Lynda McNutt Foster Delivers with Her Weekly Launch List

Lynda  overflows with brains, enthusiasm, creativity, and fun.

So, I wasn’t surprised to find her new weekly newsletter unique in its approach to its recipients. The ‘Launch List’ is a quick read that delivers much-needed Monday morning inspiration. Although it reflects Linda’s positive personality, it’s not all about her. It’s all about her customers, colleagues, and friends.

For example,  the headline of her April 30 newsletter was Will you make time for the people part of profits this week?  The content focused on improving high-level relationships and began:

A high level connection is one that empowers you and the other person.  Fast is slow with people and slow is fast in building empowering relationships. (Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).  Are you trying to be too efficient with people? Try some of these techniques this week to build stronger connections with the people that matter most and who will help you reap profits professionally and personally.

Lynda  then offered quick tips for optimizing relations with your team, your clients, your family, and yourself.  She also included a cool link to a TED talk  by Sherry Turkle that deals with how we make connections through technology.

Each of her newsletters is a quick read.  But, I’ve found that she often forces me to think about things that I could and should be doing better. That then leads me and, I’m sure, dozens and dozens of her readers back to  one of the things that Lynda does for a living.  She teaches leadership and business skills.  In the April 30 newsletter, she does mention a workshop that she’s doing with the appropriate link. But, that comes naturally and at the end of all the great content. Moreover, in many of her newsletters, there is absolutely no self promotion whatsoever.

 6 Lessons We Can Learn from Lynda’s  Launch List

1.  Make sure that your communications with your customers and prospects are all about them–and not all about you.
2.  Develop content that that is so engaging and enjoyable that it becomes must reading whenever it arrives.
3.  Find a way to demonstrate your knowledge and skills–in Lynda’s  case it tends to be about leadership–through the quality of the content that you are delivering.
4.  Don’t be afraid to include meaningful links to other thought-provoking content that reinforces what you yourself are providing.
5.  Make your content easy and fun to read. Lynda writes in short paragraphs with colorful highlights that emphasize important points and just the right amount of graphic images that support her topic.
6.  Let your content reflect your personality. The Launch List certainly reflects Lynda’s  and makes it obvious that she is the kind of person we would surely want to do business with.

I was impressed with Lynda before her new newsletter began to arrive.  Now, I’m blown away and newly inspired to improve my own communications.

It’s All About Making It Easier for the Customer to Buy

OK, I’ll admit it. I not the primary grocery shopper in the family. But, I’m always happy to hop over to Publix, Fresh Market, Whole Foods or SweetBay to buy stuff.  Since I’m not a grocery aisle guru, it usually takes me way too much time to find the items I have been entrusted to buy and bring home.    Occasionally, that makes me a little cranky.

SweetBay Shopping Carts Saved My Day

But,  Sweetbay has achieved the equivalent of a user-friendly e-commerce interface with its shopping cart. In a move that is as brilliant as it is inexpensive to design and deploy, they have equipped each shopping cart with a sheet that lists major grocery items alphabetically and shows the aisle in which they can be found.

At Sweetbay I was looking for coffee. Because my shopping cart helpfully listed coffee in aisle 6, I found it within 30 seconds rather than the 5 minutes of aimless wandering it would usually take.

The genius of the Sweetbay shopping cart content marketing strategy contrasted with my Publix experience.
While there, I went through the frustrating aisle-wandering exercise to find when I needed. Publix is an excellent supermarket. But, they sure made it much harder for me to buy what I needed to buy.

If a supermarket were a website, I would’ve been off like a shot from Publix to Sweetbay, knowing that they would take me by the hand to find exactly what I needed in a minimum of time.

I don’t know who came up with the idea to put that helpful guide on the shopping cart, but I hope he or she got an enormous bonus. I also hope for Sweetbay’s sake they can patent this brilliant content marketing invention.

Sometimes, it’s the little things that make all of the difference. Thank you Sweetbay for saving me so much time and inspiring me to connect shopping carts and content marketing.

We Got Coverage and Kudos from David Meerman Scott, Chris Brogan, and All Top

Yesterday, we discussed how Sasha Baron: successfully newsjacked the Oscars with his successful Red Carpet stunt. Posing as the Dictator, he spilled the alleged ashes of the late North Korean dictator Kim ill Jung on  Ryan Seacrest.   Although we loved the stunt for its own sake, we also hoped that we might pull off a bit of newsjacking ourselves. And, it worked, albeit on a more modest scale.

Because it was a hot Hollywood story, the Red Carpet stunt got all kinds of attention on TV, online, and in print–with lots of YouTube coverage.   So, I decided to see if we could inject ourselves however modestly into that same story.

Grab a hot story that conveys a key concept to maximize  the reach of your important message

If I had been writing a basic, just the facts, ma’am, story that described what newsjacking was and why it might be useful for public relations and marketing professionals,  I doubt that much would’ve happened. Regular readers of our blog would have benefited. But, I probably would not have generated much attention or additional readership.

Because I was able to inject a real-time element  into our story that incorporated both a hot concept–news jacking–as well as a hot event–the Oscars, we achieved a level of visibility that would’ve been otherwise impossible. 

Interestingly, one commenter on our article hated our newsjacking example because he found the Red Carpet monkey business in appallingly bad taste. He was right about the bad taste, but he was all wrong about the powerful impact that Sasha Baron Cohen achieved.  With minimal investment in dollars and maximum chutzpah, he almost certainly got more value on behalf of his new movie, The Dictator, then he would have by spending $3 million on a 30 second Super Bowl ad. 

 We sure didn’t get $3M of value but here’s what did happen:

• David Meerman Scott tweeted about our article to his 65,000 twitter followers and got 7 retweets
• Chris Brogan commented on our post to his 87,000 Google+ folloowing: “Great use of +David Meerman Scott ’s Newsjacking principle” and got numerous plus ones and comments
• If you search Google News for ‘newsjacking’ as of now(6:16pm, 2/28),  our story is at the very top.
• We wound up at the top of  All Top’s content marketing category. That doesn’t happen very often.

I guess this may sound a bit like bragging. But, I’m always delighted when something we try does work like gangbusters. And, I’m happy to prove once again that David Meerman Scott really knows what he’s talking about.

We  earlier newsjacked Amy Adams, too–but nicely

If you’d like to read a story that’s a little bit sweeter as an example of newsjacking, we wrote about content marketing, Amy Adams, and The Muppet Movie. Our goal was to take those newsworthy elements and tie them directly to content marketing.   Happily, once again, we achieved excellent readership by integrating current news with our timeless subject of content marketing. Although I’m not sure how many people would search for both Amy Adams and content marketing at the same time, those intrepid souls who conduct that search will find our story at the very top of Google search results.

Check out the story: How Content Marketing Convinced Amy Adams to Join The Muppets Movie

Sasha Baron Cohen Grabs the Spotlight with Only a Beard, a Uniform, 2 Pretty ‘Security Guards’, and the ‘Ashes’ of Kim Il Jung.

Every year the American Academy Awards attracts tens of millions of viewers, no matter how boring the 3+ hour television event might be.  In 2012, the ceremony itself may have been even more irrelevant than usual, featuring movies that hardly anybody saw and hosted by an aging Billy Crystal most of whose jokes were as creaky as the ceremony itself.

But, never mind, because the real story of the  Oscars in 2012 was the brilliant Newsjacking of the event by Sasha Baron Cohen who grabbed zillions of dollars of free publicity for his upcoming movie, The Dictator (which will never win an Oscar, but who cares?).

Comic Genius Becomes PR Genius, Too

Cohen displayed not just comic genius, but PR genius well. He may not have read David Meerman Scott’s great book, Newsjacking, but he could well have been a case study. The basic concept is that, in these days of 24-hour news cycles and real-time public relations, marketing pros can  newsjack an event  by finding a way to do something that is highly newsworthy and is somehow connected to that event.

Thus, Sacha Baron Cohen made a huge stink about the Academy not permitting him to show up on the Red Carpet in full Dictator Regalia.  In fact, at one point, and they withdrew his invitation to attend the  Oscar ceremony at all. That goofy fight became newsworthy all by itself with an amazing amount of coverage that made the Academy  seem completely humorless. Finally, they caved in and permitted  the comic to appear on the red carpet as the make-believe Dictator.

Then, the big Red Carpet story: the Dictator, ever so carelessly, managed to spill the ‘ashes’ of the late North Korean dictator, Kim Il Jung,  all over the dinner jacket of host, Ryan Seacrest.  The entire incident lasted only about 3 minutes, But it may linger in Oscar infamy for eons.

Most observers miss the point when they ask whether this was a really funny thing to do–or simply a very rude maneuver. Funny or rude is beside the point. Newsjacking is the entire point.

As I write this, the morning after the Oscars, the news footage I’ve seen both online and on TV is all about Sasha Baron Cohen’s Dictator persona making ashes out of the Academy Awards. There is relatively little about the Oscar winners, their acceptance speeches, and the ceremony itself.

Sasha Baron Cohen is an exceptionally funny guy. Even better, for us content marketers, he is a Newsjacking genius.

Of course, it’s probably obvious but this blog post is my best attempt at doing Oscar-related Newsjacking myself.  Thanks, Sasha for giving me the opportunity.

If, by some miracle, you have not seen the memorable video of his Read Carpet, antics check it out below:

Just two years after the launch of Social Media Examiner, founder Michael Stelzner has plenty to be proud of. He runs one of the world’s top business blogs, with an email list of more than 124,000 and growing, plus over 450,000 visitors per day.
He also recently published his latest book, Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition, that details his strategy for developing new business initiatives. This got us curious. We wanted to learn more about his approach, and share ways that you can apply it, so we spoke with Stelzner about his book, the success of his site and the importance of email in an effective content marketing strategy.
Via www.aweber.com

Get content. Get customers.,has now sold more than 10,000 copies in its hardcover, paperback, and eBook editions.

Even though Joe Pulizzi and I wrote and updated it in the early stages of the content marketing revolution, our book’s vital lessons and detailed case studies are just as valid and valuable today. The range of organizations that we analyzed extended from huge multibillion dollar public companies to midsize companies with a few hundred employees and even to very small single owner organizations.

If you haven’t yet read Get Content Get Customers, we know that you will want to run out and buy the book because it is chock-full of content marketing knowledge that you can put to work immediately.

But, just to wet your content marketing whistle, here are the top 10 takeaways we gleaned from some brilliant content marketing practitioners. These represent the themes that we recognized again and again as we examined how organizations are putting content marketing to work.

1. Only content that is intrinsically valuable to your customers will work as a core component of your content marketing strategy.

2. You must have a thorough understanding of your customers and what is most important to them. If you do not understand the problems and challenges they face, you cannot hope to create content that is truly relevant to them. Without understanding their problems, you cannot provide solutions.

3. A comprehensive content marketing strategy may provide a complete or partial replacement of traditional advertising and marketing. Such a strategy can be both more effective and less expensive than doing things the old-fashioned way.

4. Print magazines can be a powerful weapon within your content marketing arsenal. They enable you to reach out with precision to your customers with carefully targeted messaging that is totally under your control.

5. Great design adds significant value to content marketing by making it more accessible, more appealing, and more actionable for your customers.

6. Your best content marketing investment may be in the creation of a dedicated internal or external team who understand how to produce great content and who live and die by the success of your content marketing program.

7. Drink your own Kool-Aid. Whenever possible, use your own company’s products or services to prove their worth to your customers.

8. Get your customers to participate actively with the content you create in print and online. Begin a conversation and keep it going in order to earn their loyalty and trust.

9. Relevant and valuable content is just the first step in turning a prospect or visitor into a customer. You must then make it easy for them to buy.

10. Most of the best practices from the larger companies we profiled can be emulated in whole or in part even by very small organizations. It’s not the money. It’s the content marketing mindset that counts. Big ideas can trump big bucks.

These lessons are fairly simple to express but much harder to put into practice. That’s why we know you will want to buy the book.

Get the paperback edition for overnight delivery. Perfectly priced at $13.74!

Or get the Kindle edition for instant gratification. Only $9.71 with the Amazon discount!!

A Compelling  and Affordable Video Did the Trick

Normally in Hollywood, when you’re trying to get someone to join the cast of a picture, it involves actors and their agents, directors, studios, sending scripts back and forth, and lots of other rigmarole.

When you’re trying to attract a big star like Amy Adams, at best, this process is inefficient. At worst, it is completely ineffective.

The producer of the new Muppets movie, Jason Segel, decided to use content marketing to appeal to Amy Adams, who had lately been appearing in pretty serious dramas such as, The Fighter. Although he probably had no idea that his approach involved content marketing, his perfectly targeted video illustrates all the best of what content marketing can be—and can accomplish.

Jason, assisted by Kermit the Frog, begins with a sweet little song that was addressed to only one person: Amy Adams. They continue with a heartfelt appeal, telling her how much they love her and how much she would love being in the movie. Clearly, Jason understood the need to customize content for his target audience. The video is not an expensive production.  In fact, it consists of Jason and Kermit sitting, singing, and talking.

Obviously, this affordable content marketing video worked. Even in a world of multimillion dollar salaries for actors and movies with hundred million dollar budgets, this charming little video won over Amy Adams.

If it works for her, it can certainly work for you and your customers. Create a custom video that demonstrates how well you understand your customers and their needs. You will find it one of the most effective ways to break through layers of people and layers of resistance.

Watch the video below and start brainstorming what you can accomplish with your own video efforts:

I guess there might have been a lot more than this video that persuaded Amy to join the film. But, the video itself makes for a wonderful story about the magical Muppets movie.

Sure They’re on the Web, But They’re Also Out and About on the Streets of Naples, Florida

Imagine my surprise when I pulled up behind this small van on a Naples street.

I started to get hungry just looking at the back of the van. This is mobile marketing that quite literally whets my appetite.

First Watch is a small chain of daytime cafes with numerous outlets in the Naples/Fort Myers area and in many other parts of the country. They are famous for great breakfasts and friendly servers. It’s a pleasure to tuck into one of their omelets or other creative egg dishes.

I think they get 3 things just right on the back of this van:

1. Their tagline in bright green letters fully captures the spirit of First Watch—it’s all about fresh food and mostly about big bountiful breakfasts.
2. Their web address, HowDoYouWantYourEggs.com is long, but memorable. Even better, it’s eminently sharable.
3. Their license plate, EGGS4, completes the message and reinforces their devotion to eggs.

I’m pretty sure that an awful lot of Naples drivers wound up going online to HowDoYourWantYourEggs.com and then pretty quickly header over to their nearest First Watch for a sumptuous breakfast.

Mobile marketing works even when its mostly on wheels.

Solopreneur Firm Understands How to Engage, Educate, and Entertain

There are dozens of electrical firms in Southwest Florida. Many of them have lots of employees. But, one of those firms stands out on Facebook: Martin McMurtrie’s Grace Electric with 601 Facebook friends.

Making Vivid Visual Points to Engage Facebook Fans

This photograph from his Facebook page shows the kind of scary electrical fixes customers often attempt , sometimes with disastrous results. It typifies the kind of engaging content he provides regularly and that has enabled him to accumulate those hundreds of Facebook friends.

By contrast, the only local competitors I could find on Facebook provided very little useful information and managed to accumulate fewer than 10 Facebook friends.

For example, one well-known national franchise with numerous Florida locations manages a Facebook page for its Southwest Florida franchisee. But, it has only 9 fans. And, the only content on its Wall is spam from a provider of Acai berry services. 

Grace Electric: Lots of Real Content from a Real Person

Martin proves that you don’t need an MBA from Harvard to create an effective presence on Facebook. What comes through on the Grace Electric Facebook page is Martin’s natural friendliness and sense of humor, as well as his obvious knowledge of his profession.

His Facebook posts vary from helpful advice (often shared with great good humor), reminders of the need to fix electrical problems before disaster strikes, special offers, mentions of worthwhile local charities, and sometimes just goofy stuff. Amazingly, he manages to post something almost every day. For a busy Solopreneur, that’s pretty darned impressive.

Below he uses a pretty scary photograph of a customer’s improvised, but dangerous, electrical fix to point out how risky it can be to do electrical work yourself.

If you are intrigued and engaged by his Facebook Wall, you’re likely to take a look at his info page. There you will find a nice, personalized description of himself and his company and the services that they offer.

My name is Martin McMurtrie and I own Grace Electric, Inc. in sunny Naples, FL.
I am originally from Syracuse, NY and I proudly served in the US Marine Corps.
I have been an electrician in Naples for over 20 years and I am fully licensed as a Master Electrician. I specialize in helping homeowners with everything from ceiling fan installation to landscape lighting to troubleshooting. I work mainly in the Greater Naples/South Lee County area.
I pride myself on being on time, every time and I never charge extra for evenings and weekends. To reach me, call (239) 248-0000…I look forward to hearing from you!

Martin sure sounds like somebody I would trust doing electrical work in our home.  And, I suspect that the same is true for hundreds of his Facebook friends. Take a look at what’s he’s up to on Facebook.

Who says that great electricians can’t be great marketers, too?

George Bowers Grocery Makes a  Fun 1 to 1 Connection That’s Impossible for the Big Chain to Match

The right niche and the right approach enable a two-person company to outshine a retailing giant on Facebook. That’s true of George Bowers Grocery in Staunton Virginia where owners Katie McCaskey and Brian Weidman have created a delightful grocery store that focuses on high-quality foods and other specialty products.

The couple knew they could not compete head-to-head with the local Kroger supermarket in their community. Instead they have captured the spirit of the original 19th-century owner as a provider of "staple goods & fancy groceries."

They offer wonderful local meats, cheeses, wines, and craft beers as well as a variety of specialty items. They target the diverse mix of neighborhood residents, local food enthusiasts, and culinary tourists each with their own distinctive interests and needs. The atmosphere of the store itself is an eclectic blend of the old-fashioned and the modern.

And, they have a lot of fun with their marketing, in person and online.

Meeting The Marketing Challenge: Content Marketing, Social Media, and Live Events

Newspaper, TV, radio, and Yellow Pages advertising were out of the question given their tiny marketing budget. Instead, online content marketing and the judicious use of social media became the obvious marketing solution.  In particular, their use of live events and of Facebook demonstrates how small can be beautiful when it comes to 21st-century marketing.

Live events are the one traditional marketing tactic they employ successfully. They feature plenty of free goodies for foodies to entice them into the store week after week.  Each event is tightly integrated with their online content marketing efforts.

Facebook is particularly effective because it gives Katie and Brian the chance to interact with their local customers and to alert them of the latest fun, free events.

The grocery has hundreds of fans drawn primarily from their small town of just 25,000 residents. There is a consistent level of interaction between the company and its customers. In fact, they estimate that 75% of their customers connect with them on Facebook or read their blog.

Best of all, on Facebook they can battle local giant Kroger toe-to-toe. That would’ve been impossible in the local newspaper, radio or TV station. They can’t out spend Kroger with traditional advertising, but they certainly can outmaneuver them on Facebook.

Although Kroger has thousands of Facebook fans across the United States, they average only 10 fans per store–while George Bowers has 429 at their single location. And, Katie manages to stay just as current on the George Bowers Facebook page as their billion-dollar competitor. At the same time, this micro marketer’s Facebook page has a much stronger visual appeal on a daily basis than does Kroger.

George Bowers Grocery has achieved outsized results by leveraging content marketing and social media components that are either free or very inexpensive. Facebook is a cornerstone of that strategy. .

Great food and great Facebook have proven to be a winning combination.