) is his Naked Marketing Manifesto, about marketing that really works!

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Grow Your Business with Inbound Marketing

Download Whitepaper »

Every business dreams of “easy” sales --- the sales where customers virtually fall into your lap!

We all want to find that customer who nods at everything we say. When that happens, we can feel confident that they believe that we are the experts and that we have the best solution for their needs.

The reality is you likely work hard for every customer you get to that point of the sale. But what if that hard work really involved laying the ground work so that over time, those customers really do fall into your lap?

With inbound marketing, you can lay that groundwork to establish your business as a resource, as a wealth of information and the right solution to your target market’s needs. And while it takes some work, it does not require the outlay of cash that many other marketing strategies take, such as massive ad campaigns.

Source: http://www.myprintresource.com/whitepaper/10722784/grow-your-business-with-inbound-marketing/whitepaper/10722784/grow-your-business-with-inbound-marketing

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Crit* Dandelion Chocolate

Established in 2010 by Cameron Ring and Todd Masonis, Dandelion Chocolate is a San Francisco based bean-to-bar manufacturer.

Their first three products, Ocumare - Venezuela, Sambirano - Madagascar and Columbia (named after the regions and countries from which the raw beans are sourced) each contain 70% cocoa that has been roasted, cracked, sorted, winnowed, ground, conched, tempered and packed by hand in small batches. Designed by Caleb Everitt and illustrator Anthony Ryan, the packaging treatment reflects the handcrafted production techniques, limited run and high product quality with distinctive, practical and tactile artisan material combination, a typographic narrative style and a block foil print finish.

“We are opening our workshop out of a lifetime love of chocolate. Our friends often said that given enough time, it seemed inevitable that one of us would open a chocolate factory. They watched as we experimented with growing small cacao plants in our apartments, pan roasted beans in the oven, and ate our way through the many of the chocolate shops of the world. A little more than a year ago, we decided to share our craft chocolate with our friends and family and have expanded since. Currently, in our small factory in the Dogpatch area of San Francisco, we roast, crack, sort, winnow, grind, conch, and temper small batches of beans and then mold and package each bar by hand. By sourcing high quality beans and carefully crafting tiny batches, we try to bring out the individual flavors and nuances of each bean.We’re excited to bring artisan bean-to-bar chocolate back to the bay area. Like many, we miss Scharffen Berger now that they moved east to join Hershey’s. We lost our local source for cocoa nibs and some of our favorite bars of dark chocolate. We hope and aspire to take over where others have left off and bring quality, local chocolate back to the area.” - Taken from the Dandelion Chocolate blog

The paper’s uncoated, unbleached and embossed tactile qualities deliver a parcel-like and underlying, elemental, utilitarian aesthetic that really captures the imported aspect of cocoa, the developing regions it is sourced from and its unprocessed properties. This has been given a lovely copper and gold foil illustrative surface treatment that while a little conventional in its presentation of premium, draws a nice contrast between the raw, the refined and the creativity that lies between the two. A union which is reinforced through a light foil choice that allows it to adopt the textural qualities of the material below. The illustrative style of the patterns, reminiscent of classic gilded wallpapers, appropriately emphasises the theme of craft and quality while delivering a heavier contrast to the finer typographic details of the label.The mixed fibre aesthetic of the self-adhesive label compliments the colour and surface texture of the wrapper while its absorption of the red and black ink adds a slightly aged characteristic and infuses it with a sense of origin and journey. The classic details of a tall serif logo-type set across a curved baseline, small copy size, fine lines and dividers set alongside the more contemporary aesthetic of a broadly spaced sans serif shares similarities with the wine and aged spirits category, a smart association that gives the packaging a sense of heritage and depth of character.The richness of the graphic design and print finish is wonderfully matched by a lengthy narrative constructed from emotive language and solid pros as well as isolated details that offer a similar nod to vintage wines. These include references to harvest, provenance, year, the complexity/richness of the ingredients and the extensive processes involved in manufacture which results in an information heavy piece of design. The smart distribution and balance of these details through copy, graphic, print and material choices avoids the design from becoming unnecessarily complex and manages to convey quality, passion and creativity in an engaging and compelling way.

Opinion by Richard Baird

 @richbaird 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDieline/~3/oqp1mZQhVmo/crit-dandelion-chocolate.html

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'Why I Serve': A Veteran Turns Entrepreneur

Christine Lagorio | Inc.com staff

You Just Watched
How I Did It: Tim Gimbell, The LaSalle Network

 

June 19, 2004, changed Dawn Halfaker's life.

On that day a blast tore through her platoon's Humvee during a patrol mission in Baqubah, Iraq. A rocket-propelled grenade flew straight into the front of her Humvee, and exploded near Halfaker, tearing through her right shoulder, breaking bones, and damaging her lungs. Halfaker lost consciousness. After being airlifted out of Iraq, Dawn Halfaker was flown to Washington, D.C., for treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Halfaker lost her right arm. But even after a trying year of treatment and therapy at Walter Reed, Halfaker hadn't lost her desire to serve.

"I desperately wanted to find a way to stay connected and continue to be part of the fight as my colleagues were still in Iraq and Afghanistan," she says.

She tried interning on Capitol Hill, but it didn't satisfy her. In her words, which she shared with a crowd of veteran entrepreneurs and CEOs at the Inc. 500|5000 in Washington, D.C., "I spent just enough time on Capitol Hill to know I wanted nothing to do with politics."

She founded Halfaker and Associates in January 2006.

"They say necessity breeds innovation. So with my need and desire to be part of the fight, I decided to forge my own path and start my company," she says. "I knew I had something to offer, and could bring new ideas, energy, and a sense of urgency to the defense industry."

She founded the contracting firm alone, taking on anti-terrorism and intelligence-analysis projects for other organizations, including DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. She called herself "an Army of one."

When special projects required outside expertise, Halfaker and Associates began hiring to fill specific roles.

"I would basically find an expert to try to compliment my expertise and experience," she says.

Today her five-year-old firm employs 160 people, and provides professional services and technology solutions to the federal government.

"We're all focused on building the company," she says. "But first and foremost, we're focused on the idea of continuing to serve."

Christine Lagorio is a writer, editor, and reporter whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Village Voice, and The Believer, among other publications. She is executive editor of Inc.com. @Lagorio

Source: http://www.inc.com/articles/201110/dawn-halfaker-continuing-to-serve-defense-contracting.html

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A Letter from a Grateful Father to Apple Computer

This one is personal. I have a long habit of mixing business with family. If you have ever taken one of my seminars, you have either heard me speak of my daughters or have met one of them as I very often bring Kati, Emma or Madeline with me.

This blog is about self-confidence and the impact that the right job can have on an employee. The following is the text of an email that I wrote to Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Computer.

*********
Good morning, Tim.

My 21-year-old daughter, Kati, started working at your Braintree, MA, retail store just under three years ago. She arrived as a college dropout, both frustrated and frustrating. I remember her screaming at me, “I don’t want this job! The only reason I went to the interview was to appease you!”

That was then. This is now.

This past Friday, on the day of your newest iPad launch, Kati was offered the position of Creative Technician. Tim, the difference in my daughter now vs. my daughter then comes down to two things: self-confidence and Apple Computer.

Kati has long suffered from an image of herself that she lets others dictate. ADD and dyslexic, like her father, her learning style prevented her from gaining knowledge in a traditional school setting. She believed that she was a failure and that she was worthless.

And along came Apple Computer.

I remember being on a business trip in Chicago (I’m a sales trainer and a public speaker, with many Apple products to thank for my own success) when Kati called me on the first break of her first day of training. She said, “Dad, I love this company!”

Talk about drinking the Kool-Aid! I don’t know anyone, anywhere who loves her job more than my daughter. That initial feeling never subsided. Her managers were patient with her, praised her, and probably disciplined her as well (Though she’d never tell her father that!). She became a Family Room Specialist within the last year. You’d think she’d had been elected President of the United States. And now, her hard work and dedication has been rewarded with this new job and, along with it, a significant pay increase.

Tim, you have a great deal of responsibility and a lot on your plate. I do not expect to hear back from you, but certainly hope that you read this email. It is from a grateful father. It was fortunate and life-changing for Kate to go to work for your company. Lost amongst all of the numbers and record-breaking descriptions of Apple Computer is the impact it has had on the life of Kathryn Jane Farquharson, and that of her dad.

Thank you.
Bill Farquharson

P.S.—As I was writing this to you, Kati sent me the following online feedback that one of her training customers gave her just yesterday. It truly summarizes who my daughter has become:

I think Apple has the best customer service of any company ever. I am a very happy and loyal customer.The specialist who helped me on my last visit, Kati Farquharson, was very helpful and her commitment to providing me with excellent customer service was really impressive. I found her extraordinarily pleasant and professional; Kati is a great representative of the Apple brand and a wonderful asset to your company.I would definitely seek her out when I visit this store again.
*********

My daughter’s success is a function of the patience, praise and discipline that her managers have bestowed upon her. If you met her today, you would never know that there was once a dark cloud over her head. That is the effect that Apple Computer has had on her.

I’m sharing this personal matter with you to make you are aware of the impact of your words, regardless of whether you are an employee or an employer. You are a participant, a witness and cheerleader in the life of another person every day. Be aware of the impact of your words and actions.

Bill Farquharson’s “Sales Challenge” program will drive your sales momentum. Go to www.thesaleschallenge.com or call him at 781-934-7036.
 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/printingsbestblogs/sales-marketing/~3/jl94l9pZQNg/a-letter-grateful-father-apple-computer-employee-relations-bill-farquharson

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