Announcements: Begin blogging article and a seminar

Just a couple of quick announcements:

1. I’ve put together an article for those of you readers who haven’t gotten started blogging yet:  Getting Started Blogging (and Branding)

2. I’ll be teaching 1/4 of a new two day course called Slingshot Seminars targeted to the needs of small businesses.   Think of it as a two day boot camp to sharpen your skills and gain new insights. This is a collaboration between my company, Equation Arts, along with Hunter Chatman Communications and The WallStreet Athletic Group.  I’ll be teaching the morning session on the 2nd day, which will focus on branding of course.   Find out more and register at SlingshotSeminars.com.

A practical dose of efficiency

Yes, I admit it.  Sometimes I will indulge in a little high-brow, high-level or high-concept marketing-speak.  I can’t help it, it is in my nature (blame the right brain).   That’s why I am glad that I have friends like Dave Eissman to keep me grounded, and I hope you don’t mind if I give him and his new blog a plug:

Dave has a knack for breaking down marketing tactics into straight forward, approachable steps that get results.  I have had the good fortune to collaborate with Dave on behalf of the International Business Academies, Limited, for whom we are both advisers, and I have always admired his straightforward, make-it-practical approach as well as his warm and generous nature.  Dave recently started a new blog - One on Many Marketing, and his current post, What is One on Many Marketing? is a wake-up call to B-to-B businesses to make use of the efficient tools of the Internet to bring scale to their lead generation and relationship building processes.  Dave is offering a free tele-seminar on the subject (details here) - I plan to attend and I hope I’ll see you online then too.

A new voice debuts

Just wanted to give a shout out to my friend Robert Mayberry who just made his blogging debut.  And it is a strong start.  Rob’s lead post, The Problem with Marketing…, is an insightful and biting observation of the state of marketing today and the rampant over-emphasis on promotion, to the detriment of truly strategic marketing.   Creating alignment of marketing with company mission, vision, products and services, should be a top corner office priority.   New marketing, as redefined by the rise of social media and the decline of the effectiveness of interruptive techniques, demands a rethink of the role and scope of market thinking in an organization.   Rob’s post is an articulate challenge to marketers to get in the game.

Top 5 marketing lessons from Ol’ St. Nick

5. Wear the company uniform with pride. Red with white trim might be a little garish, but it is certainly easy to recognize.

4. Keep your promises. Santa always delivers on time despite the toughest fulfillment schedule in the business.

3. The details matter. Mr. Kringle may only make one list, but he checks it twice.

2. Segment your market. A broad array of elvish production is focused on the “nice” demographic, while only one product line, lumps of coal, is targeted toward the “naughty” segment.

And the number one marketing lesson from that jolly old elf?

1. Use permission marketing. According to the U.N. more than 6 million letters to Santa Claus are expected this year! So tell me - how big is your opt-in list?

Happy Holidays!