(2078,4,'2013-02-22 16:12:27','2013-02-22 16:12:27','You may have a great offering, beautiful marketing collateral, an interactive website, a robust presence on social media and yet, you are not achieving your marketing objectives. There could be many causes for this, like a poor economy or poor pricing or too much competition, but it could also be that you are<strong> being too aggressive</strong>. You are turning people off.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"239\"]<a title=\"bullhorn by spDuchamp, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/duchamp/15296832/\"><img alt=\"bullhorn\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/13/15296832_d279064329.jpg\" width=\"239\" height=\"500\" /></a> Bullhorn by spDuchamp from Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\nTelemarketers are especially bad at understanding that aggressiveness does not build customer trust. Quite the opposite. It builds distrust and worse, dislike. Calling repeatedly at all times of day and night does not make a potential customer or donor enamored of your product or cause.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this is the divide between marketing and sales. In marketing, you are trying to build interest in your product and service by using tools such as the \"Four Ps\" (pricing, promotion, product, placement), whereas in sales you are trying to achieve quotas, generally measured in revenue.\r\n\r\nSay you are shopping for a new car. The marketing function will get you to consider the new XYZ hybrid sedan from the big car manufacturer. You are intrigued by the miles per gallon or the comfort or whatever other attribute. You walk into a showroom and immediately a sales representative is there, trying to get you to buy. If he or she is too aggressive, chances are good you will walk out without making a purchase. The marketing worked but the sales pitch didn\'t.\r\n\r\nBrad Phillips of Phillips Media Relations had such a thing happen to him with a PR service. He<a href=\"http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2013/02/21/come-on-vocus-help-a-busy-pr-professional-out/\" target=\"_blank\"> discussed it yesterday  on his Mr. Media Training blog</a>, and received a lot of support (read the comments).  He signed up for a service that is marketed to people like him, but then was assaulted by a too-aggressive sales person trying to sell him other products and services.  The problem was not the offering as much as the aggression.\r\n\r\nAre you being to aggressive in your pitch? Here are some instances of marketing (and sales) aggressiveness:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Calling too much/ too often</li>\r\n	<li>Sending too many emails (including enewsletters)</li>\r\n	<li>Invading privacy (such as asking Google or Facebook to scan private messages for keywords)</li>\r\n	<li>In traditional advertising, opting for frequency over reach (have you ever watched a TV program where the same ad is shown multiple times?)</li>\r\n	<li>Send enewsletters out without prior opt-in, and without an easy opt-out.</li>\r\n	<li>Loud (literally) advertising (even though it has been regulated, I am still hearing ads that have a higher volume than the programming)</li>\r\n	<li>Bait-and-switch tactics</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhat results from these tactics is that people feel attacked or overwhelmed or frustrated. They can\'t lower the volume and they resent it. They feel that your sales pitch is invading their private space.\r\n\r\nCan you think of other aggressive behavior? How do you react to aggressive marketing? Do you think the results justify the means?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','The one thing that will kill your marketing efforts','','inherit','open','open','','2074-revision-3','','','2013-02-22 16:12:27','2013-02-22 16:12:27','',2074,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2074-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2079,4,'2013-02-25 15:06:00','2013-02-25 15:06:00','In case you missed it, last night was the movie awards ceremony formerly known as The Academy Awards, now known simply as the Oscars. Not sure what the TV broadcast viewership was, but it was large (very large). The Oscars are one of the most viewed, most commented and most followed awards.  The #oscars2013 hashtag certainly lit up my Twitter stream last night, proving that most major televised events are having the \"second-screen\" effect.\r\n\r\nDo you know who won for Best Picture? Or for Best Director?You should, but in case you are a person who doesn\'t watch TV or movies or read a newspaper or the Yahoo! home page, it was Argo and Ang Lee for Life of Pi,  respectively.\r\n\r\n<strong> If you want to be successful in marketing communications, you need to be conversant in pop culture.</strong> You just do. Pop culture is the currency that allows you to participate in the world. It is the fodder of small talk at happy hours and cocktail receptions and what brings people together around the proverbial water cooler (even if your water cooler is Twitter). If you don\'t know Ben Affleck from Quentin Tarantino, Adele from Lady Gaga,  you are out of touch with what many people share in society.\r\n\r\nI know people that refuse to watch movies or TV shows because nothing compares to whatever they feel was the golden age of entertainment. Some people never tune in to the top 40 station on their radios. Others don\'t read current bestsellers claiming nothing worthwhile is being written today. That\'s fine. <strong>No one should have to watch, listen or read anything they find distasteful.  But they should know what it is they are not watching, listening or reading. </strong> In other words, you should know who won the Oscars last night even if you didn\'t watch the show or see any of the movies nominated.\r\n\r\nWill something evil befall you if you don\'t know? No, of course not.  You will just be out of step with what most people follow. If you see a reference to Jennifer Lawrence or Anne Hathaway, you won\'t understand why they are being talked about.  And you may also be missing out on relationship-building conversations.  The beauty of pop culture is that it is out there, available to everyone. You don\'t have to be an insider or well-connected.\r\n\r\nSo, do you know who won at the Oscars last night?\r\n<h3>Want to improve your blogging?</h3>\r\nIf you want to improve your blogging or even get your blog off the ground,  and you are in the Washington, DC metro area, check out my blogging workshop <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">this Thursday.</span> You must pre-register. More details and registration: <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why you should know who won at the Oscars','','publish','open','open','','why-you-should-know-who-won-at-the-oscars','','','2013-02-25 15:06:00','2013-02-25 15:06:00','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2079',0,'post','',0),(2080,4,'2013-02-25 15:05:10','2013-02-25 15:05:10','In case you missed it, last night was the movie awards ceremony formerly known as The Academy Awards, now known simply as the Oscars. Not sure what the TV broadcast viewership was, but it was large (very large). The Oscars are one of the most viewed, most commented and most followed awards.  The #oscars2013 hashtag certainly lit up my Twitter stream last night, proving that most major televised events are having the \"second-screen\" effect.\n\nDo you know who won for Best Picture? Or for Best Director?You should, but in case you are a person who doesn\'t watch TV or movies or read a newspaper or the Yahoo! home page, it was Argo and Ang Lee for Life of Pi,  respectively.\n\n<strong> If you want to be successful in marketing communications, you need to be conversant in pop culture.</strong> You just do. Pop culture is the currency that allows you to participate in the world. It is the fodder of small talk at happy hours and cocktail receptions and what brings people together around the proverbial water cooler (even if your water cooler is Twitter). If you don\'t know Ben Affleck from Quentin Tarantino, Adele from Lady Gaga,  you are out of touch with what many people share in society.\n\nI know people that refuse to watch movies or TV shows because nothing compares to whatever they feel was the golden age of entertainment. Some people never tune in to the top 40 station on their radios. Others don\'t read current bestsellers claiming nothing worthwhile is being written today. That\'s fine. No one should have to watch, listen or read anything they find distasteful.  But they should know what it is they are not watching, listening or reading.  In other words, you should know who won the Oscars last night even if you didn\'t watch the show or see any of the movies nominated.\n\nWill something evil befall you if you don\'t know? No, of course not.  You will just be out of step with what most people follow. If you see a reference to Jennifer Lawrence or Anne Hathaway, you won\'t understand why they are being talked about.  And you may also be missing out on relationship-building conversations.  The beauty of pop culture is that it is out there, available to everyone. You don\'t have to be an insider or well-connected.\n<h3>Want to improve your blogging?</h3>\nIf you want to improve your blogging or even get your blog off the ground,  and you are in the Washington, DC metro area, check out my blogging workshop <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">this Thursday.</span> You must pre-register. More details and registration: <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">http://howtowriteyourblog3.eventbrite.com/#</a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Why you should know who won at the Oscars','','inherit','open','open','','2079-revision','','','2013-02-25 15:05:10','2013-02-25 15:05:10','',2079,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2079-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2082,4,'2013-02-26 20:55:50','2013-02-26 20:55:50','I was reading a transcript of an online discussion regarding the benefits of blogging for business. One the people in the discussion said she did not have time to blog since she was way too busy doing client work. I wasn\'t on the conversation, but I would have told her she is making a big mistake.\n\nIt\'s very simple. If you don\'t do any marketing because you are busy, you will inevitably have to work twice as hard when you aren\'t. And yes, blogging is a marketing effort. It boosts your visibility. It keeps your website current. It helps with SEO.\n\nIt\'s like people who don\'t network because they have a job. And then they lose the job and realize they don\'t have relationships in place to help them in a job search.\n\nWhether you are busy or not, blogging should be a part of your business marketing routine. To neglect your blog now because you are busy working on your client\'s behalf is a rookie mistake. Those of us who have been in the business world for a while know that clients come and go. Clients can face budget shortfalls and cut you from one day to the next.','Why you should blog even if you don\'t have the time','','inherit','open','open','','2081-revision','','','2013-02-26 20:55:50','2013-02-26 20:55:50','',2081,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2081-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2083,4,'2013-02-27 15:08:25','2013-02-27 15:08:25','I was reading a transcript of an online discussion regarding the benefits of blogging for business. One of the people in the discussion declared that she did not have time to blog since she was way too busy doing client work. Her blog was basically abandoned, and she was OK with that. I wasn\'t in on the conversation, but if I had been,  I would have told her she is making a big mistake.\n\nIt\'s very simple. If you don\'t do any marketing because you are busy, you will inevitably have to work twice as hard to market yourself when you aren\'t busy. And yes, blogging is a marketing effort:  It boosts your visibility. It keeps your website current. It helps with SEO.\n\nNot blogging because you are too busy is like not networking because you already have a job. If you lose your job (which unfortunately can happen from one day to the next) you will soon realize you don\'t have relationships in place to help you in a job search. You must keep networking and building relationships, whether you \"need\" them now or not, because you never know what will happen in the future.\n\nWhether you are busy or not, blogging should be a part of your business marketing routine. To neglect your blog now because you are busy working on your client\'s behalf is a rookie mistake. Those of us who have been in the business world for a while know that clients come and go. Clients can face budget shortfalls and cut you from one day to the next.\n\n<strong>Put energy into your business, not just your client\'s business.</strong> This applies to you whether you have your own business, or you work for someone else, and even if you are concerned with developing your career. If you are a worker bee, why not have a personal blog? If you work for an organization, you should insist that the blog not be neglected. And it goes without saying that if you own your own business, you are solely responsible for keeping you presence up-to-date.\n\nDon\'t wait! Write a blog post today!','Why you should blog even if you don\'t have the time','','inherit','open','open','','2081-revision-2','','','2013-02-27 15:08:25','2013-02-27 15:08:25','',2081,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/02/2081-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2085,4,'2013-03-01 14:20:12','2013-03-01 14:20:12','<h2>Current events:</h2>\r\nThere are no events currently scheduled.\r\n\r\nI am available to create customized trainings for your organization on the subjects of: blogging, business writing and messaging.\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-03-01 14:20:12','2013-03-01 14:20:12','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/1765-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(2088,4,'2013-03-04 15:58:21','2013-03-04 15:58:21','Did you watch the 2011 movie <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598822/?ref_=sr_2\" target=\"_blank\">New Year\'s Eve</a></span>? If you spent money on it either in the theater or renting it, I am sorry for your loss.  I only watched the beginning as it was playing on one of  my cable movie channels. After 20 minutes of unbelievable situations and bad lines, I went back to reading the side of the cereal box.\n\nYou would be forgiven for thinking that this movie was worth watching. After all, it has a cast of well known (and very attractive) actors (including Michelle Pfeiffer, Hillary Swank, Robert DeNiro, Halle Berry, Ashton Kutcher, Sarah Jessica Parker and even Jon Bon Jovi, to name a few). It is directed by Gary Marshall, who brought us bastions of sitcom TV such as Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley.\n\nBut the actors and the director have to follow a screenplay, which in this case was written by <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0297545/?ref_=tt_ov_wr\" target=\"_blank\">Katherine Fugate</a>. Fugate\'s credits include the TV series <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Xena: Warrior Princess.</span> Fugate also wrote <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Valentine\'s Day</span>, another movie that revolves around an over-hyped holiday and which features lots of well known actors (some of the very same ones that appear in <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">New Year\'s Eve</span>).\n\nApparently, Gary Marshall saw potential in a holiday movie franchise. Perhaps we should prepare for St. Patrick\'s Day: The Movie, in which a group of well known actors would be anxiously wondering how their romantic lives will survive the drinking of green beer.\n\nMovies are the result of all of the parts working together: acting, directing and writing. You could also throw in cinematography, editing, costume design and sound.  As <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">New Year\'s Eve</span> painfully underscores, even dozens of well-known actors and a funny-guy director do not make a poorly plotted and written screenplay shine. In other words,  a good movie is greater than the sum of its parts.\n\n<strong>Communications is much the same way.  </strong>You have to have more than just pretty, shiny parts that you throw together. To make the movie analogy work here,<strong> your communications efforts need good direction (communications strategy), believable acting (execution or tactics) and a well-written screenplay ( your communications plan).</strong>\n\nLook at your communications efforts right now.  Are you getting led by pretty tactics (Let\'s go on Pinterest! Let\'s get a blog!) or are you thinking about how everything works together to achieve your goals?','Greater than the sum of its parts','','inherit','open','open','','2087-revision','','','2013-03-04 15:58:21','2013-03-04 15:58:21','',2087,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/2087-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2089,4,'2013-03-06 14:42:33','2013-03-06 14:42:33','Last night I  watched the 2003 documentary<a href=\"http://www.lostboysfilm.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> The Lost Boys of Sudan</span></a>.  The Lost Boys are a group of young men who managed to escape a brutal massacre of their people in Sudan and walked across the dessert to end up in a refugee camp in Kenya. Many of the boys lost both parents or entire families and some have no idea what happened to their families.  Some Lost Boys were repatriated to the United States, and this documentary focuses on two of them.\r\n\r\nThe documentary deals with the difficulty these boys have adapting to the United States. Nobody seems to tell them what to expect or how to navigate anything. Santino, one of the boys featured in the film, drives a car without a license or insurance and ends up hitting another car. He ends up in court where the judge tells him that it doesn\'t matter that he is in the process of getting a license, he is still responsible for not having one and driving anyway. His confusion and upset are palpable. He is earning $7 an hour, and now he has more than $500 in fines.  Nobody explained it to him and he had no way of knowing.\r\n\r\nCan you imagine being transported from a refugee camp in Africa to Houston, Texas? It must have been an extreme culture shock for these young men. And yet, they are greeted by two YMCA workers that speak to them in colloquial and fast English, even though the boys speak limited English, and it is not their primary language by far. And that is just the language gap. The film doesn\'t say much about these YMCA people, but it seems that they are clueless about the vast differences between someone from Sudan (who has survived trauma and has been living in a refugee camp) and someone who has been living in the U.S. all his or her life.\r\n\r\nIn the film, the boys are taken to an apartment, told that their rent will be paid for four months \"while they get on their feet,\" and seemingly, expected to fend for themselves without much guidance at all.\r\n\r\nThe documentary is a study in the contrasts between Americans and the Africans. Americans exhibit a very sheltered and ignorant view of the world.  The Africans quickly learn that they are different--not only from the white Americans but from the black Americans too. Their skin is darker, their culture is different.\r\n\r\nAs well-meaning as the YMCA and the others involved in the resettlement project were, they failed (miserably in my opinion) to consider how to properly communicate with the Lost Boys.  Good communication bridges differences. Bad communication forms barriers.\r\n\r\nTainted with cultural blindness, the Americans did not so much as consider how hard it would be to adjust to American society, or really, what it takes to navigate day-to-day interactions. The boys had never had jobs or earned money or paid rent or dealt with car insurance. And yet, they were left to deal with everything by themselves.\r\n\r\nWhat is worse is that the boys  came to America expecting to get an education. In the film, it seems their sponsors thought they should be grateful to get low skilled, low paying jobs.\r\n\r\nBecause expectations were not properly communicated and because the Americans did not take into consideration the needs of the Lost Boys, the film documents  a story of struggle and disaffection rather than of triumph and happiness. As hard as their lives were in Africa, it is not easier for them in the United States.\r\n\r\nTo me, this documentary illustrates perfectly how communication will fail if you don\'t consider your audience and its needs. Even the first decision of what language to use to communicate is a poor one. Communicating in English to people who barely speak the language is a recipe for failure.\r\n\r\nAre you considering your audience when you communicate? Or are you so focused on your message you are not checking to see if it is being received?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Lost in communication: the sad story of the Lost Boys of Sudan','','publish','open','open','','lost-boys','','','2013-03-06 14:42:33','2013-03-06 14:42:33','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2089',0,'post','',0),(2090,4,'2013-03-06 14:41:59','2013-03-06 14:41:59','Last night I  watched the 2003 documentary<a href=\"http://www.lostboysfilm.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> The Lost Boys of Sudan</span></a>.  The Lost Boys are a group of young men who managed to escape a brutal massacre of their people in Sudan and walked across the dessert to end up in a refugee camp in Kenya. Many of the boys lost both parents or entire families and some have no idea what happened to their families.  Some Lost Boys were repatriated to the United States, and this documentary focuses on two of them.\n\nThe documentary deals with the difficulty these boys have adapting to the United States. Nobody seems to tell them what to expect or how to navigate anything. Santino, one of the boys featured in the film, drives a car without a license or insurance and ends up hitting another car. He ends up in court where the judge tells him that it doesn\'t matter that he is in the process of getting a license, he is still responsible for not having one and driving anyway. His confusion and upset are palpable. He is earning $7 an hour, and now he has more than $500 in fines.  Nobody explained it to him and he had no way of knowing.\n\nCan you imagine being transported from a refugee camp in Africa to Houston, Texas? It must have been an extreme culture shock for these young men. And yet, they are greeted by two YMCA workers that speak to them in colloquial and fast English, even though the boys speak limited English, and it is not their primary language by far. And that is just the language gap. The film doesn\'t say much about these YMCA people, but it seems that they are clueless about the vast differences between someone from Sudan (who has survived trauma and has been living in a refugee camp) and someone who has been living in the U.S. all his or her life.\n\nIn the film, the boys are taken to an apartment, told that their rent will be paid for four months \"while they get on their feet,\" and seemingly, expected to fend for themselves without much guidance at all.\n\nThe documentary is a study in the contrasts between Americans and the Africans. Americans exhibit a very sheltered and ignorant view of the world.  The Africans quickly learn that they are different--not only from the white Americans but from the black Americans too. Their skin is darker, their culture is different.\n\nAs well-meaning as the YMCA and the others involved in the resettlement project were, they failed (miserably in my opinion) to consider how to properly communicate with the Lost Boys.  Good communication bridges differences. Bad communication forms barriers.\n\nTainted with cultural blindness, the Americans did not so much as consider how hard it would be to adjust to American society, or really, what it takes to navigate day-to-day interactions. The boys had never had jobs or earned money or paid rent or dealt with car insurance. And yet, they were left to deal with everything by themselves.\n\nWhat is worse is that the boys  came to America expecting to get an education. In the film, it seems their sponsors thought they should be grateful to get low skilled, low paying jobs.\n\nBecause expectations were not properly communicated and because the Americans did not take into consideration the needs of the Lost Boys, the film documents  a story of struggle and disaffection rather than of triumph and happiness. As hard as their lives were in Africa, it is not easier for them in the United States.\n\nTo me, this documentary illustrates perfectly how communication will fail if you don\'t consider your audience and its needs. Even the first decision of what language to use to communicate is a poor one. Communicating in English to people who barely speak the language is a recipe for failure.\n\nAre you considering your audience when you communicate? Or are you so focused on your message you are not checking to see if it i\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Lost in communication: the sad story of the Lost Boys of Sudan','','inherit','open','open','','2089-revision','','','2013-03-06 14:41:59','2013-03-06 14:41:59','',2089,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/2089-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2092,4,'2013-03-08 14:25:44','2013-03-08 14:25:44','Yesterday, somebody on Twitter asked me whether she should advertise on Facebook. I asked what she was trying to accomplish. Her answer was to get more readers to her blog. Is that enough information to decide whether it is worth it to advertise? Not at all.\r\n\r\nLet me preface the following by saying that I don\'t believe that you should do advertising on a case-by-case basis. It is much smarter to look at your overall marketing communications goals and have a plan to meet them. <strong>Advertising is a tactic</strong> that you should use to bolster your strategy.\r\n\r\n<strong>Goals (measurable is better)</strong>\r\n\r\nFirst, you have to figure out what your goal really is. In this case, the blog owner could say she would like to increase her readership by 10% (that is, if she has the numbers for her current readership).  But the real question is why? Why does she want more readers? What will having more readers mean? Depending on your type of organization,  it could mean increased sales or donations or votes.\r\n\r\n<strong>Target audience</strong>\r\n\r\nSecond, you have to figure out exactly who your audience is and where you can find them.\r\n\r\n<strong>Budget</strong>\r\n\r\nThird, you have to figure out your advertising budget. Throwing a few dollars here and a few dollars there is not a budget. Advertising is an investment in your business. How much are you able or willing to invest?\r\n\r\n<strong>Trial</strong>\r\n\r\nFourth, once you have done your homework (if you know your audience, you have a target, you have budgeted a certain amount) then you are ready to try advertising.\r\n\r\n<strong>Tracking and measurement</strong>\r\n\r\nLastly, once you are running a campaign, you will need to pay special attention to your metrics.  Where are people finding you from? How will you track it?\r\n\r\nFiguring out how to do advertising is not a science. There is art to it. I know, I  was a media buyer eons ago, and I learned that some things look great on paper but don\'t work out. You can analyze CPM (cost per thousand) all you want, but sometimes, you have to let your instinct guide you.  Also, just because something is affordable, doesn\'t mean you should include it in your advertising plan. Sometimes, you don\'t know until you try it!\r\n\r\nIf you want help figuring out your advertising plan, <a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/contact/\">contact me</a>.  Advertising planning is a process, which should be part of your overall communications plan.','To advertise or not to advertise','','publish','open','open','','to-advertise-or-not-to-advertise','','','2013-03-08 14:25:44','2013-03-08 14:25:44','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2092',0,'post','',0),(2093,4,'2013-03-08 14:25:35','2013-03-08 14:25:35','Yesterday, somebody on Twitter asked me whether she should advertise on Facebook. I asked what she was trying to accomplish. Her answer was to get more readers to her blog. Is that enough information to decide whether it is worth it to advertise? Not at all.\n\nLet me preface the following by saying that I don\'t believe that you should do advertising on a case-by-case basis. It is much smarter to look at your overall marketing communications goals and have a plan to meet them. <strong>Advertising is a tactic</strong> that you should use to bolster your strategy.\n\n<strong>Goals (measurable is better)</strong>\n\nFirst, you have to figure out what your goal really is. In this case, the blog owner could say she would like to increase her readership by 10% (that is, if she has the numbers for her current readership).  But the real question is why? Why does she want more readers? What will having more readers mean? Depending on your type of organization,  it could mean increased sales or donations or votes.\n\n<strong>Target audience</strong>\n\nSecond, you have to figure out exactly who your audience is and where you can find them.\n\n<strong>Budget</strong>\n\nThird, you have to figure out your advertising budget. Throwing a few dollars here and a few dollars there is not a budget. Advertising is an investment in your business. How much are you able or willing to invest?\n\n<strong>Trial</strong>\n\nFourth, once you have done your homework (if you know your audience, you have a target, you have budgeted a certain amount) then you are ready to try advertising.\n\n<strong>Tracking and measurement</strong>\n\nLastly, once you are running a campaign, you will need to pay special attention to your metrics.  Where are people finding you from? How will you track it?\n\nFiguring out how to do advertising is not a science. There is art to it. I know, I  was a media buyer eons ago, and I learned that some things look great on paper but don\'t work out. You can analyze CPM (cost per thousand) all you want, but sometimes, you have to let your instinct guide you.  Also, just because something is affordable, doesn\'t mean you should include it in your advertising plan. Sometimes, you don\'t know until you try it!\n\nIf you want help figuring out your advertising plan, <a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/contact/\">contact me</a>.  Advertising planning is a process, which should be part of your overall communications plan.','To advertise or not to advertise','','inherit','open','open','','2092-revision','','','2013-03-08 14:25:35','2013-03-08 14:25:35','',2092,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/2092-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2095,4,'2013-03-12 15:45:20','2013-03-12 15:45:20','It is not an exaggeration to say that blogs can help change the world. Take, for example blogger (and dissident) Yoani Sanchez.  Since 2007, Yoani has been an outspoken critic of the situation in Cuba on her blog Generacion Y.  She has attracted worldwide attention and is currently on tour, <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/yoani-sanchez-dissident-cuban-blogger-behind-generation-y-goes-on-tour/2013/03/11/c505af4c-8a75-11e2-a88e-461ffa2e34e4_story_1.html\" target=\"_blank\">as reported in the Washington Post toda</a>y.\n\nAnd then there is A<a href=\"http://aiweiwei.com/\" target=\"_blank\">i Weiwei,</a> the Chinese artist  who has been using his blog (and Twitter) to document the China\'s governmental cover up of shoddy building codes that led to the the death of more than 5,000 schoolchildren in the aftermath of the devastating 2008 earthquake.\n\nBoth Sanchez and Ai Weiwei live in repressive societies where the government controls mass media. Both were able to use blogs, because they are self-published mass media outlets, to get their message and thoughts out to the world. By  providing an alternative news/opinion source, not only to their fellow citizens, but to the world, they are shining a bright spotlight that would otherwise not exist.\n\nBlogs are powerful. They allow you to communicate your thoughts to people everywhere around the world. You can use words, photos, video or even music with few barriers, at a low monetary cost (and sometimes, even free).\n\nIf you really want to make an impact, there is no better nor a more direct way than on your own blog.\n\n&nbsp;','Blogs can help change the world','','inherit','open','open','','2094-revision','','','2013-03-12 15:45:20','2013-03-12 15:45:20','',2094,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/2094-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2096,4,'2013-03-12 15:46:41','2013-03-12 15:46:41','It is not an exaggeration to say that blogs can help change the world. Take, for example blogger (and dissident) Yoani Sanchez.  Since 2007, Yoani has been an outspoken critic of the situation in Cuba on her blog Generacion Y.  She has attracted worldwide attention and is currently on tour, <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/yoani-sanchez-dissident-cuban-blogger-behind-generation-y-goes-on-tour/2013/03/11/c505af4c-8a75-11e2-a88e-461ffa2e34e4_story_1.html\" target=\"_blank\">as reported in the Washington Post toda</a>y.\n\nAnd then there is A<a href=\"http://aiweiwei.com/\" target=\"_blank\">i Weiwei,</a> the Chinese artist  who has been using his blog (and Twitter) to document the China\'s governmental cover up of shoddy building codes that led to the the death of more than 5,000 schoolchildren in the aftermath of the devastating 2008 earthquake.\n\nBoth Sanchez and Ai Weiwei live in repressive societies where the government controls mass media. Both were able to use blogs, because they are self-published mass media outlets, to get their message and thoughts out to the world. By  providing an alternative news/opinion source, not only to their fellow citizens, but to the world, they are shining a bright spotlight that would otherwise not exist.\n\nBlogs are powerful. They allow you to communicate your thoughts to people everywhere around the world. You can use words, photos, video or even music with few barriers, at a low monetary cost (and sometimes, even free).\n\nIf you really want to make an impact, there is no better nor a more direct way than on your own blog.\n\n&nbsp;','Blogs can help change the world','','inherit','open','open','','2094-autosave','','','2013-03-12 15:46:41','2013-03-12 15:46:41','',2094,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/2094-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2109,4,'2013-03-25 14:58:56','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Brands like Starbucks or Coke have thousands of followers on social media because people like their products or services. I would argue that mass appeal brands don\'t have to do much to be like-able because their offering is what people already like. However, the rest of us have to work a bit harder. People don\'t know us and they have to be convinced.\r\n\r\nLately, I have seen several small agencies practically begging for followers on Twitter. It seems to me that if these organizations were more \"like-able\" they would not feel the need to ask for followers.\r\n\r\nAre you (or your organization) like-able?\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>First, are you on social media? How can people like you on Facebook if you aren\'t there?</li>\r\n	<li>Are you sharing valuable or interesting content?</li>\r\n	<li>Are you interacting?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nOr, are you doing the following things (these are my particular pet peeves and reasons why I have stopped following people):\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Posting too little or too much</li>\r\n	<li>Using obscenity</li>\r\n	<li>Complaining all the time</li>\r\n	<li>Never responding</li>\r\n	<li>Auto posting</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nLike-ability is really about manners and common-sense.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you like-able?','','draft','open','open','','','','','2013-03-25 14:58:56','2013-03-25 14:58:56','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2109',0,'post','',0),(2099,4,'2013-03-14 13:00:34','2013-03-14 13:00:34','I am sure you have probably seen Microsoft\'s ad campaign against Google, where the company claims you are getting \"scroogled\" by Google. It is clever, and has some basis in reality. If you haven\'t, one of the ads is for Outlook.com, which is being presented as an alternative to Gmail. The ad implies that Google is reading your \"private\" email to be able to target advertising to you.\r\n\r\nI am not sure Microsoft is the correct alternative to Google, but I think they are on to something with the term \"scroogled.\" Google, which is ubiquitous, is desperately trying to get more people on its (useless in my opinion) Google Plus platform. To force you to join, they are now killing the extremely useful Google Reader.\r\n\r\nI have been using Google Reader for years, and often advise attendees to my blogging workshops that they should set up a reader. I also think readers are the only way to keep up with blogs, since you may follow dozens (if not hundreds). Readers give you one place to see what is new. If you only follow one or two blogs, then getting email updates works.\r\n\r\n<strong>Alternatives to Google Reader: Get one ASAP!</strong>\r\n\r\nIn any case, Google Reader will be gone as of July 1.  Luckily, there are some alternatives out there. Here are some reviews and compilations for you to check out:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-57574201-233/google-reader-is-dying-but-we-have-five-worthy-alternatives/\" target=\"_blank\">CNET: 5 Worthy Alternatives</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://siliconangle.com/blog/2013/02/11/6-alternatives-to-the-dying-google-reader/\" target=\"_blank\">Silicon Angle: 6 Alternatives to the Dying Google Reader</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://lifehacker.com/5990456/google-reader-is-getting-shut-down-here-are-the-best-alternatives\" target=\"_blank\">Lifehacker: Google Reader is Shutting Down; Here Are the Best Alternatives</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t get \"scroogled!\"</strong>\r\n\r\nThe lesson I draw from this is that any free service is free to let you down in the end.  Many individuals and organizations put all their eggs in the proverbial free basket, and will suffer the consequences when organizations like Google and Facebook change the rules of the road whenever they like.  My advice is to make sure you own your own website or blog (don\'t depend on Blogger or Wordpress.com), have your own email (which you can usually get when you have your own domain and web hosting) and have alternatives to the free behemoths, which after all have their own agenda to push and ultimately, don\'t care about your needs and wants.\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts? Do you feel that Google is treating you fairly?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Getting \"scroogled\"','','publish','open','open','','getting-scroogled','','','2013-03-14 13:00:34','2013-03-14 13:00:34','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2099',0,'post','',0),(2100,4,'2013-03-14 12:59:52','2013-03-14 12:59:52','I am sure you have probably seen Microsoft\'s ad campaign against Google, where the company claims you are getting \"scroogled\" by Google. It is clever, and has some basis in reality. If you haven\'t, one of the ads is for Outlook.com, which is being presented as an alternative to Gmail. The ad implies that Google is reading your \"private\" email to be able to target advertising to you.\n\nI am not sure Microsoft is the correct alternative to Google, but I think they are on to something with the term \"scroogled.\" Google, which is ubiquitous, is desperately trying to get more people on its (useless in my opinion) Google Plus platform. To force you to join, they are now killing the extremely useful Google Reader.\n\nI have been using Google Reader for years, and often advise attendees to my blogging workshops that they should set up a reader. I also think readers are the only way to keep up with blogs, since you may follow dozens (if not hundreds). Readers give you one place to see what is new. If you only follow one or two blogs, then getting email updates works.\n\n<strong>Alternatives to Google Reader: Get one ASAP!</strong>\n\nIn any case, Google Reader will be gone as of July 1.  Luckily, there are some alternatives out there. Here are some reviews and compilations for you to check out:\n\n<a href=\"http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-57574201-233/google-reader-is-dying-but-we-have-five-worthy-alternatives/\" target=\"_blank\">CNET: 5 Worthy Alternatives</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://siliconangle.com/blog/2013/02/11/6-alternatives-to-the-dying-google-reader/\" target=\"_blank\">Silicon Angle: 6 Alternatives to the Dying Google Reader</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://lifehacker.com/5990456/google-reader-is-getting-shut-down-here-are-the-best-alternatives\" target=\"_blank\">Lifehacker: Google Reader is Shutting Down; Here Are the Best Alternatives</a>\n\n<strong>Don\'t get \"scroogled!\"</strong>\n\nThe lesson I draw from this is that any free service is free to let you down in the end.  Many individuals and organizations put all their eggs in the proverbial free basket, and will suffer the consequences when organizations like Google and Facebook change the rules of the road whenever they like.  My advice is to make sure you own your own website or blog (don\'t depend on Blogger or Wordpress.com), have your own email (which you can usually get when you have your own domain and web hosting) and have alternatives to the free behemoths, which after all have their own agenda to push and ultimately, don\'t care about your needs and wants.\n\nWhat are your thoughts? Do you feel that Google is treating you fairly?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Getting \"scroogled\"','','inherit','open','open','','2099-revision','','','2013-03-14 12:59:52','2013-03-14 12:59:52','',2099,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/2099-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2102,4,'2013-03-18 13:20:52','2013-03-18 13:20:52','There\'s no doubt that online reviews are influential. There are specialized review sites like Trip Advisor and then there\'s the seemingly all-purpose Yelp. I admit I read reviews and have been swayed about staying at a hotel or eating a restaurant because of what other people say, and that is the point.\r\n\r\n<strong>As a business, should part of your marketing efforts be to solicit reviews?</strong>\r\n\r\nLet\'s start with the fact that reviews will happen whether you solicit them or not. Sadly, because of our passive-aggressive culture, it\'s become more likely that an unsatisfied customer will take to social media to complain about your service. Which is to say, that if you give bad service, you will most likely get negative reviews.\r\n\r\nHowever, negative reviews are always balanced out by positive reviews. If, as a consumer, you are researching anything, you will read both the good and the bad reviews. Most people will be able to identify disgruntled employees or nit-picky reviewers.  If most of the reviews are positive, you will discount the few reviews that are negative. Likewise, if most of the reviews are negative, you will discount the reviews that are positive. The lesson here is that genuine, positive reviews are important.\r\n\r\nWhat generates positive reviews? Good service or product! As a business, you will need to focus most of your energy on providing positive experiences for your customers. If you don\'t, whether you solicit them or not, you will get negative reviews.\r\n\r\n<strong>There is a difference between feedback and reviews</strong>\r\n\r\nI recently had my hair cut at a salon I have gone to for a couple of years. The salon actively pursues online engagement. After my appointment, I got an email from the salon asking to provide feedback. The \"feedback\" was actually a link to give an online review.  I was in a quandary. I had a bad experience this time: the receptionist was unhelpful and confused; I was made to wait 30 minutes; and the water was cool (on a very cold day) when they washed my hair. My stylist tried to make it better by giving me a discount and comping me a bottle of shampoo. But I thought management needed to know that things were not working well.  Is the best way for me to give them a one or two-star review? Is that going to communicate to the salon something is wrong?\r\n\r\n<strong>Businesses should actively solicit feedback AND positive reviews. They are not the same.</strong> In the hair salon\'s case, they are confusing feedback and online reviews.\r\n\r\nA better way to get BOTH is to say something like:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">We are committed to providing the best possible service. If we did not meet your expectations, please contact (manager). We want to know how to improve our service!</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">If you enjoyed the service today, we\'d love if you reviewed us here (link to the site).</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Thanks for your patronage.</p>\r\n<strong>The answer then is yes, you should solicit positive reviews, but don\'t think of that as feedback. You need to be aware of what is wrong so that you can fix it.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat are your thoughts about online reviews? Is it part of your marketing to solicit them?','Should you solicit online reviews?','','publish','open','open','','should-you-solicit-online-reviews','','','2013-03-18 13:20:52','2013-03-18 13:20:52','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2102',0,'post','',0),(2103,4,'2013-03-18 13:19:19','2013-03-18 13:19:19','There\'s no doubt that online reviews are influential. There are specialized review sites like Trip Advisor and then there\'s the seemingly all-purpose Yelp. I admit I read reviews and have been swayed about staying at a hotel or eating a restaurant because of what other people say, and that is the point.\n\n<strong>As a business, should part of your marketing efforts be to solicit reviews?</strong>\n\nLet\'s start with the fact that reviews will happen whether you solicit them or not. Sadly, because of our passive-aggressive culture, it\'s become more likely that an unsatisfied customer will take to social media to complain about your service. Which is to say, that if you give bad service, you will most likely get negative reviews.\n\nHowever, negative reviews are always balanced out by positive reviews. If, as a consumer, you are researching anything, you will read both the good and the bad reviews. Most people will be able to identify disgruntled employees or nit-picky reviewers.  If most of the reviews are positive, you will discount the few reviews that are negative. Likewise, if most of the reviews are negative, you will discount the reviews that are positive. The lesson here is that genuine, positive reviews are important.\n\nWhat generates positive reviews? Good service or product! As a business, you will need to focus most of your energy on providing positive experiences for your customers. If you don\'t, whether you solicit them or not, you will get negative reviews.\n\n<strong>There is a difference between feedback and reviews</strong>\n\nI recently had my hair cut at a salon I have gone to for a couple of years. The salon actively pursues online engagement. After my appointment, I got an email from the salon asking to provide feedback. The \"feedback\" was actually a link to give an online review.  I was in a quandary. I had a bad experience this time: the receptionist was unhelpful and confused; I was made to wait 30 minutes; and the water was cool (on a very cold day) when they washed my hair. My stylist tried to make it better by giving me a discount and comping me a bottle of shampoo. But I thought management needed to know that things were not working well.  Is the best way for me to give them a one or two-star review? Is that going to communicate to the salon something is wrong?\n\n<strong>Businesses should actively solicit feedback AND positive reviews. They are not the same.</strong> In the hair salon\'s case, they are confusing feedback and online reviews.\n\nA better way to get BOTH is to say something like:\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">We are committed to providing the best possible service. If we did not meet your expectations, please contact (manager). We want to know how to improve our service!</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">If you enjoyed the service today, we\'d love if you reviewed us here (link to the site).</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Thanks for your patronage.</p>\n<strong>The answer then is yes, you should solicit positive reviews, but don\'t think of that as feedback. You need to be aware of what is wrong so that you can fix it.</strong>\n\nWhat are your thoughts about online reviews? Is it part of your marketing to solicit them?','Should you solicit online reviews?','','inherit','open','open','','2102-revision','','','2013-03-18 13:19:19','2013-03-18 13:19:19','',2102,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/2102-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2111,4,'2013-03-28 14:56:12','2013-03-28 14:56:12','I know a scholar who is very smart and informed and yet, this scholar doesn\'t ever ask for or listen to marketing advice. A few years ago, this person, who had written a couple books, decided to launch a website. I met with her after she had already done it. She wanted some feedback. I thought she should have a blog. But, she couldn\'t add one since her site had been built in Dreamweaver. I wished she had asked my opinion  before she created her site.\r\n\r\nThis scholar sends out weekly email blasts. She does not have sharing capabilities on her emails. I have advised her time and again that she could get the word out even farther if she would add the ability to share on Facebook (where she has a presence). But she either doesn\'t care or doesn\'t think my advice is worthwhile.\r\n\r\nI have stopped giving her any advice. It is clear that she thinks she knows enough about marketing herself to ask me (or anyone) for help.\r\n\r\nIn any aspect of life it is helpful to know (and acknowledge) your strengths and weaknesses.  You play to your strengths and get help in the areas you are weak. For example, say you have great ideas but can\'t spell for your life.  If you are blogging, you know you need to get an editor to read over your stuff.\r\n\r\nIn the scholar\'s case, her weakness is marketing (and social media). She should acknowledge that and get help (or at least listen to advice).\r\n\r\nWe may not know our strengths and weaknesses, but we should work to find out what they are and act appropriately. Get feedback (listen to feedback!).\r\n\r\nThoughts?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Know your strengths and weaknesses','','publish','open','open','','know-your-strengths-and-weaknesses','','','2013-03-28 14:56:12','2013-03-28 14:56:12','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2111',0,'post','',0),(2114,4,'2013-04-01 13:43:49','2013-04-01 13:43:49','For many, April 1 is April Fools Day, and they act accordingly foolish. For others, it is Opening Day for Major League Baseball, and they make plans to attend a game.  For some, April 1 may simply be the start to a new month or the second quarter of the year.\r\n\r\nMy point is that just because for you April 1 means pulling stupid  pranks on people or going to the ballpark it does not mean other people share your views. As a communicator or marketer, you have to be sure that your target audience will get or share the prism with which you see the world.\r\n\r\nCorporations use holidays/special days in their advertising all the time. Maybe it\'s Easter or Christmas, or Valentine\'s Day or MLK Day. Those days may or may not resonate with your target audience. It is your job as a communicator to make sure that you are not losing your audience by focusing on the wrong thing.\r\n\r\nLast week, a local DC organization (which I will not name because it certainly does not deserve publicity) thought it would get a jump on April Fools, so it pranked its membership. In my mind, it made the organization look juvenile. I am sure to the organization\'s leadership it was a harmless joke--just having a bit of fun.\r\n\r\nHowever you choose to celebrate April  1, take a moment to check whether your audience understands and embraces that. The Onion is expected to make an April Fools joke, but is CNN?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What does April 1 mean to you?','','publish','open','open','','what-does-april-1-mean-to-you','','','2013-04-01 13:43:49','2013-04-01 13:43:49','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2114',0,'post','',0),(2107,4,'2013-03-21 15:25:48','2013-03-21 15:25:48','<strong>You must provide enough information whenever you expect an answer from someone.</strong> It seems fairly simple doesn\'t it? And yet, look at this email I received a couple of days ago:\r\n<blockquote>Deborah,\r\nHope you\'re well. We\'re looking for some freelance technical/medical writers and I thought you might be interested or might know some people. We have some general needs and a very specific need for someone in Boston.\r\n[name]</blockquote>\r\nNo email signature with contact information or point of reference here. I do not know the sender--have never met him or even heard of him. Did he find me on LinkedIn, doing a web search or what? No clue.\r\n\r\nI looked up the sender based on his email address, and found out he is the president (!!!!) of what looks to be an advertising agency (very confusing website...that is another blog post) with presence in multiple states, not around where I am located.\r\n\r\nWould you respond to this person? After looking up, I did.  I sent back an email asking for more details. Guess what? He never responded.\r\n\r\nIf you are prospecting for clients or consultants or anything else, you need to provide information, like:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Complete contact information</li>\r\n	<li>How you found or know of the prospect</li>\r\n	<li>What you are looking for specifically</li>\r\n	<li>How to respond</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nDo you have an email template that you use when prospecting? What information do you provide?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Are you providing enough information?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-providing-enough-information','','','2013-03-21 15:25:48','2013-03-21 15:25:48','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2107',0,'post','',0),(2108,4,'2013-03-21 15:24:04','2013-03-21 15:24:04','<strong>You must provide enough information whenever you expect an answer from someone.</strong> It seems fairly simple doesn\'t it? And yet, look at this email I received a couple of days ago:\n<blockquote>Deborah,\nHope you\'re well. We\'re looking for some freelance technical/medical writers and I thought you might be interested or might know some people. We have some general needs and a very specific need for someone in Boston.\n[name]</blockquote>\nNo email signature with contact information or point of reference here. I do not know the sender--have never met him or even heard of him. Did he find me on LinkedIn, doing a web search or what? No clue.\n\nI looked up the sender based on his email address, and found out he is the president (!!!!) of what looks to be an advertising agency (very confusing website...that is another blog post) with presence in multiple states, not around where I am located.\n\nWould you respond to this person? After looking up, I did.  I sent back an email asking for more details. Guess what? He never responded.\n\nIf you are prospecting for clients or consultants or anything else, you need to provide information, like:\n<ul>\n	<li>Complete contact information</li>\n	<li>How you found or know of the prospect</li>\n	<li>What you are looking for specifically</li>\n	<li>How to respond</li>\n</ul>\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Are you providing enough information?','','inherit','open','open','','2107-revision','','','2013-03-21 15:24:04','2013-03-21 15:24:04','',2107,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/2107-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2110,4,'2013-03-25 14:58:40','2013-03-25 14:58:40','Brands like Starbucks or Coke have thousands of followers on social media because people like their products or services. I would argue that mass appeal brands don\'t have to do much to be like-able because their offering is what people already like. However, the rest of us have to work a bit harder. People don\'t know us and they have to be convinced.\n\nLately, I have seen several small agencies practically begging for followers on Twitter. It seems to me that if these organizations were more \"like-able\" they would not feel the need to ask for followers.\n\nAre you (or your organization) like-able?\n<ul>\n	<li>First, are you on social media? How can people like you on Facebook if you aren\'t there?</li>\n	<li>Are you sharing valuable or interesting content?</li>\n	<li>Are you interacting?</li>\n</ul>\nOr, are you doing the following things (these are my particular pet peeves and reasons why I have stopped following people):\n<ul>\n	<li>Posting too little or too much</li>\n	<li>Using obscenity</li>\n	<li>Complaining all the time</li>\n	<li>Never responding</li>\n	<li>Auto posting</li>\n</ul>\nLike-ability is really about manners and common-sense.\n\n&nbsp;','Are you like-able?','','inherit','open','open','','2109-revision','','','2013-03-25 14:58:40','2013-03-25 14:58:40','',2109,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/2109-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2112,4,'2013-03-28 14:55:28','2013-03-28 14:55:28','I know a scholar who is very smart and informed and yet, this scholar doesn\'t ever ask for or listen to marketing advice. A few years ago, this person, who had written a couple books, decided to launch a website. I met with her after she had already done it. She wanted some feedback. I thought she should have a blog. But, she couldn\'t add one since her site had been built in Dreamweaver. I wished she had asked my opinion  before she created her site.\n\nThis scholar sends out weekly email blasts. She does not have sharing capabilities on her emails. I have advised her time and again that she could get the word out even farther if she would add the ability to share on Facebook (where she has a presence). But she either doesn\'t care or doesn\'t think my advice is worthwhile.\n\nI have stopped giving her any advice. It is clear that she thinks she knows enough about marketing herself to ask me (or anyone) for help.\n\nIn any aspect of life it is helpful to know (and acknowledge) your strengths and weaknesses.  You play to your strengths and get help in the areas you are weak. For example, say you have great ideas but can\'t spell for your life.  If you are blogging, you know you need to get an editor to read over your stuff.\n\nIn the scholar\'s case, her weakness is marketing (and social media). She should acknowledge that and get help (or at least listen to advice).\n\nWe may not know our strengths and weaknesses, but we should work to\n\n&nbsp;','Know your strengths and weaknesses','','inherit','open','open','','2111-revision','','','2013-03-28 14:55:28','2013-03-28 14:55:28','',2111,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/2111-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2113,4,'2013-03-28 14:57:34','2013-03-28 14:57:34','I know a scholar who is very smart and informed and yet, this scholar doesn\'t ever ask for or listen to marketing advice. A few years ago, this person, who had written a couple books, decided to launch a website. I met with her after she had already done it. She wanted some feedback. I thought she should have a blog. But, she couldn\'t add one since her site had been built in Dreamweaver. I wished she had asked my opinion  before she created her site.\n\nThis scholar sends out weekly email blasts. She does not have sharing capabilities on her emails. I have advised her time and again that she could get the word out even farther if she would add the ability to share on Facebook (where she has a presence). But she either doesn\'t care or doesn\'t think my advice is worthwhile.\n\nI have stopped giving her any advice. It is clear that she thinks she knows enough about marketing herself to ask me (or anyone) for help.\n\nIn any aspect of life it is helpful to know (and acknowledge) your strengths and weaknesses.  You play to your strengths and get help in the areas you are weak. For example, say you have great ideas but can\'t spell for your life.  If you are blogging, you know you need to get an editor to read over your stuff.\n\nIn the scholar\'s case, her weakness is marketing (and social media). She should acknowledge that and get help (or at least listen to advice).\n\nWe may not know our strengths and weaknesses, but we should work to find out what they are and act appropriately. Get feedback (listen to feedback!).\n\nThoughts?\n\n&nbsp;','Know your strengths and weaknesses','','inherit','open','open','','2111-autosave','','','2013-03-28 14:57:34','2013-03-28 14:57:34','',2111,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/2111-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2115,4,'2013-04-01 13:43:35','2013-04-01 13:43:35','For many, April 1 is April Fools Day, and they act accordingly foolish. For others, it is Opening Day for Major League Baseball, and they make plans to attend a game.  For some, April 1 may simply be the start to a new month or the second quarter of the year.\n\nMy point is that just because for you April 1 means pulling stupid  pranks on people or going to the ballpark it does not mean other people share your views. As a communicator or marketer, you have to be sure that your target audience will get or share the prism with which you see the world.\n\nCorporations use holidays/special days in their advertising all the time. Maybe it\'s Easter or Christmas, or Valentine\'s Day or MLK Day. Those days may or may not resonate with your target audience. It is your job as a communicator to make sure that you are not losing your audience by focusing on the wrong thing.\n\nLast week, a local DC organization (which I will not name because it certainly does not deserve publicity) thought it would get a jump on April Fools, so it pranked its membership. In my mind, it made the organization look juvenile. I am sure to the organization\'s leadership it was a harmless joke--just having a bit of fun.\n\nHowever you choose to celebrate April  1, take a moment to check whether your audience understands and embraces that. The Onion is expected to make an April Fools joke, but is CNN?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','What does April 1 mean to you?','','inherit','open','open','','2114-revision','','','2013-04-01 13:43:35','2013-04-01 13:43:35','',2114,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2114-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2132,4,'2013-04-17 13:55:44','2013-04-17 13:55:44','So many people don\'t ever get their blogs off the ground because of various fears: fear of not knowing what to write, fear of not having enough content, fear of writing itself. Well, you can conquer those fears by attending my <strong>\"How to write your blog\"</strong> workshop. I cover what you should write about, how to come up with ideas and inspiration and getting the blog post written.\r\n\r\nThe next <strong>blogging workshop will take place on Friday, May 17 starting at 9:30 a.m</strong>. This time, I am traveling across the state lines Virginia to hold the workshop at <a href=\"http://linklocale.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Link Locale</a>, a co-working space in Clarendon.  Also new this time is that I am offering an discounted price for early registration of $70 if you register by May 1. After that, the price goes up to $79.\r\n\r\nMore details and registration are available at the <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Eventbrite </a>page.\r\n\r\nHope to see you there!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Learn how to write your blog ','','inherit','open','open','','2128-revision-4','','','2013-04-17 13:55:44','2013-04-17 13:55:44','',2128,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2128-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2117,4,'2013-04-05 17:19:37','2013-04-05 17:19:37','This past week, I got four or five calls/messages from a guy at a car dealership saying he had the information I requested. Trouble is, I didn\'t request the information. The guy most likely had the wrong phone number. His message was not reaching the right person.\r\n\r\nIf you want to communicate a message, you have to make sure that you are reaching your target audience, whether it is a one-to-one interaction or a specific demographic group.\r\n\r\nWhat can we learn from the dealership guy?\r\n\r\n<strong>First, get the details and information that you need.</strong> In this case, the dealership guy had the wrong phone number. If you want to communicate with any audience, it is important that you know where they are and how to reach them.\r\n\r\n<strong>Second, if you aren\'t getting a response, check why.</strong> This guy left me four messages. The fact that I wasn\'t getting back to him did not seem to trigger the realization that he was calling the wrong person. For marketing communications, you may want to check the reach of the channel you are using, or whether the message is appropriate to your target audience.\r\n\r\n<strong>Third, pay attention!</strong> If the dealership guy had bothered to pay attention to my voice mail message he might have realized he was calling the wrong person. Many marketers are, like him, going through the motions. If the playbook says, contact someone three times or run an ad for a month, that is what these inattentive marketers are doing, regardless of effectiveness.\r\n\r\nAre you sure your message is getting through to your intended target audience?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Is your message reaching the right person?','','publish','open','open','','is-your-message-reaching-the-right-person','','','2013-04-05 17:19:37','2013-04-05 17:19:37','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2117',0,'post','',0),(2118,4,'2013-04-05 17:18:54','2013-04-05 17:18:54','This past week, I got four or five calls/messages from a guy at a car dealership saying he had the information I requested. Trouble is, I didn\'t request the information. The guy most likely had the wrong phone number. His message was not reaching the right person.\n\nIf you want to communicate a message, you have to make sure that you are reaching your target audience, whether it is a one-to-one interaction or a specific demographic group.\n\nWhat can we learn from the dealership guy?\n\n<strong>First, get the details and information that you need.</strong> In this case, the dealership guy had the wrong phone number. If you want to communicate with any audience, it is important that you know where they are and how to reach them.\n\n<strong>Second, if you aren\'t getting a response, check why.</strong> This guy left me four messages. The fact that I wasn\'t getting back to him did not seem to trigger the realization that he was calling the wrong person. For marketing communications, you may want to check the reach of the channel you are using, or whether the message is appropriate to your target audience.\n\n<strong>Third, pay attention!</strong> If the dealership guy had bothered to pay attention to my voice mail message he might have realized he was calling the wrong person. Many marketers are, like him, going through the motions. If the playbook says, contact someone three times or run an ad for a month, that is what theseinattentive marketers are doing, regardless of effectiveness.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Is your message reaching the right person?','','inherit','open','open','','2117-revision','','','2013-04-05 17:18:54','2013-04-05 17:18:54','',2117,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2117-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2120,4,'2013-04-10 18:02:44','2013-04-10 18:02:44','<em>Note: The following applies to business or organizational blogs not personal blogs.</em>\r\n\r\nWhat makes so many blogs fun to read is that they are more personal than other forms of communication. Since there are few (or no) editorial layers, most blogs are more frank and more conversational than other types of writing.\r\n\r\nBut there is a difference between showing your personality and being personal. I am certainly in favor of showing personality. If you like to compare everything to sports or music or movies, then do it. If you talk about your passions for cooking or travel, it makes you look like a well-rounded person.\r\n\r\nThere is also room for personal stories, as long as you are using them to illustrate a point or explain a position. What there is no room for, in my opinion, is really personal stuff that you would share with family and friends, but not with business acquaintances, such as a discussion of your latest mammogram or romantic break-up or philosophical musing.\r\n\r\nYes, I know you have a right to blog about whatever you like. This is especially true if you, like me, are a solopreneur or head of a very small company. Your business is personal...but your blog can\'t be. Remember why you are blogging---perhaps it is to help with thought leadership, lead generation and/or SEO. Ask yourself if the very personal post you are writing will advance or detract from that.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Is there a line? And if someone crosses that line on his/her blog, are there consequences? I would appreciate if you shared your thoughts in the comments.','Blogging: when is it too personal?','','publish','open','open','','blogging-when-is-it-too-personal','','','2013-04-10 18:02:44','2013-04-10 18:02:44','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2120',0,'post','',0),(2121,4,'2013-04-10 18:02:34','2013-04-10 18:02:34','<em>Note: The following applies to business or organizational blogs not personal blogs.</em>\n\nWhat makes so many blogs fun to read is that they are more personal than other forms of communication. Since there are few (or no) editorial layers, most blogs are more frank and more conversational than other types of writing.\n\nBut there is a difference between showing your personality and being personal. I am certainly in favor of showing personality. If you like to compare everything to sports or music or movies, then do it. If you talk about your passions for cooking or travel, it makes you look like a well-rounded person.\n\nThere is also room for personal stories, as long as you are using them to illustrate a point or explain a position. What there is no room for, in my opinion, is really personal stuff that you would share with family and friends, but not with business acquaintances, such as a discussion of your latest mammogram or romantic break-up or philosophical musing.\n\nYes, I know you have a right to blog about whatever you like. This is especially true if you, like me, are a solopreneur or head of a very small company. Your business is personal...but your blog can\'t be. Remember why you are blogging---perhaps it is to help with thought leadership, lead generation and/or SEO. Ask yourself if the very personal post you are writing will advance or detract from that.\n\nWhat do you think? Is there a line? And if someone crosses that line on his/her blog, are there consequences? I would appreciate if you shared your thoughts in the comments.','Blogging: when is it too personal?','','inherit','open','open','','2120-revision','','','2013-04-10 18:02:34','2013-04-10 18:02:34','',2120,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2120-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2122,4,'2013-04-10 18:03:48','2013-04-10 18:03:48','<em>Note: The following applies to business or organizational blogs not personal blogs.</em>\n\nWhat makes so many blogs fun to read is that they are more personal than other forms of communication. Since there are few (or no) editorial layers, most blogs are more frank and more conversational than other types of writing.\n\nBut there is a difference between showing your personality and being personal. I am certainly in favor of showing personality. If you like to compare everything to sports or music or movies, then do it. If you talk about your passions for cooking or travel, it makes you look like a well-rounded person.\n\nThere is also room for personal stories, as long as you are using them to illustrate a point or explain a position. What there is no room for, in my opinion, is really personal stuff that you would share with family and friends, but not with business acquaintances, such as a discussion of your latest mammogram or romantic break-up or philosophical musing.\n\nYes, I know you have a right to blog about whatever you like. This is especially true if you, like me, are a solopreneur or head of a very small company. Your business is personal...but your blog can\'t be. Remember why you are blogging---perhaps it is to help with thought leadership, lead generation and/or SEO. Ask yourself if the very personal post you are writing will advance or detract from that.\n\nWhat do you think? Is there a line? And if someone crosses that line on his/her blog, are there consequences? I would appreciate if you shared your thoughts in the comments.','Blogging: when is it too personal?','','inherit','open','open','','2120-autosave','','','2013-04-10 18:03:48','2013-04-10 18:03:48','',2120,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2120-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2123,4,'2013-03-01 14:28:01','2013-03-01 14:28:01','<h2>Current events:</h2>\r\nThere are no events currently scheduled.\r\n\r\nI am available to create customized trainings for your organization on the subjects of: blogging, business writing and messaging.\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-03-01 14:28:01','2013-03-01 14:28:01','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/03/1765-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(2124,4,'2013-04-15 20:53:43','2013-04-15 20:53:43','<h2>Current events:</h2>\r\n<strong>May 17, 2013</strong>: How to write your blog workshop. Registration and details here:\r\n<a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\"> http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#</a>\r\n\r\nI am available to create customized trainings for your organization on the subjects of: blogging, business writing and messaging.\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-04-15 20:53:43','2013-04-15 20:53:43','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/1765-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(2125,4,'2013-04-16 13:26:37','2013-04-16 13:26:37','You have probably heard of Emotional Intelligence (EI), which is defined as the ability to perceive, evaluate and control emotions. EI is the ability to figure out how to respond appropriately to a situation.  There are people that rank low on the EI scale--they lack empathy or social skills. They may laugh inappropriately or not seem saddened by a tragic moment. And there are those who have high EI and are very adept at navigating human interactions.\r\n\r\nYesterday\'s attack on the Boston Marathon got me thinking about a variation of EI--what I am terming <strong>social media intelligence</strong>. The news was just awful, and coming out in dribs and drabs. On Twitter, there was a ton of  (mis)information. There was one bomb, then there were three. Was it domestic terrorism or did this have the hallmarks of Al Qaeda? Wild speculation abounded.\r\n\r\n<strong>The people who have social media intelligence were the ones had reasonable responses and tweets.</strong> Some asked people to check their sources before tweeting and some asked others to refrain from posting exceedingly graphic images.\r\n\r\nThose with<strong> low social media intelligence are the people that appear unaware how their communications affect their followers </strong>and who were busy re-tweeting thoughtlessly,  spreading rumors and even engaging in fear-mongering.\r\n\r\nAnother variation of low social media intelligence was being unaware that a big news event was happening and tweeting/posting about mundane, unrelated stuff. Unfortunately some of these are communications folks who have automated posts to send out press releases and other announcements. There is little that is as jarring as reading about an upcoming event  (join us for a spectacular fun-filled evening!) when simultaneously finding out that the nation\'s oldest marathon has been targeted by terror. Some people (those with higher social media intelligence) called out this behavior.\r\n\r\nWhether EI is learned or you are born with it is an open question. Social media intelligence on the other hand, can most certainly be learned. In fact, in today\'s social media fueled information age, having this type of intelligence is an essential skill. Here are a few guidelines:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Be aware of what is going on and act accordingly. Don\'t post without checking your feeds.</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t assume that everything you see on social media is true and deserving of re-posting. Double-check facts and sources.</li>\r\n	<li>Every social media network is different--post accordingly. Perhaps your personal trials and tribulations are best left to Facebook and taken off LinkedIn.</li>\r\n	<li>Remember that people can see your posts both in real-time and in the future.</li>\r\n	<li>Discussions on social media are not all about you. Remember the social in social media.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhat would you add? What makes someone have social media intelligence? What are examples of lacking or having social media intelligence?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Social media intelligence is an essential skill','','publish','open','open','','social-media-intelligence-is-an-essential-skill','','','2013-04-16 13:26:37','2013-04-16 13:26:37','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2125',0,'post','',1),(2126,4,'2013-04-16 13:25:55','2013-04-16 13:25:55','You have probably heard of Emotional Intelligence (EI), which is defined as the ability to perceive, evaluate and control emotions. EI is the ability to figure out how to respond appropriately to a situation.  There are people that rank low on the EI scale--they lack empathy or social skills. They may laugh inappropriately or not seem saddened by a tragic moment. And there are those who have high EI and are very adept at navigating human interactions.\n\nYesterday\'s attack on the Boston Marathon got me thinking about a variation of EI--what I am terming <strong>social media intelligence</strong>. The news was just awful, and coming out in dribs and drabs. On Twitter, there was a ton of  (mis)information. There was one bomb, then there were three. Was it domestic terrorism or did this have the hallmarks of Al Qaeda? Wild speculation abounded.\n\n<strong>The people who have social media intelligence were the ones had reasonable responses and tweets.</strong> Some asked people to check their sources before tweeting and some asked others to refrain from posting exceedingly graphic images.\n\nThose with<strong> low social media intelligence are the people that appear unaware how their communications affect their followers </strong>and who were busy re-tweeting thoughtlessly,  spreading rumors and even engaging in fear-mongering.\n\nAnother variation of low social media intelligence was being unaware that a big news event was happening and tweeting/posting about mundane, unrelated stuff. Unfortunately some of these are communications folks who have automated posts to send out press releases and other announcements. There is little that is as jarring as reading about an upcoming event  (join us for a spectacular fun-filled evening!) when simultaneously finding out that the nation\'s oldest marathon has been targeted by terror. Some people (those with higher social media intelligence) called out this behavior.\n\nWhether EI is learned or you are born with it is an open question. Social media intelligence on the other hand, can most certainly be learned. In fact, in today\'s social media fueled information age, having this type of intelligence is an essential skill. Here are a few guidelines:\n<ul>\n	<li>Be aware of what is going on and act accordingly. Don\'t post without checking your feeds.</li>\n	<li>Don\'t assume that everything you see on social media is true and deserving of re-posting. Double-check facts and sources.</li>\n	<li>Every social media network is different--post accordingly. Perhaps your personal trials and tribulations are best left to Facebook and taken off LinkedIn.</li>\n	<li>Remember that people can see your posts both in real-time and in the future.</li>\n	<li>Discussions on social media are not all about you. Remember the social in social media.</li>\n</ul>\nWhat would you add? What makes someone have social media intelligence? What are examples of lacking or having social media intelligence?\n\n&nbsp;','Social media intelligence is an essential skill','','inherit','open','open','','2125-revision','','','2013-04-16 13:25:55','2013-04-16 13:25:55','',2125,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2125-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2185,4,'2013-05-16 17:51:43','2013-05-16 17:51:43','Yesterday, I read Gini Dietrich\'s take on the state of the PR industry, <a href=\"http://spinsucks.com/communication/the-pr-industry-does-need-better-pr/\" target=\"_blank\">The PR Industry Does Need Better PR</a>, on her firm\'s blog, Spin Sucks. Basically, Gini points out that what people think they know about PR is wrong or misleading. It\'s her conclusion that what the PR industry needs is better PR.\n\n<strong>I think what the PR industry needs is better business skills.</strong>\n\nHave you been to a PR networking event lately? If you have, you\'ve probably noticed a lot of young people, mostly women. These young people often have inflated titles--including account manager, account director and even vice president--after being in the industry for three years or so. Many of these PR \"pros\" studied PR in college. Some may have even had an internship or two.\n\nYou may also have met a lot of former journalists who have decided they will have more job stability in public relations, while using their writing skills and knowledge of what is newsworthy.\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">What few of these PR people have is a solid understanding of business.</span> Few, if any, have gone to business school. Few, if any, understand basic marketing ideas like push-pull. Fewer still understand finance, balance sheets or even how to read and  intrepret data.\n\nLots of people are busy trying to figure out how to get the word out about an event, or how to have a great social media campaign, but what they are failing to see is the big picture--how public relations helps a company to achieve its business objectives.\n\nA big part of the disconnect that currently exists between public relations agencies and the business side of the industries served has to do with the separation between communications functions and marketing and sales roles. Even though public relations is part of marketing communications, public relations does not usually have a stake in marketing and sales processes and outcomes. Businesses may hire public relations agencies to help with image, but even then, the point usually is to increase the bottom line (i.e. sales in for profit organizations, influence or donors at nonprofit organizations).\n\nIn his article <a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/14477.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">3 reasons to find a new PR/social media</a>, Scott Signore states quite succinctly the following as his third reason:\n<blockquote><strong>Finally</strong>, despite the evolution in the category and the number of significant changes the PR business has endured over the years, it’s still about executing a communications program that helps drive business. So, look for another PR and social media agency partner if your current group is not directly supporting your business objectives.</blockquote>\nWhat Scott is saying is that if PR agencies are not helping companies achieve <strong>business objectives</strong> ,they should be fired.  They are not doing their fundamental job.\n\nAnd yet, as I said before, too many PR professionals simply do not understand business. All public relations pros should be reading business books or articles or watching business-focused programs. Those who want to be high-level agency executives should consider going to business school.\n\nWhat do you think? Is it a PR problem? Or is it a lack of business know-how?','Is it a PR problem or is it a business problem?','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision','','','2013-05-16 17:51:43','2013-05-16 17:51:43','',2184,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2184-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2128,4,'2013-04-17 13:55:44','2013-04-17 13:55:44','So many people don\'t ever get their blogs off the ground because of various fears: fear of not knowing what to write, fear of not having enough content, fear of writing itself. Well, you can conquer those fears by attending my <strong>\"How to write your blog\"</strong> workshop. I cover what you should write about, how to come up with ideas and inspiration and getting the blog post written.\r\n\r\nThe next <strong>blogging workshop will take place on Friday, May 17 starting at 9:30 a.m</strong>. This time, I am traveling across  state lines to Virginia to hold the workshop at <a href=\"http://linklocale.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Link Locale</a>, a co-working space in Clarendon.  Also new this time is that I am offering an discounted price for early registration of $70 if you register by May 1. After that, the price goes up to $79.\r\n\r\nMore details and registration are available at the <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Eventbrite </a>page.\r\n\r\nHope to see you there!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Learn how to write your blog ','','publish','open','open','','learn-how-to-write-your-blog','','','2013-04-18 14:57:11','2013-04-18 14:57:11','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2128',0,'post','',0),(2129,4,'2013-04-17 13:51:38','2013-04-17 13:51:38','So many people don\'t ever get their blogs off the ground because of various fears: fear of not knowing what to write, fear of not having enough content, fear of writing itself. Well, you can conquer those fears by attending my \"How to write your blog\" workshop. I cover what you should write about, how to come up with ideas and inspiration and getting the blog post written.\n\nThe next blogging workshop will take place on Friday, May 17 starting at 9:30 a.m. This time, I am traveling across the state lines Virginia to hold the workshop at <a href=\"http://linklocale.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Link Locale</a>, a co-working space in Clarendon.  Also new this time is that I am offering an discounted price for early registration of $70 if you register by May 1. After that, the price goes up to $79.\n\nMore details and registration are available at the <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Eventbrite </a>page.\n\nHope to see you there!\n\n&nbsp;','Learn how to write your blog ','','inherit','open','open','','2128-revision','','','2013-04-17 13:51:38','2013-04-17 13:51:38','',2128,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2128-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2130,4,'2013-04-17 13:54:13','2013-04-17 13:54:13','So many people don\'t ever get their blogs off the ground because of various fears: fear of not knowing what to write, fear of not having enough content, fear of writing itself. Well, you can conquer those fears by attending my \"How to write your blog\" workshop. I cover what you should write about, how to come up with ideas and inspiration and getting the blog post written.\r\n\r\nThe next blogging workshop will take place on Friday, May 17 starting at 9:30 a.m. This time, I am traveling across the state lines Virginia to hold the workshop at <a href=\"http://linklocale.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Link Locale</a>, a co-working space in Clarendon.  Also new this time is that I am offering an discounted price for early registration of $70 if you register by May 1. After that, the price goes up to $79.\r\n\r\nMore details and registration are available at the <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Eventbrite </a>page.\r\n\r\nHope to see you there!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Learn how to write your blog ','','inherit','open','open','','2128-revision-2','','','2013-04-17 13:54:13','2013-04-17 13:54:13','',2128,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2128-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2131,4,'2013-04-17 13:55:14','2013-04-17 13:55:14','So many people don\'t ever get their blogs off the ground because of various fears: fear of not knowing what to write, fear of not having enough content, fear of writing itself. Well, you can conquer those fears by attending my <strong>\"How to write your blog\"</strong> workshop. I cover what you should write about, how to come up with ideas and inspiration and getting the blog post written.\r\n\r\nThe next <strong>blogging workshop will take place on Friday, May 17 starting at 9:30 a.m</strong>. This time, I am traveling across the state lines Virginia to hold the workshop at <a href=\"http://linklocale.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Link Locale</a>, a co-working space in Clarendon.  Also new this time is that I am offering an discounted price for early registration of $70 if you register by May 1. After that, the price goes up to $79.\r\n\r\nMore details and registration are available at the <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Eventbrite </a>page.\r\n\r\nHope to see you there!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Learn how to write your blog ','','inherit','open','open','','2128-revision-3','','','2013-04-17 13:55:14','2013-04-17 13:55:14','',2128,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2128-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2133,4,'2013-04-19 14:55:35','2013-04-19 14:55:35','Honored to be featured on the<a href=\"http://fletcher-prince.com/2013/04/19/a-great-business-card-is-a-powerful-budget-marketing-tactic/\" target=\"_blank\"> Fletcher Prince blo</a>g, discussing business cards as a budget marketing tactic.\r\n\r\nHave you looked at your business card lately?','Check out my guest post at Fletcher Prince\'s blog','','publish','open','open','','check-out-my-guest-post-at-fletcher-princes-blog','','','2013-04-19 14:55:35','2013-04-19 14:55:35','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2133',0,'post','',0),(2134,4,'2013-04-19 14:55:23','2013-04-19 14:55:23','Honored to be featured on the<a href=\"http://fletcher-prince.com/2013/04/19/a-great-business-card-is-a-powerful-budget-marketing-tactic/\" target=\"_blank\"> Fletcher Prince blo</a>g, discussing business cards as a budget marketing tactic.\n\nHave you looked at your business card lately?','Check out my guest post at Fletcher Prince\'s blog','','inherit','open','open','','2133-revision','','','2013-04-19 14:55:23','2013-04-19 14:55:23','',2133,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2133-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2135,4,'2013-04-19 14:56:41','2013-04-19 14:56:41','Honored to be featured on the<a href=\"http://fletcher-prince.com/2013/04/19/a-great-business-card-is-a-powerful-budget-marketing-tactic/\" target=\"_blank\"> Fletcher Prince blo</a>g, discussing business cards as a budget marketing tactic.\n\nHave you looked at your business card lately?','Check out my guest post at Fletcher Prince\'s blog','','inherit','open','open','','2133-autosave','','','2013-04-19 14:56:41','2013-04-19 14:56:41','',2133,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2133-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2158,4,'2013-05-01 13:13:37','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Any marketing communications you engage in are there to support the business\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMany ex-journalists are turning to careers in PR.  After all, the journalism business is changing and demanding more from its practitioners. PR work requires many of the skills journalists have: writing, understanding (finding) the news value of a story, understanding how a newsroom works, and on. What many journalists don\'t have is a good understanding of business.\r\n\r\nPR is a function of marketing communications. Marketing communications is there to support the business, whether it is to generate sales, increase awareness, enhance a brand or other strategic business goals.','It\'s about business','','draft','open','open','','','','','2013-05-01 13:13:37','2013-05-01 13:13:37','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2158',0,'post','',0),(2137,4,'2013-04-22 20:17:58','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Besides physics, calculus and these are a few things I don\'t understand:\r\n\r\nHaving a social media profile (especially LinkedIn) with no photograph.\r\n\r\nPeople who want to be friends on Facebook and you don\'t know who they are.\r\n\r\nPeople who want to be friends on Facebook, but who never speak to you in person.\r\n\r\nPeople who only post to Facebook when they get engaged, married or have a child.\r\n\r\nSending LinkedIn invitations to random people you don\'t know.\r\n\r\nSending out a press release because the calendar says you should.\r\n\r\nCommunications experts who don\'t use or understand social media.\r\n\r\nPR people who don\'t follow the news, at all.\r\n\r\nNot having business cards or having business cards without crucial contact information.\r\n\r\nGoing to networking events and not networking.\r\n\r\n80s inspired clothing. Didn\'t work then, definitely doesn\'t work now.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Things I don\'t understand','','draft','open','open','','','','','2013-04-22 20:17:58','2013-04-22 20:17:58','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2137',0,'post','',0),(2138,4,'2013-04-22 20:07:16','2013-04-22 20:07:16','Besides physics, calculus and these are a few things I don\'t understand:\n\nHaving a social media profile (especially LinkedIn) with no photograph.\n\nPeople who want to be friends on Facebook and you don\'t know who they are.\n\nPeople who want to be friends on Facebook, but who never speak to you in person.\n\nPeople who only post to Facebook when they get engaged, married or have a child.\n\nSending LinkedIn invitations to random people you don\'t know.\n\nSending out a press release because the calendar says you should.\n\nCommunications experts who don\'t use or understand social media.\n\nPR people who don\'t follow the news, at all.\n\nNot having business cards or having business cards without crucial contact information.\n\nGoing to networking events and not networking.\n\n80s inspired clothing. Didn\'t work then, definitely doesn\'t work now.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Things I don\'t understand','','inherit','open','open','','2137-revision','','','2013-04-22 20:07:16','2013-04-22 20:07:16','',2137,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2137-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2139,4,'2013-04-23 14:55:38','2013-04-23 14:55:38','Do you watch <a href=\"http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3032608/\" target=\"_blank\">Meet the Press</a>? If so, you have probably noticed that Senator John McCain has been a frequent guest. He\'s also been on the other Sunday shows like <a href=\"http://www.cbsnews.com/face-the-nation/\" target=\"_blank\">Face the Nation.</a> According to  <a href=\"http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_03/017520.php\" target=\"_blank\">The Washington Monthly,</a> as of 2009, McCain had been on Meet the Press 54 times. Since then, I would say he has been on many more times, making that number 60 or larger.\r\n\r\nOther people appear quite frequently too. In fact, based on Sunday show appearances, you would be excused for thinking there are only about 10 senators in the U.S. Senate. Other frequent guests are Senators Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin. (As an aside, it seems that male senators appear more frequently than female senators...). Back in the 90s, when I first started watching Meet the Press with Tim Russert, the go-to senator was the Senator Orrin Hatch. In fact, I stopped watching MTP because it seemed like Sen. Hatch was always on!\r\n\r\nIs John McCain a more important senator than the other 99? No. What he may be is more  media savvy. And he is a proven commodity. The Sunday shows know they can count on McCain for making strong pronouncements or taking controversial views.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. by Medill DC, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/medilldc/6761048861/\"><img title=\"Sen. John McCain\" alt=\"Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6761048861_1504a05f48.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" /></a> Sen. John McCain (photo by Medill DC on Flickr)[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\nThere\'s a few PR lessons you can learn from John McCain.\r\n\r\n1) Be the go-to person on your areas of expertise (McCain\'s areas are mostly immigration, foreign policy and defense). Some may say this is being a \"thought leader.\"\r\n\r\n2) Make yourself available and say yes to invitations.  (My guess is that MTP knows that it can get McCain pretty much any time.) If you turn down an interview, the producer will simply go on to the next person on the list.\r\n\r\n3) Have clearly defined, strong messages and/or positions.  (MTP knows what it will get when it books McCain.)\r\n\r\n4) Once you are in, you are in. (McCain does not have to prove anything or do much to get invited on the shows.)\r\n\r\nWhat do you take away from McCain\'s frequent appearance?','What you can learn from John McCain','','publish','open','open','','what-you-can-learn-from-john-mccain','','','2013-04-23 14:55:38','2013-04-23 14:55:38','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2139',0,'post','',0),(2140,4,'2013-04-23 14:54:58','2013-04-23 14:54:58','Do you watch <a href=\"http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3032608/\" target=\"_blank\">Meet the Press</a>? If so, you have probably noticed that John McCain has been a frequent guest. He\'s also been on the other Sunday shows like <a href=\"http://www.cbsnews.com/face-the-nation/\" target=\"_blank\">Face the Nation.</a> According to  <a href=\"http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_03/017520.php\" target=\"_blank\">The Washington Monthly,</a> as of 2009, McCain had been on Meet the Press 54 times. Since then, I would say he has been on many more times, making that number 60 or larger.\n\nOther people appear quite frequently too. In fact, based on Sunday show appearances, you would be excused for thinking there are only about 10 senators in the U.S. Senate. Other frequent guests are Senators Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin. (As an aside, it seems that male senators appear more frequently than female senators...). Back in the 90s, when I first started watching Meet the Press with Tim Russert, the go-to senator was the Senator Orrin Hatch. In fact, I stopped watching MTP because it seemed like Hatch was always on!\n\nIs John McCain a more important senator than the other 99? No. What he may be is more  more media savvy. And he is a proven commodity. The Sunday shows know they can count on McCain for making strong pronouncements or taking controversial views.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. by Medill DC, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/medilldc/6761048861/\"><img title=\"Sen. John McCain\" alt=\"Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6761048861_1504a05f48.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" /></a> Sen. John McCain (photo by Medill DC on Flickr)[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\nThere\'s a few PR lessons you can learn from John McCain.\n\n1) Be the go-to person on your areas of expertise (McCain\'s areas are mostly immigration, foreign policy and defense). Some may say this is being a \"thought leader.\"\n\n2) Make yourself available and say yes to invitations.  (My guess is that MTP knows that it can get McCain pretty much any time.) If you turn down an interview, the producer will simply go on to the next person on the list.\n\n3) Have clearly defined, strong messages and/or positions.  (MTP knows what it will get when it books McCain.)\n\n4) Once you are in, you are in. (McCain does not have to prove anything or do much to get invited on the shows.)\n\nWhat do you take away from McCain\'s frequent appearance?','What you can learn from John McCain','','inherit','open','open','','2139-revision','','','2013-04-23 14:54:58','2013-04-23 14:54:58','',2139,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2139-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2208,4,'2013-05-30 20:01:41','2013-05-30 20:01:41','Several weeks ago, I started getting a weekly newspaper in the mail. It was a supposed to be a four-week free subscription to thank me for some volunteering I had done. The enclosed note said that they hoped I would consider subscribing.\r\n\r\nI would consider subscribing, but I haven\'t been given the chance. I keep getting this newspaper, even though it has been more than eight weeks (twice what was originally offered) and never once has a subscription card come along with it. I guess they are wishing I call them and say \"please charge me for the paper you are already sending me for free!\"\r\n\r\n<strong>Wishing is not a good marketing tactic.</strong>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"Gran blows out her candles on her 80th birthday cake by Ben Sutherland, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bensutherland/5800945753/\"><img alt=\"Gran blows out her candles on her 80th birthday cake\" src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3659/5800945753_ee040e1ff4.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"298\" /></a> Gran blows out her candles on her 80th birthday cake by Ben Sutherland on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>Instead, ask for what you want</strong> or give potential customers a pathway to becoming paying customers. In this case, the newspaper could send me a card saying that they hope I have enjoyed my free trial subscription, and if I would like to continue getting this newspaper, then please send a check in the enclosed envelope or call some phone number with my credit card information.\r\n\r\nWe see this with many other situations. Another common example is failing to ask for referrals. Does your hair or beauty salon ever ask you specifically to refer people? They probably wish you did, but they don\'t make it easy or worth your while. Say they said to you when you were checking out: We hope you like your new hair do. Perhaps you know someone else who wants a new haircut. If you do, we have a referral program. Just tell your friend to call us the number on this card, and we will give you a discount on your next service.\r\n\r\nSometimes you have to ask very specifically for what you want. A few days ago, I read that the tweets that get the most traction are the ones that have an ask in them: please retweet,  please help, please donate, etc.  You can\'t wish for things to happen...you have to make them happen!\r\n\r\nThoughts?','Wishing is not a marketing tactic','','publish','open','open','','wishing-is-not-a-marketing-tactic','','','2013-05-30 20:01:41','2013-05-30 20:01:41','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2208',0,'post','',0),(2143,4,'2013-04-26 14:15:03','2013-04-26 14:15:03','I have been training people on how to blog for nearly a year now. In that time, I have had the privilege of working with dozens of people who want to blog, but haven\'t been able to for various reasons. Among the most common reasons given are these:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Don\'t have the time to blog (also phrased as blogging takes up too much time)</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t know what to write about</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t have sufficient ideas or material</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t think anyone wants to read my thoughts</li>\r\n	<li>I am not a good writer</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t know who is going to read my blog or how people will find it</li>\r\n	<li>My organization insists on a long chain of approval to publish anything</li>\r\n	<li>I don\'t have buy-in from top-level executives at my organization</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t see the point or purpose in blogging</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t know how to set up a blog</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nDo any of these sound familiar to you?\r\n<h3>How to write your blog workshop on May 17</h3>\r\nIf you struggle with these common blogging issues, check out the three-hour hands-on <strong>How to write your blog workshop</strong> I am offering on Friday, May 17, starting at 9:30 a.m. It takes place at Link Locale in Arlington, VA, near the Clarendon Metro stop. If you sign up by May 1, you get the early registration price of $70 (regular price is $79).  For more details and to sign up,  visit <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com</a> .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','10 reasons people don\'t blog','','publish','open','open','','10-reasons-people-dont-blog','','','2013-04-26 14:15:03','2013-04-26 14:15:03','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2143',0,'post','',0),(2146,4,'2013-04-26 14:14:12','2013-04-26 14:14:12','I have been training people on how to blog for nearly a year now. In that time, I have had the privilege of working with dozens of people who want to blog, but haven\'t been able to for various reasons. Among the most common reasons given are these:\n<ol>\n	<li>Don\'t have the time to blog (also phrased as blogging takes up too much time)</li>\n	<li>Don\'t know what to write about</li>\n	<li>Don\'t have sufficient ideas or material</li>\n	<li>Don\'t think anyone wants to read my thoughts</li>\n	<li>I am not a good writer</li>\n	<li>Don\'t know who is going to read my blog or how people will find it</li>\n	<li>My organization insists on a long chain of approval to publish anything</li>\n	<li>I don\'t have buy-in from top-level executives at my organization</li>\n	<li>Don\'t see the point or purpose in blogging</li>\n	<li>Don\'t know how to set up a blog</li>\n</ol>\nDo any of these sound familiar to you?\n<h3>How to write your blog workshop on May 17</h3>\nIf you struggle with these common blogging issues, check out the three-hour hands-on <strong>How to write your blog workshop</strong> I am offering on Friday, May 17, starting at 9:30 a.m. It takes place at Link Locale in Arlington, VA, near the Clarendon Metro stop. If you sign up by May 1, you get the early registration price of $70 (regular price is $79).  For more details and to sign up,  visit <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com</a> .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','10 reasons people don\'t blog','','inherit','open','open','','2143-revision-3','','','2013-04-26 14:14:12','2013-04-26 14:14:12','',2143,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2143-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2144,4,'2013-04-26 14:08:47','2013-04-26 14:08:47','I have been training people on how to blog for nearly a year now. In that time, I have had the privilege of working with dozens of people who want to blog, but haven\'t been able to for various reasons. Among the most common reasons given are these:\n<ol>\n	<li>Don\'t have the time to blog (also phrased as blogging takes up too much time)</li>\n	<li>Don\'t know what to write about</li>\n	<li>Don\'t have sufficient ideas or material</li>\n	<li>Don\'t think anyone wants to read my thoughts</li>\n	<li>I am not a good writer</li>\n	<li>Don\'t know who is going to read my blog or how people will find it</li>\n	<li>My organization insists on a long chain of approval to publish anything</li>\n	<li>I don\'t have buy-in from top-level executives at my organization</li>\n	<li>Don\'t see the point or purpose in blogging</li>\n	<li>Don\'t know how to set up a blog</li>\n</ol>\nDo any of these sound familiar to you?\n<h3>How to write your blog workshop on May 17</h3>\nIf you struggle with these common blogging issues, check out my three-hour hands-on <strong>How to write your blog workshop</strong> I am offering on Friday, May 17, starting at 9:30 a.m. It takes place at Link Locale in Arlington, VA, near the Clarendon Metro stop. If you sign up by May 1, you get the early registration price of $70 (regular price is $79). To sign up and for more details,  visit <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com</a> .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','10 reasons people don\'t blog','','inherit','open','open','','2143-revision','','','2013-04-26 14:08:47','2013-04-26 14:08:47','',2143,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2143-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2145,4,'2013-04-26 14:11:24','2013-04-26 14:11:24','I have been training people on how to blog for nearly a year now. In that time, I have had the privilege of working with dozens of people who want to blog, but haven\'t been able to for various reasons. Among the most common reasons given are these:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Don\'t have the time to blog (also phrased as blogging takes up too much time)</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t know what to write about</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t have sufficient ideas or material</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t think anyone wants to read my thoughts</li>\r\n	<li>I am not a good writer</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t know who is going to read my blog or how people will find it</li>\r\n	<li>My organization insists on a long chain of approval to publish anything</li>\r\n	<li>I don\'t have buy-in from top-level executives at my organization</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t see the point or purpose in blogging</li>\r\n	<li>Don\'t know how to set up a blog</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nDo any of these sound familiar to you?\r\n<h3>How to write your blog workshop on May 17</h3>\r\nIf you struggle with these common blogging issues, check out my three-hour hands-on <strong>How to write your blog workshop</strong> I am offering on Friday, May 17, starting at 9:30 a.m. It takes place at Link Locale in Arlington, VA, near the Clarendon Metro stop. If you sign up by May 1, you get the early registration price of $70 (regular price is $79). To sign up and for more details,  visit <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com</a> .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','10 reasons people don\'t blog','','inherit','open','open','','2143-revision-2','','','2013-04-26 14:11:24','2013-04-26 14:11:24','',2143,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2143-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2148,4,'2011-07-22 03:58:08','2011-07-22 03:58:08','Where does your brochure or website fit in with your marketing plan?  Every marketing piece you put out should be a tactic in the larger  strategy of marketing your product, service or company. Deborah Brody  Marketing Communications will give you specific, creative marketing  ideas and strategies.','Communications Consulting','','inherit','open','open','','51-revision-v1','','','2011-07-22 03:58:08','2011-07-22 03:58:08','',51,'http://deborahbrody.com/2011/07/51-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2149,4,'2016-03-08 15:39:31','2016-03-08 20:39:31','Written materials are the cornerstone of marketing communications. Clear, concise and convincing writing will make your marketing materials and your business stand out.\n\nDeborah Brody Marketing Communications writes:\n<ul>\n	<li>Website content</li>\n	<li>Blog posts</li>\n	<li>Marketing collateral\n<ul>\n	<li>Brochures</li>\n	<li>Flyers</li>\n	<li>Taglines</li>\n	<li>Ebooks</li>\n	<li>Newsletter copy</li>\n	<li>Email copy</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n	<li>Advertising copy</li>\n	<li>Public relations materials\n<ul>\n	<li>Press releases</li>\n	<li>Executive biographies</li>\n	<li>Position papers</li>\n	<li>White papers</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n	<li>Messaging materials\n<ul>\n	<li>Key messages</li>\n	<li>Company descriptions</li>\n	<li>Boilerplate</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>','Writing/Copywriting','','inherit','open','open','','49-autosave-v1','','','2016-03-08 15:39:31','2016-03-08 20:39:31','',49,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/49-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2150,4,'2011-07-22 03:55:02','2011-07-22 03:55:02','Writing is the cornerstone of marketing communications. Clear,  concise and convincing writing will make your marketing materials and  your business stand out.\r\n\r\nDeborah Brody Marketing Communications writes:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Marketing collateral (brochures, flyers, letters)</li>\r\n	<li>Website content</li>\r\n	<li>Advertising copy</li>\r\n	<li>Public relations materials</li>\r\n</ul>','Writing/Copywriting','','inherit','open','open','','49-revision-v1','','','2011-07-22 03:55:02','2011-07-22 03:55:02','',49,'http://deborahbrody.com/2011/07/49-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2151,4,'2013-04-26 17:35:52','2013-04-26 17:35:52','Training enables an organization\'s staff to take over ongoing communications functions such as blogging. Currently, Deborah Brody Marketing Communications offers public workshops on how to write your blog. We also can create customized training for your organization on the follow','Training','','inherit','open','open','','53-autosave','','','2013-04-26 17:35:52','2013-04-26 17:35:52','',53,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/53-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2152,4,'2011-07-22 06:18:20','2011-07-22 06:18:20','','Communication Audit','','inherit','open','open','','53-revision-3','','','2011-07-22 06:18:20','2011-07-22 06:18:20','',53,'http://deborahbrody.com/2011/07/53-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2153,4,'2013-04-26 17:36:35','2013-04-26 17:36:35','Training enables an organization\'s staff to take over ongoing communications functions such as blogging. Currently, Deborah Brody Marketing Communications offers public workshops on how to write your blog. We also can create customized training for your organization on the following topics:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Public relations writing</li>\r\n	<li>Blogging</li>\r\n	<li>Creating key messages</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n&nbsp;','Training','','inherit','open','open','','53-revision-4','','','2013-04-26 17:36:35','2013-04-26 17:36:35','',53,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/53-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2156,4,'2013-04-29 15:46:41','2013-04-29 15:46:41','Someone I know posted this update on Facebook:\n\n\"A real game of yuck this week.\"\n\nWho knows what she meant. I am sure you have seen similar coy or opaque statements that just beg followers to ask for more information. And that is what the poster wants...you to ask for details. This may or may not be a good tactic to get attention on Facebook. It certainly is a bad tactic to use if you are trying to get attention in your email marketing, your blog posts, and other marketing content.\n\nSay you have an email newsletter you send to your clients. You write:\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Spring is a lovely time of year. Good things happen in the spring, it is a time of renewal. Tulips are blooming and spring sales are everywhere.</em></p>\nUnless you want to get people upset at your opaqueness, there is little use for being coy in marketing communication. Instead, you should know what you want and ask for it. Instead of rhapsodizing about spring in your newsletter, why not figure out what action you want your target audience to take (this is your <strong>call to action, </strong>in marketing terms)<strong>.</strong>  Don\'t make your audience guess. Tell them, clearly and precisely. Here are a few examples:\n<ul>\n	<li>Spring means renewal! Time to renew your subscription to our newsletter</li>\n	<li>Spring classes are starting. Here is how to enroll in our next class.</li>\n	<li>Spring sales are on! Check out the reduced prices on our newest product</li>\n</ul>\nThese are all <strong>specific actions</strong> you want your audience to take.\n\nAre you being coy in your communications? Why not start being direct and asking for what you want?!\n\nHow to blog workshop on May 17\n\nSign up today to get your early registration discount to my next How to Blog workshop taking place on May 17. For more details and to register visit howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com .\n\n&nbsp;','Are you being coy?','','inherit','open','open','','2155-revision','','','2013-04-29 15:46:41','2013-04-29 15:46:41','',2155,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2155-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2157,4,'2013-04-29 15:47:41','2013-04-29 15:47:41','Someone I know posted this update on Facebook:\n\n\"A real game of yuck this week.\"\n\nWho knows what she meant. I am sure you have seen similar coy or opaque statements that just beg followers to ask for more information. And that is what the poster wants...you to ask for details. This may or may not be a good tactic to get attention on Facebook. It certainly is a bad tactic to use if you are trying to get attention in your email marketing, your blog posts, and other marketing content.\n\nSay you have an email newsletter you send to your clients. You write:\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Spring is a lovely time of year. Good things happen in the spring, it is a time of renewal. Tulips are blooming and spring sales are everywhere.</em></p>\nUnless you want to get people upset at your opaqueness, there is little use for being coy in marketing communication. Instead, you should know what you want and ask for it. Instead of rhapsodizing about spring in your newsletter, why not figure out what action you want your target audience to take (this is your <strong>call to action, </strong>in marketing terms)<strong>.</strong>  Don\'t make your audience guess. Tell them, clearly and precisely. Here are a few examples:\n<ul>\n	<li>Spring means renewal! Time to renew your subscription to our newsletter</li>\n	<li>Spring classes are starting. Here is how to enroll in our next class.</li>\n	<li>Spring sales are on! Check out the reduced prices on our newest product</li>\n</ul>\nThese are all <strong>specific actions</strong> you want your audience to take.\n\nAre you being coy in your communications? Why not start being direct and asking for what you want?!\n<h3>How to blog workshop on May 17</h3>\nSign up today to get your early registration discount to my next How to Blog workshop taking place on May 17. For more details and to register visit <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com</a> .\n\n&nbsp;','Are you being coy?','','inherit','open','open','','2155-revision-2','','','2013-04-29 15:47:41','2013-04-29 15:47:41','',2155,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/2155-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2159,4,'2013-05-01 13:13:01','2013-05-01 13:13:01','Any marketing com\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMany ex-journalists are turning to careers in PR.  After all, the journalism business is changing and demanding more from its practitioners. PR work requires many of the skills journalists have: writing, understanding (finding) the news value of a story, understanding how a newsroom works, and on. What many journalists don\'t have is a good understanding of business.\n\nPR is a function of marketing communications. Marketing communications is there to support the business, whether it is to generate sales, increase awareness, enhance a brand or other strategic business goals.','It\'s about business','','inherit','open','open','','2158-revision','','','2013-05-01 13:13:01','2013-05-01 13:13:01','',2158,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2158-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2160,4,'2013-05-01 14:21:24','2013-05-01 14:21:24','Most people can write, but some don\'t do it very well. That is why most people would also benefit from having an editor.\r\n\r\nI often edit other people\'s work. Most of the time, the writing is done by people whose primary job does not include writing.  There are a few things I correct over and over. Here\'s a list:\r\n\r\n<strong>Wordiness</strong>. Using too many words when fewer will do. In grad school, a professor of mine had us remove ten words from every assignment. It\'s a good exercise for everyone.\r\n\r\n<strong>Long, complicated sentences</strong>. This is somewhat related to wordiness, but also shows that people are afraid of short, direct sentences.\r\n\r\n<strong>Using I instead of me</strong>. I am not talking about a sentence like this one. People don\'t seem to want to use the word me in constructions such as \"that time works for John and me.\"  I am not sure why.\r\n\r\n<strong>Subject-verb agreement.</strong> I hear it on the news all the time, and see it, often in long, complicated sentences. If your subject is singular, then your verb should be too.  Not like this line from a pop song: \"The color of her eyes were.\" (In this case, the subject is the color, which is singular, therefore the verb should be was.)\r\n\r\n<strong>Misusing words</strong>. Often, people think they know what a word means, but they really don\'t. (I am working on compiling a list of these...)\r\n\r\n<strong>Using jargon and/or big words</strong>. The more jargon you use, the more I think you don\'t know what you are talking about. I also don\'t think using the word utilize makes you seem smarter. Read this <a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/04/stop-jargon-pulling-plug-from-powerful-content/\" target=\"_blank\">excellent article</a> from Content Management on how to get rid of jargon.\r\n\r\nI know most people can\'t afford to get an editor. Heck, I don\'t have an editor for this blog either. Next time you write something,  look it over for the items above. If you are unsure, ask!\r\n<h3>How to write your blog workshop</h3>\r\nWhat are you doing on May 17? Why not sign up for my How to write your blog workshop? You will learn how to make your blog more effective, how to come up with blog post ideas and lots of other good stuff. Details and registration<a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/04/stop-jargon-pulling-plug-from-powerful-content/\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a>','Why you need an editor','','publish','open','open','','why-you-need-an-editor','','','2013-05-01 14:21:24','2013-05-01 14:21:24','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2160',0,'post','',0),(2161,4,'2013-05-01 14:20:01','2013-05-01 14:20:01','Most people can write, but some don\'t do it very well. That is why most people would also benefit from having an editor.\n\nI often edit other people\'s work. Most of the time, the writing is done by people whose primary job does not include writing.  There are a few things I correct over and over. Here\'s a list:\n\n<strong>Wordiness</strong>. Using too many words when fewer will do. In grad school, a professor of mine had us remove ten words from every assignment. It\'s a good exercise for everyone.\n\n<strong>Long, complicated sentences</strong>. This is somewhat related to wordiness, but also shows that people are afraid of short, direct sentences.\n\n<strong>Using I instead of me</strong>. I am not talking about a sentence like this one. People don\'t seem to want to use the word me in constructions such as \"that time works for John and me.\"  I am not sure why.\n\n<strong>Subject-verb agreement.</strong> I hear it on the news all the time, and see it, often in long, complicated sentences. If your subject is singular, then your verb should be too.  Not like this line from a pop song: \"The color of her eyes were.\" (In this case, the subject is the color, which is singular, therefore the verb should be was.)\n\n<strong>Misusing words</strong>. Often, people think they know what a word means, but they really don\'t. (I am working on compiling a list of these...)\n\n<strong>Using jargon and/or big words</strong>. The more jargon you use, the more I think you don\'t know what you are talking about. I also don\'t think using the word utilize makes you seem smarter. Read this <a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/04/stop-jargon-pulling-plug-from-powerful-content/\" target=\"_blank\">excellent article</a> from Content Management on how to get rid of jargon.\n\nI know most people can\'t afford to get an editor. Heck, I don\'t have an editor for this blog either. Next time you write something,  look it over for the items above. If you are unsure, ask!\n\nHow to write your blog workshop\n\nWhat are you doing on May 17? Why not sign up for my How to write your blog workshop? You will learn how to make your blog more effective, how to come up with blog post ideas and lots of other good stuff. Details and registration here:','Why you need an editor','','inherit','open','open','','2160-revision','','','2013-05-01 14:20:01','2013-05-01 14:20:01','',2160,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2160-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2162,4,'2013-05-01 14:21:01','2013-05-01 14:21:01','Most people can write, but some don\'t do it very well. That is why most people would also benefit from having an editor.\n\nI often edit other people\'s work. Most of the time, the writing is done by people whose primary job does not include writing.  There are a few things I correct over and over. Here\'s a list:\n\n<strong>Wordiness</strong>. Using too many words when fewer will do. In grad school, a professor of mine had us remove ten words from every assignment. It\'s a good exercise for everyone.\n\n<strong>Long, complicated sentences</strong>. This is somewhat related to wordiness, but also shows that people are afraid of short, direct sentences.\n\n<strong>Using I instead of me</strong>. I am not talking about a sentence like this one. People don\'t seem to want to use the word me in constructions such as \"that time works for John and me.\"  I am not sure why.\n\n<strong>Subject-verb agreement.</strong> I hear it on the news all the time, and see it, often in long, complicated sentences. If your subject is singular, then your verb should be too.  Not like this line from a pop song: \"The color of her eyes were.\" (In this case, the subject is the color, which is singular, therefore the verb should be was.)\n\n<strong>Misusing words</strong>. Often, people think they know what a word means, but they really don\'t. (I am working on compiling a list of these...)\n\n<strong>Using jargon and/or big words</strong>. The more jargon you use, the more I think you don\'t know what you are talking about. I also don\'t think using the word utilize makes you seem smarter. Read this <a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/04/stop-jargon-pulling-plug-from-powerful-content/\" target=\"_blank\">excellent article</a> from Content Management on how to get rid of jargon.\n\nI know most people can\'t afford to get an editor. Heck, I don\'t have an editor for this blog either. Next time you write something,  look it over for the items above. If you are unsure, ask!\n<h3>How to write your blog workshop</h3>\nWhat are you doing on May 17? Why not sign up for my How to write your blog workshop? You will learn how to make your blog more effective, how to come up with blog post ideas and lots of other good stuff. Details and registration<a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/04/stop-jargon-pulling-plug-from-powerful-content/\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a>','Why you need an editor','','inherit','open','open','','2160-revision-2','','','2013-05-01 14:21:01','2013-05-01 14:21:01','',2160,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2160-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2163,4,'2013-05-03 13:58:45','2013-05-03 13:58:45','There are two actions that will improve your communications efforts. These are:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Listening</strong> (really listening, not just nodding your head)</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Saying what you mean</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIt sounds absurdly simple, but chances are that you are not doing one or both well.\r\n\r\n<strong>Listening is crucial.</strong>\r\n\r\nYesterday, I went to a large home improvement store (I won\'t name names). I was on the search for an edger/trimmer for my pocket-sized lawn. I have never bought this item and I have no idea what I need. I flagged down an associate and I explained that I have a small lawn, and that the grass is hard to cut near the fence, and that I did not want to spend too much money. So this associate points me to the high end trimmers, starting at $100. And then he says to me: \"well, you said you wanted to cut your shrubs.\" Huh? I said NOTHING about shrubs since I don\'t have shrubs. Clearly, this associate was not listening. He was also not very qualified to talk about edgers, but that is a different story.\r\n\r\n<strong>If you don\'t listen, you are not going to \"get\" the story, whatever it may be.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe other side of the communications equation is <strong>saying what you mean</strong>. Lots of people (and organizations) say what they think the other person (or their target audience) wants to hear. Saying what you mean is not burying things in fine print or in if-thens. <strong>Be clear! And please, be sincere.</strong> People can tell when you are not saying what you mean. And then they don\'t trust you.\r\n\r\n<strong>Mattress stores don\'t say what they mean</strong>\r\n\r\nA great example of communications that don\'t say what they mean is mattress store advertisements. Having just gone through mattress shopping, I can tell you, just ignore the ads. They are designed to entice you into the store. Once you are in the store, you find out the real deal. Generally in the world of mattress sales, the enticement is free something or the other (free box spring, free delivery, free set-up, free TV, etc.). The reality is that the pricing is structured so that you can\'t compare it to other stores, and there are caveats. If you get a mattress priced over $X, then you get free delivery. If you want to price match, we have to make sure it is the same mattress (and since mattresses are made specifically for each store, there is no exact same name). If you want us to remove your old bed, then we charge you a fee. If you want the ten-year warranty, then you have to buy our overpriced mattress cover. And on and on.\r\n\r\nNo clarity. No saying what they mean. Making people distrust what you are saying. That is not communications!\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #339966;\">It is about effective communications. Effective means that something is successful in achieving the intended result. If you are intending to sell mattresses or edgers or any product, service or opinion, you should both listen and say what you mean.</span>\r\n\r\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\r\n<h3>How to write your blog workshop</h3>\r\nWhat are you doing on May 17? Why not sign up for my How to write your blog workshop? You will learn how to make your blog more effective, how to come up with blog post ideas and lots of other good stuff. Details and registration<a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/04/stop-jargon-pulling-plug-from-powerful-content/\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a>','The two actions that will make your communications more effective','','publish','open','open','','the-two-actions-that-will-make-your-communications-more-effective','','','2013-05-03 13:58:45','2013-05-03 13:58:45','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2163',0,'post','',0),(2164,4,'2013-05-03 13:52:59','2013-05-03 13:52:59','There are two actions that will improve your communications efforts. These are:\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Listening</strong> (really listening, not just nodding your head)</li>\n	<li><strong>Saying what you mean</strong></li>\n</ul>\nIt sounds absurdly simple, but chances are that you are not doing one or both well.\n\n<strong>Listening is crucial.</strong>\n\nYesterday, I went to a large home improvement store (I won\'t name names). I was on the search for an edger/trimmer for my pocket-sized lawn. I have never bought this item and I have no idea what I need. I flagged down an associate and I explained that I have a small lawn, and that the grass is hard to cut near the fence, and that I did not want to spend too much money. So this associate points me to the high end trimmers, starting at $100. And then he says to me: \"well, you said you wanted to cut your shrubs.\" Huh? I said NOTHING about shrubs since I don\'t have shrubs. Clearly, this associate was not listening. He was also not very qualified to talk about edgers, but that is a different story.\n\n<strong>If you don\'t listen, you are not going to \"get\" the story, whatever it may be.</strong>\n\nThe other side of the communications equation is saying what you mean. Lots of people say what they think the other person (or their target audience) wants to hear. Saying what you mean is not burying things in fine print or in if-thens. Be clear! And please, be sincere. People can tell when you are not saying what you mean. And then they don\'t trust you.\n\nA great example of communications that don\'t say what they mean is mattress store advertisements. Having just gone through mattress shopping, I can tell you, just ignore the ads. They are designed to entice you into the store. Once you are in the store, you find out the real deal. Generally in the world of mattress sales, the enticement is free something or the other (free box spring, free delivery, free set-up, free TV, etc.). The reality is that the pricing is structured so that you can\'t compare it to other stores, and there are caveats. If you get a mattress priced over $X, then you get free delivery. If you want to price match, we have to make sure it is the same mattress (and since mattresses are made specifically for each store, there is no exact same name). If you want us to remove your old bed, then we charge you a fee. If you want the ten-year warranty, then you have to buy our overpriced mattress cover. And on and on.\n\nNo clarity. No saying what they mean. Making people distrust what you are saying. That is not communications!\n\nInstead, say what you mean. Say it clearly.\n\nThoughts?\n\n&nbsp;','The two actions that will make your communications more effective','','inherit','open','open','','2163-revision','','','2013-05-03 13:52:59','2013-05-03 13:52:59','',2163,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2163-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2165,4,'2013-05-03 13:53:55','2013-05-03 13:53:55','There are two actions that will improve your communications efforts. These are:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><strong>Listening</strong> (really listening, not just nodding your head)</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Saying what you mean</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIt sounds absurdly simple, but chances are that you are not doing one or both well.\r\n\r\n<strong>Listening is crucial.</strong>\r\n\r\nYesterday, I went to a large home improvement store (I won\'t name names). I was on the search for an edger/trimmer for my pocket-sized lawn. I have never bought this item and I have no idea what I need. I flagged down an associate and I explained that I have a small lawn, and that the grass is hard to cut near the fence, and that I did not want to spend too much money. So this associate points me to the high end trimmers, starting at $100. And then he says to me: \"well, you said you wanted to cut your shrubs.\" Huh? I said NOTHING about shrubs since I don\'t have shrubs. Clearly, this associate was not listening. He was also not very qualified to talk about edgers, but that is a different story.\r\n\r\n<strong>If you don\'t listen, you are not going to \"get\" the story, whatever it may be.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe other side of the communications equation is saying what you mean. Lots of people say what they think the other person (or their target audience) wants to hear. Saying what you mean is not burying things in fine print or in if-thens. Be clear! And please, be sincere. People can tell when you are not saying what you mean. And then they don\'t trust you.\r\n\r\nA great example of communications that don\'t say what they mean is mattress store advertisements. Having just gone through mattress shopping, I can tell you, just ignore the ads. They are designed to entice you into the store. Once you are in the store, you find out the real deal. Generally in the world of mattress sales, the enticement is free something or the other (free box spring, free delivery, free set-up, free TV, etc.). The reality is that the pricing is structured so that you can\'t compare it to other stores, and there are caveats. If you get a mattress priced over $X, then you get free delivery. If you want to price match, we have to make sure it is the same mattress (and since mattresses are made specifically for each store, there is no exact same name). If you want us to remove your old bed, then we charge you a fee. If you want the ten-year warranty, then you have to buy our overpriced mattress cover. And on and on.\r\n\r\nNo clarity. No saying what they mean. Making people distrust what you are saying. That is not communications!\r\n\r\nInstead, say what you mean. Say it clearly.\r\n\r\nThoughts?\r\n\r\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\r\n<h3>How to write your blog workshop</h3>\r\nWhat are you doing on May 17? Why not sign up for my How to write your blog workshop? You will learn how to make your blog more effective, how to come up with blog post ideas and lots of other good stuff. Details and registration<a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/04/stop-jargon-pulling-plug-from-powerful-content/\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a>','The two actions that will make your communications more effective','','inherit','open','open','','2163-revision-2','','','2013-05-03 13:53:55','2013-05-03 13:53:55','',2163,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2163-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2166,4,'2013-05-03 13:56:59','2013-05-03 13:56:59','There are two actions that will improve your communications efforts. These are:\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Listening</strong> (really listening, not just nodding your head)</li>\n	<li><strong>Saying what you mean</strong></li>\n</ul>\nIt sounds absurdly simple, but chances are that you are not doing one or both well.\n\n<strong>Listening is crucial.</strong>\n\nYesterday, I went to a large home improvement store (I won\'t name names). I was on the search for an edger/trimmer for my pocket-sized lawn. I have never bought this item and I have no idea what I need. I flagged down an associate and I explained that I have a small lawn, and that the grass is hard to cut near the fence, and that I did not want to spend too much money. So this associate points me to the high end trimmers, starting at $100. And then he says to me: \"well, you said you wanted to cut your shrubs.\" Huh? I said NOTHING about shrubs since I don\'t have shrubs. Clearly, this associate was not listening. He was also not very qualified to talk about edgers, but that is a different story.\n\n<strong>If you don\'t listen, you are not going to \"get\" the story, whatever it may be.</strong>\n\nThe other side of the communications equation is <strong>saying what you mean</strong>. Lots of people (and organizations) say what they think the other person (or their target audience) wants to hear. Saying what you mean is not burying things in fine print or in if-thens. <strong>Be clear! And please, be sincere.</strong> People can tell when you are not saying what you mean. And then they don\'t trust you.\n\n<strong>Mattress stores don\'t say what they mean</strong>\n\nA great example of communications that don\'t say what they mean is mattress store advertisements. Having just gone through mattress shopping, I can tell you, just ignore the ads. They are designed to entice you into the store. Once you are in the store, you find out the real deal. Generally in the world of mattress sales, the enticement is free something or the other (free box spring, free delivery, free set-up, free TV, etc.). The reality is that the pricing is structured so that you can\'t compare it to other stores, and there are caveats. If you get a mattress priced over $X, then you get free delivery. If you want to price match, we have to make sure it is the same mattress (and since mattresses are made specifically for each store, there is no exact same name). If you want us to remove your old bed, then we charge you a fee. If you want the ten-year warranty, then you have to buy our overpriced mattress cover. And on and on.\n\nNo clarity. No saying what they mean. Making people distrust what you are saying. That is not communications!\n\nIt is about effective communications. Effective means that something is successful in achieving the intended result. If you are intending to sell mat\n\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n<h3>How to write your blog workshop</h3>\nWhat are you doing on May 17? Why not sign up for my How to write your blog workshop? You will learn how to make your blog more effective, how to come up with blog post ideas and lots of other good stuff. Details and registration<a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/04/stop-jargon-pulling-plug-from-powerful-content/\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a>','The two actions that will make your communications more effective','','inherit','open','open','','2163-revision-3','','','2013-05-03 13:56:59','2013-05-03 13:56:59','',2163,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2163-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2167,4,'2013-05-03 13:57:59','2013-05-03 13:57:59','There are two actions that will improve your communications efforts. These are:\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Listening</strong> (really listening, not just nodding your head)</li>\n	<li><strong>Saying what you mean</strong></li>\n</ul>\nIt sounds absurdly simple, but chances are that you are not doing one or both well.\n\n<strong>Listening is crucial.</strong>\n\nYesterday, I went to a large home improvement store (I won\'t name names). I was on the search for an edger/trimmer for my pocket-sized lawn. I have never bought this item and I have no idea what I need. I flagged down an associate and I explained that I have a small lawn, and that the grass is hard to cut near the fence, and that I did not want to spend too much money. So this associate points me to the high end trimmers, starting at $100. And then he says to me: \"well, you said you wanted to cut your shrubs.\" Huh? I said NOTHING about shrubs since I don\'t have shrubs. Clearly, this associate was not listening. He was also not very qualified to talk about edgers, but that is a different story.\n\n<strong>If you don\'t listen, you are not going to \"get\" the story, whatever it may be.</strong>\n\nThe other side of the communications equation is <strong>saying what you mean</strong>. Lots of people (and organizations) say what they think the other person (or their target audience) wants to hear. Saying what you mean is not burying things in fine print or in if-thens. <strong>Be clear! And please, be sincere.</strong> People can tell when you are not saying what you mean. And then they don\'t trust you.\n\n<strong>Mattress stores don\'t say what they mean</strong>\n\nA great example of communications that don\'t say what they mean is mattress store advertisements. Having just gone through mattress shopping, I can tell you, just ignore the ads. They are designed to entice you into the store. Once you are in the store, you find out the real deal. Generally in the world of mattress sales, the enticement is free something or the other (free box spring, free delivery, free set-up, free TV, etc.). The reality is that the pricing is structured so that you can\'t compare it to other stores, and there are caveats. If you get a mattress priced over $X, then you get free delivery. If you want to price match, we have to make sure it is the same mattress (and since mattresses are made specifically for each store, there is no exact same name). If you want us to remove your old bed, then we charge you a fee. If you want the ten-year warranty, then you have to buy our overpriced mattress cover. And on and on.\n\nNo clarity. No saying what they mean. Making people distrust what you are saying. That is not communications!\n\n<span style=\"color: #339966;\">It is about effective communications. Effective means that something is successful in achieving the intended result. If you are intending to sell mattresses or edgers or any product, service or opinion, you should both listen and say what you mean.</span>\n\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n<h3>How to write your blog workshop</h3>\nWhat are you doing on May 17? Why not sign up for my How to write your blog workshop? You will learn how to make your blog more effective, how to come up with blog post ideas and lots of other good stuff. Details and registration<a href=\"http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/04/stop-jargon-pulling-plug-from-powerful-content/\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a>','The two actions that will make your communications more effective','','inherit','open','open','','2163-revision-4','','','2013-05-03 13:57:59','2013-05-03 13:57:59','',2163,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2163-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2170,4,'2013-05-07 19:10:19','2013-05-07 19:10:19','Social media takes a magnifying lens to everything. It makes everything appear bigger and closer (kind of like your side view mirrors).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"338\"]<a title=\"fun with magnifying glasses by matlock, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/matlocktest/861570798/\"><img class=\" \" title=\"Fun with magnifying glasses by matlock on Flickr\" alt=\"fun with magnifying glasses\" src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1059/861570798_83545b2f90.jpg\" width=\"338\" height=\"450\" /></a> Fun with magnifying glasses by matlock on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\nYou\'ve probably heard that social media serves to amplify your message. You tell your friends on Facebook, and they then share it with their friends, and so on.  I have come to realize that social media amplifies more than your message. It amplifies mistakes,  personality traits and  business smarts (or lack thereof).\r\n\r\n<strong>Mistakes</strong>\r\n\r\nYou used to be able to slip up and it would be forgotten. Not any more. Now, someone will catch your mistake, and put it on Twitter or YouTube. And then people will share that. And before you know it, everyone knows of your mistake. Perhaps forgiven, but not forgotten.\r\n\r\n<strong>Personality traits</strong>\r\n\r\nAre you an angry person? You will appear even angrier when trying to contain your ire to 140 characters. Your nastiness will be contained and then disseminated. Are you rude? Not only will the person appalled at your belching at the dinner table know about it, but everyone else will too. Self-centered? It will be evident in endless self-promotional posts.  On the other hand, if you are a connector or naturally gregarious, it will be evident because you will have 1000s of followers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Business know-how</strong>\r\n\r\nDo you answer your customer queries? If you don\'t do it regularly and quickly, it will be even more apparent on social media channels. People will complain. And since you aren\'t used to replying quickly, the problem will grow.\r\n\r\nNot sure what social media is for and ignoring it? You can be sure others will not be. You will either look like a fool or lose customers.\r\n\r\nFor example, today I was looking at service providers \"website.\" All it was a poorly formed Wordpress site. There was no contact information. None. No listing of services. No reason why I should hire. In short, it was a disaster. I found a Twitter handle, and tweeted. No response.  Better to not be on the web at all!\r\n\r\nRemember that social media gives people the ability to share the good and the bad about you. Small can become big. And that can be a good thing, or it can be a disaster. Your choice!\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t miss out! Sign up for the next How to blog workshop, taking place on May 17. Details and registration<a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Social media amplifies everything','','publish','open','open','','social-media-amplifies-everything','','','2013-05-07 19:10:19','2013-05-07 19:10:19','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2170',0,'post','',0),(2171,4,'2013-05-07 19:06:51','2013-05-07 19:06:51','Social media takes a magnifying lens to everything. It makes everything appear bigger and closer (kind of like your side view mirrors).\n\n<a title=\"fun with magnifying glasses by matlock, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/matlocktest/861570798/\"><img alt=\"fun with magnifying glasses\" src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1059/861570798_83545b2f90.jpg\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>\n\nYou\'ve probably heard that social media serves to amplify your message. You tell your friends on Facebook, and they then share it with their friends, and so on.  I have come to realize that social media amplifies more than your message. It amplifies mistakes,  personality traits and  business smarts (or lack thereof).\n\n<strong>Mistakes</strong>\n\nYou used to be able to slip up and it would be forgotten. Not any more. Now, someone will catch your mistake, and put it on Twitter or YouTube. And then people will share that. And before you know it, everyone knows of your mistake. Perhaps forgiven, but not forgotten.\n\n<strong>Personality traits</strong>\n\nAre you an angry person? You will appear even angrier when trying to contain your ire to 140 characters. Your nastiness will be contained and then disseminated. Are you rude? Not only will the person appalled at your belching at the dinner table know about it, but everyone else will too. Self-centered? It will be evident in endless self-promotional posts.  On the other hand, if you are a connector or naturally gregarious, it will be evident because you will have 1000s of followers.\n\n<strong>Business know-how</strong>\n\nDo you answer your customer queries? If you don\'t do it regularly and quickly, it will be even more apparent on social media channels. People will complain. And since you aren\'t used to replying quickly, the problem will grow.\n\nNot sure what social media is for and ignoring it? You can be sure others will not be. You will either look like a fool or lose customers.\n\nFor example, today I was looking at service providers \"website.\" All it was a poorly formed Wordpress site. There was no contact information. None. No listing of services. No reason why I should hire. In short, it was a disaster. I found a Twitter handle, and tweeted. No response.  Better to not be on the web at all!\n\nRemember that social media gives people the ability to share the good and the bad about you. Small can become big. And that can be a good thing, or it can be a disaster. Your choice!\n\n<strong>Don\'t miss out! Sign up for the next How to blog workshop, taking place on May 17. Details and registration<a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Social media amplifies everything','','inherit','open','open','','2170-revision','','','2013-05-07 19:06:51','2013-05-07 19:06:51','',2170,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2170-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2172,4,'2013-05-07 19:07:53','2013-05-07 19:07:53','Social media takes a magnifying lens to everything. It makes everything appear bigger and closer (kind of like your side view mirrors).\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"> <a title=\"fun with magnifying glasses by matlock, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/matlocktest/861570798/\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Fun with magnifying glasses by matlock on Flickr\" alt=\"fun with magnifying glasses\" src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1059/861570798_83545b2f90.jpg\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a></p>\nYou\'ve probably heard that social media serves to amplify your message. You tell your friends on Facebook, and they then share it with their friends, and so on.  I have come to realize that social media amplifies more than your message. It amplifies mistakes,  personality traits and  business smarts (or lack thereof).\n\n<strong>Mistakes</strong>\n\nYou used to be able to slip up and it would be forgotten. Not any more. Now, someone will catch your mistake, and put it on Twitter or YouTube. And then people will share that. And before you know it, everyone knows of your mistake. Perhaps forgiven, but not forgotten.\n\n<strong>Personality traits</strong>\n\nAre you an angry person? You will appear even angrier when trying to contain your ire to 140 characters. Your nastiness will be contained and then disseminated. Are you rude? Not only will the person appalled at your belching at the dinner table know about it, but everyone else will too. Self-centered? It will be evident in endless self-promotional posts.  On the other hand, if you are a connector or naturally gregarious, it will be evident because you will have 1000s of followers.\n\n<strong>Business know-how</strong>\n\nDo you answer your customer queries? If you don\'t do it regularly and quickly, it will be even more apparent on social media channels. People will complain. And since you aren\'t used to replying quickly, the problem will grow.\n\nNot sure what social media is for and ignoring it? You can be sure others will not be. You will either look like a fool or lose customers.\n\nFor example, today I was looking at service providers \"website.\" All it was a poorly formed Wordpress site. There was no contact information. None. No listing of services. No reason why I should hire. In short, it was a disaster. I found a Twitter handle, and tweeted. No response.  Better to not be on the web at all!\n\nRemember that social media gives people the ability to share the good and the bad about you. Small can become big. And that can be a good thing, or it can be a disaster. Your choice!\n\n<strong>Don\'t miss out! Sign up for the next How to blog workshop, taking place on May 17. Details and registration<a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Social media amplifies everything','','inherit','open','open','','2170-revision-2','','','2013-05-07 19:07:53','2013-05-07 19:07:53','',2170,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2170-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2173,4,'2013-05-07 19:08:47','2013-05-07 19:08:47','Social media takes a magnifying lens to everything. It makes everything appear bigger and closer (kind of like your side view mirrors).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"338\"]<a title=\"fun with magnifying glasses by matlock, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/matlocktest/861570798/\"><img class=\" \" title=\"Fun with magnifying glasses by matlock on Flickr\" alt=\"fun with magnifying glasses\" src=\"http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1059/861570798_83545b2f90.jpg\" width=\"338\" height=\"450\" /></a> Fun with magnifying glasses by matlock on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\nYou\'ve probably heard that social media serves to amplify your message. You tell your friends on Facebook, and they then share it with their friends, and so on.  I have come to realize that social media amplifies more than your message. It amplifies mistakes,  personality traits and  business smarts (or lack thereof).\r\n\r\n<strong>Mistakes</strong>\r\n\r\nYou used to be able to slip up and it would be forgotten. Not any more. Now, someone will catch your mistake, and put it on Twitter or YouTube. And then people will share that. And before you know it, everyone knows of your mistake. Perhaps forgiven, but not forgotten.\r\n\r\n<strong>Personality traits</strong>\r\n\r\nAre you an angry person? You will appear even angrier when trying to contain your ire to 140 characters. Your nastiness will be contained and then disseminated. Are you rude? Not only will the person appalled at your belching at the dinner table know about it, but everyone else will too. Self-centered? It will be evident in endless self-promotional posts.  On the other hand, if you are a connector or naturally gregarious, it will be evident because you will have 1000s of followers.\r\n\r\n<strong>Business know-how</strong>\r\n\r\nDo you answer your customer queries? If you don\'t do it regularly and quickly, it will be even more apparent on social media channels. People will complain. And since you aren\'t used to replying quickly, the problem will grow.\r\n\r\nNot sure what social media is for and ignoring it? You can be sure others will not be. You will either look like a fool or lose customers.\r\n\r\nFor example, today I was looking at service providers \"website.\" All it was a poorly formed Wordpress site. There was no contact information. None. No listing of services. No reason why I should hire. In short, it was a disaster. I found a Twitter handle, and tweeted. No response.  Better to not be on the web at all!\r\n\r\nRemember that social media gives people the ability to share the good and the bad about you. Small can become big. And that can be a good thing, or it can be a disaster. Your choice!\r\n\r\n<strong>Don\'t miss out! Sign up for the next How to blog workshop, taking place on May 17. Details and registration<a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Social media amplifies everything','','inherit','open','open','','2170-revision-3','','','2013-05-07 19:08:47','2013-05-07 19:08:47','',2170,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2170-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2190,4,'2013-05-20 13:46:58','2013-05-20 13:46:58','Sometimes you see stuff that makes you shake your head (or slap your forehead) and wonder how some people manage to stay afloat.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"THE G.A.H. PERM FOREHEAD SLAP by happy via, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/via/133833172/\"><img alt=\"THE G.A.H. PERM FOREHEAD SLAP\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/48/133833172_ba78ee5077.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" /></a> THE G.A.H. PERM FOREHEAD SLAP by happy via on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\r\nBased on personal experiences in the past week alone, here are three guaranteed ways to lose business fast:</p>\r\n<strong>1. If you have a website, make sure it is lacking relevant information.</strong>\r\n\r\nSure, every business should have a website, but not any website will do. Websites should be useful if you want them to support your business.\r\n\r\nI was looking for a restaurant in which to grab some lunch. I found several and checked out their websites. One place had a website that did not have the following: hours of operation, location, menu.  Guess what? I did not have lunch there.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Make it very difficult to do business with you (and easier to do it with competitors)</strong>\r\n\r\nHow many hoops do you want your potential customers to jump through? Five? Ten? Perhaps you are putting a few too many obstacles for your customers to climb through to get to you. These obstacles can be things like too many forms to fill, rules, not providing services your competitors provide, and so forth.\r\n\r\nI wanted to get some catering for my workshop last week. I usually order coffee and pastries from a national chain, but that place was not nearby the location last week. I thought I would patronize a local place, so I checked it out. First, it took ONE week to get an answer back. Then, I was told that coffee could be provided, but the coffee urn would have a $100 deposit (meanwhile, almost all coffee chains have a portable cardboard coffee box that they don\'t have to charge a deposit for). Oh, and they do not provide plates for the pastries. Guess what? I found another place to get some coffee and pastries.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Ignore your social media responses and/or your emails. Take your time responding if you do get around to it.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe thing about social media and in some cases email too is that it is a quick response forum. This is not the pony express or even the USPS. I don\'t send a missive on social media expecting a response next week. I expect it today, or even sooner.\r\n\r\nI wanted to refer someone some business, but did not have complete contact information. I tweeted and got no response. Even now, more than a week later, I have yet to receive any type of acknowledgement. I can\'t send business to someone who either doesn\'t care to respond or doesn\'t understand how social media works. And then there is the case of the coffee shop I mentioned above. One week to answer an email about doing business with you? That is unacceptable. If you can\'t answer emails or tweets, then I think you don\'t have the time or the interest to do business with me.\r\n\r\nHave you seen these classic business mistakes?','3 guaranteed ways to lose business fast','','publish','open','open','','3-guaranteed-ways-to-lose-business-fast','','','2013-05-20 13:46:58','2013-05-20 13:46:58','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2190',0,'post','',0),(2175,4,'2013-05-09 17:54:18','2013-05-09 17:54:18','OK, so you don\'t like to blog. You hate tweeting. You refuse to put up a picture on your LinkedIn profile. And yet you have all those social media platforms. Perhaps you should get rid of them.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the thing. If you don\'t use them--for whatever reason--don\'t have them. Having an old blog, and old profile or an unused Twitter makes it seem like you are no longer around or worse, that you just don\'t care.\r\n\r\nLast night, I attended a panel presentation where one of the presenters said that potential employers and/or new business connections are checking out your social media profiles  prior to meeting with you. Having an outdated social media presence sends a message, and it is not a good one. (As an aside, and kind of weird, I checked the social media presence for some of these panelists and I found a blog that hasn\'t been updated since 2009 and someone with four  LinkedIn profiles with about one connection each. Hmm. That is not a great message is it?)\r\n\r\nThis is the message I am getting from you:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">You say you know how to do social media but you haven\'t tweeted in two months and you only have 50 followers? I don\'t believe you.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">You are a writer and you say you can help others blog but your website doesn\'t have a blog? You don\'t know how to position yourself and what a blog is really for.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">You are a communications executive and all you have is a personal Facebook page?  You don\'t get the power of social media to educate and expand your network.</p>\r\nYou are sending a message  by having an outdated or unused profile and it may not be one that you want to communicate. An outdated or unused profile  could  mean that you are not comfortable on social media, that you don\'t have much to say, that you don\'t pay attention to social media or even that you experiment but don\'t follow through. None of it is positive.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don’t miss out! Sign up for the next How to blog workshop, taking place on May 17. Details and registration<a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a></strong>','What message are you sending?','','publish','open','open','','what-message-are-you-sending','','','2013-05-09 17:54:18','2013-05-09 17:54:18','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2175',0,'post','',0),(2176,4,'2013-05-09 17:54:15','2013-05-09 17:54:15','OK, so you don\'t like to blog. You hate tweeting. You refuse to put up a picture on your LinkedIn profile. And yet you have all those social media platforms. Perhaps you should get rid of them.\n\nHere\'s the thing. If you don\'t use them--for whatever reason--don\'t have them. Having an old blog, and old profile or an unused Twitter makes it seem like you are no longer around or worse, that you just don\'t care.\n\nLast night, I attended a panel presentation where one of the presenters said that potential employers and/or new business connections are checking out your social media profiles  prior to meeting with you. Having an outdated social media presence sends a message, and it is not a good one. (As an aside, and kind of weird, I checked the social media presence for some of these panelists and I found a blog that hasn\'t been updated since 2009 and someone with four  LinkedIn profiles with about one connection each. Hmm. That is not a great message is it?)\n\nThis is the message I am getting from you:\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">You say you know how to do social media but you haven\'t tweeted in two months and you only have 50 followers? I don\'t believe you.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">You are a writer and you say you can help others blog but your website doesn\'t have a blog? You don\'t know how to position yourself and what a blog is really for.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">You are a communications executive and all you have is a personal Facebook page?  You don\'t get the power of social media to educate and expand your network.</p>\nYou are sending a message  by having an outdated or unused profile and it may not be one that you want to communicate. An outdated or unused profile  could  mean that you are not comfortable on social media, that you don\'t have much to say, that you don\'t pay attention to social media or even that you experiment but don\'t follow through. None of it is positive.\n\n<strong>Don’t miss out! Sign up for the next How to blog workshop, taking place on May 17. Details and registration<a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\"> here.</a></strong>','What message are you sending?','','inherit','open','open','','2175-revision','','','2013-05-09 17:54:15','2013-05-09 17:54:15','',2175,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2175-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2177,4,'2013-05-14 14:00:31','2013-05-14 14:00:31','We use different tones, depending on the audience we are speaking to and our personalities. Tones help define us and the content of what we are saying.  For examply, the professorial types always sound like they are lecturing, even when they are just discussing the weather.\r\n\r\nWhenever we write something, we engage a certain tone. If we are writing an academic paper, we may use an authoritative tone. If we are writing an ad for a baby boutique, we may take on a cheerful tone.  And of course, when we are writing blogs, we should have a definable tone. Some blogs are matter-of-fact. Others are irreverent. Some are angry (and those are generally using the blogosphere to rally against something or someone).  What tone does your blog have?\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<b>Some tones to use include:<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">\r\n</span></b>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>candid</li>\r\n	<li>casual</li>\r\n	<li>cheerful</li>\r\n	<li>compassionate</li>\r\n	<li>conciliatory</li>\r\n	<li>confident</li>\r\n	<li>curious</li>\r\n	<li>empathetic</li>\r\n	<li>encouraging</li>\r\n	<li>excited</li>\r\n	<li>expectant</li>\r\n	<li>fervent</li>\r\n	<li>formal</li>\r\n	<li>fun</li>\r\n	<li>happy</li>\r\n	<li>humorous</li>\r\n	<li>incisive</li>\r\n	<li>objective</li>\r\n	<li>optimistic</li>\r\n	<li>outspoken</li>\r\n	<li>relaxed</li>\r\n	<li>serious</li>\r\n	<li>skeptical</li>\r\n	<li>sympathetic</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<b>Some tones to avoid:</b>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>brusque</li>\r\n	<li>contentious</li>\r\n	<li>cynical</li>\r\n	<li>derogatory</li>\r\n	<li>desperate</li>\r\n	<li>doubtful</li>\r\n	<li>fatalistic</li>\r\n	<li>fearful</li>\r\n	<li>frantic</li>\r\n	<li>gloomy</li>\r\n	<li>grim</li>\r\n	<li> holier-than-thou</li>\r\n	<li>hopeless</li>\r\n	<li>lethargic</li>\r\n	<li>melancholy</li>\r\n	<li>paranoid</li>\r\n	<li>pedantic</li>\r\n	<li>selfish</li>\r\n	<li>unsympathetic</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3>Want to make your blogging better?</h3>\r\nAttend my How to Write Your Blog workshop THIS Friday, May 17. Details and registration <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n</div>','Does your blog have a tone of voice?','','publish','open','open','','does-your-blog-have-a-tone-of-voice','','','2013-05-14 14:00:31','2013-05-14 14:00:31','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2177',0,'post','',0),(2195,4,'2013-04-15 20:54:32','2013-04-15 20:54:32','<h2>Upcoming events:</h2>\r\n<strong>May 17, 2013</strong>: How to write your blog workshop. Registration and details here:\r\n<a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\"> http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#</a>\r\n\r\nI am available to create customized trainings for your organization on the subjects of: blogging, business writing and messaging.\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-04-15 20:54:32','2013-04-15 20:54:32','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/04/1765-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(2179,4,'2013-05-14 13:59:13','2013-05-14 13:59:13','We use different tones, depending on the audience we are speaking to and our personalities. Tones help define us and the content of what we are saying.  For examply, the professorial types always sound like they are lecturing, even when they are just discussing the weather.\n\nWhenever we write something, we engage a certain tone. If we are writing an academic paper, we may use an authoritative tone. If we are writing an ad for a baby boutique, we may take on a cheerful tone.  And of course, when we are writing blogs, we should have a definable tone. Some blogs are matter-of-fact. Others are irreverent. Some are angry (and those are generally using the blogosphere to rally against something or someone).  What tone does your blog have?\n<div>\n\n<b>Some tones to use include:<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">\n</span></b>\n\n</div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n	<li>candid</li>\n	<li>casual</li>\n	<li>cheerful</li>\n	<li>compassionate</li>\n	<li>conciliatory</li>\n	<li>confident</li>\n	<li>curious</li>\n	<li>empathetic</li>\n	<li>encouraging</li>\n	<li>excited</li>\n	<li>expectant</li>\n	<li>fervent</li>\n	<li>formal</li>\n	<li>fun</li>\n	<li>happy</li>\n	<li>humorous</li>\n	<li>incisive</li>\n	<li>objective</li>\n	<li>optimistic</li>\n	<li>outspoken</li>\n	<li>relaxed</li>\n	<li>serious</li>\n	<li>skeptical</li>\n	<li>sympathetic</li>\n</ul>\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<b>Some tones to avoid:</b>\n\n</div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n	<li>brusque</li>\n	<li>contentious</li>\n	<li>cynical</li>\n	<li>derogatory</li>\n	<li>desperate</li>\n	<li>doubtful</li>\n	<li>fatalistic</li>\n	<li>fearful</li>\n	<li>frantic</li>\n	<li>gloomy</li>\n	<li>grim</li>\n	<li> holier-than-thou</li>\n	<li>hopeless</li>\n	<li>lethargic</li>\n	<li>melancholy</li>\n	<li>paranoid</li>\n	<li>pedantic</li>\n	<li>selfish</li>\n	<li>unsympathetic</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Want to make your blogging better?</h3>\nAttend my How to Write Your Blog workshop THIS Friday, May 17. Details and registration <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\n\n</div>','Does your blog have a tone of voice?','','inherit','open','open','','2177-revision','','','2013-05-14 13:59:13','2013-05-14 13:59:13','',2177,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2177-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2180,4,'2013-05-14 13:59:16','2013-05-14 13:59:16','We use different tones, depending on the audience we are speaking to and our personalities. Tones help define us and the content of what we are saying.  For examply, the professorial types always sound like they are lecturing, even when they are just discussing the weather.\r\n\r\nWhenever we write something, we engage a certain tone. If we are writing an academic paper, we may use an authoritative tone. If we are writing an ad for a baby boutique, we may take on a cheerful tone.  And of course, when we are writing blogs, we should have a definable tone. Some blogs are matter-of-fact. Others are irreverent. Some are angry (and those are generally using the blogosphere to rally against something or someone).  What tone does your blog have?\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<b>Some tones to use include:<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">\r\n</span></b>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>candid</li>\r\n	<li>casual</li>\r\n	<li>cheerful</li>\r\n	<li>compassionate</li>\r\n	<li>conciliatory</li>\r\n	<li>confident</li>\r\n	<li>curious</li>\r\n	<li>empathetic</li>\r\n	<li>encouraging</li>\r\n	<li>excited</li>\r\n	<li>expectant</li>\r\n	<li>fervent</li>\r\n	<li>formal</li>\r\n	<li>fun</li>\r\n	<li>happy</li>\r\n	<li>humorous</li>\r\n	<li>incisive</li>\r\n	<li>objective</li>\r\n	<li>optimistic</li>\r\n	<li>outspoken</li>\r\n	<li>relaxed</li>\r\n	<li>serious</li>\r\n	<li>skeptical</li>\r\n	<li>sympathetic</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<b>Some tones to avoid:</b>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>brusque</li>\r\n	<li>contentious</li>\r\n	<li>cynical</li>\r\n	<li>derogatory</li>\r\n	<li>desperate</li>\r\n	<li>doubtful</li>\r\n	<li>fatalistic</li>\r\n	<li>fearful</li>\r\n	<li>frantic</li>\r\n	<li>gloomy</li>\r\n	<li>grim</li>\r\n	<li> holier-than-thou</li>\r\n	<li>hopeless</li>\r\n	<li>lethargic</li>\r\n	<li>melancholy</li>\r\n	<li>paranoid</li>\r\n	<li>pedantic</li>\r\n	<li>selfish</li>\r\n	<li>unsympathetic</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3>Want to make your blogging better?</h3>\r\nAttend my How to Write Your Blog workshop THIS Friday, May 17. Details and registration <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblog4.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n</div>','Does your blog have a tone of voice?','','inherit','open','open','','2177-revision-2','','','2013-05-14 13:59:16','2013-05-14 13:59:16','',2177,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2177-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2184,4,'2013-05-16 17:53:23','2013-05-16 17:53:23','Yesterday, I read Gini Dietrich\'s take on the state of the PR industry, <a href=\"http://spinsucks.com/communication/the-pr-industry-does-need-better-pr/\" target=\"_blank\">The PR Industry Does Need Better PR</a>, on her firm\'s blog, Spin Sucks. Basically, Gini points out that what people think they know about PR is wrong or misleading. It\'s her conclusion that what the PR industry needs is better PR.\r\n\r\n<strong>I think what the PR industry needs is better business skills.</strong>\r\n\r\nHave you been to a PR networking event lately? If you have, you\'ve probably noticed a lot of young people, mostly women. These young people often have inflated titles--including account manager, account director and even vice president--after being in the industry for three years or so. Many of these PR \"pros\" studied PR in college. Some may have even had an internship or two.\r\n\r\nYou may also have met a lot of former journalists who have decided they will have more job stability in public relations, while using their writing skills and knowledge of what is newsworthy.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">What few of these PR people have is a solid understanding of business.</span> Few, if any, have gone to business school. Few, if any, understand basic marketing ideas like push-pull. Fewer still understand finance, balance sheets or even how to read and  interpret data.\r\n\r\nLots of people are busy trying to figure out how to get the word out about an event, or how to have a great social media campaign, but what they are failing to see is the big picture--how public relations helps a company to achieve its business objectives.\r\n\r\nA big part of the disconnect that currently exists between public relations agencies and the business side of the industries served has to do with the separation between communications functions and marketing and sales roles. Even though public relations is part of marketing communications, public relations does not usually have a stake in marketing and sales processes and outcomes. Businesses may hire public relations agencies to help with image, but even then, the point usually is to increase the bottom line (i.e. sales in for profit organizations, influence or donors at nonprofit organizations).\r\n\r\nIn his article <a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/14477.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">3 reasons to find a new PR/social media agency</a>, Scott Signore states quite succinctly the following as his third reason:\r\n<blockquote><strong>Finally</strong>, despite the evolution in the category and the number of significant changes the PR business has endured over the years, it’s still about executing a communications program that helps drive business. So, look for another PR and social media agency partner if your current group is not directly supporting your business objectives.</blockquote>\r\nWhat Scott is saying is that if PR agencies are not helping companies achieve <strong>business objectives</strong>, they should be fired. Fundamentally, they are not doing their job.\r\n\r\nAnd yet, as I said before, too many PR professionals simply do not understand business. All public relations pros should be reading business books or articles or watching business-focused programs. Those who want to be high-level agency executives should consider going to business school.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Is it a PR problem? Or is it a lack of business know-how?','Is it a PR problem or is it a business problem?','','publish','open','open','','is-it-a-pr-problem-or-is-it-a-business-problem','','\nhttp://spinsucks.com/communication/the-pr-industry-does-need-better-pr/','2013-05-16 17:54:27','2013-05-16 17:54:27','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2184',0,'post','',0),(2186,4,'2013-05-16 17:52:44','2013-05-16 17:52:44','Yesterday, I read Gini Dietrich\'s take on the state of the PR industry, <a href=\"http://spinsucks.com/communication/the-pr-industry-does-need-better-pr/\" target=\"_blank\">The PR Industry Does Need Better PR</a>, on her firm\'s blog, Spin Sucks. Basically, Gini points out that what people think they know about PR is wrong or misleading. It\'s her conclusion that what the PR industry needs is better PR.\n\n<strong>I think what the PR industry needs is better business skills.</strong>\n\nHave you been to a PR networking event lately? If you have, you\'ve probably noticed a lot of young people, mostly women. These young people often have inflated titles--including account manager, account director and even vice president--after being in the industry for three years or so. Many of these PR \"pros\" studied PR in college. Some may have even had an internship or two.\n\nYou may also have met a lot of former journalists who have decided they will have more job stability in public relations, while using their writing skills and knowledge of what is newsworthy.\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">What few of these PR people have is a solid understanding of business.</span> Few, if any, have gone to business school. Few, if any, understand basic marketing ideas like push-pull. Fewer still understand finance, balance sheets or even how to read and  interpret data.\n\nLots of people are busy trying to figure out how to get the word out about an event, or how to have a great social media campaign, but what they are failing to see is the big picture--how public relations helps a company to achieve its business objectives.\n\nA big part of the disconnect that currently exists between public relations agencies and the business side of the industries served has to do with the separation between communications functions and marketing and sales roles. Even though public relations is part of marketing communications, public relations does not usually have a stake in marketing and sales processes and outcomes. Businesses may hire public relations agencies to help with image, but even then, the point usually is to increase the bottom line (i.e. sales in for profit organizations, influence or donors at nonprofit organizations).\n\nIn his article <a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/14477.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">3 reasons to find a new PR/social media</a>, Scott Signore states quite succinctly the following as his third reason:\n<blockquote><strong>Finally</strong>, despite the evolution in the category and the number of significant changes the PR business has endured over the years, it’s still about executing a communications program that helps drive business. So, look for another PR and social media agency partner if your current group is not directly supporting your business objectives.</blockquote>\nWhat Scott is saying is that if PR agencies are not helping companies achieve <strong>business objectives</strong> ,they should be fired.  They are not doing their fundamental job.\n\nAnd yet, as I said before, too many PR professionals simply do not understand business. All public relations pros should be reading business books or articles or watching business-focused programs. Those who want to be high-level agency executives should consider going to business school.\n\nWhat do you think? Is it a PR problem? Or is it a lack of business know-how?','Is it a PR problem or is it a business problem?','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-2','','','2013-05-16 17:52:44','2013-05-16 17:52:44','',2184,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2184-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2187,4,'2013-05-16 17:53:23','2013-05-16 17:53:23','Yesterday, I read Gini Dietrich\'s take on the state of the PR industry, <a href=\"http://spinsucks.com/communication/the-pr-industry-does-need-better-pr/\" target=\"_blank\">The PR Industry Does Need Better PR</a>, on her firm\'s blog, Spin Sucks. Basically, Gini points out that what people think they know about PR is wrong or misleading. It\'s her conclusion that what the PR industry needs is better PR.\r\n\r\n<strong>I think what the PR industry needs is better business skills.</strong>\r\n\r\nHave you been to a PR networking event lately? If you have, you\'ve probably noticed a lot of young people, mostly women. These young people often have inflated titles--including account manager, account director and even vice president--after being in the industry for three years or so. Many of these PR \"pros\" studied PR in college. Some may have even had an internship or two.\r\n\r\nYou may also have met a lot of former journalists who have decided they will have more job stability in public relations, while using their writing skills and knowledge of what is newsworthy.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">What few of these PR people have is a solid understanding of business.</span> Few, if any, have gone to business school. Few, if any, understand basic marketing ideas like push-pull. Fewer still understand finance, balance sheets or even how to read and  interpret data.\r\n\r\nLots of people are busy trying to figure out how to get the word out about an event, or how to have a great social media campaign, but what they are failing to see is the big picture--how public relations helps a company to achieve its business objectives.\r\n\r\nA big part of the disconnect that currently exists between public relations agencies and the business side of the industries served has to do with the separation between communications functions and marketing and sales roles. Even though public relations is part of marketing communications, public relations does not usually have a stake in marketing and sales processes and outcomes. Businesses may hire public relations agencies to help with image, but even then, the point usually is to increase the bottom line (i.e. sales in for profit organizations, influence or donors at nonprofit organizations).\r\n\r\nIn his article <a href=\"http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/14477.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">3 reasons to find a new PR/social media</a>, Scott Signore states quite succinctly the following as his third reason:\r\n<blockquote><strong>Finally</strong>, despite the evolution in the category and the number of significant changes the PR business has endured over the years, it’s still about executing a communications program that helps drive business. So, look for another PR and social media agency partner if your current group is not directly supporting your business objectives.</blockquote>\r\nWhat Scott is saying is that if PR agencies are not helping companies achieve <strong>business objectives</strong>, they should be fired. Fundamentally, they are not doing their job.\r\n\r\nAnd yet, as I said before, too many PR professionals simply do not understand business. All public relations pros should be reading business books or articles or watching business-focused programs. Those who want to be high-level agency executives should consider going to business school.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Is it a PR problem? Or is it a lack of business know-how?','Is it a PR problem or is it a business problem?','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-3','','','2013-05-16 17:53:23','2013-05-16 17:53:23','',2184,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2184-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2191,4,'2013-05-20 13:41:19','2013-05-20 13:41:19','Sometimes you see stuff that makes you shake your head and wonder how some people manage to stay afloat.\n\nBased on personal experiences in the past week alone, here are three guaranteed ways to lose business fast:\n\n<strong>1. If you have a website, make sure it is lacking relevant information.</strong>\n\nSure, every business should have a website, but not any website will do. Websites should be useful if you want them to support your business.\n\nI was looking for a restaurant in which to grab some lunch. I found several and checked out their websites. One place had a website that did not have the following: hours of operation, location, menu.  Guess what? I did not have lunch there.\n\n<strong>2. Make it very difficult to do business with you (and easier to do it with competitors)</strong>\n\nHow many hoops do you want your potential customers to jump through? Five? Ten? Perhaps you are putting a few too many obstacles for your customers to climb through to get to you. These obstacles can be things like too many forms to fill, rules, not providing services your competitors provide, and so forth.\n\nI wanted to get some catering for my workshop last week. I usually order coffee and pastries from a national chain, but that place was not nearby the location last week. I thought I would patronize a local place, so I checked it out. First, it took ONE week to get an answer back. Then, I was told that coffee could be provided, but the coffee urn would have a $100 deposit (meanwhile, almost all coffee chains have a portable cardboard coffee box that they don\'t have to charge a deposit for). Oh, and they do not provide plates for the pastries. Guess what? I found another place to get some coffee and pastries.\n\n<strong>3. Ignore your social media responses and/or your emails. Take your time responding if you do get around to it.</strong>\n\nThe thing about social media and in some cases email too is that it is a quick response forum. This is not the pony express or even the USPS. I don\'t send a missive on social media expecting a response next week. I expect it today, or even sooner.\n\nI wanted to refer someone some business, but did not have complete contact information. I tweeted and got no response. Even now, more than a week later, I have yet to receive any type of acknowledgement. I can\'t send business to someone who either doesn\'t care to respond or doesn\'t understand how social media works. And then there is the case of the coffee shop I mentioned above. One week to answer an email about doing business with you? That is unacceptable. If you can\'t answer emails or tweets, then I think you don\'t have the time or the interest to do business with me.\n\nHave you seen these classic business mistakes?','3 guaranteed ways to lose business fast','','inherit','open','open','','2190-revision','','','2013-05-20 13:41:19','2013-05-20 13:41:19','',2190,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2190-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2192,4,'2013-05-20 13:41:33','2013-05-20 13:41:33','Sometimes you see stuff that makes you shake your head and wonder how some people manage to stay afloat.\r\n\r\nBased on personal experiences in the past week alone, here are three guaranteed ways to lose business fast:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. If you have a website, make sure it is lacking relevant information.</strong>\r\n\r\nSure, every business should have a website, but not any website will do. Websites should be useful if you want them to support your business.\r\n\r\nI was looking for a restaurant in which to grab some lunch. I found several and checked out their websites. One place had a website that did not have the following: hours of operation, location, menu.  Guess what? I did not have lunch there.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Make it very difficult to do business with you (and easier to do it with competitors)</strong>\r\n\r\nHow many hoops do you want your potential customers to jump through? Five? Ten? Perhaps you are putting a few too many obstacles for your customers to climb through to get to you. These obstacles can be things like too many forms to fill, rules, not providing services your competitors provide, and so forth.\r\n\r\nI wanted to get some catering for my workshop last week. I usually order coffee and pastries from a national chain, but that place was not nearby the location last week. I thought I would patronize a local place, so I checked it out. First, it took ONE week to get an answer back. Then, I was told that coffee could be provided, but the coffee urn would have a $100 deposit (meanwhile, almost all coffee chains have a portable cardboard coffee box that they don\'t have to charge a deposit for). Oh, and they do not provide plates for the pastries. Guess what? I found another place to get some coffee and pastries.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Ignore your social media responses and/or your emails. Take your time responding if you do get around to it.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe thing about social media and in some cases email too is that it is a quick response forum. This is not the pony express or even the USPS. I don\'t send a missive on social media expecting a response next week. I expect it today, or even sooner.\r\n\r\nI wanted to refer someone some business, but did not have complete contact information. I tweeted and got no response. Even now, more than a week later, I have yet to receive any type of acknowledgement. I can\'t send business to someone who either doesn\'t care to respond or doesn\'t understand how social media works. And then there is the case of the coffee shop I mentioned above. One week to answer an email about doing business with you? That is unacceptable. If you can\'t answer emails or tweets, then I think you don\'t have the time or the interest to do business with me.\r\n\r\nHave you seen these classic business mistakes?','3 guaranteed ways to lose business fast','','inherit','open','open','','2190-revision-2','','','2013-05-20 13:41:33','2013-05-20 13:41:33','',2190,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2190-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2193,4,'2013-05-20 13:46:27','2013-05-20 13:46:27','Sometimes you see stuff that makes you shake your head (or slap your forehead) and wonder how some people manage to stay afloat.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"THE G.A.H. PERM FOREHEAD SLAP by happy via, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/via/133833172/\"><img alt=\"THE G.A.H. PERM FOREHEAD SLAP\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/48/133833172_ba78ee5077.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" /></a> THE G.A.H. PERM FOREHEAD SLAP by happy via on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\r\nBased on personal experiences in the past week alone, here are three guaranteed ways to lose business fast:</p>\r\n<strong>1. If you have a website, make sure it is lacking relevant information.</strong>\r\n\r\nSure, every business should have a website, but not any website will do. Websites should be useful if you want them to support your business.\r\n\r\nI was looking for a restaurant in which to grab some lunch. I found several and checked out their websites. One place had a website that did not have the following: hours of operation, location, menu.  Guess what? I did not have lunch there.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Make it very difficult to do business with you (and easier to do it with competitors)</strong>\r\n\r\nHow many hoops do you want your potential customers to jump through? Five? Ten? Perhaps you are putting a few too many obstacles for your customers to climb through to get to you. These obstacles can be things like too many forms to fill, rules, not providing services your competitors provide, and so forth.\r\n\r\nI wanted to get some catering for my workshop last week. I usually order coffee and pastries from a national chain, but that place was not nearby the location last week. I thought I would patronize a local place, so I checked it out. First, it took ONE week to get an answer back. Then, I was told that coffee could be provided, but the coffee urn would have a $100 deposit (meanwhile, almost all coffee chains have a portable cardboard coffee box that they don\'t have to charge a deposit for). Oh, and they do not provide plates for the pastries. Guess what? I found another place to get some coffee and pastries.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Ignore your social media responses and/or your emails. Take your time responding if you do get around to it.</strong>\r\n\r\nThe thing about social media and in some cases email too is that it is a quick response forum. This is not the pony express or even the USPS. I don\'t send a missive on social media expecting a response next week. I expect it today, or even sooner.\r\n\r\nI wanted to refer someone some business, but did not have complete contact information. I tweeted and got no response. Even now, more than a week later, I have yet to receive any type of acknowledgement. I can\'t send business to someone who either doesn\'t care to respond or doesn\'t understand how social media works. And then there is the case of the coffee shop I mentioned above. One week to answer an email about doing business with you? That is unacceptable. If you can\'t answer emails or tweets, then I think you don\'t have the time or the interest to do business with me.\r\n\r\nHave you seen these classic business mistakes?','3 guaranteed ways to lose business fast','','inherit','open','open','','2190-revision-3','','','2013-05-20 13:46:27','2013-05-20 13:46:27','',2190,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2190-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2196,4,'2013-05-22 20:12:02','2013-05-22 20:12:02','<h2>Upcoming events:</h2>\r\nJune 25, 2013 Presenting a session entitle <b>Using your organizational blog as a centerpiece in your social media strategy </b>at the <a href=\"http://www.prsamd.org/get-connected/events/2013-prsa-mid-atlantic-district-chesapeake-conference/\" target=\"_blank\">PRSA Mid-Atlantic District Chesapeake Conference.</a>\r\n\r\nI am available to create customized trainings for your organization on the subjects of: blogging, business writing and messaging.\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>May 17, 2013</strong>: How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-05-22 20:12:02','2013-05-22 20:12:02','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/1765-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(2212,4,'2013-06-05 14:34:52','2013-06-05 14:34:52','If you have received any type of contact email, you know there is a way to do it and a way not to.  Just this week I received a contact email that made me realize lots of salespeople don\'t know how to do it.  The email I got was this:\r\n<blockquote>Hi Deborah:\r\n\r\nI’m working with the [company name] sales channel, and my client requires the assistance of a company specializing in “Communications Audits”.\r\n\r\nKindly drop me a line to discuss (my phone number is provided below).  Thanks,\r\n\r\n[Email signature]</blockquote>\r\nThis email followed a voice message that went like this:\r\n<blockquote>Hi Deborah, My name is X , a consultant working with the sales channel (...) and [my client] is inquiring about a communications audit. And I\'d like to talk to you about it, how does it work, relative to their sales channel, it would be very lucrative to your business. ...</blockquote>\r\nThe consultant seems to assume I understand what \"the sales channel\" is supposed to be. He is also looking for \"communications audits\" relative to the sales channel. And lastly, he is telling me it would be lucrative to my business.  There are two things going on in the contact, and they are at odds with each other: looking for a solution for a client and offering something to me. Which is it? Neither is clear.\r\n\r\nI asked for clarification as to what exactly he was looking for, and this consultant suggested having a 15-minute conversation. When I said I needed more information to see if there was a fit, he repeated what he had told me. I then wrote back saying I thought there wasn\'t a fit. To top it off, I got this email back from him:\r\n<blockquote>I’ll gladly give you appropriate details if we were to connect.\r\n\r\nSurely you’re not too busy to grow your business and frankly, if you are – delegate to as a sales rep.\r\n\r\nYou’re not too important to talk to me; I deal with Presidents of companies with revenues exceeding $100M.</blockquote>\r\nIn the end, this person is really trying to sell ME something, which is obvious since he can\'t tell me what problem his client is having that he thinks I can help with.  What he really wants is to have a connection with me. And he thinks that by insulting me and assuming things about me, I will want to talk to him (not to mention that he has grammatical challenges...)\r\n\r\nIf you want to have write a successful contact email, do not follow the example above. Here is what you should do instead:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">1. Start with being clear on the purpose of your contact. What you are looking for. Are you looking for a quote? A description of services? A location?</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">2. Tell the contact how you found him/her  and/or why you are contacting him/her.  For example: I am looking for a general contractor, and I came across your name in the XYX directory.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">3. Provide details that may be relevant. Don\'t assume that the person understands everything you are saying. Using the example of the general contractor: I am looking to add a powder room to the first level of my two-level house. Currently, I have two bathrooms upstairs. I think there is enough space on the first level to accommodate this change. I am not sure if the plumbing can be worked in.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">4. Ask specific questions. Are you able to do this service? What do you charge? What other information do you require?</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">5. Close nicely and provide contact information: Thanks for your attention and please contact me either by email or by phone at xxx-xxx-xxxx.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">6. Before sending, make sure your spelling and grammar are correct. Emails that are full of typos and mistakes make you look unprofessional.</p>\r\nRealize that you may not always get a response. That\'s OK. And if you do get a request for clarification, clarify! You may have questions, and the contact may have questions. Don\'t assume that you both know everything.\r\n\r\nFinally, don\'t do what the guy in the contact email to me did: say you want one thing, while meaning something else. People see through that and it makes you look bad.\r\n\r\nThoughts?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to write a contact email','','publish','open','open','','how-to-write-a-contact-email','','','2013-06-05 14:34:52','2013-06-05 14:34:52','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2212',0,'post','',2),(2198,4,'2013-05-23 20:13:24','2013-05-23 20:13:24','Yes, this is really about making ONE fix, that should not take more than a few minutes, and that will make difference in how many people see your blog. It involves your sharing capabilities.\r\n\r\n<strong>You must have sharing capabilities</strong>. That\'s not even up for discussion. If you don\'t, go add it right now. If you have a WordPress.org blog, then go do a search for \"sharing buttons\" in the plugins. There are several to choose from. My current favorite is <a href=\"http://sharethis.com/#sthash.9v3tzF97.dpbs\" target=\"_blank\">ShareThis</a> (and is what I am using, right there at the bottom of this post).  If you are on another platform, use your search engine to search for \"sharing tools\" or \"sharing buttons\" for your platform.\r\n\r\nMost sharing tools are free, and most give you the options to share on the main social networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Some let you share to dozens of other networks. Choose the one that best suits your needs (and where your audience is likely to share and read).\r\n\r\n<strong>If you already have sharing on your blog, I want you to go to your blog and choose a random post and hit your Tweet this/Twitter share button</strong> <strong>and see what comes up</strong>. Ideally, what should come up should be\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\"Title/ headline of your post\"  (link to the post) via (your Twitter handle).</p>\r\n<strong>If what comes up does not have the title of your post plus your Twitter handle, you need to either adjust your settings or change your sharing tools.</strong> Some sharing plugins allow for the title of the post, the name of the blog or website, and the Twitter handle. That would be even better.\r\n\r\nMany blogs I have seen in the past few days have sharing, but when I click to share I get these types of messages:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Reading [link]</li>\r\n	<li>[link]</li>\r\n	<li>Title[link] via [your sharing tool\'s Twitter handle]</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWithout a title or headline, you are giving no reason for your readers to click on the link. Do you click on links with no subject? Probably not. Without a Twitter handle, you are not letting people know where the link is coming from.\r\n\r\nSo, go check it right now! This is truly a quick fix that will make it easier and better for your readers to share your posts, and therefore, increase your impact.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','One quick fix that will increase your blog\'s impact','','publish','open','open','','one-quick-fix-that-will-increase-your-blogs-impact','','','2013-05-23 20:13:24','2013-05-23 20:13:24','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2198',0,'post','',0),(2199,4,'2013-05-23 20:10:27','2013-05-23 20:10:27','Yes, this is really about making ONE fix, that should not take more than a few minutes, and that will make difference in how many people see your blog. It involves your sharing capabilities.\n\n<strong>You must have sharing capabilities</strong>. That\'s not even up for discussion. If you don\'t, go add it right now. If you have a WordPress.org blog, then go do a search for \"sharing buttons\" in the plugins. There are several to choose from. My current favorite is <a href=\"http://sharethis.com/#sthash.9v3tzF97.dpbs\" target=\"_blank\">ShareThis</a> (and is what I am using, right there at the bottom of this post).  If you are on another platform, use your search engine to search for \"sharing tools\" or \"sharing buttons\" for your platform.\n\nMost sharing tools are free, and most give you the options to share on the main social networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Some let you share to dozens of other networks. Choose the one that best suits your needs (and where your audience is likely to share and read).\n\n<strong>If you already have sharing on your blog, I want you to go to your blog and choose a random post and hit your Tweet this/Twitter share button</strong> <strong>and see what comes up</strong>. Ideally, what should come up should be\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\"Title of your post\"  (link to the post) via (your Twitter handle).</p>\n<strong>If what comes up does not have the title of your post plus your Twitter handle, you need to either adjust your settings or change your sharing tools.</strong> Some sharing plugins allow for the title of the post, the name of the blog or website, and the Twitter handle. That would be even better.\n\nMany blogs I have seen in the past few days have sharing, but when I click to share I get these types of messages:\n<ul>\n	<li>Reading (link).</li>\n	<li>(link)</li>\n	<li>Title (link) via (your sharing tool\'s Twitter handle)</li>\n</ul>\nWithout a title, you are giving no reason for your readers to click on the link. Without a Twitter handle, you are not letting people know where the link is coming from.\n\nSo, go check it right now! This is truly a quick fix that will make it easier and better for your readers to share your posts, and therefore, increase your impact.\n\n&nbsp;','One quick fix that will increase your blog\'s impact','','inherit','open','open','','2198-revision','','','2013-05-23 20:10:27','2013-05-23 20:10:27','',2198,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2198-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2200,4,'2013-05-23 20:11:26','2013-05-23 20:11:26','Yes, this is really about making ONE fix, that should not take more than a few minutes, and that will make difference in how many people see your blog. It involves your sharing capabilities.\n\n<strong>You must have sharing capabilities</strong>. That\'s not even up for discussion. If you don\'t, go add it right now. If you have a WordPress.org blog, then go do a search for \"sharing buttons\" in the plugins. There are several to choose from. My current favorite is <a href=\"http://sharethis.com/#sthash.9v3tzF97.dpbs\" target=\"_blank\">ShareThis</a> (and is what I am using, right there at the bottom of this post).  If you are on another platform, use your search engine to search for \"sharing tools\" or \"sharing buttons\" for your platform.\n\nMost sharing tools are free, and most give you the options to share on the main social networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Some let you share to dozens of other networks. Choose the one that best suits your needs (and where your audience is likely to share and read).\n\n<strong>If you already have sharing on your blog, I want you to go to your blog and choose a random post and hit your Tweet this/Twitter share button</strong> <strong>and see what comes up</strong>. Ideally, what should come up should be\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\"Title of your post\"  (link to the post) via (your Twitter handle).</p>\n<strong>If what comes up does not have the title of your post plus your Twitter handle, you need to either adjust your settings or change your sharing tools.</strong> Some sharing plugins allow for the title of the post, the name of the blog or website, and the Twitter handle. That would be even better.\n\nMany blogs I have seen in the past few days have sharing, but when I click to share I get these types of messages:\n<ul>\n	<li>Reading (link).</li>\n	<li>[link</li>\n	<li>Title[link] via [your sharing tool\'s Twitter handle]</li>\n</ul>\nWithout a title, you are giving no reason for your readers to click on the link. Without a Twitter handle, you are not letting people know where the link is coming from.\n\nSo, go check it right now! This is truly a quick fix that will make it easier and better for your readers to share your posts, and therefore, increase your impact.\n\n&nbsp;','One quick fix that will increase your blog\'s impact','','inherit','open','open','','2198-revision-2','','','2013-05-23 20:11:26','2013-05-23 20:11:26','',2198,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2198-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2201,4,'2013-05-23 20:12:41','2013-05-23 20:12:41','Yes, this is really about making ONE fix, that should not take more than a few minutes, and that will make difference in how many people see your blog. It involves your sharing capabilities.\r\n\r\n<strong>You must have sharing capabilities</strong>. That\'s not even up for discussion. If you don\'t, go add it right now. If you have a WordPress.org blog, then go do a search for \"sharing buttons\" in the plugins. There are several to choose from. My current favorite is <a href=\"http://sharethis.com/#sthash.9v3tzF97.dpbs\" target=\"_blank\">ShareThis</a> (and is what I am using, right there at the bottom of this post).  If you are on another platform, use your search engine to search for \"sharing tools\" or \"sharing buttons\" for your platform.\r\n\r\nMost sharing tools are free, and most give you the options to share on the main social networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Some let you share to dozens of other networks. Choose the one that best suits your needs (and where your audience is likely to share and read).\r\n\r\n<strong>If you already have sharing on your blog, I want you to go to your blog and choose a random post and hit your Tweet this/Twitter share button</strong> <strong>and see what comes up</strong>. Ideally, what should come up should be\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\"Title/ headline of your post\"  (link to the post) via (your Twitter handle).</p>\r\n<strong>If what comes up does not have the title of your post plus your Twitter handle, you need to either adjust your settings or change your sharing tools.</strong> Some sharing plugins allow for the title of the post, the name of the blog or website, and the Twitter handle. That would be even better.\r\n\r\nMany blogs I have seen in the past few days have sharing, but when I click to share I get these types of messages:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Reading [link]</li>\r\n	<li>[link]</li>\r\n	<li>Title[link] via [your sharing tool\'s Twitter handle]</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWithout a title or headline, you are giving no reason for your readers to click on the link. Do you click on links with no subject? Probably not. Without a Twitter handle, you are not letting people know where the link is coming from.\r\n\r\nSo, go check it right now! This is truly a quick fix that will make it easier and better for your readers to share your posts, and therefore, increase your impact.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','One quick fix that will increase your blog\'s impact','','inherit','open','open','','2198-revision-3','','','2013-05-23 20:12:41','2013-05-23 20:12:41','',2198,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2198-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2207,4,'2013-05-29 12:11:43','2013-05-29 12:11:43','You\'ve heard the saying about how the cobbler\'s children go barefoot. It seems to me that this is especially true for PR agencies and practitioners. They don\'t seem to get that they need to think about their image and their relations with their public. They are in PR but don\'t practice PR for themselves.\n\nRecently, a large PR firm had layoffs. They were not publicized as most companies like to keep this information quiet.  I happen to have a connection to some of the people that were laid off, and I heard that the layoffs were not handled nicely (or a nicely as being told you are losing your job can be handled). The people who were laid off were given just a few minutes to collect their belongings and leave the office. They were only given two weeks severance.  One of them did not get a chance to take her personal stuff with her, and the agency \"lost\" it. In short, they were not treated very well.\n\nWhat\'s astounding to me is that a PR agency that is in the business of making clients look good can do things that make itself look bad. Why would you not handle a layoff in a more caring and thoughtful fashion? Don\'t you know that people have friends and friends have social media? Don\'t you know that reputations depend on cultivating good feelings and trust?\n\nAnd then there is all the questionable personal stuff that PR people do in business settings, like having incomplete or outdated LinkedIn profiles or using Twitter  to post automated horoscope listings. And there are PR executives that go on Twitter to rant and rave, and sometimes even post nasty comments about clients, as if nobody can see (and copy and disseminate) that?\n\nPR people (and agencies) must learn that what they do--both publicly and privately-- is open for scrutiny, and in a digital world, news travels fast and wide. Ultimately, public relations is about protecting reputation and helping build and protect an image. PR agencies and practitioners need to think about their own reputation and image, and act accordingly.','PR for PR people','','inherit','open','open','','2206-revision','','','2013-05-29 12:11:43','2013-05-29 12:11:43','',2206,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2206-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2209,4,'2013-05-30 19:59:48','2013-05-30 19:59:48','Several weeks ago, I started getting a weekly newspaper in the mail. It was a supposed to be a four-week free subscription to thank me for some volunteering I had done. The enclosed note said that they hoped I would consider subscribing.\n\nI would consider subscribing, but I haven\'t been given the chance. I keep getting this newspaper, even though it has been more than eight weeks (twice what was originally offered) and never once has a subscription card come along with it. I guess they are wishing I call them and say \"please charge me for the paper you are already sending me for free!\"\n\n<strong>Wishing is not a good marketing tactic.</strong>\n\n<a title=\"Gran blows out her candles on her 80th birthday cake by Ben Sutherland, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bensutherland/5800945753/\"><img alt=\"Gran blows out her candles on her 80th birthday cake\" src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3659/5800945753_ee040e1ff4.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"331\" /></a>\n\n<strong>Instead, ask for what you want</strong> or give potential customers a pathway to becoming paying customers. In this case, the newspaper could send me a card saying that they hope I have enjoyed my free trial subscription, and if I would like to continue getting this newspaper, then please send a check in the enclosed envelope or call some phone number with my credit card information.\n\nWe see this with many other situations. Another common example is failing to ask for referrals. Does your hair or beauty salon ever ask you specifically to refer people? They probably wish you did, but they don\'t make it easy or worth your while. Say they said to you when you were checking out: We hope you like your new hair do. Perhaps you know someone else who wants a new haircut. If you do, we have a referral program. Just tell your friend to call us the number on this card, and we will give you a discount on your next service.\n\nSometimes you have to ask very specifically for what you want. A few days ago, I read that the tweets that get the most traction are the ones that have an ask in them: please retweet,  please help, please donate, etc.  You can\'t wish for things to happen...you have to make them happen!\n\nThoughts?','Wishing is not a marketing tactic','','inherit','open','open','','2208-revision','','','2013-05-30 19:59:48','2013-05-30 19:59:48','',2208,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2208-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2210,4,'2013-05-30 20:00:48','2013-05-30 20:00:48','Several weeks ago, I started getting a weekly newspaper in the mail. It was a supposed to be a four-week free subscription to thank me for some volunteering I had done. The enclosed note said that they hoped I would consider subscribing.\n\nI would consider subscribing, but I haven\'t been given the chance. I keep getting this newspaper, even though it has been more than eight weeks (twice what was originally offered) and never once has a subscription card come along with it. I guess they are wishing I call them and say \"please charge me for the paper you are already sending me for free!\"\n\n<strong>Wishing is not a good marketing tactic.</strong>\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"Gran blows out her candles on her 80th birthday cake by Ben Sutherland, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bensutherland/5800945753/\"><img alt=\"Gran blows out her candles on her 80th birthday cake\" src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3659/5800945753_ee040e1ff4.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"298\" /></a> Gran blows out her candles on her 80th birthday cake by Ben Sutherland on Flickr[/caption]\n\n<strong>Instead, ask for what you want</strong> or give potential customers a pathway to becoming paying customers. In this case, the newspaper could send me a card saying that they hope I have enjoyed my free trial subscription, and if I would like to continue getting this newspaper, then please send a check in the enclosed envelope or call some phone number with my credit card information.\n\nWe see this with many other situations. Another common example is failing to ask for referrals. Does your hair or beauty salon ever ask you specifically to refer people? They probably wish you did, but they don\'t make it easy or worth your while. Say they said to you when you were checking out: We hope you like your new hair do. Perhaps you know someone else who wants a new haircut. If you do, we have a referral program. Just tell your friend to call us the number on this card, and we will give you a discount on your next service.\n\nSometimes you have to ask very specifically for what you want. A few days ago, I read that the tweets that get the most traction are the ones that have an ask in them: please retweet,  please help, please donate, etc.  You can\'t wish for things to happen...you have to make them happen!\n\nThoughts?','Wishing is not a marketing tactic','','inherit','open','open','','2208-revision-2','','','2013-05-30 20:00:48','2013-05-30 20:00:48','',2208,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/2208-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2327,4,'2013-09-10 14:27:55','2013-09-10 14:27:55','Google\'s decision to kill Google Reader has impacted more than our ability to have all our blog feeds in one easy-to-access place, it has impacted many blogs and their ability to be read at all. You see, Google did not give anybody a real alternative to Reader. Some jumped in, like Feedly, making it easy to transfer your feeds to their readers. For some users of Google Reader, it was hard to decide which of the many alternatives out there to use, so they didn\'t transfer their feeds, and now, that ability is lost.\r\n\r\nIn the past few weeks, I started to notice that this blog\'s feed was taking several days to update on Feedly (which is the alternative I chose). Then, the last two or three posts NEVER updated at all. I wrote to Feedly this morning, and their customer service rep told me that it is a capacity issue on which they are working. In the meantime, people who are looking for this blog on Feedly think I haven\'t written anything in two weeks. And you may not even see this post.\r\n\r\nThe demise of Google Reader may turn out to be a disaster for many smaller blogs like this. Unless Feedly steps up, and all readers out there have the capacity that Google offered, blogs will be affected. Once you aren\'t present, you disappear from people\'s minds. With the plethora of blogs and other content available, the competition is intense. To have cut through the clutter and made it on to people\'s Google Reader only to be demolished by an nonexistent \"transition\" is not only a real shame but could be a destroyer of business.\r\n\r\nI am not sure what to do. I will continue posting my content to Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook as appropriate, and people are free to subscribe via email (and that updates instantly as the post is published).\r\n\r\nIf you are reading this post, what do you suggest?','You may not see this post','','publish','open','open','','you-may-not-see-this-post','','','2013-09-10 14:27:55','2013-09-10 14:27:55','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2327',0,'post','',6),(2213,4,'2013-06-05 14:34:42','2013-06-05 14:34:42','If you have received any type of contact email, you know there is a way to do it and a way not to.  Just this week I received a contact email that made me realize lots of salespeople don\'t know how to do it.  The email I got was this:\n<blockquote>Hi Deborah:\n\nI’m working with the [company name] sales channel, and my client requires the assistance of a company specializing in “Communications Audits”.\n\nKindly drop me a line to discuss (my phone number is provided below).  Thanks,\n\n[Email signature]</blockquote>\nThis email followed a voice message that went like this:\n<blockquote>Hi Deborah, My name is X , a consultant working with the sales channel (...) and [my client] is inquiring about a communications audit. And I\'d like to talk to you about it, how does it work, relative to their sales channel, it would be very lucrative to your business. ...</blockquote>\nThe consultant seems to assume I understand what \"the sales channel\" is supposed to be. He is also looking for \"communications audits\" relative to the sales channel. And lastly, he is telling me it would be lucrative to my business.  There are two things going on in the contact, and they are at odds with each other: looking for a solution for a client and offering something to me. Which is it? Neither is clear.\n\nI asked for clarification as to what exactly he was looking for, and this consultant suggested having a 15-minute conversation. When I said I needed more information to see if there was a fit, he repeated what he had told me. I then wrote back saying I thought there wasn\'t a fit. To top it off, I got this email back from him:\n<blockquote>I’ll gladly give you appropriate details if we were to connect.\n\nSurely you’re not too busy to grow your business and frankly, if you are – delegate to as a sales rep.\n\nYou’re not too important to talk to me; I deal with Presidents of companies with revenues exceeding $100M.</blockquote>\nIn the end, this person is really trying to sell ME something, which is obvious since he can\'t tell me what problem his client is having that he thinks I can help with.  What he really wants is to have a connection with me. And he thinks that by insulting me and assuming things about me, I will want to talk to him (not to mention that he has grammatical challenges...)\n\nIf you want to have write a successful contact email, do not follow the example above. Here is what you should do instead:\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">1. Start with being clear on the purpose of your contact. What you are looking for. Are you looking for a quote? A description of services? A location?</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">2. Tell the contact how you found him/her  and/or why you are contacting him/her.  For example: I am looking for a general contractor, and I came across your name in the XYX directory.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">3. Provide details that may be relevant. Don\'t assume that the person understands everything you are saying. Using the example of the general contractor: I am looking to add a powder room to the first level of my two-level house. Currently, I have two bathrooms upstairs. I think there is enough space on the first level to accommodate this change. I am not sure if the plumbing can be worked in.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">4. Ask specific questions. Are you able to do this service? What do you charge? What other information do you require?</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">5. Close nicely and provide contact information: Thanks for your attention and please contact me either by email or by phone at xxx-xxx-xxxx.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">6. Before sending, make sure your spelling and grammar are correct. Emails that are full of typos and mistakes make you look unprofessional.</p>\nRealize that you may not always get a response. That\'s OK. And if you do get a request for clarification, clarify! You may have questions, and the contact may have questions. Don\'t assume that you both know everything.\n\nFinally, don\'t do what the guy in the contact email to me did: say you want one thing, while meaning something else. People see through that and it makes you look bad.\n\nThoughts?\n\n&nbsp;','How to write a contact email','','inherit','open','open','','2212-revision','','','2013-06-05 14:34:42','2013-06-05 14:34:42','',2212,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2212-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2215,4,'2013-06-07 13:34:34','2013-06-07 13:34:34','You can\'t call yesterday\'s news new. In fact, you probably can\'t call it news either. And yet, it has become a habit for some marketers, most notably those on Twitter, to use the word \"new\" or even worse, the word \"breaking\" to set apart their content. Now, if something is truly new or breaking, then that\'s fine, but keep in mind that calling something new or breaking is a one-time-only proposition.\n\n<a title=\"News Shop by Cyberslayer, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyberslayer/338311046/\"><img alt=\"News Shop\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/156/338311046_d98886414a.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\n\nOnce you have called something new or breaking, you can\'t do it again. Why? Here are three reasons:\n<ol>\n	<li>It is <strong>false advertising</strong>: it is no longer new.</li>\n	<li>It <strong>undermines your credibility</strong>: you are trying to get me to believe something that is not so.</li>\n	<li>It\'s a <strong>cheap tactic</strong>: is this the only way you can get attention for your product, service or idea?</li>\n</ol>\nIf I see a Twitter stream replete with the words new or breaking, it better be from a wire service, newspaper or news broadcast. A post that you wrote two weeks ago is not new. An idea that you tweeted out last week certainly is not breaking.\n\nRemember it\'s only new once, everything else can be classified as gently used or old or even outdated!\n\n&nbsp;','It\'s only new once','','inherit','open','open','','2214-revision','','','2013-06-07 13:34:34','2013-06-07 13:34:34','',2214,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2214-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2216,4,'2013-06-07 13:35:34','2013-06-07 13:35:34','You can\'t call yesterday\'s news new. In fact, you probably can\'t call it news either. And yet, it has become a habit for some marketers, most notably those on Twitter, to use the word \"new\" or even worse, the word \"breaking\" to set apart their content. Now, if something is truly new or breaking, then that\'s fine, but keep in mind that calling something new or breaking is a one-time-only proposition.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]<a title=\"News Shop by Cyberslayer, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyberslayer/338311046/\"><img alt=\"News Shop\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/156/338311046_d98886414a.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /></a> News shop by Cyberslayer via Flickr[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\nOnce you have called something new or breaking, you can\'t do it again. Why? Here are three reasons:\n<ol>\n	<li>It is <strong>false advertising</strong>: it is no longer new.</li>\n	<li>It <strong>undermines your credibility</strong>: you are trying to get me to believe something that is not so.</li>\n	<li>It\'s a <strong>cheap tactic</strong>: is this the only way you can get attention for your product, service or idea?</li>\n</ol>\nIf I see a Twitter stream replete with the words new or breaking, it better be from a wire service, newspaper or news broadcast. A post that you wrote two weeks ago is not new. An idea that you tweeted out last week certainly is not breaking.\n\nRemember it\'s only new once, everything else can be classified as gently used or old or even outdated!\n\n&nbsp;','It\'s only new once','','inherit','open','open','','2214-revision-2','','','2013-06-07 13:35:34','2013-06-07 13:35:34','',2214,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2214-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2218,4,'2013-06-11 13:15:22','2013-06-11 13:15:22','Yesterday, I got two emails from two completely different organizations. Both had too little information but one was paragraphs long and the other not even a sentence.\r\n\r\nLet me discuss the longer one first. It was an email from an organization that is folding. They email was an invitation to a farewell dinner. It included all the necessary event information (date, place, time) but left out one crucial piece of information: why the event was necessary in the first place. Why are they closing shop? Mystery has its place, but not in this type of email. Just come out and say it! I am not sure if the group is finished because of poor attendance, lack of leadership or orders from above.\r\n\r\nThe second email was even more of a head-scratcher.  It came from an organization I was not familiar with, and had the following subject line: \"Focus on your business-not your database.\" In the body of the email there was nothing but the organization\'s email signature (not even a website address!). Nothing at all. Attached, is a brochure with what I presume is more information.  There are at least three things wrong with this:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>The<strong> subject line</strong> makes assumptions: it assumes that it is bad to focus on your database or that I am focusing on it instead of my business (huh?).</li>\r\n	<li>There is<strong> no contex</strong>t for the contact. Read my post <a title=\"How to write a contact email\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/how-to-write-a-contact-email/\">\"How to write a contact email.\"</a></li>\r\n	<li>In this day,<strong> smart people only open attachments from trusted sources</strong>. Since this source did not even bother to write a couple lines identifying itself and its business and its reason for contacting me, why should I bother opening the attachment?</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nYou can provide too little information. In something like the first case I talk about, this may lead to a follow up from your contact. I know who the organization is but am lacking some information I am interested in knowing.  In the second case, the lack of information makes me distrust the sender and want to delete the email.\r\n\r\n<strong>The key is to provide ENOUGH INFORMATION for a person receiving your message to make a decision.</strong>\r\n\r\nYour thoughts?','Too much info or too little?','','publish','open','open','','too-much-info-or-too-little','','\nhttp://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/how-to-write-a-contact-email/','2013-06-11 13:15:22','2013-06-11 13:15:22','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2218',0,'post','',0),(2219,4,'2013-06-11 13:15:00','2013-06-11 13:15:00','Yesterday, I got two emails from two completely different organizations. Both had too little information but one was paragraphs long and the other not even a sentence.\n\nLet me discuss the longer one first. It was an email from an organization that is folding. They email was an invitation to a farewell dinner. It included all the necessary event information (date, place, time) but left out one crucial piece of information: why the event was necessary in the first place. Why are they closing shop? Mystery has its place, but not in this type of email. Just come out and say it! I am not sure if the group is finished because of poor attendance, lack of leadership or orders from above.\n\nThe second email was even more of a head-scratcher.  It came from an organization I was not familiar with, and had the following subject line: \"Focus on your business-not your database.\" In the body of the email there was nothing but the organization\'s email signature (not even a website address!). Nothing at all. Attached, is a brochure with what I presume is more information.  There are at least three things wrong with this:\n<ol>\n	<li>The<strong> subject line</strong> makes assumptions: it assumes that it is bad to focus on your database or that I am focusing on it instead of my business (huh?).</li>\n	<li>There is<strong> no contex</strong>t for the contact. Read my post <a title=\"How to write a contact email\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/how-to-write-a-contact-email/\">\"How to write a contact email.\"</a></li>\n	<li>In this day,<strong> smart people only open attachments from trusted sources</strong>. Since this source did not even bother to write a couple lines identifying itself and its business and its reason for contacting me, why should I bother opening the attachment?</li>\n</ol>\nYou can provide too little information. In something like the first case I talk about, this may lead to a follow up from your contact. I know who the organization is but am lacking some information I am interested in knowing.  In the second case, the lack of information makes me distrust the sender and want to delete the email.\n\n<strong>The key is to provide ENOUGH INFORMATION for a person receiving your message to make a decision.</strong>\n\nYour thoughts?','Too much info or too little?','','inherit','open','open','','2218-revision','','','2013-06-11 13:15:00','2013-06-11 13:15:00','',2218,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2218-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2220,4,'2013-06-11 13:16:31','2013-06-11 13:16:31','Yesterday, I got two emails from two completely different organizations. Both had too little information but one was paragraphs long and the other not even a sentence.\n\nLet me discuss the longer one first. It was an email from an organization that is folding. They email was an invitation to a farewell dinner. It included all the necessary event information (date, place, time) but left out one crucial piece of information: why the event was necessary in the first place. Why are they closing shop? Mystery has its place, but not in this type of email. Just come out and say it! I am not sure if the group is finished because of poor attendance, lack of leadership or orders from above.\n\nThe second email was even more of a head-scratcher.  It came from an organization I was not familiar with, and had the following subject line: \"Focus on your business-not your database.\" In the body of the email there was nothing but the organization\'s email signature (not even a website address!). Nothing at all. Attached, is a brochure with what I presume is more information.  There are at least three things wrong with this:\n<ol>\n	<li>The<strong> subject line</strong> makes assumptions: it assumes that it is bad to focus on your database or that I am focusing on it instead of my business (huh?).</li>\n	<li>There is<strong> no contex</strong>t for the contact. Read my post <a title=\"How to write a contact email\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/how-to-write-a-contact-email/\">\"How to write a contact email.\"</a></li>\n	<li>In this day,<strong> smart people only open attachments from trusted sources</strong>. Since this source did not even bother to write a couple lines identifying itself and its business and its reason for contacting me, why should I bother opening the attachment?</li>\n</ol>\nYou can provide too little information. In something like the first case I talk about, this may lead to a follow up from your contact. I know who the organization is but am lacking some information I am interested in knowing.  In the second case, the lack of information makes me distrust the sender and want to delete the email.\n\n<strong>The key is to provide ENOUGH INFORMATION for a person receiving your message to make a decision.</strong>\n\nYour thoughts?','Too much info or too little?','','inherit','open','open','','2218-autosave','','','2013-06-11 13:16:31','2013-06-11 13:16:31','',2218,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2218-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2221,4,'2013-06-13 13:54:26','2013-06-13 13:54:26','Have you stayed at a hotel recently? Did you enjoy your stay? If you didn\'t, what was it that you had issues with?  Towels not fluffy enough? Housekeeping didn\'t clean properly? Or my pet peeve, too much noise?  If you did enjoy your stay, what made it good? Helpful staff? Location? Great amenities?\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<a title=\"Motel by Beyond Neon, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/kungfuji/334401828/\"><img alt=\"Motel\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/160/334401828_a2832dd918.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" /></a> Motel in Livingston , MT by Beyond Neon on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nYour experience with the hotel is what makes you like it or not. Not the advertising and probably not the rate you paid.\r\n\r\nLast year, I stayed at a chain hotel where the price was right, but nothing else was. I could hear the alarm of the guy next door to me (and his TV and everything else). The coffee in the \"free\" breakfast was terrible. When I complained and asked for a different room,  they did accommodate me. But the problem wasn\'t the room itself, it was the hotel\'s cheap construction. I will never stay there again.  On the other hand, over New Year\'s I stayed at a boutique hotel. There were only a few rooms per floor. The building was old and solidly built. Plus, it was in a great location, quiet and comfortable. I would go back.\r\n\r\nMarketing can get you to book a stay, but you won\'t be coming back if you had a bad experience. And in this social media age, you most likely will share your experiences on a rating site like Trip Advisor or Yelp.  If you have questions or concerns, you  may go on Twitter or Facebook.\r\n\r\n<strong>Marketing is important, but so is the customer experience.</strong> You can\'t succeed in business if you don\'t work on both. Too many companies spend extraordinary amounts of money trying to get you to buy something, but then don\'t expend any effort once you\'ve made your purchase.\r\n\r\nWith service products, like hotel stays and air travel, experience matters even more because there is no tangible item that you have bought. All you will be taking home are the memories of the experience. The flight went smoothly and you got to your destination on time? That is either a good memory or something that you don\'t think about again. But if you got to your hotel and there were dirty linens on the bed and a non-functioning air conditioning unit, not only is that a bad experience, you will remember it.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What your latest hotel stay can teach you about marketing','','publish','open','open','','what-your-latest-hotel-stay-can-teach-you-about-marketing','','','2013-06-13 13:58:05','2013-06-13 13:58:05','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2221',0,'post','',0),(2222,4,'2013-06-13 13:51:30','2013-06-13 13:51:30','Have you stayed at a hotel recently? Did you enjoy your stay? If you didn\'t, what was it that you had issues with? Not enough lighting? Towels not fluffy enough? Housekeeping didn\'t clean properly? Or my pet peeve, too much noise?  If you did, what made it good? Helpful staff? Location?\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<a title=\"Motel by Beyond Neon, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/kungfuji/334401828/\"><img alt=\"Motel\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/160/334401828_a2832dd918.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" /></a> Motel in Livingston , MT by Beyond Neon on Flickr[/caption]\n\nYour experience with the hotel is what makes you like it or not. Not the advertising and probably not the rate you paid.\n\nLast year, I stayed at a chain hotel where the price was right, but nothing else was. I could hear the alarm of the guy next door to me (and his TV and everything else). The coffee in the \"free\" breakfast was terrible. When I complained and asked for a different room,  they did accommodate me. But the problem wasn\'t the room itself, it was the hotels cheap construction. I will never stay there again.  On the other hand, over New Year\'s I stayed at a boutique hotel. There were only a few rooms per floor. The building was old and solidly built. Plus, it was in a great location, quiet and comfortable. I would go back.\n\nMarketing can get you to book a stay, but you won\'t be coming back if you had a bad experience. And in this social media age, you most likely will share your experiences on a rating site like Trip Advisor or Yelp.  If you have questions or concerns, you  may go on Twitter or Facebook.\n\n<strong>Marketing is important, but so is the customer experience.</strong> You can\'t succeed in business if you don\'t work on both. Too many companies spend extraordinary amounts of money trying to get you to buy something, but then don\'t expend any effort once you\'ve made your purchase.\n\nWith service products, like hotel stays and air travel, experience matters even more because there is no tangible item that you have bought. All you will be taking home are the memories of the experience. The flight went smoothly and you got to your destination on time? That is either a good memory or something that you don\'t think about again. But if you got to your hotel and there were dirty linens on the bed and a non-functioning air conditioning unit, not only is that a bad experience, you will remember it.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','What your latest hotel stay can teach you about marketing','','inherit','open','open','','2221-revision','','','2013-06-13 13:51:30','2013-06-13 13:51:30','',2221,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2221-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2224,4,'2013-06-13 13:53:43','2013-06-13 13:53:43','Have you stayed at a hotel recently? Did you enjoy your stay? If you didn\'t, what was it that you had issues with?  Towels not fluffy enough? Housekeeping didn\'t clean properly? Or my pet peeve, too much noise?  If you did, what made it good? Helpful staff? Location?\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<a title=\"Motel by Beyond Neon, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/kungfuji/334401828/\"><img alt=\"Motel\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/160/334401828_a2832dd918.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" /></a> Motel in Livingston , MT by Beyond Neon on Flickr[/caption]\n\nYour experience with the hotel is what makes you like it or not. Not the advertising and probably not the rate you paid.\n\nLast year, I stayed at a chain hotel where the price was right, but nothing else was. I could hear the alarm of the guy next door to me (and his TV and everything else). The coffee in the \"free\" breakfast was terrible. When I complained and asked for a different room,  they did accommodate me. But the problem wasn\'t the room itself, it was the hotels cheap construction. I will never stay there again.  On the other hand, over New Year\'s I stayed at a boutique hotel. There were only a few rooms per floor. The building was old and solidly built. Plus, it was in a great location, quiet and comfortable. I would go back.\n\nMarketing can get you to book a stay, but you won\'t be coming back if you had a bad experience. And in this social media age, you most likely will share your experiences on a rating site like Trip Advisor or Yelp.  If you have questions or concerns, you  may go on Twitter or Facebook.\n\n<strong>Marketing is important, but so is the customer experience.</strong> You can\'t succeed in business if you don\'t work on both. Too many companies spend extraordinary amounts of money trying to get you to buy something, but then don\'t expend any effort once you\'ve made your purchase.\n\nWith service products, like hotel stays and air travel, experience matters even more because there is no tangible item that you have bought. All you will be taking home are the memories of the experience. The flight went smoothly and you got to your destination on time? That is either a good memory or something that you don\'t think about again. But if you got to your hotel and there were dirty linens on the bed and a non-functioning air conditioning unit, not only is that a bad experience, you will remember it.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','What your latest hotel stay can teach you about marketing','','inherit','open','open','','2221-revision-3','','','2013-06-13 13:53:43','2013-06-13 13:53:43','',2221,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2221-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2223,4,'2013-06-13 13:51:39','2013-06-13 13:51:39','Have you stayed at a hotel recently? Did you enjoy your stay? If you didn\'t, what was it that you had issues with? Not enough lighting? Towels not fluffy enough? Housekeeping didn\'t clean properly? Or my pet peeve, too much noise?  If you did, what made it good? Helpful staff? Location?\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<a title=\"Motel by Beyond Neon, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/kungfuji/334401828/\"><img alt=\"Motel\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/160/334401828_a2832dd918.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" /></a> Motel in Livingston , MT by Beyond Neon on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nYour experience with the hotel is what makes you like it or not. Not the advertising and probably not the rate you paid.\r\n\r\nLast year, I stayed at a chain hotel where the price was right, but nothing else was. I could hear the alarm of the guy next door to me (and his TV and everything else). The coffee in the \"free\" breakfast was terrible. When I complained and asked for a different room,  they did accommodate me. But the problem wasn\'t the room itself, it was the hotels cheap construction. I will never stay there again.  On the other hand, over New Year\'s I stayed at a boutique hotel. There were only a few rooms per floor. The building was old and solidly built. Plus, it was in a great location, quiet and comfortable. I would go back.\r\n\r\nMarketing can get you to book a stay, but you won\'t be coming back if you had a bad experience. And in this social media age, you most likely will share your experiences on a rating site like Trip Advisor or Yelp.  If you have questions or concerns, you  may go on Twitter or Facebook.\r\n\r\n<strong>Marketing is important, but so is the customer experience.</strong> You can\'t succeed in business if you don\'t work on both. Too many companies spend extraordinary amounts of money trying to get you to buy something, but then don\'t expend any effort once you\'ve made your purchase.\r\n\r\nWith service products, like hotel stays and air travel, experience matters even more because there is no tangible item that you have bought. All you will be taking home are the memories of the experience. The flight went smoothly and you got to your destination on time? That is either a good memory or something that you don\'t think about again. But if you got to your hotel and there were dirty linens on the bed and a non-functioning air conditioning unit, not only is that a bad experience, you will remember it.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What your latest hotel stay can teach you about marketing','','inherit','open','open','','2221-revision-2','','','2013-06-13 13:51:39','2013-06-13 13:51:39','',2221,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2221-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2225,4,'2013-06-13 13:55:31','2013-06-13 13:55:31','Have you stayed at a hotel recently? Did you enjoy your stay? If you didn\'t, what was it that you had issues with?  Towels not fluffy enough? Housekeeping didn\'t clean properly? Or my pet peeve, too much noise?  If you did enjoy your stay, what made it good? Helpful staff? Location? Great amenities?\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<a title=\"Motel by Beyond Neon, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/kungfuji/334401828/\"><img alt=\"Motel\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/160/334401828_a2832dd918.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" /></a> Motel in Livingston , MT by Beyond Neon on Flickr[/caption]\n\nYour experience with the hotel is what makes you like it or not. Not the advertising and probably not the rate you paid.\n\nLast year, I stayed at a chain hotel where the price was right, but nothing else was. I could hear the alarm of the guy next door to me (and his TV and everything else). The coffee in the \"free\" breakfast was terrible. When I complained and asked for a different room,  they did accommodate me. But the problem wasn\'t the room itself, it was the hotels cheap construction. I will never stay there again.  On the other hand, over New Year\'s I stayed at a boutique hotel. There were only a few rooms per floor. The building was old and solidly built. Plus, it was in a great location, quiet and comfortable. I would go back.\n\nMarketing can get you to book a stay, but you won\'t be coming back if you had a bad experience. And in this social media age, you most likely will share your experiences on a rating site like Trip Advisor or Yelp.  If you have questions or concerns, you  may go on Twitter or Facebook.\n\n<strong>Marketing is important, but so is the customer experience.</strong> You can\'t succeed in business if you don\'t work on both. Too many companies spend extraordinary amounts of money trying to get you to buy something, but then don\'t expend any effort once you\'ve made your purchase.\n\nWith service products, like hotel stays and air travel, experience matters even more because there is no tangible item that you have bought. All you will be taking home are the memories of the experience. The flight went smoothly and you got to your destination on time? That is either a good memory or something that you don\'t think about again. But if you got to your hotel and there were dirty linens on the bed and a non-functioning air conditioning unit, not only is that a bad experience, you will remember it.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','What your latest hotel stay can teach you about marketing','','inherit','open','open','','2221-autosave','','','2013-06-13 13:55:31','2013-06-13 13:55:31','',2221,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2221-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2226,4,'2013-06-13 13:54:26','2013-06-13 13:54:26','Have you stayed at a hotel recently? Did you enjoy your stay? If you didn\'t, what was it that you had issues with?  Towels not fluffy enough? Housekeeping didn\'t clean properly? Or my pet peeve, too much noise?  If you did enjoy your stay, what made it good? Helpful staff? Location? Great amenities?\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<a title=\"Motel by Beyond Neon, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/kungfuji/334401828/\"><img alt=\"Motel\" src=\"http://farm1.staticflickr.com/160/334401828_a2832dd918.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" /></a> Motel in Livingston , MT by Beyond Neon on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nYour experience with the hotel is what makes you like it or not. Not the advertising and probably not the rate you paid.\r\n\r\nLast year, I stayed at a chain hotel where the price was right, but nothing else was. I could hear the alarm of the guy next door to me (and his TV and everything else). The coffee in the \"free\" breakfast was terrible. When I complained and asked for a different room,  they did accommodate me. But the problem wasn\'t the room itself, it was the hotels cheap construction. I will never stay there again.  On the other hand, over New Year\'s I stayed at a boutique hotel. There were only a few rooms per floor. The building was old and solidly built. Plus, it was in a great location, quiet and comfortable. I would go back.\r\n\r\nMarketing can get you to book a stay, but you won\'t be coming back if you had a bad experience. And in this social media age, you most likely will share your experiences on a rating site like Trip Advisor or Yelp.  If you have questions or concerns, you  may go on Twitter or Facebook.\r\n\r\n<strong>Marketing is important, but so is the customer experience.</strong> You can\'t succeed in business if you don\'t work on both. Too many companies spend extraordinary amounts of money trying to get you to buy something, but then don\'t expend any effort once you\'ve made your purchase.\r\n\r\nWith service products, like hotel stays and air travel, experience matters even more because there is no tangible item that you have bought. All you will be taking home are the memories of the experience. The flight went smoothly and you got to your destination on time? That is either a good memory or something that you don\'t think about again. But if you got to your hotel and there were dirty linens on the bed and a non-functioning air conditioning unit, not only is that a bad experience, you will remember it.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','What your latest hotel stay can teach you about marketing','','inherit','open','open','','2221-revision-4','','','2013-06-13 13:54:26','2013-06-13 13:54:26','',2221,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2221-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2245,4,'2013-06-26 00:15:52','2013-06-26 00:15:52','Today, I presented \"Using your Blog as a Centerpiece in your Social Media Strategy\" at the PRSA Mid-Atlantic Chesapeake District Conference. It was a great session with lots of great questions.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the PowerPoint presentation on SlideShare\r\n<iframe style=\"border: 1px solid #CCC; border-width: 1px 1px 0; margin-bottom: 5px;\" src=\"http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/23485051\" height=\"356\" width=\"427\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>\r\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"><strong> <a title=\"Blog social media strategy prsamd brody slide share\" href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/DeborahBrody/blog-social-media-strategy-prsamd-brody-slide-share\" target=\"_blank\">Blog social media strategy prsamd brody slide share</a> </strong> from <strong><a href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/DeborahBrody\" target=\"_blank\">DeborahBrody</a></strong></div>\r\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"></div>\r\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\">Let me know if you have any further questions.</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\">If you\'d like to learn more about blogging, sign up for my next How to Blog workshop, taking place on July 18 in Baltimore. Here are the <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblogbaltimore.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">details.</a></p>','Is your blog social?','','publish','open','open','','is-your-blog-social','','','2013-06-26 00:15:52','2013-06-26 00:15:52','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2245',0,'post','',0),(2228,4,'2013-06-17 12:52:22','2013-06-17 12:52:22','Regardless of all the stories about email being dead, it is still around and it is still used for marketing purposes. Think about the amount of email you get every day. How much of it is personal (and by that I mean addressed to you from a real live person, whether it be to discuss weekend plans or the latest changes to the document you are working on)? I bet only a small fraction falls in the latter category.\r\n\r\nWhat makes email marketing so effective is that it targets people directly and sends the messages into a place they are likely to be every day--their email inbox.  <strong>Successful email marketing is personalized and customized. </strong>Email marketing gives you the ability to address email  to individuals by name and send them the news, offers or other information that is relevant to them.\r\n\r\nAnd yet, today I got an email with the following subject line: David, connect with [name of marketer]. Yes, you are personalizing, but you screwed up my name. I could have deleted it had I not recognized the sender.\r\n\r\nAnd yet, on Friday, I got this email from Thrifty:<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-1.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2229\" alt=\"Thrifty 1\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-1.bmp\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Then, on Saturday I got this one:</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-2.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2230\" alt=\"Thrifty 2\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-2.bmp\" /></a>I am not sure how many people got this email, but since I happen to rent a few times a year, I thought the first email was for real and an offer for me personally, even though I don\'t have a Blue Chip account. The second email--addressed to \"Dear Valued Customer\"--did not make me feel valued at all.  Thrifty is now telling me that it screwed up and that the offer it  sent is not valid,without doing anything to compensate for the mistake.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Are you screwing up the goodwill?</strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">How many times can you screw up and keep goodwill? The difference between screwing up in a mass advertising campaign is that it is impersonal. When you screw up on email you have addressed a client/customer/prospect directly and personally, you have to be more contrite. Since you have the ability to be personal, then be personal! And be more careful.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>It is about opting-in. Don\'t give them a reason to opt-out.</strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The reason that we use email marketing is because, generally, it is opt-in. That is, people have signed up to receive our messages and want to get them. There is goodwill. But if you fail to personalize, send out erroneous offers, or the wrong offers, you are jeopardizing  that goodwill and giving your list a reason to opt out.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Thoughts?</p>','Why you need to be extra careful with your email marketing','','publish','open','open','','why-you-need-to-be-extra-careful-with-your-email-marketing','','','2013-06-17 12:52:22','2013-06-17 12:52:22','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2228',0,'post','',0),(2229,4,'2013-06-17 12:29:33','2013-06-17 12:29:33','','Thrifty 1','','inherit','open','open','','thrifty-1','','','2013-06-17 12:29:33','2013-06-17 12:29:33','',2228,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-1.bmp',0,'attachment','image/bmp',0),(2230,4,'2013-06-17 12:35:02','2013-06-17 12:35:02','','Thrifty 2','','inherit','open','open','','thrifty-2','','','2013-06-17 12:35:02','2013-06-17 12:35:02','',2228,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-2.bmp',0,'attachment','image/bmp',0),(2231,4,'2013-06-17 12:47:04','2013-06-17 12:47:04','Regardless of all the stories about email being dead, it is still around and it is still used for marketing purposes. Think about the amount of email you get every day. How much of it is personal (and by that I mean addressed to you from a real live person, whether it be to discuss weekend plans or the latest changes to the document you are working on)? I bet only a small fraction falls in the latter category.\n\nWhat makes email marketing so effective is that it targets people directly and sends the messages into a place they are likely to be every day--their email inbox.  Successful email marketing is personalized and customized, that is, email can be addressed to individuals by name and sends them the news, offers or other information that is relevant to the\n\nAnd yet, today I got an email with the following subject line: David, connect with [name of marketer].\n\nAnd yet, on Friday, I got this email from Thrifty:<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-1.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2229\" alt=\"Thrifty 1\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-1.bmp\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Then, on Saturday I got this one:</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-2.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2230\" alt=\"Thrifty 2\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-2.bmp\" /></a>I am not sure how many people got this email, but since I happen to rent a few times a year, I thought the first email was for real, even though I don\'t have a Blue Chip account. The second email--addressed to \"Dear Valued Customer\"--did not make me feel valued at all.  Thrifty is now telling me that it screwed up and that the offer it  sent is not valid,without doing anything to compensate for the mistake.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Are you</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">How many times can you screw up and keep goodwill? The difference between screwing up in a mass advertising campaign is that it is impersonal. When you screw up on email you have addressed a client/customer/prospect directly and personally, you have to be more contrite. Since you have the ability to be personal, then be personal! And be more careful.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>It is about opting-in. Don\'t give them a reason to opt-out.</strong></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The reason that we use email marketing is because, generally, it is opt-in. That is, people have signed up to receive our messages--they want to get them. There is goodwill. But if you fail to personalize, send out erroneous offers, or the wrong offers, you are jeopardizing  that goodwill.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p>','Why you need to be extra careful with your email marketing','','inherit','open','open','','2228-revision','','','2013-06-17 12:47:04','2013-06-17 12:47:04','',2228,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2228-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2232,4,'2013-06-17 12:47:58','2013-06-17 12:47:58','Regardless of all the stories about email being dead, it is still around and it is still used for marketing purposes. Think about the amount of email you get every day. How much of it is personal (and by that I mean addressed to you from a real live person, whether it be to discuss weekend plans or the latest changes to the document you are working on)? I bet only a small fraction falls in the latter category.\r\n\r\nWhat makes email marketing so effective is that it targets people directly and sends the messages into a place they are likely to be every day--their email inbox.  Successful email marketing is personalized and customized, that is, email can be addressed to individuals by name and sends them the news, offers or other information that is relevant to the\r\n\r\nAnd yet, today I got an email with the following subject line: David, connect with [name of marketer].\r\n\r\nAnd yet, on Friday, I got this email from Thrifty:<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-1.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2229\" alt=\"Thrifty 1\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-1.bmp\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Then, on Saturday I got this one:</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-2.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2230\" alt=\"Thrifty 2\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-2.bmp\" /></a>I am not sure how many people got this email, but since I happen to rent a few times a year, I thought the first email was for real and an offer for me personally, even though I don\'t have a Blue Chip account. The second email--addressed to \"Dear Valued Customer\"--did not make me feel valued at all.  Thrifty is now telling me that it screwed up and that the offer it  sent is not valid,without doing anything to compensate for the mistake.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Are you screwing up the goodwill?</strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">How many times can you screw up and keep goodwill? The difference between screwing up in a mass advertising campaign is that it is impersonal. When you screw up on email you have addressed a client/customer/prospect directly and personally, you have to be more contrite. Since you have the ability to be personal, then be personal! And be more careful.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>It is about opting-in. Don\'t give them a reason to opt-out.</strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The reason that we use email marketing is because, generally, it is opt-in. That is, people have signed up to receive our messages--they want to get them. There is goodwill. But if you fail to personalize, send out erroneous offers, or the wrong offers, you are jeopardizing  that goodwill.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p>','Why you need to be extra careful with your email marketing','','inherit','open','open','','2228-revision-2','','','2013-06-17 12:47:58','2013-06-17 12:47:58','',2228,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2228-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2233,4,'2013-06-17 12:48:10','2013-06-17 12:48:10','Regardless of all the stories about email being dead, it is still around and it is still used for marketing purposes. Think about the amount of email you get every day. How much of it is personal (and by that I mean addressed to you from a real live person, whether it be to discuss weekend plans or the latest changes to the document you are working on)? I bet only a small fraction falls in the latter category.\r\n\r\nWhat makes email marketing so effective is that it targets people directly and sends the messages into a place they are likely to be every day--their email inbox.  Successful email marketing is personalized and customized, that is, email can be addressed to individuals by name and sends them the news, offers or other information that is relevant to the\r\n\r\nAnd yet, today I got an email with the following subject line: David, connect with [name of marketer].\r\n\r\nAnd yet, on Friday, I got this email from Thrifty:<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-1.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2229\" alt=\"Thrifty 1\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-1.bmp\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Then, on Saturday I got this one:</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-2.bmp\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2230\" alt=\"Thrifty 2\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Thrifty-2.bmp\" /></a>I am not sure how many people got this email, but since I happen to rent a few times a year, I thought the first email was for real and an offer for me personally, even though I don\'t have a Blue Chip account. The second email--addressed to \"Dear Valued Customer\"--did not make me feel valued at all.  Thrifty is now telling me that it screwed up and that the offer it  sent is not valid,without doing anything to compensate for the mistake.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Are you screwing up the goodwill?</strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">How many times can you screw up and keep goodwill? The difference between screwing up in a mass advertising campaign is that it is impersonal. When you screw up on email you have addressed a client/customer/prospect directly and personally, you have to be more contrite. Since you have the ability to be personal, then be personal! And be more careful.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>It is about opting-in. Don\'t give them a reason to opt-out.</strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The reason that we use email marketing is because, generally, it is opt-in. That is, people have signed up to receive our messages--they want to get them. There is goodwill. But if you fail to personalize, send out erroneous offers, or the wrong offers, you are jeopardizing  that goodwill.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p>','Why you need to be extra careful with your email marketing','','inherit','open','open','','2228-revision-3','','','2013-06-17 12:48:10','2013-06-17 12:48:10','',2228,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2228-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2235,4,'2013-05-22 20:21:35','2013-05-22 20:21:35','<h2>Upcoming events:</h2>\r\nJune 25, 2013 Presenting a session entitled <b>Using your organizational blog as a centerpiece in your social media strategy </b>at the <a href=\"http://www.prsamd.org/get-connected/events/2013-prsa-mid-atlantic-district-chesapeake-conference/\" target=\"_blank\">PRSA Mid-Atlantic District Chesapeake Conference.</a>\r\n\r\nI am available to create customized trainings for your organization on the subjects of: blogging, business writing and messaging.\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>May 17, 2013</strong>: How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-05-22 20:21:35','2013-05-22 20:21:35','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/05/1765-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(2236,4,'2013-06-18 16:23:07','2013-06-18 16:23:07','<h2>Upcoming events:</h2>\r\nJune 25, 2013 Presenting a session entitled <b>Using your organizational blog as a centerpiece in your social media strategy </b>at the <a href=\"http://www.prsamd.org/get-connected/events/2013-prsa-mid-atlantic-district-chesapeake-conference/\" target=\"_blank\">PRSA Mid-Atlantic District Chesapeake Conference.</a>\r\n\r\nJuly 18, 2013 Presenting <strong>How to write your blog: a hands-on workshop</strong> in Baltimore. Registration and details <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblogbaltimore-eorg.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>\r\n\r\nI am available to create customized trainings for your organization on the subjects of: blogging, business writing and messaging.\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>May 17, 2013</strong>: How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-06-18 16:23:07','2013-06-18 16:23:07','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/1765-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(2237,4,'2013-06-20 13:02:29','2013-06-20 13:02:29','Yesterday, the <a href=\"https://www.prsa-ncc.org/\" target=\"_blank\">PRSA-National Capital Chapter</a> hosted a panel on content marketing and public relations. The panelists--Michael Laxineta (Custom Briefings), Bruce Namerow (Interactive Strategies) and Anne Holtz (Home Innovation Research Labs)-- did a great job of explaining what content marketing is, how it works and how to make it work better.\r\n\r\nMichael Laxineta said he believes that the \"PR profession is the original content marketer.\" He says that 91% of business-to-business marketers are using content marketing, and that the biggest challenge is providing engaging content. Bruce Namerow said that content drives anything, and that brands now are their own publishers.\r\n\r\nContent marketing has many benefits, including brand awareness, nurturing leads and building relationships. Anne Holtz said that prior to embarking on a content marketing strategy, Home Innovation Research Labs was doing great stuff, but people did not know about it.  Having a strategy in place has helped get traffic to its website.\r\n\r\nIn order to develop a successful content marketing program,  you should consider these five key steps:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Make sure that your content marketing is in line with both your business and communications goals.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Understand exactly who your audience is and what information they need.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Do keyword research so that you are using the terms and keywords people actually search.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Personalize the content to your audience needs. It is not about reaching everyone but about reaching your niche with the information they need.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>5. Make sure your content is mobile-ready.</strong>\r\n\r\nPerhaps content marketing is just a fancy new term for what we used to call integrated marketing communications, as my friend Karen Addis from <a href=\"http://environicspr.com/us/\" target=\"_blank\">Environics Communications </a>said. Whatever we call it now, it is still smart to reach your audience with the information they require to build a relationship with your organization or to buy from your business.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','5 keys to successful content marketing','','publish','open','open','','5-keys-to-successful-content-marketing','','','2013-06-20 13:02:29','2013-06-20 13:02:29','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2237',0,'post','',2),(2238,4,'2013-06-20 13:01:52','2013-06-20 13:01:52','Yesterday, the <a href=\"https://www.prsa-ncc.org/\" target=\"_blank\">PRSA-National Capital Chapter</a> hosted a panel on content marketing and public relations. The panelists--Michael Laxineta (Custom Briefings), Bruce Namerow (Interactive Strategies) and Anne Holtz (Home Innovation Research Labs)-- did a great job of explaining what content marketing is, how it works and how to make it work better.\n\nMichael Laxineta said he believes that the \"PR profession is the original content marketer.\" He says that 91% of business-to-business marketers are using content marketing, and that the biggest challenge is providing engaging content. Bruce Namerow said that content drives anything, and that brands now are their own publishers.\n\nContent marketing has many benefits, including brand awareness, nurturing leads and building relationships. Anne Holtz said that prior to embarking on a content marketing strategy, Home Innovation Research Labs was doing great stuff, but people did not know about it.  Having a strategy in place has helped get traffic to its website.\n\nIn order to develop a successful content marketing program,  you should consider these five key steps:\n\n<strong>1. Make sure that your content marketing is in line with both your business and communications goals.</strong>\n\n<strong>2. Understand exactly who your audience is and what information they need.</strong>\n\n<strong>3. Do keyword research so that you are using the terms and keywords people actually search.</strong>\n\n<strong>4. Personalize the content to your audience needs. It is not about reaching everyone but about reaching your niche with the information they need.</strong>\n\n<strong>5. Make sure your content is mobile-ready.</strong>\n\nPerhaps content marketing is just a fancy new term for what we used to call integrated marketing communications, as my friend Karen Addis from <a href=\"http://environicspr.com/us/\" target=\"_blank\">Environics Communications </a>said. Whatever we call it now, it is still smart to reach your audience with the information they require to build a relationship with your organization or to buy from your business.\n\n&nbsp;','5 keys to successful content marketing','','inherit','open','open','','2237-revision','','','2013-06-20 13:01:52','2013-06-20 13:01:52','',2237,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2237-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2260,4,'2013-07-11 13:07:06','2013-07-11 13:07:06','Many businesses use special offers to try to lure customers in or to retain existing customers. Whether it is a discount for new customers, a gift with purchase or buy-one-get-one free, special offers are all over. The question is are these offers working for the business AND are they working for the customer?\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"SPECIAL by davecobb, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/davecobb/3080592338/\"><img alt=\"SPECIAL\" src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3209/3080592338_2f587803aa.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a> Special by Dave Cobb on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nI have been going to a massage clinic for a while, and through the years, its rates have climbed steadily, which makes it harder to get massages regularly. The clinic started offering a deal to holders of a local rewards card, which you buy for $25 and which provides a variety of discounts with local businesses. The deal was that you would get a 75-minute massage for the price of a 60-minute massage, or 15 minutes free. There is very little cost to the clinic for this deal, and the value is only about $15.\r\n\r\nSince I was booking a 60-minute massage anyway, why not get an extra 15 minutes, right? I  did so back in February, and then I booked it again for this week. Well, I got an email back from the massage therapist telling me the deal had expired and that she would be happy to give me a 75-minute massage for the regular price.  Needless to say, I was not happy. I wrote back that it was disappointing that they would have this offer on their website scheduler and then not honor it. Then, the clinic\'s owner wrote me to tell me that no, the offer hadn\'t expired, it simply was valid for a ONE-TIME USE, and since I had used it in February, I was no longer entitled to it. BUT, because I was a \"loyal\" customer, she would pay the massage therapist the difference (words designed to make me feel guilty...but that is a subject for another post).\r\n\r\nNowhere on the clinic\'s website does it say anything about the offer being a one-time deal. In fact, the only place referencing this is the website for the rewards card (in fairly small print). Nobody else on the rewards program has a one-time deal. It is all discounts for first time customers or ongoing discounts such as a 10% discount at a dry cleaner\'s and so forth.\r\n\r\nWhat we have here is a special offer that a) has no clear purpose and b) does not have clear (and common) rules for usage.  The result is little gain to the business and disappointment to the customer.\r\n\r\nWhen deciding on a special offer, businesses need to do a bit of strategic thinking and planning. Here are some guidelines before you issue any type of special offer.\r\n\r\n1) <strong>Have a clear marketing goal in mind.</strong> Are you training to attract new customers? Are you trying to build loyalty? What do you hope to accomplish with this offer?\r\n\r\n2)<strong> Have a real offer (with real value)</strong>.  A special offer should be special, that is, a customer should be getting something that he or she really wants and that incentivizes the customer with the goal in mind. That is, if you want a new customer, then make it worthwhile for a new customer to try your service or product (hint--10% off is usually not a great offer for first-time users).\r\n\r\n3) <strong>Have clear rules</strong> that are communicated to the customer BEFORE he/she attempts to use your special offer.\r\n\r\n4) <strong>Be prepared to honor your special offer</strong>. When you don\'t honor an offer you risk alienating the customer.\r\n\r\n5) <strong>Have a way of tracking the offer.</strong> If your goal was to get new customers, how many came because the offer? Have regular customers been taking advantage of the offer and is it translating to an overall increase in sales?\r\n\r\n<strong>Whatever your special offer is, make sure it really is special, both for your business and for your customer.</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','About that special offer...just how special is it?','','publish','open','open','','about-that-special-offer-just-how-special-is-it','','','2013-07-11 13:07:06','2013-07-11 13:07:06','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2260',0,'post','',2),(2282,4,'2013-07-22 13:30:42','0000-00-00 00:00:00','A couple of weeks ago, I told you all about the awful experience that passes itself of as the Holiday Inn Express. One of the smaller things that was super annoying was the fact that in the (cramped) bathroom, there was no soap dish.  There was a stand cluttering the minimal counter space holding the usual hotel toiletries, including soap bars, but there was no place to put the soap once you opened the plastic wrapping.  The soap slid to the floor quite easily and often. Hard to wash your hand when you can\'t put the soap down when you are finished!\r\n\r\nJust a few weeks before my stay at the HIE, I stayed at a boutique inn in the same city. Among the many amenities was a soap dish in the bathroom. It was a nice touch. It showed the inn had considered the guest\'s needs (and that someone somewhere had actually used soap to wash their hands at some point, which apparently the managers at the HIE never had done).\r\n\r\nIt\'s simple: You have to consider people\'s needs and how they do things. Providing a great hotel experience OR effective communications/marketing (a good design, great copy)  DEPENDS on whether you are considering your end user (your guest, your target audience). How does a person use your product? What does the person need to complete a sale?\r\n\r\nIf you fail to think about how people actually use your product or service, then you will fail to serve their needs.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Where shall I put the soap?','','draft','open','open','','','','','2013-07-22 13:30:42','2013-07-22 13:30:42','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2282',0,'post','',0),(2242,4,'2013-06-24 13:51:20','2013-06-24 13:51:20','Twitter is second only to Facebook in brand marketing (85% to Facebook\'s 91%, according to Social Media Examiner\'s <a href=\"http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport2013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">2013 Social Media Marketing Report</a>). It\'s safe to say that Twitter is part of most organizational social media strategies. Yet, many companies do not seem to understand how to use Twitter or how to use it to connect with their customers.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"FAIL stamp by hans.gerwitz, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/phobia/2308371224/\"><img alt=\"FAIL stamp\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2123/2308371224_60e0cda6e8.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"337\" /></a> FAIL stamp by Hans Gewirtz on Flickr. Read more here: http://hans.gerwitz.com/2011/03/07/fail-stamp.html[/caption]\r\n\r\nHow do companies #fail at Twitter?\r\n\r\n<strong>1. They fail to update their profile</strong>\r\n\r\nHave you ever gone to a Twitter profile and found a link to a blog that has not been updated since 2009? Or how about a company that does not list its current website? It takes minutes to update a Twitter profile. There is no excuse. And don\'t even get me started on those companies (and individuals) who are using the default Twitter egg as their profile pic...\r\n\r\n<strong>2. They fail to seize opportunities</strong>\r\n\r\nAs on most Sundays, yesterday I watched CBS Sunday Morning (some of the best morning TV out there). There were lots of great stories, including one about a Brooklyn pickle manufacturer. It was a  nice story,  and gave the company great publicity. CBS tweeted out a link to the video and mentioned the company\'s Twitter handle. I went to check it. The company never promoted its appearance on CBS and the only mention of it was the re-tweet of CBS\'s video link after the fact. That is a missed opportunity.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. They fail to use Twitter beyond self-promotion</strong>\r\n\r\nToo many companies think that Twitter is a one-way megaphone where they can trumpet their awards and recognitions or think of it as an easy to way to push out news releases and personnel announcements. While there is room for this type of promotion, if a company\'s stream is devoted solely to itself, it is not \"engaging\"with it\'s audience.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. They fail to understand how people expect companies to use Twitter</strong>\r\n\r\nRelated to the above, companies who use Twitter as a self-promotional news stream, don\'t understand people expect to be able to interact with them. Twitter is a social media network, and the word social is there first for a reason. Social has up-ended the way that companies must communicate with their audiences. Instead of one-way communication, social media has given companies a way of having two-way communications with their customers.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. They fail to understand that Twitter is real-time</strong>\r\n\r\nPerhaps waiting 24 hours to return a phone call or an email is standard business practice, but it won\'t fly on Twitter. When somebody is asking something on Twitter (or other social media networks), they are expecting a real-time answer, much the same as if they were having an in-person conversation. Answering a Twitter @ query hours or days later is ineffective and completely inappropriate to the medium.\r\n\r\n<strong>6. They fail to understand \"social shame\"</strong>\r\n\r\nCompanies who disregard/ignore/fail to check @ messages on Twitter are unaware of the concept of social shame. Like it or not, individuals turn to Twitter when they have a problem, figuring companies want to preserve their reputations and will respond or try to fix the problem. Many companies don\'t seem to understand the amplification involved in social media. If I complain about a company, my followers may see it but people who use Twitter\'s search function will also see it.\r\n\r\nWhat other company failures on Twitter have you seen? Please add your thoughts in the comments.\r\n\r\n<strong>UPDATE July 9, 2013</strong>\r\n\r\nFailure can include auto-tweeting replies. Seems that Bank of America has been doing that, quite inappropriately, according to <a href=\"http://consumerist.com/2013/07/08/proof-that-bank-of-americas-twitter-account-is-moderated-by-robots-or-morons-or-moronic-robots/\" target=\"_blank\">this story</a> on Consumerist.','How companies #fail at using Twitter','','publish','open','open','','how-companies-fail-at-using-twitter','','','2013-07-09 14:18:36','2013-07-09 14:18:36','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2242',0,'post','',0),(2243,4,'2013-06-24 13:49:13','2013-06-24 13:49:13','Twitter is second only to Facebook in brand marketing (85% to Facebook\'s 91%, according to Social Media Examiner\'s <a href=\"http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport2013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">2013 Social Media Marketing Report</a>). It\'s safe to say that Twitter is part of most organizational social media strategies. Yet, many companies do not seem to understand how to use Twitter or how to use it to connect with their customers.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"FAIL stamp by hans.gerwitz, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/phobia/2308371224/\"><img alt=\"FAIL stamp\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2123/2308371224_60e0cda6e8.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"337\" /></a> FAIL stamp by Hans Gewirtz on Flickr. Read more here: http://hans.gerwitz.com/2011/03/07/fail-stamp.html[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\nHow do companies #fail at Twitter?\n\n<strong>1. They fail to update their profile</strong>\n\nHave you ever gone to a Twitter profile and found a link to a blog that has not been updated since 2009? Or how about a company that does not list its current website? It takes minutes to update a Twitter profile. There is no excuse. And don\'t even get me started on those companies (and individuals) who are using the default Twitter egg as their profile pic...\n\n<strong>2. They fail to seize opportunities</strong>\n\nAs on most Sundays, yesterday I watched CBS Sunday Morning (some of the best morning TV out there). There were lots of great stories, including one about a Brooklyn pickle manufacturer. It was a  nice story,  and gave the company great publicity. CBS tweeted out a link to the video and mentioned the company\'s Twitter handle. I went to check it. The company never promoted its appearance on CBS and the only mention of it was the re-tweet of CBS\'s video link after the fact. That is a missed opportunity.\n\n<strong>3. They fail to use Twitter beyond self-promotion</strong>\n\nToo many companies think that Twitter is a one-way megaphone where they can trumpet their awards and recognitions or think of it as an easy to way to push out news releases and personnel announcements. While there is room for this type of promotion, if a company\'s stream is devoted solely to itself, it is not \"engaging\"with it\'s audience.\n\n<strong>4. They fail to understand how people expect companies to use Twitter</strong>\n\nRelated to the above, companies who use Twitter as a self-promotional news stream, don\'t understand people expect to be able to interact with them. Twitter is a social media network, and the word social is there first for a reason. Social has up-ended the way that companies must communicate with their audiences. Instead of one-way communication, social media has given companies a way of having two-way communications with their customers.\n\n<strong>5. They fail to understand that Twitter is real-time</strong>\n\nPerhaps waiting 24 hours to return a phone call or an email is standard business practice, but it won\'t fly on Twitter. When somebody is asking something on Twitter (or other social media networks), they are expecting a real-time answer, much the same as if they were having an in-person conversation. Answering a Twitter @ query hours or days later is ineffective and completely inappropriate to the medium.\n\n<strong>6. They fail to understand \"social shame\"</strong>\n\nCompanies who disregard/ignore/fail to check @ messages on Twitter are unaware of the concept of social shame. Like it or not, individuals turn to Twitter when they have a problem, figuring companies want to preserve their reputations and will respond or try to fix the problem. Many companies don\'t seem to understand the amplification involved in social media. If I complain about a company, my followers may see it but people who use Twitter\'s search function will also see it.\n\nWhat other company failures on Twitter have you seen? Please add any\n\n&nbsp;','How companies #fail at using Twitter','','inherit','open','open','','2242-revision','','','2013-06-24 13:49:13','2013-06-24 13:49:13','',2242,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2242-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2244,4,'2013-06-24 13:50:13','2013-06-24 13:50:13','Twitter is second only to Facebook in brand marketing (85% to Facebook\'s 91%, according to Social Media Examiner\'s <a href=\"http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport2013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">2013 Social Media Marketing Report</a>). It\'s safe to say that Twitter is part of most organizational social media strategies. Yet, many companies do not seem to understand how to use Twitter or how to use it to connect with their customers.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"FAIL stamp by hans.gerwitz, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/phobia/2308371224/\"><img alt=\"FAIL stamp\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2123/2308371224_60e0cda6e8.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"337\" /></a> FAIL stamp by Hans Gewirtz on Flickr. Read more here: http://hans.gerwitz.com/2011/03/07/fail-stamp.html[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\nHow do companies #fail at Twitter?\n\n<strong>1. They fail to update their profile</strong>\n\nHave you ever gone to a Twitter profile and found a link to a blog that has not been updated since 2009? Or how about a company that does not list its current website? It takes minutes to update a Twitter profile. There is no excuse. And don\'t even get me started on those companies (and individuals) who are using the default Twitter egg as their profile pic...\n\n<strong>2. They fail to seize opportunities</strong>\n\nAs on most Sundays, yesterday I watched CBS Sunday Morning (some of the best morning TV out there). There were lots of great stories, including one about a Brooklyn pickle manufacturer. It was a  nice story,  and gave the company great publicity. CBS tweeted out a link to the video and mentioned the company\'s Twitter handle. I went to check it. The company never promoted its appearance on CBS and the only mention of it was the re-tweet of CBS\'s video link after the fact. That is a missed opportunity.\n\n<strong>3. They fail to use Twitter beyond self-promotion</strong>\n\nToo many companies think that Twitter is a one-way megaphone where they can trumpet their awards and recognitions or think of it as an easy to way to push out news releases and personnel announcements. While there is room for this type of promotion, if a company\'s stream is devoted solely to itself, it is not \"engaging\"with it\'s audience.\n\n<strong>4. They fail to understand how people expect companies to use Twitter</strong>\n\nRelated to the above, companies who use Twitter as a self-promotional news stream, don\'t understand people expect to be able to interact with them. Twitter is a social media network, and the word social is there first for a reason. Social has up-ended the way that companies must communicate with their audiences. Instead of one-way communication, social media has given companies a way of having two-way communications with their customers.\n\n<strong>5. They fail to understand that Twitter is real-time</strong>\n\nPerhaps waiting 24 hours to return a phone call or an email is standard business practice, but it won\'t fly on Twitter. When somebody is asking something on Twitter (or other social media networks), they are expecting a real-time answer, much the same as if they were having an in-person conversation. Answering a Twitter @ query hours or days later is ineffective and completely inappropriate to the medium.\n\n<strong>6. They fail to understand \"social shame\"</strong>\n\nCompanies who disregard/ignore/fail to check @ messages on Twitter are unaware of the concept of social shame. Like it or not, individuals turn to Twitter when they have a problem, figuring companies want to preserve their reputations and will respond or try to fix the problem. Many companies don\'t seem to understand the amplification involved in social media. If I complain about a company, my followers may see it but people who use Twitter\'s search function will also see it.\n\nWhat other company failures on Twitter have you seen? Please add your thoughts in the comments.\n\n&nbsp;','How companies #fail at using Twitter','','inherit','open','open','','2242-revision-2','','','2013-06-24 13:50:13','2013-06-24 13:50:13','',2242,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2242-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2246,4,'2013-06-26 00:14:35','2013-06-26 00:14:35','Today, I presented \"Using your Blog as a Centerpiece in your Social Media Strategy\" at the PRSA Mid-Atlantic Chesapeake District Conference. It was a great session with lots of great questions.\n\nHere\'s the PowerPoint presentation on SlideShare\n<iframe style=\"border: 1px solid #CCC; border-width: 1px 1px 0; margin-bottom: 5px;\" src=\"http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/23485051\" height=\"356\" width=\"427\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"><strong> <a title=\"Blog social media strategy prsamd brody slide share\" href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/DeborahBrody/blog-social-media-strategy-prsamd-brody-slide-share\" target=\"_blank\">Blog social media strategy prsamd brody slide share</a> </strong> from <strong><a href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/DeborahBrody\" target=\"_blank\">DeborahBrody</a></strong></div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"></div>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\">Let me know if you have any further questions.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\">If you\'d like to learn more about blogging, sign up for my next How to Blog workshop, taking place on July 18 in Baltimore. Here are the details.</p>','Is your blog social?','','inherit','open','open','','2245-revision','','','2013-06-26 00:14:35','2013-06-26 00:14:35','',2245,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2245-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2247,4,'2013-06-26 00:15:36','2013-06-26 00:15:36','Today, I presented \"Using your Blog as a Centerpiece in your Social Media Strategy\" at the PRSA Mid-Atlantic Chesapeake District Conference. It was a great session with lots of great questions.\n\nHere\'s the PowerPoint presentation on SlideShare\n<iframe style=\"border: 1px solid #CCC; border-width: 1px 1px 0; margin-bottom: 5px;\" src=\"http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/23485051\" height=\"356\" width=\"427\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"><strong> <a title=\"Blog social media strategy prsamd brody slide share\" href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/DeborahBrody/blog-social-media-strategy-prsamd-brody-slide-share\" target=\"_blank\">Blog social media strategy prsamd brody slide share</a> </strong> from <strong><a href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/DeborahBrody\" target=\"_blank\">DeborahBrody</a></strong></div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"></div>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\">Let me know if you have any further questions.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\">If you\'d like to learn more about blogging, sign up for my next How to Blog workshop, taking place on July 18 in Baltimore. Here are the <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblogbaltimore.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">details.</a></p>','Is your blog social?','','inherit','open','open','','2245-revision-2','','','2013-06-26 00:15:36','2013-06-26 00:15:36','',2245,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2245-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2250,4,'2013-07-02 13:35:31','2013-07-02 13:35:31','Caffeinated views is taking a break this week, so there will be no posts. We\'ll be back next week with our usual marketing and communications insights.\r\n\r\nHappy Independence Day and Fourth of July holiday!','We\'re off for the week!','','publish','open','open','','were-off-for-the-week','','','2013-07-02 13:35:31','2013-07-02 13:35:31','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2250',0,'post','',0),(2251,4,'2013-07-02 13:35:17','2013-07-02 13:35:17','Caffeinated views is taking a break this week, so there will be no pWe promise to be back next week with our usual marketing and communications insights.\n\nHappy Independence Day and Fourth of July holiday!','We\'re off for the week!','','inherit','open','open','','2250-revision','','','2013-07-02 13:35:17','2013-07-02 13:35:17','',2250,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2250-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2253,4,'2013-07-08 17:22:22','2013-07-08 17:22:22','','Presenting at Chessie 1','Image by Harry Bosk, The Write Image','inherit','open','open','','presenting-at-chessie-1','','','2013-07-08 17:22:22','2013-07-08 17:22:22','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Presenting-at-Chessie-1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2365,4,'2013-07-09 14:14:19','2013-07-09 14:14:19','<h2>Upcoming events:</h2>\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">CANCELLED</span>: July 18, 2013</strong> Presenting <strong>How to write your blog: a hands-on workshop</strong> in Baltimore. Registration and details <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblogbaltimore-eorg.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>\r\n\r\nI am available to create customized trainings for your organization on the subjects of: blogging, business writing and messaging.\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>June 25, 2013</strong> Presented a session entitled <b>Using your organizational blog as a centerpiece in your social media strategy </b>at the <a href=\"http://www.prsamd.org/get-connected/events/2013-prsa-mid-atlantic-district-chesapeake-conference/\" target=\"_blank\">PRSA Mid-Atlantic District Chesapeake Conference.</a>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2253\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Presenting-at-Chessie-1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2253\" alt=\"Image by Harry Bosk, The Write Image\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Presenting-at-Chessie-1-300x245.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"245\" /></a> Image by Harry Bosk, The Write Image[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>May 17, 2013</strong>: How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-07-09 14:14:19','2013-07-09 14:14:19','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/1765-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2254,4,'2013-06-18 16:23:53','2013-06-18 16:23:53','<h2>Upcoming events:</h2>\r\n<strong>June 25, 2013</strong> Presenting a session entitled <b>Using your organizational blog as a centerpiece in your social media strategy </b>at the <a href=\"http://www.prsamd.org/get-connected/events/2013-prsa-mid-atlantic-district-chesapeake-conference/\" target=\"_blank\">PRSA Mid-Atlantic District Chesapeake Conference.</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>July 18, 2013</strong> Presenting <strong>How to write your blog: a hands-on workshop</strong> in Baltimore. Registration and details <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblogbaltimore-eorg.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>\r\n\r\nI am available to create customized trainings for your organization on the subjects of: blogging, business writing and messaging.\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>May 17, 2013</strong>: How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-06-18 16:23:53','2013-06-18 16:23:53','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/1765-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(2255,4,'2013-07-09 13:41:22','2013-07-09 13:41:22','It\'s painfully obvious that in many companies, marketing is completely separate from customer service and on another planet from company operations. This is why we often see marketing communications that have nothing in common with the actual experience of using a product or service.\r\n\r\nI have written about this several times before, but <strong>as long as marketing is divorced from customer experience, companies will cultivate poor relationships with their customers</strong>.\r\n\r\nRecently, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. You know, where the marketing says that you will be smarter just by staying there. In reality, the walls were paper thin, making sleeping a challenge; the bathroom was cramped, making getting ready a challenge; and to top it off, I could smell breakfast cooking in my room, half-way down the hall on the second floor at 6:30 in the morning. Oh, and if this weren\'t enough,when I tried to work out in the fitness closet, I was greeted by an overheated room, with no temperature controls, and outdated, hard-to-use equipment. It didn\'t help that the front desk seem disinterested, and not once greeted me when I walked in the door.\r\n\r\nI did not feel smarter by staying at the Holiday Inn. In fact, I felt taken. Their pricing for this location is on par with a hotel, not the motel they truly are.\r\n\r\nWhile I was staying at this hotel I kept thinking that the hotel manager and the front desk people had never spent a night at their own motel. Or perhaps they had, which is why they were rarely to be seen and seemed so unenthusiastic about their jobs. What I know for certain is that whoever does the marketing for Holiday Inn Express wants you to believe that this place is tops. But, you will only believe it if you have a positive customer experience. <strong>If you, like me, have a negative customer experience, not only will you scoff at the marketing, but you will likely become a vampire instead of brand ambassador. That is, you will take away customers rather than bring business.</strong>\r\n\r\nIf you want to have marketing communications that work LONG TERM, then you must learn about your customer\'s experiences with your product or service. You want to know the unvarnished truth. <strong>If the experience is consistently bad, you have to fix the experience, not the marketing. </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Ultimately, the most amazing communications/marketing campaign can\'t sell a bad product or service.</strong>','Do you know what your customer\'s experience is really like?','','publish','open','open','','do-you-know-what-your-customers-experience-is-really-like','','','2013-07-09 13:41:22','2013-07-09 13:41:22','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2255',0,'post','',3),(2256,4,'2013-07-09 13:39:30','2013-07-09 13:39:30','It\'s painfully obvious that in many companies, marketing is completely separate from customer service and on another planet from company operations. This is why we often see marketing communications that have nothing in common with the actual experience of using a product or service.\n\nI have written about this several times before, but <strong>as long as marketing is divorced from customer experience, companies will cultivate poor relationships with their customers</strong>.\n\nRecently, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. You know, where the marketing says that you will be smarter just by staying there. In reality, the walls were paper thin, making sleeping a challenge; the bathroom was cramped, making getting ready a challenge; and to top it off, I could smell breakfast cooking in my room, half-way down the hall on the second floor at 6:30 in the morning. Oh, and if this weren\'t enough,when I tried to work out in the fitness closet, I was greeted by an overheated room, with no temperature controls, and outdated, hard-to-use equipment. It didn\'t help that the front desk seem disinterested, and not once greeted me when I walked in the door.\n\nI did not feel smarter by staying at the Holiday Inn. In fact, I felt taken. Their pricing for this location is on par with a hotel, not the motel they truly are.\n\nWhile I was staying at this hotel I kept thinking that the hotel manager and the front desk people had never spent a night at their own motel. Or perhaps they had, which is why they were rarely to be seen and seemed so unenthusiastic about their jobs. What I know for certain is that whoever does the marketing for Holiday Inn Express wants you to believe that this place is tops. But, you will only believe it if you have a positive customer experience. <strong>If you, like me, have a negative customer experience, not only will you scoff at the marketing, but you will likely become a vampire instead of brand ambassador. That is, you will take away customers rather than bring business.</strong>\n\nIf you want to have marketing communications that work LONG TERM, then you must learn about your customer\'s experiences with your product or service. You want to know the unvarnished truth. <strong>If the experience is consistently bad, you have to fix the experience, not the marketing. Ultimately, the most amazing communications/marketing campaign can\'t sell a bad product or service.</strong>','Do you know what your customer\'s experience is really like?','','inherit','open','open','','2255-revision','','','2013-07-09 13:39:30','2013-07-09 13:39:30','',2255,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2255-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2257,4,'2013-07-08 17:24:50','2013-07-08 17:24:50','<h2>Upcoming events:</h2>\r\n<strong>July 18, 2013</strong> Presenting <strong>How to write your blog: a hands-on workshop</strong> in Baltimore. Registration and details <a href=\"http://howtowriteyourblogbaltimore-eorg.eventbrite.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a>\r\n\r\nI am available to create customized trainings for your organization on the subjects of: blogging, business writing and messaging.\r\n<h2>Past events:</h2>\r\n<strong>June 25, 2013</strong> Presented a session entitled <b>Using your organizational blog as a centerpiece in your social media strategy </b>at the <a href=\"http://www.prsamd.org/get-connected/events/2013-prsa-mid-atlantic-district-chesapeake-conference/\" target=\"_blank\">PRSA Mid-Atlantic District Chesapeake Conference.</a>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2253\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Presenting-at-Chessie-1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2253\" alt=\"Image by Harry Bosk, The Write Image\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Presenting-at-Chessie-1-300x245.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"245\" /></a> Image by Harry Bosk, The Write Image[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>May 17, 2013</strong>: How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>February 28, 2013</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>November 8, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop\r\n\r\n<strong>July 31, 2012</strong> How to write your blog workshop','Calendar','','inherit','open','open','','1765-revision-v1','','','2013-07-08 17:24:50','2013-07-08 17:24:50','',1765,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/1765-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(2258,4,'2013-07-09 14:18:30','2013-07-09 14:18:30','Twitter is second only to Facebook in brand marketing (85% to Facebook\'s 91%, according to Social Media Examiner\'s <a href=\"http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport2013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">2013 Social Media Marketing Report</a>). It\'s safe to say that Twitter is part of most organizational social media strategies. Yet, many companies do not seem to understand how to use Twitter or how to use it to connect with their customers.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"FAIL stamp by hans.gerwitz, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/phobia/2308371224/\"><img alt=\"FAIL stamp\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2123/2308371224_60e0cda6e8.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"337\" /></a> FAIL stamp by Hans Gewirtz on Flickr. Read more here: http://hans.gerwitz.com/2011/03/07/fail-stamp.html[/caption]\n\nHow do companies #fail at Twitter?\n\n<strong>1. They fail to update their profile</strong>\n\nHave you ever gone to a Twitter profile and found a link to a blog that has not been updated since 2009? Or how about a company that does not list its current website? It takes minutes to update a Twitter profile. There is no excuse. And don\'t even get me started on those companies (and individuals) who are using the default Twitter egg as their profile pic...\n\n<strong>2. They fail to seize opportunities</strong>\n\nAs on most Sundays, yesterday I watched CBS Sunday Morning (some of the best morning TV out there). There were lots of great stories, including one about a Brooklyn pickle manufacturer. It was a  nice story,  and gave the company great publicity. CBS tweeted out a link to the video and mentioned the company\'s Twitter handle. I went to check it. The company never promoted its appearance on CBS and the only mention of it was the re-tweet of CBS\'s video link after the fact. That is a missed opportunity.\n\n<strong>3. They fail to use Twitter beyond self-promotion</strong>\n\nToo many companies think that Twitter is a one-way megaphone where they can trumpet their awards and recognitions or think of it as an easy to way to push out news releases and personnel announcements. While there is room for this type of promotion, if a company\'s stream is devoted solely to itself, it is not \"engaging\"with it\'s audience.\n\n<strong>4. They fail to understand how people expect companies to use Twitter</strong>\n\nRelated to the above, companies who use Twitter as a self-promotional news stream, don\'t understand people expect to be able to interact with them. Twitter is a social media network, and the word social is there first for a reason. Social has up-ended the way that companies must communicate with their audiences. Instead of one-way communication, social media has given companies a way of having two-way communications with their customers.\n\n<strong>5. They fail to understand that Twitter is real-time</strong>\n\nPerhaps waiting 24 hours to return a phone call or an email is standard business practice, but it won\'t fly on Twitter. When somebody is asking something on Twitter (or other social media networks), they are expecting a real-time answer, much the same as if they were having an in-person conversation. Answering a Twitter @ query hours or days later is ineffective and completely inappropriate to the medium.\n\n<strong>6. They fail to understand \"social shame\"</strong>\n\nCompanies who disregard/ignore/fail to check @ messages on Twitter are unaware of the concept of social shame. Like it or not, individuals turn to Twitter when they have a problem, figuring companies want to preserve their reputations and will respond or try to fix the problem. Many companies don\'t seem to understand the amplification involved in social media. If I complain about a company, my followers may see it but people who use Twitter\'s search function will also see it.\n\nWhat other company failures on Twitter have you seen? Please add your thoughts in the comments.\n\n<strong>UPDATE July 9, 2013</strong>\n\nFailure can include autotweeting replies. Seems that Bank of America has been doing that, quite inappropriately, according to <a href=\"http://consumerist.com/2013/07/08/proof-that-bank-of-americas-twitter-account-is-moderated-by-robots-or-morons-or-moronic-robots/\" target=\"_blank\">this story</a> on Consumerist.','How companies #fail at using Twitter','','inherit','open','open','','2242-autosave','','','2013-07-09 14:18:30','2013-07-09 14:18:30','',2242,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2242-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2259,4,'2013-06-24 13:51:20','2013-06-24 13:51:20','Twitter is second only to Facebook in brand marketing (85% to Facebook\'s 91%, according to Social Media Examiner\'s <a href=\"http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport2013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">2013 Social Media Marketing Report</a>). It\'s safe to say that Twitter is part of most organizational social media strategies. Yet, many companies do not seem to understand how to use Twitter or how to use it to connect with their customers.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"FAIL stamp by hans.gerwitz, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/phobia/2308371224/\"><img alt=\"FAIL stamp\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2123/2308371224_60e0cda6e8.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"337\" /></a> FAIL stamp by Hans Gewirtz on Flickr. Read more here: http://hans.gerwitz.com/2011/03/07/fail-stamp.html[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\nHow do companies #fail at Twitter?\r\n\r\n<strong>1. They fail to update their profile</strong>\r\n\r\nHave you ever gone to a Twitter profile and found a link to a blog that has not been updated since 2009? Or how about a company that does not list its current website? It takes minutes to update a Twitter profile. There is no excuse. And don\'t even get me started on those companies (and individuals) who are using the default Twitter egg as their profile pic...\r\n\r\n<strong>2. They fail to seize opportunities</strong>\r\n\r\nAs on most Sundays, yesterday I watched CBS Sunday Morning (some of the best morning TV out there). There were lots of great stories, including one about a Brooklyn pickle manufacturer. It was a  nice story,  and gave the company great publicity. CBS tweeted out a link to the video and mentioned the company\'s Twitter handle. I went to check it. The company never promoted its appearance on CBS and the only mention of it was the re-tweet of CBS\'s video link after the fact. That is a missed opportunity.\r\n\r\n<strong>3. They fail to use Twitter beyond self-promotion</strong>\r\n\r\nToo many companies think that Twitter is a one-way megaphone where they can trumpet their awards and recognitions or think of it as an easy to way to push out news releases and personnel announcements. While there is room for this type of promotion, if a company\'s stream is devoted solely to itself, it is not \"engaging\"with it\'s audience.\r\n\r\n<strong>4. They fail to understand how people expect companies to use Twitter</strong>\r\n\r\nRelated to the above, companies who use Twitter as a self-promotional news stream, don\'t understand people expect to be able to interact with them. Twitter is a social media network, and the word social is there first for a reason. Social has up-ended the way that companies must communicate with their audiences. Instead of one-way communication, social media has given companies a way of having two-way communications with their customers.\r\n\r\n<strong>5. They fail to understand that Twitter is real-time</strong>\r\n\r\nPerhaps waiting 24 hours to return a phone call or an email is standard business practice, but it won\'t fly on Twitter. When somebody is asking something on Twitter (or other social media networks), they are expecting a real-time answer, much the same as if they were having an in-person conversation. Answering a Twitter @ query hours or days later is ineffective and completely inappropriate to the medium.\r\n\r\n<strong>6. They fail to understand \"social shame\"</strong>\r\n\r\nCompanies who disregard/ignore/fail to check @ messages on Twitter are unaware of the concept of social shame. Like it or not, individuals turn to Twitter when they have a problem, figuring companies want to preserve their reputations and will respond or try to fix the problem. Many companies don\'t seem to understand the amplification involved in social media. If I complain about a company, my followers may see it but people who use Twitter\'s search function will also see it.\r\n\r\nWhat other company failures on Twitter have you seen? Please add your thoughts in the comments.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How companies #fail at using Twitter','','inherit','open','open','','2242-revision-3','','','2013-06-24 13:51:20','2013-06-24 13:51:20','',2242,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/2242-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2261,4,'2013-07-11 13:04:38','2013-07-11 13:04:38','Many businesses use special offers to try to lure customers in or to retain existing customers. Whether it is a discount for new customers, a gift with purchase or buy-one-get-one free, special offers are all over. The question is are these offers working for the business AND are they working for the customer?\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"SPECIAL by davecobb, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/davecobb/3080592338/\"><img alt=\"SPECIAL\" src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3209/3080592338_2f587803aa.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a> Special by Dave Cobb on Flickr[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\nI have been going to a massage clinic for a while, and through the years, its rates have climbed steadily, which makes it harder to get massages regularly. The clinic started offering a deal to holders of a local rewards card, which you buy for $25 and which provides a variety of discounts with local businesses. The deal was that you would get a 75-minute massage for the price of a 60-minute massage, or 15 minutes free. There is very little cost to the clinic for this deal, and the value is only about $15.\n\nSince I was booking a 60-minute massage anyway, why not get an extra 15 minutes, right? I  did so back in February, and then I booked it again for this week. Well, I got an email back from the massage therapist telling me the deal had expired and that she would be happy to give me a 75-minute massage for the regular price.  Needless to say, I was not happy. I wrote back that it was disappointing that they would have this offer on their website scheduler and then not honor it. Then, the clinic\'s owner wrote me to tell me that no, the offer hadn\'t expired, it simply was valid for a ONE-TIME USE, and since I had used it in February, I was no longer entitled to it. BUT, because I was a \"loyal\" customer, she would pay the massage therapist the difference (words designed to make me feel guilty...but that is a subject for another post).\n\nNowhere on the clinic\'s website does it say anything about the offer being a one-time deal. In fact, the only place referencing this is the website for the rewards card (in fairly small print). Nobody else on the rewards program has a one-time deal. It is all discounts for first time customers or ongoing discounts such as a 10% discount at a dry cleaner\'s and so forth.\n\nWhat we have here is a special offer that a) has no clear purpose and b) does not have clear (and common) rules for usage.  The result is little gain to the business and disappointment to the customer.\n\nWhen deciding on a special offer, businesses need to do a bit of strategic thinking and planning. Here are some guidelines before you issue any type of special offer.\n\n1) <strong>Have a clear marketing goal in mind.</strong> Are you training to attract new customers? Are you trying to build loyalty? What do you hope to accomplish with this offer?\n\n2)<strong> Have a real offer (with real value)</strong>.  A special offer should be special, that is, a customer should be getting something that he or she really wants and that incentivizes the customer with the goal in mind. That is, if you want a new customer, then make it worthwhile for a new customer to try your service or product (hint--10% off is usually not a great offer for first-time users).\n\n3) <strong>Have clear rules</strong> that are communicated to the customer BEFORE he/she attempts to use your special offer.\n\n4) <strong>Be prepared to honor your special offer</strong>. When you don\'t honor an offer you risk alienating the customer.\n\n5) <strong>Have a way of tracking the offer.</strong> If your goal was to get new customers, how many came because the offer? Have regular customers been taking advantage of the offer and is it translating to an overall increase in sales?\n\n<strong>Whatever your special offer is, make sure it really is special, both for your business and for your customer.</strong>\n\n&nbsp;','About that special offer...just how special is it?','','inherit','open','open','','2260-revision','','','2013-07-11 13:04:38','2013-07-11 13:04:38','',2260,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2260-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2262,4,'2013-07-11 13:05:06','2013-07-11 13:05:06','Many businesses use special offers to try to lure customers in or to retain existing customers. Whether it is a discount for new customers, a gift with purchase or buy-one-get-one free, special offers are all over. The question is are these offers working for the business AND are they working for the customer?\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"SPECIAL by davecobb, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/davecobb/3080592338/\"><img alt=\"SPECIAL\" src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3209/3080592338_2f587803aa.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a> Special by Dave Cobb on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\nI have been going to a massage clinic for a while, and through the years, its rates have climbed steadily, which makes it harder to get massages regularly. The clinic started offering a deal to holders of a local rewards card, which you buy for $25 and which provides a variety of discounts with local businesses. The deal was that you would get a 75-minute massage for the price of a 60-minute massage, or 15 minutes free. There is very little cost to the clinic for this deal, and the value is only about $15.\r\n\r\nSince I was booking a 60-minute massage anyway, why not get an extra 15 minutes, right? I  did so back in February, and then I booked it again for this week. Well, I got an email back from the massage therapist telling me the deal had expired and that she would be happy to give me a 75-minute massage for the regular price.  Needless to say, I was not happy. I wrote back that it was disappointing that they would have this offer on their website scheduler and then not honor it. Then, the clinic\'s owner wrote me to tell me that no, the offer hadn\'t expired, it simply was valid for a ONE-TIME USE, and since I had used it in February, I was no longer entitled to it. BUT, because I was a \"loyal\" customer, she would pay the massage therapist the difference (words designed to make me feel guilty...but that is a subject for another post).\r\n\r\nNowhere on the clinic\'s website does it say anything about the offer being a one-time deal. In fact, the only place referencing this is the website for the rewards card (in fairly small print). Nobody else on the rewards program has a one-time deal. It is all discounts for first time customers or ongoing discounts such as a 10% discount at a dry cleaner\'s and so forth.\r\n\r\nWhat we have here is a special offer that a) has no clear purpose and b) does not have clear (and common) rules for usage.  The result is little gain to the business and disappointment to the customer.\r\n\r\nWhen deciding on a special offer, businesses need to do a bit of strategic thinking and planning. Here are some guidelines before you issue any type of special offer.\r\n\r\n1) <strong>Have a clear marketing goal in mind.</strong> Are you training to attract new customers? Are you trying to build loyalty? What do you hope to accomplish with this offer?\r\n\r\n2)<strong> Have a real offer (with real value)</strong>.  A special offer should be special, that is, a customer should be getting something that he or she really wants and that incentivizes the customer with the goal in mind. That is, if you want a new customer, then make it worthwhile for a new customer to try your service or product (hint--10% off is usually not a great offer for first-time users).\r\n\r\n3) <strong>Have clear rules</strong> that are communicated to the customer BEFORE he/she attempts to use your special offer.\r\n\r\n4) <strong>Be prepared to honor your special offer</strong>. When you don\'t honor an offer you risk alienating the customer.\r\n\r\n5) <strong>Have a way of tracking the offer.</strong> If your goal was to get new customers, how many came because the offer? Have regular customers been taking advantage of the offer and is it translating to an overall increase in sales?\r\n\r\n<strong>Whatever your special offer is, make sure it really is special, both for your business and for your customer.</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','About that special offer...just how special is it?','','inherit','open','open','','2260-revision-2','','','2013-07-11 13:05:06','2013-07-11 13:05:06','',2260,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2260-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2263,4,'2013-07-12 11:31:55','2013-07-12 11:31:55','Yesterday, while working out at the gym, I nearly fell off the treadmill when I spotted the following ad from Sephora in InStyle magazine:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sephora-ad.pdf\">Sephora ad</a>\r\n\r\nAt first, I thought perhaps Sephora was engaging in a not-so-clever play on words, since the wait could be over for a weight-less product. But I see no evidence in the copy that Sephora is highlighting any weightlessness in this product. In fact, the sub-headline says: \"Finally, smoother, softer, satiny style in half the time.\" Clearly, the concept is about time, so the appropriate word would have been wait, not weight.\r\n\r\nIt is hard to believe that Sephora\'s ad people would have let this one go to print. Back when I was a print buyer in the 90s, we sent actual film to our magazines. A mistake in the film would be a major problem, and fixing it would involve high cost. Today, ad agencies send over PDF\'s, which are way easier to fix and re-send.\r\n\r\nSo next time you think you proofread your document and used spell-check to do so, I suggest you wait, and read it again.\r\n\r\nDo you think the headline is right? Let me know why.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Wait--why you can\'t rely on spell-check','','publish','open','open','','wait-why-you-cant-rely-on-spell-check','','','2013-07-12 11:35:06','2013-07-12 11:35:06','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2263',0,'post','',0),(2264,4,'2013-07-12 11:23:48','2013-07-12 11:23:48','','Sephora ad','','inherit','open','open','','sephora-ad','','','2013-07-12 11:23:48','2013-07-12 11:23:48','',2263,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sephora-ad.pdf',0,'attachment','application/pdf',0),(2265,4,'2013-07-12 11:28:49','2013-07-12 11:28:49','Yesterday, while working out at the gym, I nearly fell off the treadmill when I spotted the following ad from Sephora:\n\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sephora-ad.pdf\">Sephora ad</a>\n\nAt first, I thought perhaps Sephora is doing a play on words, since the wait may be over for a weight-less product. But I see no evidence in the copy that Sephora is highlighting any \"weightlessness\" in this product. In fact, the sub-headline says: \"Finally, smoother, softer, satiny style in half the time.\" Clearly, the concept is about time, so the appropriate word would have been wait, not weight.\n\nIt is hard to believe that Sephora\'s ad people would have let this one go to print. Back when I was a media buyer in the 90s, we sent actual film to our magazines. A mistake in the film would be a major problem. Today, ad agencies send over PDF\'s, which are way easier to fix and re-send.\n\nSo next time you think you proof-read your document and used spell-check, I suggest you wait, and read it again.\n\n&nbsp;','Why you can\'t rely on spell-check','','inherit','open','open','','2263-revision','','','2013-07-12 11:28:49','2013-07-12 11:28:49','',2263,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2263-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2266,4,'2013-07-12 11:29:49','2013-07-12 11:29:49','Yesterday, while working out at the gym, I nearly fell off the treadmill when I spotted the following ad from Sephora in InStyle magazine:\n\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sephora-ad.pdf\">Sephora ad</a>\n\nAt first, I thought perhaps Sephora was engaging in not-so-clever a play on words, since the wait may be over for a weight-less product. But I see no evidence in the copy that Sephora is highlighting any \"weightlessness\" in this product. In fact, the sub-headline says: \"Finally, smoother, softer, satiny style in half the time.\" Clearly, the concept is about time, so the appropriate word would have been wait, not weight.\n\nIt is hard to believe that Sephora\'s ad people would have let this one go to print. Back when I was a media buyer in the 90s, we sent actual film to our magazines. A mistake in the film would be a major problem. Today, ad agencies send over PDF\'s, which are way easier to fix and re-send.\n\nSo next time you think you proof-read your document and used spell-check, I suggest you wait, and read it again.\n\n&nbsp;','Why you can\'t rely on spell-check','','inherit','open','open','','2263-revision-2','','','2013-07-12 11:29:49','2013-07-12 11:29:49','',2263,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2263-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2267,4,'2013-07-12 11:31:55','2013-07-12 11:31:55','Yesterday, while working out at the gym, I nearly fell off the treadmill when I spotted the following ad from Sephora in InStyle magazine:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sephora-ad.pdf\">Sephora ad</a>\r\n\r\nAt first, I thought perhaps Sephora was engaging in not-so-clever a play on words, since the wait could be over for a weight-less product. But I see no evidence in the copy that Sephora is highlighting any weightlessness in this product. In fact, the sub-headline says: \"Finally, smoother, softer, satiny style in half the time.\" Clearly, the concept is about time, so the appropriate word would have been wait, not weight.\r\n\r\nIt is hard to believe that Sephora\'s ad people would have let this one go to print. Back when I was a print buyer in the 90s, we sent actual film to our magazines. A mistake in the film would be a major problem, and fixing it would involve high cost. Today, ad agencies send over PDF\'s, which are way easier to fix and re-send.\r\n\r\nSo next time you think you proofread your document and used spell-check to do so, I suggest you wait, and read it again.\r\n\r\nDo you think the headline is right? Let me know why.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Wait--why you can\'t rely on spell-check','','inherit','open','open','','2263-revision-3','','','2013-07-12 11:31:55','2013-07-12 11:31:55','',2263,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2263-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2268,4,'2013-07-12 11:36:11','2013-07-12 11:36:11','Yesterday, while working out at the gym, I nearly fell off the treadmill when I spotted the following ad from Sephora in InStyle magazine:\n\n<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sephora-ad.pdf\">Sephora ad</a>\n\nAt first, I thought perhaps Sephora was engaging in a not-so-clever play on words, since the wait could be over for a weight-less product. But I see no evidence in the copy that Sephora is highlighting any weightlessness in this product. In fact, the sub-headline says: \"Finally, smoother, softer, satiny style in half the time.\" Clearly, the concept is about time, so the appropriate word would have been wait, not weight.\n\nIt is hard to believe that Sephora\'s ad people would have let this one go to print. Back when I was a print buyer in the 90s, we sent actual film to our magazines. A mistake in the film would be a major problem, and fixing it would involve high cost. Today, ad agencies send over PDF\'s, which are way easier to fix and re-send.\n\nSo next time you think you proofread your document and used spell-check to do so, I suggest you wait, and read it again.\n\nDo you think the headline is right? Let me know why.\n\n&nbsp;','Wait--why you can\'t rely on spell-check','','inherit','open','open','','2263-autosave','','','2013-07-12 11:36:11','2013-07-12 11:36:11','',2263,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2263-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2270,4,'2013-07-15 12:48:27','2013-07-15 12:48:27','I just got an email from LinkedIn telling me Tom and Sue (not their real names) have endorsed me. The thing is the endorsement from Sue is worth something. She\'s someone I respect and whom I have known for several years now. Her endorsement is real while Tom\'s is not. I have never known Tom in a professional capacity or worked with him. I know him from school and he is endorsing me for things that are not even on my profile. This leads me to my top three most annoying LinkedIn behaviors.\r\n\r\n<strong>#3: Fake endorsements</strong>\r\n\r\nI am really not sure why people do this. Do they want a fake endorsement in return? Is it fun to play with LinkedIn? What is it?\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"16/50 - grr!! :( by THEMACGIRL*, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/underneath/3834753545/\"><img alt=\"16/50 - grr!! :(\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2538/3834753545_2893b72fd2.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"276\" /></a> 16/50 -grr!! by THEMACGIRL on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\n<strong>#2: Posting too much and about non-business topics</strong>\r\n\r\nYes, I guess this could be two behaviors, but in my experience they go hand-in-hand. People who post too much are also posting about extraneous stuff.   Remember that you want to showcase what you  do, and unless you are a veterinarian, that stuff about how kittens need extra blankets in the winter is great for Facebook but has no place on LinkedIn.\r\n\r\n<strong>#1: Sending generic LinkedIn invitations</strong> (perennial \"winner\")\r\n\r\nStop doing this. I don\'t understand why people you don\'t know in person, who feel they would like to connect with you , can\'t seem to scare up a couple of lines to provide some context, some reason, or some personality.\r\n\r\nWhat annoys you on LinkedIn? Yes, you can vent right here!','Top 3 most annoying LinkedIn behaviors','','publish','open','open','','top-5-most-annoying-linkedin-behaviors','','','2013-07-15 12:48:27','2013-07-15 12:48:27','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2270',0,'post','',8),(2271,4,'2013-07-15 12:47:14','2013-07-15 12:47:14','I just got an email from LinkedIn telling me Tom and Sue (not their real names) have endorsed me. The thing is the endorsement from Sue is worth something. She\'s someone I respect and whom I have known for several years now. Her endorsement is real while Tom\'s is not. I have never known Tom in a professional capacity or worked with him. I know him from school and he is endorsing me for things that are not even on my profile. This leads me to my top three most annoying LinkedIn behaviors.\n\n<strong>#3: Fake endorsements</strong>\n\nI am really not sure why people do this. Do they want a fake endorsement in return? Is it fun to play with LinkedIn? What is it?\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"16/50 - grr!! :( by THEMACGIRL*, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/underneath/3834753545/\"><img alt=\"16/50 - grr!! :(\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2538/3834753545_2893b72fd2.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"276\" /></a> 16/50 -grr!! by THEMACGIRL on Flickr[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\n<strong>#2: Posting too much and about non-business topics</strong>\n\nYes, I guess this could be two behaviors, but in my experience they go hand-in-hand. People who post too much are also posting about extraneous stuff.   Remember that you want to showcase what you  do, and unless you are a veterinarian, that stuff about how kittens need extra blankets in the winter is great for Facebook but has no place on LinkedIn.\n\n<strong>#1: Sending generic LinkedIn invitations</strong> (perennial \"winner\")\n\nStop doing this. I don\'t understand why people you don\'t know in person, who feel they would like to connect with you , can\'t seem to scare up a couple of lines to provide some context, some reason, or some personality.\n\nWhat annoys you on LinkedIn? Yes, you can vent right here!','Top 3 most annoying LinkedIn behaviors','','inherit','open','open','','2270-revision','','','2013-07-15 12:47:14','2013-07-15 12:47:14','',2270,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2270-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2272,4,'2013-07-15 12:47:16','2013-07-15 12:47:16','I just got an email from LinkedIn telling me Tom and Sue (not their real names) have endorsed me. The thing is the endorsement from Sue is worth something. She\'s someone I respect and whom I have known for several years now. Her endorsement is real while Tom\'s is not. I have never known Tom in a professional capacity or worked with him. I know him from school and he is endorsing me for things that are not even on my profile. This leads me to my top three most annoying LinkedIn behaviors.\r\n\r\n<strong>#3: Fake endorsements</strong>\r\n\r\nI am really not sure why people do this. Do they want a fake endorsement in return? Is it fun to play with LinkedIn? What is it?\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"16/50 - grr!! :( by THEMACGIRL*, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/underneath/3834753545/\"><img alt=\"16/50 - grr!! :(\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2538/3834753545_2893b72fd2.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"276\" /></a> 16/50 -grr!! by THEMACGIRL on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\n<strong>#2: Posting too much and about non-business topics</strong>\r\n\r\nYes, I guess this could be two behaviors, but in my experience they go hand-in-hand. People who post too much are also posting about extraneous stuff.   Remember that you want to showcase what you  do, and unless you are a veterinarian, that stuff about how kittens need extra blankets in the winter is great for Facebook but has no place on LinkedIn.\r\n\r\n<strong>#1: Sending generic LinkedIn invitations</strong> (perennial \"winner\")\r\n\r\nStop doing this. I don\'t understand why people you don\'t know in person, who feel they would like to connect with you , can\'t seem to scare up a couple of lines to provide some context, some reason, or some personality.\r\n\r\nWhat annoys you on LinkedIn? Yes, you can vent right here!','Top 3 most annoying LinkedIn behaviors','','inherit','open','open','','2270-revision-2','','','2013-07-15 12:47:16','2013-07-15 12:47:16','',2270,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2270-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2274,4,'2013-07-17 17:23:42','2013-07-17 17:23:42','Have you heard about <a href=\"https://www.uber.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Uber</a>? Basically, it\'s an on-demand a car service that you \"hail\" via app, web or text message.  The service is available in major cities in the US, including San Francisco, Boston, New York and Washington, DC, some European capitals and a few cities in Asia, including Singapore.\r\n\r\nI started hearing about Uber on Twitter, but had never experienced it personally until recently. My friend <a href=\"http://barbjump.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Barb Jump</a>  had invited me to join her at the Kennedy Center.  After the performance, <em>in the elevator</em>, Barb said she would get a car service to pick us up.\r\n\r\nBarb texted Uber, Uber sent back a confirmation, and nine minutes later, Kareem (the driver) was pulling up to pick up in a town car, complete with bottled water, tissues and mints.  Apparently nine minutes is a long wait time, because Barb says they are usually there in about four minutes, which if you live in Washington, means it is much quicker than waiting for the Metro.\r\n\r\nWhat turned Barb on to Uber were two basic issues: she doesn\'t carry cash and she doesn\'t feel safe hailing a cab at night as a woman alone in the city.  Uber solves these two issues. Since you must set up an account beforehand, the payment is charged to your credit card on file, thus there is no need for cash (or figuring out the tip, since there is no tipping). And, since you are directly ordering a car from Uber, you are not getting some random cabby. Uber also sends you the name of the driver and his/her picture so you know who to expect.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fill a need and differentiate from the competition</strong>\r\n\r\nUber is successful because it found some very specific needs that were not being met by traditional taxis or car services. As its website says quite succinctly, these three needs are: request from anywhere, ride with style and convenience, and hassle-free payment. These could also be called DIFFERENTIATORS. As a plus, for Barb (and for other women), these also translate to added safety.\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that for a business to succeed it has to meet a need that is not being adequately met by others in the marketplace. And to be uber-successful (jeez, aren\'t I clever?) it has to meet those needs while differentiating itself from any competition.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fulfill your brand promise</strong>\r\n\r\nEverybody knows that saying something and doing it are two different things. If you do what you say you do, you are, in effect, fulfilling your brand promise. Uber\'s tagline is  Everyone\'s Private Driver.  I think Uber certainly lives up to that tagline\'s promise--anyone can set up account, \"hail\" an Uber from their smartphone (anywhere they may be) and get a driver whom they will recognize because Uber provides this information beforehand.\r\n\r\nHave you experienced Uber or other companies that are succeeding by differentiating well and living up to their promise?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why Uber is successful ','','publish','open','open','','why-uber-is-successful','','','2013-07-17 19:14:58','2013-07-17 19:14:58','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2274',0,'post','',0),(2275,4,'2013-07-17 17:22:54','2013-07-17 17:22:54','Have you heard about Uber? Basically, it an on-demand a car service that you \"hail\" via app, web or text message.  The service is available in major cities in the US, including San Francisco, Boston, New York and Washington, DC, some European capitals and a few cities in Asia, including Singapore.\n\nI started hearing about Uber on Twitter, but had never experienced it personally until recently. My creative and witty friend <a href=\"http://barbjump.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Barb Jump</a> had invited me to join her at the Kennedy Center.  After the performance, <em>in the elevator</em>, Barb said she would get a car service to pick us up.\n\nBarb texted Uber, Uber sent back a confirmation, and nine minutes later, Kareem (the driver) was pulling up to pick up in a town car, complete with bottled water, tissues and mints.  Apparently nine minutes is a long wait time, because Barb says they are usually there in about four minutes, which if you live in Washington, means it is much quicker than waiting for the Metro.\n\nWhat turned Barb on to Uber were two basic issues: she doesn\'t carry cash and she doesn\'t feel safe hailing a cab at night as a woman alone in the city.  Uber solves these two issues. Since you must set up an account beforehand, the payment is charged to your credit card on file, thus there is no need for cash (or figuring out the tip, since there is no tipping). And, since you are directly ordering a car from Uber, you are not getting some random cabby. Uber also sends you the name of the driver and his/her picture so you know who to expect.\n\n<strong>Fill a need and differentiate from the competition</strong>\n\nUber is successful because it found some very specific needs that were not being met by traditional taxis or car services. As its website says quite succinctly, these three needs are: request from anywhere, ride with style and convenience, and hassle-free payment. These could also be called DIFFERENTIATORS. As a plus, for Barb (and for other women), these also translate to added safety.\n\nThe bottom line is that for a business to succeed it has to meet a need that is not being adequately met by others in the marketplace. And to be uber-successful (jeez, aren\'t I clever?) it has to meet those needs while differentiating itself from any competition.\n\n<strong>Fulfill your brand promise</strong>\n\nEverybody knows that saying something and doing it are two different things. If you do what you say you do, you are, in effect, fulfilling your brand promise. Uber\'s tagline is  Everyone\'s Private Driver.  I think Uber certainly lives up to that tagline\'s promise--anyone can set up account, \"hail\" an Uber from their smartphone (anywhere they may be) and get a driver whom they will recognize because Uber provides this information beforehand.\n\nHave you experienced Uber or other companies that are succeeding by differentiating well and living up to their promise?\n\n&nbsp;','Why Uber is successful ','','inherit','open','open','','2274-revision','','','2013-07-17 17:22:54','2013-07-17 17:22:54','',2274,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2274-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2276,4,'2013-07-17 17:23:42','2013-07-17 17:23:42','Have you heard about Uber? Basically, it an on-demand a car service that you \"hail\" via app, web or text message.  The service is available in major cities in the US, including San Francisco, Boston, New York and Washington, DC, some European capitals and a few cities in Asia, including Singapore.\r\n\r\nI started hearing about Uber on Twitter, but had never experienced it personally until recently. My creative and witty friend <a href=\"http://barbjump.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Barb Jump</a> (self-description, but one I endorse) had invited me to join her at the Kennedy Center.  After the performance, <em>in the elevator</em>, Barb said she would get a car service to pick us up.\r\n\r\nBarb texted Uber, Uber sent back a confirmation, and nine minutes later, Kareem (the driver) was pulling up to pick up in a town car, complete with bottled water, tissues and mints.  Apparently nine minutes is a long wait time, because Barb says they are usually there in about four minutes, which if you live in Washington, means it is much quicker than waiting for the Metro.\r\n\r\nWhat turned Barb on to Uber were two basic issues: she doesn\'t carry cash and she doesn\'t feel safe hailing a cab at night as a woman alone in the city.  Uber solves these two issues. Since you must set up an account beforehand, the payment is charged to your credit card on file, thus there is no need for cash (or figuring out the tip, since there is no tipping). And, since you are directly ordering a car from Uber, you are not getting some random cabby. Uber also sends you the name of the driver and his/her picture so you know who to expect.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fill a need and differentiate from the competition</strong>\r\n\r\nUber is successful because it found some very specific needs that were not being met by traditional taxis or car services. As its website says quite succinctly, these three needs are: request from anywhere, ride with style and convenience, and hassle-free payment. These could also be called DIFFERENTIATORS. As a plus, for Barb (and for other women), these also translate to added safety.\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that for a business to succeed it has to meet a need that is not being adequately met by others in the marketplace. And to be uber-successful (jeez, aren\'t I clever?) it has to meet those needs while differentiating itself from any competition.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fulfill your brand promise</strong>\r\n\r\nEverybody knows that saying something and doing it are two different things. If you do what you say you do, you are, in effect, fulfilling your brand promise. Uber\'s tagline is  Everyone\'s Private Driver.  I think Uber certainly lives up to that tagline\'s promise--anyone can set up account, \"hail\" an Uber from their smartphone (anywhere they may be) and get a driver whom they will recognize because Uber provides this information beforehand.\r\n\r\nHave you experienced Uber or other companies that are succeeding by differentiating well and living up to their promise?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why Uber is successful ','','inherit','open','open','','2274-revision-2','','','2013-07-17 17:23:42','2013-07-17 17:23:42','',2274,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2274-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2277,4,'2013-07-17 17:25:05','2013-07-17 17:25:05','Have you heard about <a href=\"https://www.uber.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Uber</a>? Basically, it an on-demand a car service that you \"hail\" via app, web or text message.  The service is available in major cities in the US, including San Francisco, Boston, New York and Washington, DC, some European capitals and a few cities in Asia, including Singapore.\r\n\r\nI started hearing about Uber on Twitter, but had never experienced it personally until recently. My creative and witty friend <a href=\"http://barbjump.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Barb Jump</a> (self-description, but one I endorse) had invited me to join her at the Kennedy Center.  After the performance, <em>in the elevator</em>, Barb said she would get a car service to pick us up.\r\n\r\nBarb texted Uber, Uber sent back a confirmation, and nine minutes later, Kareem (the driver) was pulling up to pick up in a town car, complete with bottled water, tissues and mints.  Apparently nine minutes is a long wait time, because Barb says they are usually there in about four minutes, which if you live in Washington, means it is much quicker than waiting for the Metro.\r\n\r\nWhat turned Barb on to Uber were two basic issues: she doesn\'t carry cash and she doesn\'t feel safe hailing a cab at night as a woman alone in the city.  Uber solves these two issues. Since you must set up an account beforehand, the payment is charged to your credit card on file, thus there is no need for cash (or figuring out the tip, since there is no tipping). And, since you are directly ordering a car from Uber, you are not getting some random cabby. Uber also sends you the name of the driver and his/her picture so you know who to expect.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fill a need and differentiate from the competition</strong>\r\n\r\nUber is successful because it found some very specific needs that were not being met by traditional taxis or car services. As its website says quite succinctly, these three needs are: request from anywhere, ride with style and convenience, and hassle-free payment. These could also be called DIFFERENTIATORS. As a plus, for Barb (and for other women), these also translate to added safety.\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that for a business to succeed it has to meet a need that is not being adequately met by others in the marketplace. And to be uber-successful (jeez, aren\'t I clever?) it has to meet those needs while differentiating itself from any competition.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fulfill your brand promise</strong>\r\n\r\nEverybody knows that saying something and doing it are two different things. If you do what you say you do, you are, in effect, fulfilling your brand promise. Uber\'s tagline is  Everyone\'s Private Driver.  I think Uber certainly lives up to that tagline\'s promise--anyone can set up account, \"hail\" an Uber from their smartphone (anywhere they may be) and get a driver whom they will recognize because Uber provides this information beforehand.\r\n\r\nHave you experienced Uber or other companies that are succeeding by differentiating well and living up to their promise?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why Uber is successful ','','inherit','open','open','','2274-revision-3','','','2013-07-17 17:25:05','2013-07-17 17:25:05','',2274,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2274-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2278,4,'2013-07-17 19:16:03','2013-07-17 19:16:03','Have you heard about <a href=\"https://www.uber.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Uber</a>? Basically, it\'s an on-demand a car service that you \"hail\" via app, web or text message.  The service is available in major cities in the US, including San Francisco, Boston, New York and Washington, DC, some European capitals and a few cities in Asia, including Singapore.\n\nI started hearing about Uber on Twitter, but had never experienced it personally until recently. My friend <a href=\"http://barbjump.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Barb Jump</a>  had invited me to join her at the Kennedy Center.  After the performance, <em>in the elevator</em>, Barb said she would get a car service to pick us up.\n\nBarb texted Uber, Uber sent back a confirmation, and nine minutes later, Kareem (the driver) was pulling up to pick up in a town car, complete with bottled water, tissues and mints.  Apparently nine minutes is a long wait time, because Barb says they are usually there in about four minutes, which if you live in Washington, means it is much quicker than waiting for the Metro.\n\nWhat turned Barb on to Uber were two basic issues: she doesn\'t carry cash and she doesn\'t feel safe hailing a cab at night as a woman alone in the city.  Uber solves these two issues. Since you must set up an account beforehand, the payment is charged to your credit card on file, thus there is no need for cash (or figuring out the tip, since there is no tipping). And, since you are directly ordering a car from Uber, you are not getting some random cabby. Uber also sends you the name of the driver and his/her picture so you know who to expect.\n\n<strong>Fill a need and differentiate from the competition</strong>\n\nUber is successful because it found some very specific needs that were not being met by traditional taxis or car services. As its website says quite succinctly, these three needs are: request from anywhere, ride with style and convenience, and hassle-free payment. These could also be called DIFFERENTIATORS. As a plus, for Barb (and for other women), these also translate to added safety.\n\nThe bottom line is that for a business to succeed it has to meet a need that is not being adequately met by others in the marketplace. And to be uber-successful (jeez, aren\'t I clever?) it has to meet those needs while differentiating itself from any competition.\n\n<strong>Fulfill your brand promise</strong>\n\nEverybody knows that saying something and doing it are two different things. If you do what you say you do, you are, in effect, fulfilling your brand promise. Uber\'s tagline is  Everyone\'s Private Driver.  I think Uber certainly lives up to that tagline\'s promise--anyone can set up account, \"hail\" an Uber from their smartphone (anywhere they may be) and get a driver whom they will recognize because Uber provides this information beforehand.\n\nHave you experienced Uber or other companies that are succeeding by differentiating well and living up to their promise?\n\n&nbsp;','Why Uber is successful ','','inherit','open','open','','2274-autosave','','','2013-07-17 19:16:03','2013-07-17 19:16:03','',2274,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2274-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2279,4,'2013-07-17 18:36:05','2013-07-17 18:36:05','Have you heard about <a href=\"https://www.uber.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Uber</a>? Basically, it\'s an on-demand a car service that you \"hail\" via app, web or text message.  The service is available in major cities in the US, including San Francisco, Boston, New York and Washington, DC, some European capitals and a few cities in Asia, including Singapore.\r\n\r\nI started hearing about Uber on Twitter, but had never experienced it personally until recently. My creative and witty friend <a href=\"http://barbjump.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Barb Jump</a> (self-description, but one I endorse) had invited me to join her at the Kennedy Center.  After the performance, <em>in the elevator</em>, Barb said she would get a car service to pick us up.\r\n\r\nBarb texted Uber, Uber sent back a confirmation, and nine minutes later, Kareem (the driver) was pulling up to pick up in a town car, complete with bottled water, tissues and mints.  Apparently nine minutes is a long wait time, because Barb says they are usually there in about four minutes, which if you live in Washington, means it is much quicker than waiting for the Metro.\r\n\r\nWhat turned Barb on to Uber were two basic issues: she doesn\'t carry cash and she doesn\'t feel safe hailing a cab at night as a woman alone in the city.  Uber solves these two issues. Since you must set up an account beforehand, the payment is charged to your credit card on file, thus there is no need for cash (or figuring out the tip, since there is no tipping). And, since you are directly ordering a car from Uber, you are not getting some random cabby. Uber also sends you the name of the driver and his/her picture so you know who to expect.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fill a need and differentiate from the competition</strong>\r\n\r\nUber is successful because it found some very specific needs that were not being met by traditional taxis or car services. As its website says quite succinctly, these three needs are: request from anywhere, ride with style and convenience, and hassle-free payment. These could also be called DIFFERENTIATORS. As a plus, for Barb (and for other women), these also translate to added safety.\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that for a business to succeed it has to meet a need that is not being adequately met by others in the marketplace. And to be uber-successful (jeez, aren\'t I clever?) it has to meet those needs while differentiating itself from any competition.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fulfill your brand promise</strong>\r\n\r\nEverybody knows that saying something and doing it are two different things. If you do what you say you do, you are, in effect, fulfilling your brand promise. Uber\'s tagline is  Everyone\'s Private Driver.  I think Uber certainly lives up to that tagline\'s promise--anyone can set up account, \"hail\" an Uber from their smartphone (anywhere they may be) and get a driver whom they will recognize because Uber provides this information beforehand.\r\n\r\nHave you experienced Uber or other companies that are succeeding by differentiating well and living up to their promise?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why Uber is successful ','','inherit','open','open','','2274-revision-4','','','2013-07-17 18:36:05','2013-07-17 18:36:05','',2274,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2274-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2280,4,'2013-07-17 19:02:51','2013-07-17 19:02:51','Have you heard about <a href=\"https://www.uber.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Uber</a>? Basically, it\'s an on-demand a car service that you \"hail\" via app, web or text message.  The service is available in major cities in the US, including San Francisco, Boston, New York and Washington, DC, some European capitals and a few cities in Asia, including Singapore.\r\n\r\nI started hearing about Uber on Twitter, but had never experienced it personally until recently. My creative and witty friend <a href=\"http://barbjump.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Barb Jump</a> (self-description, but one I endorse) had invited me to join her at the Kennedy Center.  After the performance, <em>in the elevator</em>, Barb said she would get a car service to pick us up.\r\n\r\nBarb texted Uber, Uber sent back a confirmation, and nine minutes later, Kareem (the driver) was pulling up to pick up in a town car, complete with bottled water, tissues and mints.  Apparently nine minutes is a long wait time, because Barb says they are usually there in about four minutes, which if you live in Washington, means it is much quicker than waiting for the Metro.\r\n\r\nWhat turned Barb on to Uber were two basic issues: she doesn\'t carry cash and she doesn\'t feel safe hailing a cab at night as a woman alone in the city.  Uber solves these two issues. Since you must set up an account beforehand, the payment is charged to your credit card on file, thus there is no need for cash (or figuring out the tip, since there is no tipping). And, since you are directly ordering a car from Uber, you are not getting some random cabby. Uber also sends you the name of the driver and his/her picture so you know who to expect.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fill a need and differentiate from the competition</strong>\r\n\r\nUber is successful because it found some very specific needs that were not being met by traditional taxis or car services. As its website says quite succinctly, these three needs are: request from anywhere, ride with style and convenience, and hassle-free payment. These could also be called DIFFERENTIATORS. As a plus, for Barb (and for other women), these also translate to added safety.\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that for a business to succeed it has to meet a need that is not being adequately met by others in the marketplace. And to be uber-successful (jeez, aren\'t I clever?) it has to meet those needs while differentiating itself from any competition.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fulfill your brand promise</strong>\r\n\r\nEverybody knows that saying something and doing it are two different things. If you do what you say you do, you are, in effect, fulfilling your brand promise. Uber\'s tagline is  Everyone\'s Private Driver.  I think Uber certainly lives up to that tagline\'s promise--anyone can set up account, \"hail\" an Uber from their smartphone (anywhere they may be) and get a driver whom they will recognize because Uber provides this information beforehand.\r\n\r\nHave you experienced Uber or other companies that are succeeding by differentiating well and living up to their promise?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why Uber is successful ','','inherit','open','open','','2274-revision-5','','','2013-07-17 19:02:51','2013-07-17 19:02:51','',2274,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2274-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(2281,4,'2013-07-17 19:03:00','2013-07-17 19:03:00','Have you heard about <a href=\"https://www.uber.com/#\" target=\"_blank\">Uber</a>? Basically, it\'s an on-demand a car service that you \"hail\" via app, web or text message.  The service is available in major cities in the US, including San Francisco, Boston, New York and Washington, DC, some European capitals and a few cities in Asia, including Singapore.\r\n\r\nI started hearing about Uber on Twitter, but had never experienced it personally until recently. My creative and witty friend <a href=\"http://barbjump.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Barb Jump</a> (self-description, but one I endorse) had invited me to join her at the Kennedy Center.  After the performance, <em>in the elevator</em>, Barb said she would get a car service to pick us up.\r\n\r\nBarb texted Uber, Uber sent back a confirmation, and nine minutes later, Kareem (the driver) was pulling up to pick up in a town car, complete with bottled water, tissues and mints.  Apparently nine minutes is a long wait time, because Barb says they are usually there in about four minutes, which if you live in Washington, means it is much quicker than waiting for the Metro.\r\n\r\nWhat turned Barb on to Uber were two basic issues: she doesn\'t carry cash and she doesn\'t feel safe hailing a cab at night as a woman alone in the city.  Uber solves these two issues. Since you must set up an account beforehand, the payment is charged to your credit card on file, thus there is no need for cash (or figuring out the tip, since there is no tipping). And, since you are directly ordering a car from Uber, you are not getting some random cabby. Uber also sends you the name of the driver and his/her picture so you know who to expect.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fill a need and differentiate from the competition</strong>\r\n\r\nUber is successful because it found some very specific needs that were not being met by traditional taxis or car services. As its website says quite succinctly, these three needs are: request from anywhere, ride with style and convenience, and hassle-free payment. These could also be called DIFFERENTIATORS. As a plus, for Barb (and for other women), these also translate to added safety.\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that for a business to succeed it has to meet a need that is not being adequately met by others in the marketplace. And to be uber-successful (jeez, aren\'t I clever?) it has to meet those needs while differentiating itself from any competition.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fulfill your brand promise</strong>\r\n\r\nEverybody knows that saying something and doing it are two different things. If you do what you say you do, you are, in effect, fulfilling your brand promise. Uber\'s tagline is  Everyone\'s Private Driver.  I think Uber certainly lives up to that tagline\'s promise--anyone can set up account, \"hail\" an Uber from their smartphone (anywhere they may be) and get a driver whom they will recognize because Uber provides this information beforehand.\r\n\r\nHave you experienced Uber or other companies that are succeeding by differentiating well and living up to their promise?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why Uber is successful ','','inherit','open','open','','2274-revision-6','','','2013-07-17 19:03:00','2013-07-17 19:03:00','',2274,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2274-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(2283,4,'2013-07-22 12:45:08','2013-07-22 12:45:08','A couple of weeks ago, I told you all about the awful experience that passes itself of as the Holiday Inn Express. One of the smaller things that was super annoying was the fact that in the (cramped) bathroom, there was no soap dish.  There was a stand cluttering the minimal counter space holding the usual hotel toiletries, including soap bars, but there was no place to put the soap once you opened the plastic wrapping.  The soap slid to the floor quite easily and often. Hard to wash your hand when you can\'t put the soap down when you are finished!\n\nJust a few weeks before my stay at the HIE, I stayed at a boutique inn in the same city. Among the many amenities was a soap dish in the bathroom. It was a nice touch. It showed the inn had considered the guest\'s needs (and that someone somewhere had actually used soap to wash their hands at some point, which apparently the managers at the HIE never had done).\n\nIt\'s simple: You have to consider people\'s needs and how they do things. Providing a great hotel experience OR effective communications/marketing (a good design, great copy)  DEPENDS on whether you are considering your end user (your guest, your target audience). How does a person use your product? What does the person need to complete a sale?\n\nIf you fail to think about how people actually use your product or service, then you will fail to serve their needs.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Where shall I put the soap?','','inherit','open','open','','2282-revision','','','2013-07-22 12:45:08','2013-07-22 12:45:08','',2282,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2282-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2284,4,'2013-07-22 12:51:24','2013-07-22 12:51:24','A couple of weeks ago, I told you all about the awful experience that passes itself of as the Holiday Inn Express. One of the smaller things that was super annoying was the fact that in the (cramped) bathroom, there was no soap dish.  There was a stand cluttering the minimal counter space holding the usual hotel toiletries, including soap bars, but there was no place to put the soap once you opened the plastic wrapping.  The soap slid to the floor quite easily and often. Hard to wash your hand when you can\'t put the soap down when you are finished!\n\nJust a few weeks before my stay at the HIE, I stayed at a boutique inn in the same city. Among the many amenities was a soap dish in the bathroom. It was a nice touch. It showed the inn had considered the guest\'s needs (and that someone somewhere had actually used soap to wash their hands at some point, which apparently the managers at the HIE never had done).\n\nIt\'s simple: You have to consider people\'s needs and how they do things. Providing a great hotel experience OR effective communications/marketing (a good design, great copy)  DEPENDS on whether you are considering your end user (your guest, your target audience). How does a person use your product? What does the person need to complete a sale?\n\nIf you fail to think about how people actually use your product or service, then you will fail to serve their needs.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Where shall I put the soap?','','inherit','open','open','','2282-revision-2','','','2013-07-22 12:51:24','2013-07-22 12:51:24','',2282,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2282-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2286,4,'2013-07-23 19:51:44','0000-00-00 00:00:00','If you have ever hired any type of contractor to do work in your home, you know there is a wide range of service providers out there. Perhaps some were highly recommended, or the pricing was right, or you had a very specific type of work to be done.\n\nRecently, I had to find an electrician to fix my broken attic fan. I called five different companies. I found three of them on the web (doing a search for electrician Rockville). I got one name from a friend and the other name from a store that sold lighting fixtures.\n\nThe first one quoted a rather high price, but was available pretty quickly and said it had gotten high marks on Angie\'s List. The second also quoted a high price, but specified what type of fan would be installed and asked questions about the height of the ceiling. The third quoted a lower price, and had good recommendations on Google. The fourth was pretty expensive, asked specific questions and was too busy to do anything for a couple of weeks. The last one was personally recommended, but seemed unable or uninterested in providing an estimate over the phone.\n\nI eliminated the last one because he clearly wasn\'t interested in the work. I eliminated the fourth one because he wasn\'t available for quite a while. I eliminated the first one because he did not ask questions and his quote was by far the highest. It was between the second and third quotes, and I ended up with the third because they had given me a range (meaning that they would base the final price on what actually needed to be done).\n\nWhen the electrician showed up, he didn\'t introduce himself. He did not give me a card. He did do the job requested at a reasonable price, and very quickly.  I thought that the company that sent him needs to learn a few things about marketing.\n\nHere are few lessons to be drawn.\n\n1.  Having a findable website with the right information is crucial.\n\n2. The person who answers the phone makes or breaks the sale. The more informed and pleasant that person is, the easier it will be to close the deal.\n\n3. Give your service providers some guidelines and information. Have them introduce themselves. Make sure they know about any service warranties and other procedures.\n\n4. Make sure the service provider gives a business card or brochure along with the invoice.\n\n5. Follow up! Very few, if any, contractors follow up to make sure the work is satisfactory to you. It\'s a missed opportunity to get testimonials and to build goodwill.\n\n&nbsp;','Marketing lessons for and from contractors','','draft','open','open','','','','','2013-07-23 19:51:44','2013-07-23 19:51:44','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2286',0,'post','',0),(2287,4,'2013-07-23 19:11:07','2013-07-23 19:11:07','If you have ever hired any type of contractor to do work in your home, you know there is a wide range of service providers out there. Perhaps some were highly recommended, or the pricing was right, or you had a very specific type of work to be done.\n\nRecently, I had to find an electrician to fix my broken attic fan. I called five different companies. I found three of them on the web (doing a search for electrician Rockville). I got one name from a friend and the other name from a store that sold lighting fixtures.\n\nThe first one quoted a rather high price, but was available pretty quickly and said it had gotten high marks on Angie\'s List. The second also quoted a high price, but specified what type of fan would be installed and asked questions about the height of the ceiling. The third quoted a lower price, and had good recommendations on Google. The fourth was pretty expensive, asked specific questions and was too busy to do anything for a couple of weeks. The last one was personally recommended, but seemed unable or uninterested in providing an estimate over the phone.\n\nI eliminated the last one because he clearly wasn\'t interested in the work. I eliminated the fourth one because he wasn\'t available for quite a while. I eliminated the first one because he did not ask questions and his quote was by far the highest. It was between the second and third quotes, and I ended up with the third because they had given me a range (meaning that they would base the final price on what actually needed to be done).\n\nWhen the electrician showed up, he didn\'t introduce himself. He did not give me a card. He did do the job requested at a reasonable price, and very quickly.  I thought that the company that sent him needs to learn a few things about marketing.\n\nHere are few lessons to be drawn.\n\n1.  Having a findable website with the right information is crucial.\n\n2. The person who answers the phone makes or breaks the sale. The more informed and pleasant that person is, the easier it will be to close the deal.\n\n3. Give your service providers some guidelines and information. Have them introduce themselves. Make sure they know about any service warranties and other procedures.\n\n4. Make sure the service provider gives a business card or brochure along with the invoice.\n\n5. Follow up! Very few, if any, contractors follow up to make sure the work is satisfactory to you. It\'s a missed opportunity to get testimonials and to build goodwill.\n\n&nbsp;','Marketing lessons for and from contractors','','inherit','open','open','','2286-revision','','','2013-07-23 19:11:07','2013-07-23 19:11:07','',2286,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2286-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2288,4,'2013-07-23 19:16:02','2013-07-23 19:16:02','If you have ever hired any type of contractor to do work in your home, you know there is a wide range of service providers out there. Perhaps some were highly recommended, or the pricing was right, or you had a very specific type of work to be done.\n\nRecently, I had to find an electrician to fix my broken attic fan. I called five different companies. I found three of them on the web (doing a search for electrician Rockville). I got one name from a friend and the other name from a store that sold lighting fixtures.\n\nThe first one quoted a rather high price, but was available pretty quickly and said it had gotten high marks on Angie\'s List. The second also quoted a high price, but specified what type of fan would be installed and asked questions about the height of the ceiling. The third quoted a lower price, and had good recommendations on Google. The fourth was pretty expensive, asked specific questions and was too busy to do anything for a couple of weeks. The last one was personally recommended, but seemed unable or uninterested in providing an estimate over the phone.\n\nI eliminated the last one because he clearly wasn\'t interested in the work. I eliminated the fourth one because he wasn\'t available for quite a while. I eliminated the first one because he did not ask questions and his quote was by far the highest. It was between the second and third quotes, and I ended up with the third because they had given me a range (meaning that they would base the final price on what actually needed to be done).\n\nWhen the electrician showed up, he didn\'t introduce himself. He did not give me a card. He did do the job requested at a reasonable price, and very quickly.  I thought that the company that sent him needs to learn a few things about marketing.\n\nHere are few lessons to be drawn.\n\n1.  Having a findable website with the right information is crucial.\n\n2. The person who answers the phone makes or breaks the sale. The more informed and pleasant that person is, the easier it will be to close the deal.\n\n3. Give your service providers some guidelines and information. Have them introduce themselves. Make sure they know about any service warranties and other procedures.\n\n4. Make sure the service provider gives a business card or brochure along with the invoice.\n\n5. Follow up! Very few, if any, contractors follow up to make sure the work is satisfactory to you. It\'s a missed opportunity to get testimonials and to build goodwill.\n\n&nbsp;','Marketing lessons for and from contractors','','inherit','open','open','','2286-revision-2','','','2013-07-23 19:16:02','2013-07-23 19:16:02','',2286,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2286-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2289,4,'2013-07-23 19:39:13','2013-07-23 19:39:13','If you have ever hired any type of contractor to do work in your home, you know there is a wide range of service providers out there. Perhaps some were highly recommended, or the pricing was right, or you had a very specific type of work to be done.\n\nRecently, I had to find an electrician to fix my broken attic fan. I called five different companies. I found three of them on the web (doing a search for electrician Rockville). I got one name from a friend and the other name from a store that sold lighting fixtures.\n\nThe first one quoted a rather high price, but was available pretty quickly and said it had gotten high marks on Angie\'s List. The second also quoted a high price, but specified what type of fan would be installed and asked questions about the height of the ceiling. The third quoted a lower price, and had good recommendations on Google. The fourth was pretty expensive, asked specific questions and was too busy to do anything for a couple of weeks. The last one was personally recommended, but seemed unable or uninterested in providing an estimate over the phone.\n\nI eliminated the last one because he clearly wasn\'t interested in the work. I eliminated the fourth one because he wasn\'t available for quite a while. I eliminated the first one because he did not ask questions and his quote was by far the highest. It was between the second and third quotes, and I ended up with the third because they had given me a range (meaning that they would base the final price on what actually needed to be done).\n\nWhen the electrician showed up, he didn\'t introduce himself. He did not give me a card. He did do the job requested at a reasonable price, and very quickly.  I thought that the company that sent him needs to learn a few things about marketing.\n\nHere are few lessons to be drawn.\n\n1.  Having a findable website with the right information is crucial.\n\n2. The person who answers the phone makes or breaks the sale. The more informed and pleasant that person is, the easier it will be to close the deal.\n\n3. Give your service providers some guidelines and information. Have them introduce themselves. Make sure they know about any service warranties and other procedures.\n\n4. Make sure the service provider gives a business card or brochure along with the invoice.\n\n5. Follow up! Very few, if any, contractors follow up to make sure the work is satisfactory to you. It\'s a missed opportunity to get testimonials and to build goodwill.\n\n&nbsp;','Marketing lessons for and from contractors','','inherit','open','open','','2286-revision-3','','','2013-07-23 19:39:13','2013-07-23 19:39:13','',2286,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2286-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2290,4,'2013-07-24 12:06:41','2013-07-24 12:06:41','For some reason, I have had a hard time getting a post done this week. I wrote two lengthy posts, but ended up saving them as drafts. They may appear later on.  Some of my ability to focus this week has to do with having too much on my mind. I thought I would share some of what has been bugging me (and sadly, this is but the tip of the iceberg).\r\n\r\n<strong>Courtesy is waning</strong>\r\n\r\nIt seems to me that we are seeing a huge drop in courteous behavior. In the last few weeks alone, I have seen it both personally and professionally. On the personal side, I have left messages for friends that have gone unreturned. I have been cut off in the middle of a sensitive conversation.  On the professional side, I have sent proposals that potential clients don\'t even acknowledge.\r\n\r\n<strong>Angie\'s List won\'t leave me alone (or, is trying too hard and being annoying)</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I moved into my house a couple of years ago, I joined Angie\'s List. It was helpful when I needed to find different contractors (plumber, fence installer, etc.). After getting most issues fixed in my house, I found I was using Angie\'s List quite infrequently. And then, one of the contractors I found on it (and who had decent recommendations) turned out to be one of the worst experiences I have ever had with any service provider.  So I let my membership lapse. This was in December of last year. Since then, without fail, I have received offers EVERY week (and sometimes every day) from Angie\'s List for discount membership...ranging from 20% to 40% off. I have stop reading the emails and just delete them. At some point, Angie and every other vendor, needs to realize it is not about the offer. You could give me Angie\'s List for free, and at this point, I am not signing up. Oh, and I see their constant advertising every night on the CBS Evening News, which leads me to believe that Angie is lying when she says that nobody pays to be on Angie\'s List. She cannot be making the type of money she is from yearly membership dues alone. And, vendors have told me that in order to show up higher in the rankings, they are asked to pay.\r\n\r\n<strong>Customer service is marketing</strong>\r\n\r\nA few weeks ago I had problems with my web host, Host Gator. In three separate instances, my website and email went down for a total of a few hours. I asked them for a credit (after not getting any information from them on restoration of service). They ignored it. Even after I told them in their survey that they would not be getting any referrals from me, they didn\'t seem to care.\r\n\r\nAnother service provider who has been very slow in her service has had the nerve to blame me, in writing, for her delays. Apparently she doesn\'t realize that even if it is the client\'s fault (and in this case it isn\'t) you don\'t blame the client. By shifting the responsibility and accusing me (the client) all she is doing is making sure I will not use her services ever again, nor refer her any business. How you treat your customer is marketing, as Lisa Gerber points out in this <a href=\"http://bigleapcreative.com/are-you-creating-loyalty/\" target=\"_blank\">blog post</a>.\r\n\r\n<strong>On the other hand...</strong>\r\n\r\nI have been impressed with the responsiveness and interest I receive for this blog  from some great folks that I have only met on Twitter. Thank you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Things on my mind','','publish','open','open','','things-on-my-mind','','','2013-07-24 12:06:41','2013-07-24 12:06:41','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2290',0,'post','',2),(2291,4,'2013-07-24 12:06:36','2013-07-24 12:06:36','For some reason, I have had a hard time getting a post done this week. I wrote two lengthy posts, but ended up saving them as drafts. They may appear later on.  Some of my ability to focus this week has to do with having too much on my mind. I thought I would share some of what has been bugging me (and sadly, this is but the tip of the iceberg).\n\n<strong>Courtesy is waning</strong>\n\nIt seems to me that we are seeing a huge drop in courteous behavior. In the last few weeks alone, I have seen it both personally and professionally. On the personal side, I have left messages for friends that have gone unreturned. I have been cut off in the middle of a sensitive conversation.  On the professional side, I have sent proposals that potential clients don\'t even acknowledge.\n\n<strong>Angie\'s List won\'t leave me alone (or, is trying too hard and being annoying)</strong>\n\nWhen I moved into my house a couple of years ago, I joined Angie\'s List. It was helpful when I needed to find different contractors (plumber, fence installer, etc.). After getting most issues fixed in my house, I found I was using Angie\'s List quite infrequently. And then, one of the contractors I found on it (and who had decent recommendations) turned out to be one of the worst experiences I have ever had with any service provider.  So I let my membership lapse. This was in December of last year. Since then, without fail, I have received offers EVERY week (and sometimes every day) from Angie\'s List for discount membership...ranging from 20% to 40% off. I have stop reading the emails and just delete them. At some point, Angie and every other vendor, needs to realize it is not about the offer. You could give me Angie\'s List for free, and at this point, I am not signing up. Oh, and I see their constant advertising every night on the CBS Evening News, which leads me to believe that Angie is lying when she says that nobody pays to be on Angie\'s List. She cannot be making the type of money she is from yearly membership dues alone. And, vendors have told me that in order to show up higher in the rankings, they are asked to pay.\n\n<strong>Customer service is marketing</strong>\n\nA few weeks ago I had problems with my web host, Host Gator. In three separate instances, my website and email went down for a total of a few hours. I asked them for a credit (after not getting any information from them on restoration of service). They ignored it. Even after I told them in their survey that they would not be getting any referrals from me, they didn\'t seem to care.\n\nAnother service provider who has been very slow in her service has had the nerve to blame me, in writing, for her delays. Apparently she doesn\'t realize that even if it is the client\'s fault (and in this case it isn\'t) you don\'t blame the client. By shifting the responsibility and accusing me (the client) all she is doing is making sure I will not use her services ever again, nor refer her any business. How you treat your customer is marketing, as Lisa Gerber points out in this <a href=\"http://bigleapcreative.com/are-you-creating-loyalty/\" target=\"_blank\">blog post</a>.\n\n<strong>On the other hand...</strong>\n\nI have been impressed with the responsiveness and interest I receive for this blog  from some great folks that I have only met on Twitter. Thank you!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Things on my mind','','inherit','open','open','','2290-revision','','','2013-07-24 12:06:36','2013-07-24 12:06:36','',2290,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2290-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2292,4,'2013-07-24 12:07:48','2013-07-24 12:07:48','For some reason, I have had a hard time getting a post done this week. I wrote two lengthy posts, but ended up saving them as drafts. They may appear later on.  Some of my ability to focus this week has to do with having too much on my mind. I thought I would share some of what has been bugging me (and sadly, this is but the tip of the iceberg).\n\n<strong>Courtesy is waning</strong>\n\nIt seems to me that we are seeing a huge drop in courteous behavior. In the last few weeks alone, I have seen it both personally and professionally. On the personal side, I have left messages for friends that have gone unreturned. I have been cut off in the middle of a sensitive conversation.  On the professional side, I have sent proposals that potential clients don\'t even acknowledge.\n\n<strong>Angie\'s List won\'t leave me alone (or, is trying too hard and being annoying)</strong>\n\nWhen I moved into my house a couple of years ago, I joined Angie\'s List. It was helpful when I needed to find different contractors (plumber, fence installer, etc.). After getting most issues fixed in my house, I found I was using Angie\'s List quite infrequently. And then, one of the contractors I found on it (and who had decent recommendations) turned out to be one of the worst experiences I have ever had with any service provider.  So I let my membership lapse. This was in December of last year. Since then, without fail, I have received offers EVERY week (and sometimes every day) from Angie\'s List for discount membership...ranging from 20% to 40% off. I have stop reading the emails and just delete them. At some point, Angie and every other vendor, needs to realize it is not about the offer. You could give me Angie\'s List for free, and at this point, I am not signing up. Oh, and I see their constant advertising every night on the CBS Evening News, which leads me to believe that Angie is lying when she says that nobody pays to be on Angie\'s List. She cannot be making the type of money she is from yearly membership dues alone. And, vendors have told me that in order to show up higher in the rankings, they are asked to pay.\n\n<strong>Customer service is marketing</strong>\n\nA few weeks ago I had problems with my web host, Host Gator. In three separate instances, my website and email went down for a total of a few hours. I asked them for a credit (after not getting any information from them on restoration of service). They ignored it. Even after I told them in their survey that they would not be getting any referrals from me, they didn\'t seem to care.\n\nAnother service provider who has been very slow in her service has had the nerve to blame me, in writing, for her delays. Apparently she doesn\'t realize that even if it is the client\'s fault (and in this case it isn\'t) you don\'t blame the client. By shifting the responsibility and accusing me (the client) all she is doing is making sure I will not use her services ever again, nor refer her any business. How you treat your customer is marketing, as Lisa Gerber points out in this <a href=\"http://bigleapcreative.com/are-you-creating-loyalty/\" target=\"_blank\">blog post</a>.\n\n<strong>On the other hand...</strong>\n\nI have been impressed with the responsiveness and interest I receive for this blog  from some great folks that I have only met on Twitter. Thank you!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Things on my mind','','inherit','open','open','','2290-autosave','','','2013-07-24 12:07:48','2013-07-24 12:07:48','',2290,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2290-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2294,4,'2013-07-30 13:46:24','2013-07-30 13:46:24','Have you been to an event where the speaker did not meet your expectations? It may not have been the speaker\'s fault. He or she may have not been well prepared or well chosen for that particular event. Having been asked to speak at a few different events, I can tell you it is up to the host to prepare the speaker.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]<a title=\"Podium by karindalziel, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/nirak/6071515104/\"><img title=\"Empty Podium\" alt=\"Podium\" src=\"http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6195/6071515104_eca4654a63.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /></a> Empty Podium by Karin Dalziel on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\nIf you (or your organization) is hosting an event featuring speakers, here are a few things to do:\r\n\r\n1. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Determine exactly what your topic</span> is and whether you have a theme  you want to highlight.\r\n\r\n2. Make sure you <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">understand your audience</span>. Who will be coming to your event and why? If it is a professional development event, for example, what level of understanding does the audience have about the subject?\r\n\r\n3. When choosing your speakers, m<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ake sure their experience matches your topic <em>and</em> audience</span>.  Recently, a friend attended a talk where the speaker\'s understanding of the topic was BELOW the audience\'s. Generally, the audience wants to learn something.\r\n\r\n4.<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> Prepare your speakers</span>. Give them all the information they will need for the event, including date, time and location. I know several speakers who have been late to an event (causing them to get frazzled) because they were confused about how to get there or the exact start time.  Tell your speakers how many people are expected, who they are and what you told the audience to expect.\r\n\r\n5. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Talk to the speaker a couple of days before the event</span>. What will he or she be talking about exactly? Does he or she need any special equipment?\r\n\r\n6. Have a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">plan B</span> (or be prepared for things to go off track: missing presentations, faulty AV equipment, missing speakers, etc.)\r\n\r\n7. Prepare you audience by <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">giving an introduction of both the speaker and the topic.</span> Make sure the program handout includes the speaker\'s bio and contact information. When introducing the speaker, stay topline. Nothing is more boring (and more time-wasting) than having the host read the entire biography to the audience.\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that most speaking events don\'t go well because the host has not done a good job of choosing or preparing the speakers. This is particularly common in volunteer-run organizations. However, if you are charging for your event, and you are associating your organization\'s name to it, it is imperative that you take the time to make sure the speaker is given the best shot at success.\r\n\r\nWhat would you add to the list above? Does your organization have a list of speaker guidelines? If so, what does it include?','Hosting a speaker or a panel? Read this first.','','publish','open','open','','hosting-a-speaker-or-a-panel-read-this-first','','','2013-07-30 13:46:24','2013-07-30 13:46:24','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2294',0,'post','',0),(2295,4,'2013-07-30 13:46:15','2013-07-30 13:46:15','Have you been to an event where the speaker did not meet your expectations? It may not have been the speaker\'s fault. He or she may have not been well prepared or well chosen for that particular event. Having been asked to speak at a few different events, I can tell you it is up to the host to prepare the speaker.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]<a title=\"Podium by karindalziel, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/nirak/6071515104/\"><img title=\"Empty Podium\" alt=\"Podium\" src=\"http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6195/6071515104_eca4654a63.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /></a> Empty Podium by Karin Dalziel on Flickr[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\nIf you (or your organization) is hosting an event featuring speakers, here are a few things to do:\n\n1. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Determine exactly what your topic</span> is and whether you have a theme  you want to highlight.\n\n2. Make sure you <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">understand your audience</span>. Who will be coming to your event and why? If it is a professional development event, for example, what level of understanding does the audience have about the subject?\n\n3. When choosing your speakers, m<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ake sure their experience matches your topic <em>and</em> audience</span>.  Recently, a friend attended a talk where the speaker\'s understanding of the topic was BELOW the audience\'s. Generally, the audience wants to learn something.\n\n4.<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> Prepare your speakers</span>. Give them all the information they will need for the event, including date, time and location. I know several speakers who have been late to an event (causing them to get frazzled) because they were confused about how to get there or the exact start time.  Tell your speakers how many people are expected, who they are and what you told the audience to expect.\n\n5. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Talk to the speaker a couple of days before the event</span>. What will he or she be talking about exactly? Does he or she need any special equipment?\n\n6. Have a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">plan B</span> (or be prepared for things to go off track: missing presentations, faulty AV equipment, missing speakers, etc.)\n\n7. Prepare you audience by <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">giving an introduction of both the speaker and the topic.</span> Make sure the program handout includes the speaker\'s bio and contact information. When introducing the speaker, stay topline. Nothing is more boring (and more time-wasting) than having the host read the entire biography to the audience.\n\nThe bottom line is that most speaking events don\'t go well because the host has not done a good job of choosing or preparing the speakers. This is particularly common in volunteer-run organizations. However, if you are charging for your event, and you are associating your organization\'s name to it, it is imperative that you take the time to make sure the speaker is given the best shot at success.\n\nWhat would you add to the list above? Does your organization have a list of speaker guidelines? If so, what does it include?','Hosting a speaker or a panel? Read this first.','','inherit','open','open','','2294-revision','','','2013-07-30 13:46:15','2013-07-30 13:46:15','',2294,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/2294-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2298,4,'2013-08-06 12:44:20','2013-08-06 12:44:20','Yesterday, I took advantage of a  gorgeous low-humidity, warm (not hot) day and went for a run along the C&amp;O Canal in Potomac. There were several people along the trail, some walking, some biking and some running like me.  Some people smiled, nodded or said hi as I passed. Some people ignored me completely (like the bikers who passed me without a warning or even a look back or the runner who pointedly looked straight ahead when passing in the other direction).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"448\"]<a title=\"Smile! by rkleine, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkleine/5370378373/\"><img alt=\"Smile!\" src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5001/5370378373_695f70b0de.jpg\" width=\"448\" height=\"450\" /></a> Smile! by Rob Kleine on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\n<strong>Some people are social, and some are not.</strong>\r\n\r\nIt\'s not just when you are out running on a gorgeous day. It\'s when you get in an elevator, walk along the street, go in a store, and so forth. Some people will always greet others, and some will pretend they are in their own little fiefdom. Some people are naturally social and some are not. Some people feel connection to those around them, and some do not.\r\n\r\nSome of this has to do with factors other than sociability. Perhaps someone has just received bad news or is lost in thought about a pressing problem. Perhaps there is a language or culture barrier.\r\n\r\nThe same is true on social media. Some people are naturally good at social media and some are not. You can see it by how often they post, how often they like posts, how often they re-tweet, <strong>how often they interact.</strong> Of course, some people will defend their lack of engagement on social media by saying they are \"too busy\" and they \"don\'t have time.\"\r\n\r\nThen there are those like someone I know named Jon, who blocked off his Facebook wall to avoid unwanted communication and has even asked me to \"untag\" him from a conversation because he did not care to hear what other people had to say about something he had been involved in. Or the people like Jon, who avoid commenting on posts because they don\'t want to be dragged into a conversation. My question to Jon and others like him is: why are you on Facebook? Why are you on social media at all?\r\n\r\n<strong>Here\'s the thing: If you don\'t want two-way communication (or even multi-lateral communication), DO NOT get on social media.</strong> It is not all about you. It is about the other people too.\r\n\r\nPeople who like to control what others say or with whom they connect, are not naturally good at social media. We see the corporate CEOs who have been forced to open Twitter accounts by their communications advisers and who then do not tweet or respond to tweets.\r\n\r\nGetting on social media is about being social. It is about being responsive. It is about interacting. It\'s about (the hated, overused term) engagement. You can\'t automate your social media interactions. You need to be present, social and say hi.\r\n\r\nSmile! You are on social media.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Does going for a run make you want to smile? ','','publish','open','open','','does-going-for-a-run-make-you-want-to-smile','','','2013-08-06 12:44:20','2013-08-06 12:44:20','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2298',0,'post','',0),(2299,4,'2013-08-06 12:44:02','2013-08-06 12:44:02','Yesterday, I took advantage of a  gorgeous low-humidity, warm (not hot) day and went for a run along the C&amp;O Canal in Potomac. There were several people along the trail, some walking, some biking and some running like me.  Some people smiled, nodded or said hi as I passed. Some people ignored me completely (like the bikers who passed me without a warning or even a look back or the runner who pointedly looked straight ahead when passing in the other direction).\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"448\"]<a title=\"Smile! by rkleine, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkleine/5370378373/\"><img alt=\"Smile!\" src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5001/5370378373_695f70b0de.jpg\" width=\"448\" height=\"450\" /></a> Smile! by Rob Kleine on Flickr[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\n<strong>Some people are social, and some are not.</strong>\n\nIt\'s not just when you are out running on a gorgeous day. It\'s when you get in an elevator, walk along the street, go in a store, and so forth. Some people will always greet others, and some will pretend they are in their own little fiefdom. Some people are naturally social and some are not. Some people feel connection to those around them, and some do not.\n\nSome of this has to do with factors other than sociability. Perhaps someone has just received bad news or is lost in thought about a pressing problem. Perhaps there is a language or culture barrier.\n\nThe same is true on social media. Some people are naturally good at social media and some are not. You can see it by how often they post, how often they like posts, how often they re-tweet, <strong>how often they interact.</strong> Of course, some people will defend their lack of engagement on social media by saying they are \"too busy\" and they \"don\'t have time.\"\n\nThen there are those like someone I know named Jon, who blocked off his Facebook wall to avoid unwanted communication and has even asked me to \"untag\" him from a conversation because he did not care to hear what other people had to say about something he had been involved in. Or the people like Jon, who avoid commenting on posts because they don\'t want to be dragged into a conversation. My question to Jon and others like him is: why are you on Facebook? Why are you on social media at all?\n\n<strong>Here\'s the thing: If you don\'t want two-way communication (or even multi-lateral communication), DO NOT get on social media.</strong> It is not all about you. It is about the other people too.\n\nPeople who like to control what others say or with whom they connect, are not naturally good at social media. We see the corporate CEOs who have been forced to open Twitter accounts by their communications advisers and who then do not tweet or respond to tweets.\n\nGetting on social media is about being social. It is about being responsive. It is about interacting. It\'s about (the hated, overused term) engagement. You can\'t automate your social media interactions. You need to be present, social and say hi.\n\nSmile! You are on social media.\n\n&nbsp;','Does going for a run make you want to smile? ','','inherit','open','open','','2298-revision','','','2013-08-06 12:44:02','2013-08-06 12:44:02','',2298,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2298-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2300,4,'2013-08-09 14:29:33','2013-08-09 14:29:33','I think having themes like <strong>5 tips for Friday</strong> is a great way to keep you blogging, and I suggest that in my blogging workshops. I saw somebody\'s 5 tips today, and I thought I would try my hand at it.\r\n\r\nAs a writer, I have to edit my own work. Truth is,  it is far easier to edit other people\'s work. You very rarely see your own mistakes right away--be it typos or more serious errors.\r\n\r\nHere are five tips to make sure you present the best piece of writing you can:\r\n\r\n1. Take a break between writing and editing. A few hours will do, but a whole day, if possible, is better.\r\n\r\n2. Read it out loud. Your ears may \"see\" mistakes that your eyes don\'t.\r\n\r\n3. Pay attention to homonyms (words that sound the same like than and then and their and there). Are you using the right word?\r\n\r\n4. Go back and cut out ten words per page. Excess words often clutter your meaning.\r\n\r\n5. Make sure most (if not all) sentences are in active voice. If they aren\'t, change them.\r\n\r\nWhat is your best tip for editing your own writing? Please share in the comments.','5 tips for Friday on editing your own writing','','publish','open','open','','5-tips-for-friday-on-editing-your-own-writing','','','2013-08-09 14:29:33','2013-08-09 14:29:33','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2300',0,'post','',6),(2301,4,'2013-08-09 14:28:43','2013-08-09 14:28:43','I think having themes like <strong>5 tips for Friday</strong> is a great way to keep you blogging, and I suggest that in my blogging workshops. I saw somebody\'s 5 tips today, and I thought I would try my hand at it.\n\nAs a writer, I have to edit my own work. Truth is,  it is far easier to edit other people\'s work. You very rarely see your own mistakes right away--be it typos or more serious errors.\n\nHere are five tips to make sure you present the best piece of writing you can.\n\n1. Take a break between writing and editing. A few hours will do, but a whole day, if possible, is better.\n\n2. Read it out loud. Your ears may \"see\" mistakes that your eyes don\'t.\n\n3. Pay attention to homonyms (words that sound the same like than and then and their and there). Are you using the right word?\n\n4. Go back and cut out ten words per page. Excess words often clutter your meaning.\n\n5. Make sure most (if not all) sentences are in active voice. If they aren\'t, change them.\n\nWhat is your best tip for editing your own work? Please share in the comments.','5 tips for Friday on editing your own writing','','inherit','open','open','','2300-revision','','','2013-08-09 14:28:43','2013-08-09 14:28:43','',2300,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2300-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2302,4,'2013-08-13 12:25:41','2013-08-13 12:25:41','Email addresses have become so valuable to marketers that they are now offering discounts and other incentives to get them. Case in point: Ann Taylor is offering <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">a 40% discount off</span> your entire purchase simply for furnishing them with (any) email address. Another retailer, White House/Black Market makes it practically impossible to buy anything without getting an email address (which, the salesperson says, will be used to send you special offers only available via email).\r\n\r\nWhy are email addresses so important? Simple. It\'s because there are so many channels out there that it has become increasingly harder (and thus, more valuable) to target people. For retailers, fewer people are reading printed anything, a traditional place for special offers and sale notices. In general, media has become increasingly segmented. With DVRs, most people are fast-forwarding the commercials.\r\n\r\nEmail reaches people somewhere where they are likely to be--on their computer or other Internet-connected device. And because people can easily opt-out of receiving emails, marketers have to work harder to make it worth their while. And then there is the added benefit of not having to pay postage or printing costs, making email marketing a lot cheaper to produce.\r\n\r\n<strong>What does this mean for marketing communications? It means that messaging has to be more targeted, more concise and centered around providing a very tangible benefit to the consumer. </strong> Email marketing maybe cheaper to  snail mail marketing, but it also easier to stop.\r\n\r\nThe bottom line is that marketers want email addresses and consumers want real value for the intrusion.\r\n\r\nHave you noticed more retailers asking for email addresses? What incentives have you seen?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Email addresses have become more valuable','','publish','open','open','','email-addresses-have-become-more-valuable','','','2013-08-13 12:25:41','2013-08-13 12:25:41','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2302',0,'post','',1),(2303,4,'2013-08-13 12:25:13','2013-08-13 12:25:13','Email addresses have become so valuable to marketers that they are now offering discounts and other incentives to get them. Case in point: Ann Taylor is offering <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">a 40% discount off</span> your entire purchase simply for furnishing them with (any) email address. Another retailer, White House/Black Market makes it practically impossible to buy anything without getting an email address (which, the salesperson says, will be used to send you special offers only available via email).\n\nWhy are email addresses so important? Simple. It\'s because there are so many channels out there that it has become increasingly harder (and thus, more valuable) to target people. For retailers, fewer people are reading printed anything, a traditional place for special offers and sale notices. In general, media has become increasingly segmented. With DVRs, most people are fast-forwarding the commercials.\n\nEmail reaches people somewhere where they are likely to be--on their computer or other Internet-connected device. And because people can easily opt-out of receiving emails, marketers have to work harder to make it worth their while. And then there is the added benefit of not having to pay postage or printing costs, making email marketing a lot cheaper to produce.\n\n<strong>What does this mean for marketing communications? It means that messaging has to be more targeted, more concise and centered around providing a very tangible benefit to the consumer. </strong> Email marketing maybe cheaper to  snail mail marketing, but it also easier to stop.\n\nThe bottom line is that marketers want email addresses and consumers want real value for the intrusion.\n\nHave you noticed more retailers asking for email addresses? What incentives have you seen?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Email addresses have become more valuable','','inherit','open','open','','2302-revision','','','2013-08-13 12:25:13','2013-08-13 12:25:13','',2302,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2302-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2304,4,'2013-08-13 12:26:45','2013-08-13 12:26:45','Email addresses have become so valuable to marketers that they are now offering discounts and other incentives to get them. Case in point: Ann Taylor is offering <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">a 40% discount off</span> your entire purchase simply for furnishing them with (any) email address. Another retailer, White House/Black Market makes it practically impossible to buy anything without getting an email address (which, the salesperson says, will be used to send you special offers only available via email).\n\nWhy are email addresses so important? Simple. It\'s because there are so many channels out there that it has become increasingly harder (and thus, more valuable) to target people. For retailers, fewer people are reading printed anything, a traditional place for special offers and sale notices. In general, media has become increasingly segmented. With DVRs, most people are fast-forwarding the commercials.\n\nEmail reaches people somewhere where they are likely to be--on their computer or other Internet-connected device. And because people can easily opt-out of receiving emails, marketers have to work harder to make it worth their while. And then there is the added benefit of not having to pay postage or printing costs, making email marketing a lot cheaper to produce.\n\n<strong>What does this mean for marketing communications? It means that messaging has to be more targeted, more concise and centered around providing a very tangible benefit to the consumer. </strong> Email marketing maybe cheaper to  snail mail marketing, but it also easier to stop.\n\nThe bottom line is that marketers want email addresses and consumers want real value for the intrusion.\n\nHave you noticed more retailers asking for email addresses? What incentives have you seen?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Email addresses have become more valuable','','inherit','open','open','','2302-autosave','','','2013-08-13 12:26:45','2013-08-13 12:26:45','',2302,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2302-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2306,4,'2013-08-14 13:28:29','2013-08-14 13:28:29','Yesterday, I wrote about h<a title=\"Email addresses have become more valuable\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/email-addresses-have-become-more-valuable/\">ow important email marketing has become to retailers</a>. Yesterday afternoon, I found out first-hand that email marketing has become far more important to retailers than customer service, and that is a problem.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]<a title=\"silos by dsearls, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/docsearls/5500714140/\"><img alt=\"silos\" src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5096/5500714140_5ff438aa98.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"202\" /></a> Silos by Doc Searls on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nMany large organizations have no bridge among their many departments. I remember when I was working with a large financial company back in the 1990s, and the public relations department (where I was) and the sponsorship department didn\'t really connect, even though both were ostensibly working on promoting the brand. It  seems this way with customer service and marketing.\r\n\r\nMy experience was this: Yesterday, I went to White House Black Market to return a couple of items I had bought last week. I had the receipt, and the items were unused and had their tags on (nothing wrong with them, just didn\'t like them once I got home).  At first, this clerk was friendly, but pretty soon she was having issues. It turns out that because I did not provide my email address to the clerk who had originally sold me the items, the clerk had put in a made up email, which apparently was connected with another customer\'s account.\r\n\r\nThe clerk called over another associate (let\'s call her Ms. Crotchety since she was a very unfriendly woman),  who asked me my name, and of course, this did not match up with the customer name in the system. I explained that since I had no desire to be in their system, the original associate had put in that email address because she feared that she would be \"dinged\" by the company for not providing an email address with purchase. Ms. Crotchety proceeded to tell me that I needed to provide my address, and that if I were in the system, the system would just populate the fields with the right information (read: I am at at fault for not being in their system and making Ms. Crotchety\'s life so hard).\r\n\r\nIn the end, I was forced to give them my address  in order to get credited (in spite of having a receipt and the original credit card).  To make matters worse, at no point were these associates helpful, apologetic or accommodating.  I had originally thought I would browse the sales racks, instead, I walked out angry and with no desire to shop at this store.\r\n\r\nAs many people do when they have a grievance, I took to Twitter to air my dissatisfaction with the store. Let\'s just say that @WHBM were far more apologetic and understanding than the clerks at the store.  I bet that the folks behind @WHBM are customer service folks and not marketing folks. The marketing folks probably have nothing to do with customer service.  And there, in a nutshell, lies the problem. <strong>Marketing is operating independently of customer service, with goals that do not take customer service needs into account.</strong>\r\n\r\nThis is an example of a marketing imperative trumping good customer service. The imperative at White House Black Market seems to be that clerks must obtain email addresses no matter what.  This means that the email address itself is more valuable than the customer. That\'s a flawed concept.  Although email can be a very powerful marketing tool, it only is effective if the customer wants to receive those emails.  There is a difference between asking for an email address and making it impossible to buy something unless you provide an email address.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Should marketing goals (grow email list in this case) be more important than customer service goals? Can the two co-exist?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','When customer service and marketing conflict','','publish','open','open','','when-customer-service-and-marketing-conflict','','','2013-08-14 13:28:29','2013-08-14 13:28:29','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2306',0,'post','',2),(2307,4,'2013-08-14 13:27:05','2013-08-14 13:27:05','Yesterday, I wrote about h<a title=\"Email addresses have become more valuable\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/email-addresses-have-become-more-valuable/\">ow important email marketing has become to retailers</a>. Yesterday afternoon, I found out first-hand that email marketing has become far more important to retailers than customer service, and that is a problem.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]<a title=\"silos by dsearls, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/docsearls/5500714140/\"><img alt=\"silos\" src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5096/5500714140_5ff438aa98.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"202\" /></a> Silos by Doc Searls on Flickr[/caption]\n\nMany large organizations have no bridge among their many departments. I remember when I was working with a large financial company back in the 1990s, and the public relations department (where I was) and the sponsorship department didn\'t really connect, even though both were ostensibly working on promoting the brand. It  seems this way with customer service and marketing.\n\nMy experience was this: Yesterday, I went to White House Black Market to return a couple of items I had bought last week. I had the receipt, and the items were unused and had their tags on (nothing wrong with them, just didn\'t like them once I got home).  At first, this clerk was friendly, but pretty soon she was having issues. It turns out that because I did not provide my email address to the clerk who had originally sold me the items, the clerk had put in a made up email, which apparently was connected with another customer\'s account.\n\nThe clerk called over another associate (let\'s call her Ms. Crotchety since she was a very unfriendly woman),  who asked me my name, and of course, this did not match up with the customer name in the system. I explained that since I had no desire to be in their system, the original associate had put in that email address because she feared that she would be \"dinged\" by the company for not providing an email address with purchase. Ms. Crotchety proceeded to tell me that I needed to provide my address, and that if I were in the system, the system would just populate the fields with the right information (read: I am at at fault for not being in their system and making Ms. Crotchety\'s life so hard).\n\nIn the end, I was forced to give them my address  in order to get credited (in spite of having a receipt and the original credit card).  To make matters worse, at no point were these associates helpful, apologetic or accommodating.  I had originally thought I would browse the sales racks, instead, I walked out angry and with no desire to shop at this store.\n\nAs many people do when they have a grievance, I took to Twitter to air my dissatisfaction with the store. Let\'s just say that @WHBM were far more apologetic and understanding than the clerks at the store.  I bet that the folks behind @WHBM are customer service folks and not marketing folks. The marketing folks probably have nothing to do with customer service.  And there, in a nutshell, lies the problem. <strong>Marketing is operating independently of customer service, with goals that do not take customer service needs into account.</strong>\n\nThis is an example of a marketing imperative trumping good customer service. The imperative at White House Black Market seems to be that clerks must obtain email addresses no matter what.  This means that the email address itself is more valuable than the customer. That\'s a flawed concept.  Although email can be a very powerful marketing tool, it only is effective if the customer wants to receive those emails.  There is a difference between asking for an email address and making it impossible to buy something unless you provide an email address.\n\nWhat do you think? Should marketing goals (grow email list in this case) be more important than customer service goals? Can the two co-exist?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','When customer service and marketing conflict','','inherit','open','open','','2306-revision','','','2013-08-14 13:27:05','2013-08-14 13:27:05','',2306,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2306-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2308,4,'2013-08-14 13:27:39','2013-08-14 13:27:39','Yesterday, I wrote about h<a title=\"Email addresses have become more valuable\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/email-addresses-have-become-more-valuable/\">ow important email marketing has become to retailers</a>. Yesterday afternoon, I found out first-hand that email marketing has become far more important to retailers than customer service, and that is a problem.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]<a title=\"silos by dsearls, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/docsearls/5500714140/\"><img alt=\"silos\" src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5096/5500714140_5ff438aa98.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"202\" /></a> Silos by Doc Searls on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nMany large organizations have no bridge among their many departments. I remember when I was working with a large financial company back in the 1990s, and the public relations department (where I was) and the sponsorship department didn\'t really connect, even though both were ostensibly working on promoting the brand. It  seems this way with customer service and marketing.\r\n\r\nMy experience was this: Yesterday, I went to White House Black Market to return a couple of items I had bought last week. I had the receipt, and the items were unused and had their tags on (nothing wrong with them, just didn\'t like them once I got home).  At first, this clerk was friendly, but pretty soon she was having issues. It turns out that because I did not provide my email address to the clerk who had originally sold me the items, the clerk had put in a made up email, which apparently was connected with another customer\'s account.\r\n\r\nThe clerk called over another associate (let\'s call her Ms. Crotchety since she was a very unfriendly woman),  who asked me my name, and of course, this did not match up with the customer name in the system. I explained that since I had no desire to be in their system, the original associate had put in that email address because she feared that she would be \"dinged\" by the company for not providing an email address with purchase. Ms. Crotchety proceeded to tell me that I needed to provide my address, and that if I were in the system, the system would just populate the fields with the right information (read: I am at at fault for not being in their system and making Ms. Crotchety\'s life so hard).\r\n\r\nIn the end, I was forced to give them my address  in order to get credited (in spite of having a receipt and the original credit card).  To make matters worse, at no point were these associates helpful, apologetic or accommodating.  I had originally thought I would browse the sales racks, instead, I walked out angry and with no desire to shop at this store.\r\n\r\nAs many people do when they have a grievance, I took to Twitter to air my dissatisfaction with the store. Let\'s just say that @WHBM were far more apologetic and understanding than the clerks at the store.  I bet that the folks behind @WHBM are customer service folks and not marketing folks. The marketing folks probably have nothing to do with customer service.  And there, in a nutshell, lies the problem. <strong>Marketing is operating independently of customer service, with goals that do not take customer service needs into account.</strong>\r\n\r\nThis is an example of a marketing imperative trumping good customer service. The imperative at White House Black Market seems to be that clerks must obtain email addresses no matter what.  This means that the email address itself is more valuable than the customer. That\'s a flawed concept.  Although email can be a very powerful marketing tool, it only is effective if the customer wants to receive those emails.  There is a difference between asking for an email address and making it impossible to buy something unless you provide an email address.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Should marketing goals (grow email list in this case) be more important than customer service goals? Can the two co-exist?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','When customer service and marketing conflict','','inherit','open','open','','2306-revision-2','','','2013-08-14 13:27:39','2013-08-14 13:27:39','',2306,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2306-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2362,4,'2013-10-08 17:31:47','2013-10-08 17:31:47','Last night, I met a friend for dinner. He chose a Thai place that was half-way between his place and mine. Upon reading some reviews online, I found out that this is the only Thai place  in the area that\'s Halal, that is, observes Muslim dietary rules.\r\n\r\nWhen I got there last night, it was empty save for a couple of people. Few people came in until a outwardly observant Muslim family came in. When they were done eating and had left, the owner pretty much closed up shop and kicked my friend and me out. From the time we had arrived at 6:30 p.m. until we left, no more than ten other customers had been in the restaurant.\r\n\r\nThe food at this Thai place was not very good. In fact, it was mediocre. It wasn\'t spicy enough, or attractively presented enough or even interesting enough. They did not have Thai standards like green papaya salad or red curry. Based on the food alone, I would not go back.\r\n\r\nThe only relevant differentiator this Thai restaurant offers is that it\'s Halal. Is that enough? <strong>Can you have one strong point of differentiation and have that keep your business alive? Well, the answer is yes, but there is an \"if\" attached.</strong> In this case, you could have Halal as your point of differentiation ONLY IF your food is on par with other similar restaurants.\r\n\r\nIn a world where there are multiple offerings for everything (many organic grocery stores, tons of sushi restaurants, hundreds of nail salons),<strong> you have to meet the standard or exceed it AND then find your point of differentiation.</strong> For example, if you have a nail salon, not only do have to comply with sanitary guidelines required by law, but you should find something that your competition does not have (the most colors, the most comfortable chairs, etc.).\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Is having a point of differentiation enough?','Is having a point of differentiation enough?','','publish','open','open','','is-having-a-point-of-differentiation-enough','','','2013-10-14 18:02:26','2013-10-14 18:02:26','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2362',0,'post','',2),(2311,4,'2013-08-26 12:29:50','2013-08-26 12:29:50','I had a conversation with a potential client the other day, and she was saying she wasn\'t sure she needed to continue advertising as most of her customers came from word of mouth/referral.\r\n\r\nWord-of-mouth and referrals are very powerful marketing forces, but they do not operate in a vacuum. Most people take their time making a decision, even when they have a referral (or referrals) in hand.  People often like to do some research themselves, even when they have glowing recommendations (just because a hair salon did wonders for straight-haired Jane does not mean they can do wonders for curly-haired Joan). This is why you need to reinforce your message.\r\n\r\n<strong>Often, you need to remind your potential clients/customers of why they should consider working for you.</strong> You also need to let them know the basics: how to contact you, where you are located, who you work with, how much you charge, what your services/products are.\r\n\r\nHow do you reinforce your message? You can do it several ways:\r\n\r\n1. Have an updated, attractive, easy-to-navigate website.\r\n\r\n2. Have marketing materials such as ads, brochures, etc. as necessary for your target. For example, if your target audience reads specialized journals, it makes sense to advertise there. If your target walks past your store, it may make sense to have brochures or information cards available.\r\n\r\n3. Have an updated, complete LinkedIn profile and on other social media channels as appropriate.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRelying on word of mouth without reinforcing the positive referral will not always result in business for you and could actually work against you.\r\n\r\nWhat are you doing to reinforce your message?','Are you reinforcing your message?','','publish','open','open','','are-you-reinforcing-your-message','','','2013-08-26 12:29:50','2013-08-26 12:29:50','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2311',0,'post','',0),(2312,4,'2013-08-23 14:48:26','2013-08-23 14:48:26','I had a conversation with a potential client the other day, and she was saying she wasn\'t sure she needed to continue advertising as most of her customers came from word of mouth/referral.\n\nWord-of-mouth and referrals are very powerful marketing forces, but they do not operate in a vacuum. The thing is that most people take their time making a decision, even when they have a referral (or referrals) in hand.  People often like to do some research themselves, even when they have glowing recommendations (just because a hair salon did wonders for straight-haired Jane does not mean they can do wonders for curly-hair Joan). This is why you need to reinforce your message.\n\nHow do you reinforce your message? You can do it several ways:\n\n1. Have an updated, attractive, easy-to-navigate website.\n\n2. Have marketing materials such as ads, brochures, etc. as necessary for your target. For example, if your target audience reads specialized journals, it makes sense to advertise there. If your target walks past your store, it may make sense to have brochures or information cards available.\n\n3. Have an updated, complete LinkedIn profile and on other social media channels as appropriate.\n\nOften, you need to remind your potential clients/customers of why they should consider working for you. You also need to let them know the basics: how to contact you, where you are located, who you work with, how much you charge, what your services/products are.\n\nRelying on word of mouth without reinforcing the positive','Are you reinforcing your message?','','inherit','open','open','','2311-revision','','','2013-08-23 14:48:26','2013-08-23 14:48:26','',2311,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2311-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2313,4,'2013-08-23 14:51:10','2013-08-23 14:51:10','I had a conversation with a potential client the other day, and she was saying she wasn\'t sure she needed to continue advertising as most of her customers came from word of mouth/referral.\n\nWord-of-mouth and referrals are very powerful marketing forces, but they do not operate in a vacuum. Tmost people take their time making a decision, even when they have a referral (or referrals) in hand.  People often like to do some research themselves, even when they have glowing recommendations (just because a hair salon did wonders for straight-haired Jane does not mean they can do wonders for curly-hair Joan). This is why you need to reinforce your message.\n\nHow do you reinforce your message? You can do it several ways:\n\n1. Have an updated, attractive, easy-to-navigate website.\n\n2. Have marketing materials such as ads, brochures, etc. as necessary for your target. For example, if your target audience reads specialized journals, it makes sense to advertise there. If your target walks past your store, it may make sense to have brochures or information cards available.\n\n3. Have an updated, complete LinkedIn profile and on other social media channels as appropriate.\n\nOften, you need to remind your potential clients/customers of why they should consider working for you. You also need to let them know the basics: how to contact you, where you are located, who you work with, how much you charge, what your services/products are.\n\nRelying on word of mouth without reinforcing the positive referral will not always result in business for you and could actually work against you.','Are you reinforcing your message?','','inherit','open','open','','2311-revision-2','','','2013-08-23 14:51:10','2013-08-23 14:51:10','',2311,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2311-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2314,4,'2013-08-26 12:29:44','2013-08-26 12:29:44','I had a conversation with a potential client the other day, and she was saying she wasn\'t sure she needed to continue advertising as most of her customers came from word of mouth/referral.\n\nWord-of-mouth and referrals are very powerful marketing forces, but they do not operate in a vacuum. Most people take their time making a decision, even when they have a referral (or referrals) in hand.  People often like to do some research themselves, even when they have glowing recommendations (just because a hair salon did wonders for straight-haired Jane does not mean they can do wonders for curly-haired Joan). This is why you need to reinforce your message.\n\n<strong>Often, you need to remind your potential clients/customers of why they should consider working for you.</strong> You also need to let them know the basics: how to contact you, where you are located, who you work with, how much you charge, what your services/products are.\n\nHow do you reinforce your message? You can do it several ways:\n\n1. Have an updated, attractive, easy-to-navigate website.\n\n2. Have marketing materials such as ads, brochures, etc. as necessary for your target. For example, if your target audience reads specialized journals, it makes sense to advertise there. If your target walks past your store, it may make sense to have brochures or information cards available.\n\n3. Have an updated, complete LinkedIn profile and on other social media channels as appropriate.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRelying on word of mouth without reinforcing the positive referral will not always result in business for you and could actually work against you.\n\nWhat are you doing to reinforce your message? D','Are you reinforcing your message?','','inherit','open','open','','2311-revision-3','','','2013-08-26 12:29:44','2013-08-26 12:29:44','',2311,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2311-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2315,4,'2013-08-26 12:30:56','2013-08-26 12:30:56','I had a conversation with a potential client the other day, and she was saying she wasn\'t sure she needed to continue advertising as most of her customers came from word of mouth/referral.\n\nWord-of-mouth and referrals are very powerful marketing forces, but they do not operate in a vacuum. Most people take their time making a decision, even when they have a referral (or referrals) in hand.  People often like to do some research themselves, even when they have glowing recommendations (just because a hair salon did wonders for straight-haired Jane does not mean they can do wonders for curly-haired Joan). This is why you need to reinforce your message.\n\n<strong>Often, you need to remind your potential clients/customers of why they should consider working for you.</strong> You also need to let them know the basics: how to contact you, where you are located, who you work with, how much you charge, what your services/products are.\n\nHow do you reinforce your message? You can do it several ways:\n\n1. Have an updated, attractive, easy-to-navigate website.\n\n2. Have marketing materials such as ads, brochures, etc. as necessary for your target. For example, if your target audience reads specialized journals, it makes sense to advertise there. If your target walks past your store, it may make sense to have brochures or information cards available.\n\n3. Have an updated, complete LinkedIn profile and on other social media channels as appropriate.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRelying on word of mouth without reinforcing the positive referral will not always result in business for you and could actually work against you.\n\nWhat are you doing to reinforce your message?','Are you reinforcing your message?','','inherit','open','open','','2311-autosave','','','2013-08-26 12:30:56','2013-08-26 12:30:56','',2311,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2311-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2316,4,'2013-08-27 13:51:23','2013-08-27 13:51:23','Several weeks ago, I told you all about<a title=\"Do you know what your customer’s experience is really like?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/do-you-know-what-your-customers-experience-is-really-like/\"> the awful experience</a> that passes itself of as the Holiday Inn Express. One of the smaller, yet super annoying, things wrong there was the fact that in the (cramped) bathroom, there was no soap dish.  A stand holding the usual hotel toiletries, including soap bars, was cluttering the minimal counter space, but there was no place to put the soap once you opened the plastic wrapping.  The soap kept sliding  to the floor after I washed my hands.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"Soap by Radio.Guy, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/radioguy/1554875771/\"><img alt=\"Soap\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2035/1554875771_327f03c278.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"310\" /></a> Soap by Radio.Guy on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nJust a few weeks before my stay at the HIE, I stayed at a boutique inn in the same city. Among the many amenities was a soap dish in the bathroom. It was a nice touch. It showed the inn had considered the guest\'s needs (and that someone somewhere had actually used soap to wash their hands at some point, which apparently the managers at the HIE never had done).\r\n\r\nIt\'s really very simple: You have to consider people\'s needs and how they do things. Providing a great hotel experience OR an effective website DEPENDS on whether you are considering your end user (your guest, your audience). How does a person use your product? What does a person need to navigate your site?\r\n\r\nHave you ever been to a website where you can\'t find what you are looking for? I bet you have! Those websites are generally cluttered with tons of information that is not organized for the user but rather for the idiosyncrasies of the various organizational departments (Sales &amp; Promotion says we need to include this, Legal says we have to include that).\r\n\r\nThe other day I was looking for a blog on an organizational website and I didn\'t see it where you would normally. I figured it did not exist. I was wrong. It was under \"publications.\" Why? Because the Publications Department is in charge of the blog. Publications clearly doesn\'t understand website visitors. Those visitors aren\'t familiar with (nor do they care about) your organizational hierarchy!\r\n\r\nThis is where user experience or UX comes in. UX specialists are there to make your website friendly to visitors. If a visitor wants to find your calendar of events, he or she will find it easily instead of clicking through various places. There are ways to make website navigation easy and sensible.\r\n\r\nPerhaps you are a small organization that can\'t afford to hire a usability expert to assess and fix your website. Just think about the soap dish. Do you have what your visitors need? Where would they easily find it?\r\n\r\n<strong>If you fail to think about how people actually use your product or service, then you will fail to serve their needs.</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Where is the soap dish? (Or why UX is important.)','','publish','open','open','','where-is-the-soap-dish-or-why-ux-is-important','','\nhttp://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/do-you-know-what-your-customers-experience-is-really-like/','2013-08-27 13:53:54','2013-08-27 13:53:54','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2316',0,'post','',0),(2317,4,'2013-08-27 13:49:22','2013-08-27 13:49:22','Several weeks ago, I told you all about<a title=\"What your latest hotel stay can teach you about marketing\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/what-your-latest-hotel-stay-can-teach-you-about-marketing/\"> the awful experience</a> that passes itself of as the Holiday Inn Express. One of the smaller, yet super annoying, things wrong there was the fact that in the (cramped) bathroom, there was no soap dish.  A stand holding the usual hotel toiletries, including soap bars, was cluttering the minimal counter space, but there was no place to put the soap once you opened the plastic wrapping.  The soap kept sliding  to the floor after I washed my hands.\n\n<a title=\"Soap by Radio.Guy, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/radioguy/1554875771/\"><img alt=\"Soap\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2035/1554875771_327f03c278.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"344\" /></a>\n\nJust a few weeks before my stay at the HIE, I stayed at a boutique inn in the same city. Among the many amenities was a soap dish in the bathroom. It was a nice touch. It showed the inn had considered the guest\'s needs (and that someone somewhere had actually used soap to wash their hands at some point, which apparently the managers at the HIE never had done).\n\nIt\'s really very simple: You have to consider people\'s needs and how they do things. Providing a great hotel experience OR an effective website DEPENDS on whether you are considering your end user (your guest, your audience). How does a person use your product? What does a person need to navigate your site?\n\nHave you ever been to a website where you can\'t find what you are looking for? I bet you have! Those websites are generally cluttered with tons of information that is not organized for the user but rather for the idiosyncrasies of the various organizational departments (Sales &amp; Promotion says we need to include this, Legal says we have to include that).\n\nThe other day I was looking for a blog on an organizational website and I didn\'t see it where you would normally. I figured it did not exist. I was wrong. It was under \"publications.\" Why? Because the Publications Department is in charge of the blog. Publications clearly doesn\'t understand website visitors. Those visitors aren\'t familiar with (nor do they care about) your organizational hierarchy!\n\nThis is where user experience or UX comes in. UX specialists are there to make your website friendly to visitors. If a visitor wants to find your calendar of events, he or she will find it easily instead of clicking through various places. There are ways to make website navigation easy and sensible.\n\nPerhaps you are a small organization that can\'t afford to hire a usability expert to assess and fix your website. Just think about the soap dish. Do you have what your visitors need? Where would they easily find it?\n\n<strong>If you fail to think about how people actually use your product or service, then you will fail to serve their needs.</strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Where is the soap dish? (Or why UX is important.)','','inherit','open','open','','2316-revision','','','2013-08-27 13:49:22','2013-08-27 13:49:22','',2316,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2316-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2318,4,'2013-08-27 13:50:22','2013-08-27 13:50:22','Several weeks ago, I told you all about<a title=\"What your latest hotel stay can teach you about marketing\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/06/what-your-latest-hotel-stay-can-teach-you-about-marketing/\"> the awful experience</a> that passes itself of as the Holiday Inn Express. One of the smaller, yet super annoying, things wrong there was the fact that in the (cramped) bathroom, there was no soap dish.  A stand holding the usual hotel toiletries, including soap bars, was cluttering the minimal counter space, but there was no place to put the soap once you opened the plastic wrapping.  The soap kept sliding  to the floor after I washed my hands.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"Soap by Radio.Guy, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/radioguy/1554875771/\"><img alt=\"Soap\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2035/1554875771_327f03c278.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"310\" /></a> Soap by Radio.Guy on Flickr[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\nJust a few weeks before my stay at the HIE, I stayed at a boutique inn in the same city. Among the many amenities was a soap dish in the bathroom. It was a nice touch. It showed the inn had considered the guest\'s needs (and that someone somewhere had actually used soap to wash their hands at some point, which apparently the managers at the HIE never had done).\n\nIt\'s really very simple: You have to consider people\'s needs and how they do things. Providing a great hotel experience OR an effective website DEPENDS on whether you are considering your end user (your guest, your audience). How does a person use your product? What does a person need to navigate your site?\n\nHave you ever been to a website where you can\'t find what you are looking for? I bet you have! Those websites are generally cluttered with tons of information that is not organized for the user but rather for the idiosyncrasies of the various organizational departments (Sales &amp; Promotion says we need to include this, Legal says we have to include that).\n\nThe other day I was looking for a blog on an organizational website and I didn\'t see it where you would normally. I figured it did not exist. I was wrong. It was under \"publications.\" Why? Because the Publications Department is in charge of the blog. Publications clearly doesn\'t understand website visitors. Those visitors aren\'t familiar with (nor do they care about) your organizational hierarchy!\n\nThis is where user experience or UX comes in. UX specialists are there to make your website friendly to visitors. If a visitor wants to find your calendar of events, he or she will find it easily instead of clicking through various places. There are ways to make website navigation easy and sensible.\n\nPerhaps you are a small organization that can\'t afford to hire a usability expert to assess and fix your website. Just think about the soap dish. Do you have what your visitors need? Where would they easily find it?\n\n<strong>If you fail to think about how people actually use your product or service, then you will fail to serve their needs.</strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Where is the soap dish? (Or why UX is important.)','','inherit','open','open','','2316-revision-2','','','2013-08-27 13:50:22','2013-08-27 13:50:22','',2316,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2316-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2319,4,'2013-08-27 13:51:03','2013-08-27 13:51:03','Several weeks ago, I told you all about<a title=\"Do you know what your customer’s experience is really like?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/do-you-know-what-your-customers-experience-is-really-like/\"> the awful experience</a> that passes itself of as the Holiday Inn Express. One of the smaller, yet super annoying, things wrong there was the fact that in the (cramped) bathroom, there was no soap dish.  A stand holding the usual hotel toiletries, including soap bars, was cluttering the minimal counter space, but there was no place to put the soap once you opened the plastic wrapping.  The soap kept sliding  to the floor after I washed my hands.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"Soap by Radio.Guy, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/radioguy/1554875771/\"><img alt=\"Soap\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2035/1554875771_327f03c278.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"310\" /></a> Soap by Radio.Guy on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\nJust a few weeks before my stay at the HIE, I stayed at a boutique inn in the same city. Among the many amenities was a soap dish in the bathroom. It was a nice touch. It showed the inn had considered the guest\'s needs (and that someone somewhere had actually used soap to wash their hands at some point, which apparently the managers at the HIE never had done).\r\n\r\nIt\'s really very simple: You have to consider people\'s needs and how they do things. Providing a great hotel experience OR an effective website DEPENDS on whether you are considering your end user (your guest, your audience). How does a person use your product? What does a person need to navigate your site?\r\n\r\nHave you ever been to a website where you can\'t find what you are looking for? I bet you have! Those websites are generally cluttered with tons of information that is not organized for the user but rather for the idiosyncrasies of the various organizational departments (Sales &amp; Promotion says we need to include this, Legal says we have to include that).\r\n\r\nThe other day I was looking for a blog on an organizational website and I didn\'t see it where you would normally. I figured it did not exist. I was wrong. It was under \"publications.\" Why? Because the Publications Department is in charge of the blog. Publications clearly doesn\'t understand website visitors. Those visitors aren\'t familiar with (nor do they care about) your organizational hierarchy!\r\n\r\nThis is where user experience or UX comes in. UX specialists are there to make your website friendly to visitors. If a visitor wants to find your calendar of events, he or she will find it easily instead of clicking through various places. There are ways to make website navigation easy and sensible.\r\n\r\nPerhaps you are a small organization that can\'t afford to hire a usability expert to assess and fix your website. Just think about the soap dish. Do you have what your visitors need? Where would they easily find it?\r\n\r\n<strong>If you fail to think about how people actually use your product or service, then you will fail to serve their needs.</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Where is the soap dish? (Or why UX is important.)','','inherit','open','open','','2316-revision-3','','','2013-08-27 13:51:03','2013-08-27 13:51:03','',2316,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2316-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2321,4,'2013-08-29 14:40:30','2013-08-29 14:40:30','If you doubt the power of advertising, then do yourself a favor and watch <a href=\"http://sonyclassics.com/no/\" target=\"_blank\">No,</a> the movie by Pablo Larrain, featuring Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal. The movie (now available in DVD), in Spanish, is set in 1988 Chile, where the government of Augusto Pinochet has been forced by international pressure to call a referendum to see whether the public will support eight more years. Voters who support Pinochet will vote yes, and those who oppose him will vote no.\r\n\r\nThe No campaign hires Rene Saavedra (played by Garcia Bernal) to come up with a concept. Saavedra, who works for the ad agency hired by the government\'s Si campaign, has a track record of edgy, successful campaigns. Saavedra thinks the No campaign needs to feature happiness, thus equating a negative concept (no) with being happy. He commissions a song about happiness and develops a \"happy\" logo.\r\n\r\nAs a marketing communications writer and consultant, I was very interested in seeing how Saavedra\'s concepts were received by the No campaign. Since they were fighting an ideological campaign, they believed you had to make a case to the people (Pinochet has killed, tortured and disappeared thousands of people). Saavedra\'s reaction is that that would not be a pleasant, nice message. The campaign recoils, saying that of course it isn\'t a nice message. But Saavedra prevails, getting them to see that people don\'t want to scared and oppressed by negativity.\r\n\r\nYou will need to watch the movie to see how the opposing sides deal with each other, but suffice it to say that Saavedra was right. People respond better to a positive message, or at least pay more attention. He succeeded in putting the Si campaign on the defensive.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Selling \"no\"','','publish','open','open','','selling-no','','','2013-08-29 14:40:30','2013-08-29 14:40:30','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2321',0,'post','',0),(2320,4,'2013-08-27 13:51:23','2013-08-27 13:51:23','Several weeks ago, I told you all about<a title=\"Do you know what your customer’s experience is really like?\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/07/do-you-know-what-your-customers-experience-is-really-like/\"> the awful experience</a> that passes itself of as the Holiday Inn Express. One of the smaller, yet super annoying, things wrong there was the fact that in the (cramped) bathroom, there was no soap dish.  A stand holding the usual hotel toiletries, including soap bars, was cluttering the minimal counter space, but there was no place to put the soap once you opened the plastic wrapping.  The soap kept sliding  to the floor after I washed my hands.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]<a title=\"Soap by Radio.Guy, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/radioguy/1554875771/\"><img alt=\"Soap\" src=\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2035/1554875771_327f03c278.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"310\" /></a> Soap by Radio.Guy on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nJust a few weeks before my stay at the HIE, I stayed at a boutique inn in the same city. Among the many amenities was a soap dish in the bathroom. It was a nice touch. It showed the inn had considered the guest\'s needs (and that someone somewhere had actually used soap to wash their hands at some point, which apparently the managers at the HIE never had done).\r\n\r\nIt\'s really very simple: You have to consider people\'s needs and how they do things. Providing a great hotel experience OR an effective website DEPENDS on whether you are considering your end user (your guest, your audience). How does a person use your product? What does a person need to navigate your site?\r\n\r\nHave you ever been to a website where you can\'t find what you are looking for? I bet you have! Those websites are generally cluttered with tons of information that is not organized for the user but rather for the idiosyncrasies of the various organizational departments (Sales &amp; Promotion says we need to include this, Legal says we have to include that).\r\n\r\nThe other day I was looking for a blog on an organizational website and I didn\'t see it where you would normally. I figured it did not exist. I was wrong. It was under \"publications.\" Why? Because the Publications Department is in charge of the blog. Publications clearly doesn\'t understand website visitors. Those visitors aren\'t familiar with (nor do they care about) your organizational hierarchy!\r\n\r\nThis is where user experience or UX comes in. UX specialists are there to make your website friendly to visitors. If a visitor wants to find your calendar of events, he or she will find it easily instead of clicking through various places. There are ways to make website navigation easy and sensible.\r\n\r\nPerhaps you are a small organization that can\'t afford to hire a usability expert to assess and fix your website. Just think about the soap dish. Do you have what your visitors need? Where would they easily find it?\r\n\r\n<strong>If you fail to think about how people actually use your product or service, then you will fail to serve their needs.</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Where is the soap dish? (Or why UX is important.)','','inherit','open','open','','2316-revision-4','','','2013-08-27 13:51:23','2013-08-27 13:51:23','',2316,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2316-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2322,4,'2013-08-29 14:39:37','2013-08-29 14:39:37','If you doubt the power of advertising, then do yourself a favor and watch <a href=\"http://sonyclassics.com/no/\" target=\"_blank\">No,</a> the movie by Pablo Larrain, featuring Gael Garcia Bernal. The movie (now available in DVD), in Spanish, is set in 1988 Chile, where the government of Augusto Pinochet has been forced by international pressure to call a referendum to see whether the public will support eight more years. Voters who support Pinochet will vote yes, and those who oppose him will vote no.\n\nThe No campaign hires Rene Saavedra (played by Garcia Bernal) to come up with a concept. Saavedra, who works for the ad agency hired by the government\'s Si campaign, has a track record of edgy, successful campaigns. Saavedra thinks the No campaign needs to feature happiness, thus equating a negative concept (no) with being happy. He commissions a song about happiness and develops a \"happy\" logo.\n\nAs a marketing communications writer and consultant, I was very interested in seeing how Saavedra\'s concepts were received by the No campaign. Since they were fighting an ideological campaign, they believed you had to make a case to the people (Pinochet has killed, tortured and disappeared thousands of people). Saavedra\'s reaction is that that would not be a pleasant, nice message. The campaign recoils, saying that of course it isn\'t a nice message. But Saavedra prevails, getting them to see that people don\'t want to scared and oppressed by negativity.\n\nYou will need to watch the movie to see how the opposing sides deal with each other, but suffice it to say that Saavedra was right. People respond better to a positive message, or at least pay more attention. He succeeded in putting the Si campaign on the defensive.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Selling \"no\"','','inherit','open','open','','2321-revision','','','2013-08-29 14:39:37','2013-08-29 14:39:37','',2321,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2321-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2323,4,'2013-08-29 21:09:09','2013-08-29 21:09:09','This is a test post. I apologize for any inconvenience.','Test post','','publish','open','open','','test-post','','','2013-08-29 21:09:09','2013-08-29 21:09:09','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2323',0,'post','',0),(2324,4,'2013-08-29 21:08:39','2013-08-29 21:08:39','','Testing','','inherit','open','open','','2323-revision','','','2013-08-29 21:08:39','2013-08-29 21:08:39','',2323,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2323-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2325,4,'2013-08-29 21:10:14','2013-08-29 21:10:14','This is a test post. I apologize for any inconvenience.','Test post','','inherit','open','open','','2323-autosave','','','2013-08-29 21:10:14','2013-08-29 21:10:14','',2323,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/08/2323-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2328,4,'2013-09-10 14:27:55','2013-09-10 14:27:55','Google\'s decision to kill Google Reader has impacted more than our ability to have all our blog feeds in one easy-to-access place, it has impacted many blogs and their ability to be read at all. You see, Google did not give anybody a real alternative to Reader. Some jumped in, like Feedly, making it easy to transfer your feeds to their readers. For some users of Google Reader, it was hard to decide which of the many alternatives out there to use, so they didn\'t transfer their feeds, and now, that ability is lost.\r\n\r\nIn the past few weeks, I started to notice that this blog\'s feed was taking several days to update on Feedly (which is the alternative I chose). Then, the last two or three posts NEVER updated at all. I wrote to Feedly this morning, and their customer service rep told me that it is a capacity issue on which they are working. In the meantime, people who are looking for this blog on Feedly think I haven\'t written anything in two weeks. And you may not even see this post.\r\n\r\nThe demise of Google Reader may turn out to be a disaster for many smaller blogs like this. Unless Feedly steps up, and all readers out there have the capacity that Google offered, blogs will be affected. Once you aren\'t present, you disappear from people\'s minds. With the plethora of blogs and other content available, the competition is intense. To have cut through the clutter and made it on to people\'s Google Reader only to be demolished by an nonexistent \"transition\" is not only a real shame but could be a destroyer of business.\r\n\r\nI am not sure what to do. I will continue posting my content to Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook as appropriate, and people are free to subscribe via email (and that updates instantly as the post is published).\r\n\r\nIf you are reading this post, what do you suggest?','You may not see this post','','inherit','open','open','','2327-revision-v1','','','2013-09-10 14:27:55','2013-09-10 14:27:55','',2327,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2327-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2330,4,'2013-09-11 14:57:46','2013-09-11 14:57:46','In the past day alone, I have received four marketing/communications emails that are indicative of a huge amount of carelessness or ignorance or both. In each case, spending a bit more time checking the following would result in a more effective email.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check you spelling without depending on spell check</strong>\r\n\r\n\"Your invited to join us\" was in the subject line of one email and in the the body of another.  Depending on spell check without actually reading your email will let this type of ignorant email go through.  In case you\'re wondering what is wrong with that line, please read this sentence.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check dates carefully</strong>\r\n\r\nI got an invitation for an event taking place on Monday, September 20th. Except that September 20th is a Friday. And it turns out the event is actually on Monday, September 16th.\r\n\r\n<strong>Be careful with automated replies</strong>\r\n\r\nAs you<a title=\"You may not see this post\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/you-may-not-see-this-post/\"> read yesterday</a>, this blog\'s feed was not appearing in Feedly. I wrote Feedly and I got an automated response (I didn\'t realize it was automated at the time) telling me that it was due to a capacity issue. Feedly\'s Twitter person told me this:\r\n<blockquote>it is not a capacity issue. That is an old automated email. I have asked our dev lead to look into this. Expect and answer today. -Ed</blockquote>\r\nI realize that sometimes it\'s necessary for customer service to send an automated response due to volume or because of the need to acknowledge communication. But, email communications should not be misleading or just plain wrong.\r\n\r\n<strong>The bottom line is check and then check again!</strong>\r\n\r\nEmail marketing may be very effective, but if you send out the wrong information, with incorrect spelling or grammar, you will not only not achieve your communications goals, you will appear ignorant and/or careless.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Before you send that email...','','publish','open','open','','before-you-send-that-email','','\nhttp://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/you-may-not-see-this-post/','2013-09-11 14:57:46','2013-09-11 14:57:46','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2330',0,'post','',2),(2331,4,'2013-09-11 14:57:46','2013-09-11 14:57:46','In the past day alone, I have received four marketing/communications emails that are indicative of a huge amount of carelessness or ignorance or both. In each case, spending a bit more time checking the following would result in a more effective email.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check you spelling without depending on spell check</strong>\r\n\r\n\"Your invited to join us\" was in the subject line of one email and in the the body of another.  Depending on spell check without actually reading your email will let this type of ignorant email go through.  In case you\'re wondering what is wrong with that line, please read this sentence.\r\n\r\n<strong>Check dates carefully</strong>\r\n\r\nI got an invitation for an event taking place on Monday, September 20th. Except that September 20th is a Friday. And it turns out the event is actually on Monday, September 16th.\r\n\r\n<strong>Be careful with automated replies</strong>\r\n\r\nAs you<a title=\"You may not see this post\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/you-may-not-see-this-post/\"> read yesterday</a>, this blog\'s feed was not appearing in Feedly. I wrote Feedly and I got an automated response (I didn\'t realize it was automated at the time) telling me that it was due to a capacity issue. Feedly\'s Twitter person told me this:\r\n<blockquote>it is not a capacity issue. That is an old automated email. I have asked our dev lead to look into this. Expect and answer today. -Ed</blockquote>\r\nI realize that sometimes it\'s necessary for customer service to send an automated response due to volume or because of the need to acknowledge communication. But, email communications should not be misleading or just plain wrong.\r\n\r\n<strong>The bottom line is check and then check again!</strong>\r\n\r\nEmail marketing may be very effective, but if you send out the wrong information, with incorrect spelling or grammar, you will not only not achieve your communications goals, you will appear ignorant and/or careless.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Before you send that email...','','inherit','open','open','','2330-revision-v1','','','2013-09-11 14:57:46','2013-09-11 14:57:46','',2330,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2330-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2332,4,'2013-09-12 14:52:49','2013-09-12 14:52:49','Do you follow yourself? It\'s not easy to do, but it\'s essential. You should be monitoring your external communications efforts or else, you just won\'t know what is going on.\r\n\r\nI have followed my own blog (first on Google Reader, and now on Feedly, though that may change) for years. Why? Because I want to see how other people see my blog. I want to make sure it is showing up and how it appears when it does. This is how I knew there was a problem with Feedly and my blog feed (detailed in<a title=\"You may not see this post\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/you-may-not-see-this-post/\"> this post--read the comments please</a>). I subscribe to my blog via email too, to make sure Feedburner is operating as it should.\r\n\r\nWhen I send out email campaigns, I send it to two different emails of mine (one is Gmail and the other I monitor via Outlook). Again, I want to make sure everything looks OK. I try to check them on my smartphone too.\r\n\r\nAlthough you can\'t monitor for every iteration (for example, I don\'t own an iPad or Apple anything), you need to know how your communications are showing up in different environments, as best as possible. Perhaps you can recruit some volunteers to check for you (trusted friends or colleagues who don\'t mind giving you a had). Imagine that you are not optimizing your email for smartphones, and most of your audience reads it on that platform. If you don\'t know you aren\'t optimized,  you can\'t address it.\r\n\r\nToo many marketers (agencies included) don\'t bother to monitor their own communications. There\'s a rather prominent PR agency whose blog is a disaster, but apparently, no one has thought to check it as an outside reader, or follow it or even try to share it on social media. Then there are the countless email marketing messages that are not only not optimized for mobile or for social sharing, but that are RIFE with mistakes (grammar, spelling, content).\r\n\r\nYou must monitor yourself or direct others to monitor on your behalf. If not, you risk not knowing how people actually see you.\r\n\r\nAre you monitoring your communications? If so, how do you do it? If not, what are you waiting for?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Self-monitor or ....','','publish','open','open','','self-monitor-or','','\nhttp://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/you-may-not-see-this-post/','2013-09-12 14:52:49','2013-09-12 14:52:49','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2332',0,'post','',0),(2333,4,'2013-09-12 14:52:49','2013-09-12 14:52:49','Do you follow yourself? It\'s not easy to do, but it\'s essential. You should be monitoring your external communications efforts or else, you just won\'t know what is going on.\r\n\r\nI have followed my own blog (first on Google Reader, and now on Feedly, though that may change) for years. Why? Because I want to see how other people see my blog. I want to make sure it is showing up and how it appears when it does. This is how I knew there was a problem with Feedly and my blog feed (detailed in<a title=\"You may not see this post\" href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/you-may-not-see-this-post/\"> this post--read the comments please</a>). I subscribe to my blog via email too, to make sure Feedburner is operating as it should.\r\n\r\nWhen I send out email campaigns, I send it to two different emails of mine (one is Gmail and the other I monitor via Outlook). Again, I want to make sure everything looks OK. I try to check them on my smartphone too.\r\n\r\nAlthough you can\'t monitor for every iteration (for example, I don\'t own an iPad or Apple anything), you need to know how your communications are showing up in different environments, as best as possible. Perhaps you can recruit some volunteers to check for you (trusted friends or colleagues who don\'t mind giving you a had). Imagine that you are not optimizing your email for smartphones, and most of your audience reads it on that platform. If you don\'t know you aren\'t optimized,  you can\'t address it.\r\n\r\nToo many marketers (agencies included) don\'t bother to monitor their own communications. There\'s a rather prominent PR agency whose blog is a disaster, but apparently, no one has thought to check it as an outside reader, or follow it or even try to share it on social media. Then there are the countless email marketing messages that are not only not optimized for mobile or for social sharing, but that are RIFE with mistakes (grammar, spelling, content).\r\n\r\nYou must monitor yourself or direct others to monitor on your behalf. If not, you risk not knowing how people actually see you.\r\n\r\nAre you monitoring your communications? If so, how do you do it? If not, what are you waiting for?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Self-monitor or ....','','inherit','open','open','','2332-revision-v1','','','2013-09-12 14:52:49','2013-09-12 14:52:49','',2332,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2332-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2335,4,'2013-09-19 14:11:31','0000-00-00 00:00:00','\"I saw it on Facebook\" must be one of the most frequently said lines today. We use Facebook (and other social networks) as a shorthand way to check in with our \"friends.\" You can easily find out that Jane if off on a Caribbean vacation and that Harry is traveling for business (yet again) to China. You can see that Mary has changed her status to single and that John has invited everyone to a barbecue at his place.\r\n\r\nBut here\'s the thing: Facebook is not real life. Exchanging likes or comments on Facebook does not substitute for personal connection. If you truly want to know what is going on with someone, you will need to talk to him or her directly.\r\n\r\nFirst of all, people post selected items on Facebook. Only extremely bored people with lots of time on their hands post minute-by-minute accounts of what they are doing (went to breakfast, went to the gym, went to work, had a burger for lunch, and on and on).  People also tend to post only  positive stuff (\"my daughter is on the honor roll\" and \"I just came back from my second climb of Mount Kilimanjaro\").\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','If I saw it on Facebook, it must be true','','draft','open','open','','','','','2013-09-19 14:11:31','2013-09-19 14:11:31','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2335',0,'post','',0),(2336,4,'2013-09-19 14:11:31','2013-09-19 14:11:31','\"I saw it on Facebook\" must be one of the most frequently said lines today. We use Facebook (and other social networks) as a shorthand way to check in with our \"friends.\" You can easily find out that Jane if off on a Caribbean vacation and that Harry is traveling for business (yet again) to China. You can see that Mary has changed her status to single and that John has invited everyone to a barbecue at his place.\r\n\r\nBut here\'s the thing: Facebook is not real life. Exchanging likes or comments on Facebook does not substitute for personal connection. If you truly want to know what is going on with someone, you will need to talk to him or her directly.\r\n\r\nFirst of all, people post selected items on Facebook. Only extremely bored people with lots of time on their hands post minute-by-minute accounts of what they are doing (went to breakfast, went to the gym, went to work, had a burger for lunch, and on and on).  People also tend to post only  positive stuff (\"my daughter is on the honor roll\" and \"I just came back from my second climb of Mount Kilimanjaro\").\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','If I saw it on Facebook, it must be true','','inherit','open','open','','2335-revision-v1','','','2013-09-19 14:11:31','2013-09-19 14:11:31','',2335,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2335-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2338,4,'2013-09-23 15:08:03','2013-09-23 15:08:03','What did I do this past Saturday? I attended <a href=\"http://2013.baltimore.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress Camp Baltimore</a> for the second time.  I think that if you blog regularly and/or help people set up blogs, you should most definitely attend  this volunteer-run event, available worldwide probably at a city near you. It is well worth the low cost of admission. If you want to find one near you, check out the <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress camp site.</a>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2342\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/wordpress-lanyard.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2342\" alt=\"Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/wordpress-lanyard-225x300.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a> Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013[/caption]\r\n\r\nI attended five sessions out of the total of 15. There were two tracks: one directed to the developers and one to users.  Obviously, what I learned would be more useful to a user than a developer.\r\n<h4>Social media must be integrated into both your actual blog and your blog\'s strategy</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Google + indexes faster, so consider setting up your Google + authorship description</li>\r\n	<li>You need both inbound and outbound social media plugins</li>\r\n	<li>Check out the Tweet Old Post plugin to be able to use your older blog posts</li>\r\n	<li>Be careful with sending people to social networks--the last thing you want to do is lead someone away from your site.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4> SEO keeps changing but there are several things you can do to keep your site visible</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Use the Wordpress SEO by Yoast plugin--highly recommended by tons of people</li>\r\n	<li>Name all your images</li>\r\n	<li>Do not ever write \"click here.\" Write a description.</li>\r\n	<li>Organize your content well--Google likes organized websites--using headings, etc.</li>\r\n	<li>Optimize your site so users like it</li>\r\n	<li>Include rich content--pics, graphs, videos</li>\r\n	<li>Watch your page speed (you may need to cache you website using plugins like WP Super Cache)</li>\r\n	<li>Install and submit a site map using the Google XML Sitemap plugin</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>Producing your own podcast is not that hard</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>What you need to produce a podcast is: a blog, hosting that provides enough bandwidth, artwork/branding materials and a podcast feed. You will also need a microphone and a way to edit your audio.</li>\r\n	<li>Use editors like Audacity.</li>\r\n	<li>Look into podcasting plugins like PodPress and PowerPress</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>Blogs and Wordpress sites make content marketing easier</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Content marketing\'s purpose is to drive profitable (however you define it) customer action.</li>\r\n	<li>Content marketing is about providing relevant, valuable (educational) and enjoyable material for your audience/user</li>\r\n	<li>Remember that customers care about themselves not you</li>\r\n	<li>Keyword research is key (you must know what keywords your customers would use to find your service/product)</li>\r\n	<li>When you provide valuable content, the reader/user is bound by the need to reciprocate since humans have  a deep seated need to return favors.</li>\r\n	<li>Remember that information that is exclusive is more persuasive (this is only available for a limited time)</li>\r\n	<li>Humans are more receptive to requests from people who appear to be authorities or experts.</li>\r\n	<li>Read <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion</span> by Robert Cialdini</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThanks to the following presenters:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>AkilahThompkins-Robinson</li>\r\n	<li>Byron Warnken</li>\r\n	<li>Arsham and Josh from Webmechanix</li>\r\n	<li>Douglas Bell</li>\r\n	<li>Shane Powers</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n&nbsp;','Top blogging lessons from Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013','','publish','open','open','','top-blogging-lessons-from-wordpress-camp-baltimore-2013','','','2013-09-23 15:08:03','2013-09-23 15:08:03','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2338',0,'post','',2),(2339,4,'2013-09-23 14:44:44','2013-09-23 14:44:44','What did I do this past Saturday? I attended <a href=\"http://2013.baltimore.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress Camp Baltimore</a> for the second time.  I think that if you blog regularly and/or help people set up blogs, you should most definitely attend  this volunteer-run event, available worldwide probably at a city near you. It is well worth the low cost of admission. If you want to find one near you, check out the <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress camp site.</a>\r\n\r\nI attended five sessions out of the total of 15. There were two tracks: one directed to the developers and one to the users.  Obviously, what I learned would be more useful to a user than a developer.\r\n<h4>Social media must be integrated into both your blog and your blog\'s strategy</h4>\r\nGoogle + indexes faster, so consider setting up your Google + authorship description\r\n\r\nYou need both inbound and outbound social media plugins\r\n\r\nCheck out the Tweet Old Post plugin to be able to use your older blog posts\r\n\r\nBe careful with sending people to social networks--the last thing you want to do is lead someone away from your site.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Top lessons from Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013','','inherit','open','open','','2338-revision-v1','','','2013-09-23 14:44:44','2013-09-23 14:44:44','',2338,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2338-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2340,4,'2013-09-23 14:52:55','2013-09-23 14:52:55','What did I do this past Saturday? I attended <a href=\"http://2013.baltimore.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress Camp Baltimore</a> for the second time.  I think that if you blog regularly and/or help people set up blogs, you should most definitely attend  this volunteer-run event, available worldwide probably at a city near you. It is well worth the low cost of admission. If you want to find one near you, check out the <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress camp site.</a>\r\n\r\nI attended five sessions out of the total of 15. There were two tracks: one directed to the developers and one to the users.  Obviously, what I learned would be more useful to a user than a developer.\r\n<h4>Social media must be integrated into both your blog and your blog\'s strategy</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Google + indexes faster, so consider setting up your Google + authorship description</li>\r\n	<li>You need both inbound and outbound social media plugins</li>\r\n	<li>Check out the Tweet Old Post plugin to be able to use your older blog posts</li>\r\n	<li>Be careful with sending people to social networks--the last thing you want to do is lead someone away from your site.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4> SEO keeps changing but there are several things you can do to keep your site visible</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Use the Wordpress SEO by Yoast plugin--highly recommended by tons of people</li>\r\n	<li>Name all your images</li>\r\n	<li>Do not ever write \"click here.\" Write a description.</li>\r\n	<li>Organize your content well--Google likes organized websites--using headings, etc.</li>\r\n	<li>Optimize your site so users like it</li>\r\n	<li>Include rich content--pics, graphs, videos</li>\r\n	<li>Watch your page speed (you may need to cache you website using plugins like WP Super Cache)</li>\r\n	<li>Install and submit a site map using the Google XML Sitemap plugin</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>Producing your own podcast is not that hard</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>What you need to produce a podcast is: a blog, hosting that provides enough bandwidth, artwork/branding materials and a podcast feed. You will also need a microphone and a way to edit your audio.</li>\r\n	<li>Use editors like Audacity.</li>\r\n	<li>Look into podcasting plugins like PodPress and PowerPress</li>\r\n</ul>','Top lessons from Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013','','inherit','open','open','','2338-revision-v1','','','2013-09-23 14:52:55','2013-09-23 14:52:55','',2338,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2338-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2341,4,'2013-09-23 15:00:13','2013-09-23 15:00:13','What did I do this past Saturday? I attended <a href=\"http://2013.baltimore.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress Camp Baltimore</a> for the second time.  I think that if you blog regularly and/or help people set up blogs, you should most definitely attend  this volunteer-run event, available worldwide probably at a city near you. It is well worth the low cost of admission. If you want to find one near you, check out the <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress camp site.</a>\r\n\r\nI attended five sessions out of the total of 15. There were two tracks: one directed to the developers and one to the users.  Obviously, what I learned would be more useful to a user than a developer.\r\n<h4>Social media must be integrated into both your actual blog and your blog\'s strategy</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Google + indexes faster, so consider setting up your Google + authorship description</li>\r\n	<li>You need both inbound and outbound social media plugins</li>\r\n	<li>Check out the Tweet Old Post plugin to be able to use your older blog posts</li>\r\n	<li>Be careful with sending people to social networks--the last thing you want to do is lead someone away from your site.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4> SEO keeps changing but there are several things you can do to keep your site visible</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Use the Wordpress SEO by Yoast plugin--highly recommended by tons of people</li>\r\n	<li>Name all your images</li>\r\n	<li>Do not ever write \"click here.\" Write a description.</li>\r\n	<li>Organize your content well--Google likes organized websites--using headings, etc.</li>\r\n	<li>Optimize your site so users like it</li>\r\n	<li>Include rich content--pics, graphs, videos</li>\r\n	<li>Watch your page speed (you may need to cache you website using plugins like WP Super Cache)</li>\r\n	<li>Install and submit a site map using the Google XML Sitemap plugin</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>Producing your own podcast is not that hard</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>What you need to produce a podcast is: a blog, hosting that provides enough bandwidth, artwork/branding materials and a podcast feed. You will also need a microphone and a way to edit your audio.</li>\r\n	<li>Use editors like Audacity.</li>\r\n	<li>Look into podcasting plugins like PodPress and PowerPress</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>Blogs and Wordpress sites make content marketing easier</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Content marketing\'s purpose is to drive profitable (however you define it) customer action.</li>\r\n	<li>Content marketing is about providing relevant, valuable (educational) and enjoyable material for your audience/user</li>\r\n	<li>Remember that customers care about themselves not you</li>\r\n	<li>Keyword research is key (you must know what keywords your customers would use to find your service/product)</li>\r\n	<li>When you provide valuable content, the reader/user is bound by the need to reciprocate since humans have  a deep seated need to return favors.</li>\r\n	<li>Remember that information that is exclusive is more persuasive (this is only available for a limited time)</li>\r\n	<li>Humans are more receptive to requests from people who appear to be authorities or experts.</li>\r\n	<li>Read <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion</span> by Robert Cialdini</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n&nbsp;','Top lessons from Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013','','inherit','open','open','','2338-revision-v1','','','2013-09-23 15:00:13','2013-09-23 15:00:13','',2338,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2338-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2342,4,'2013-09-23 15:04:52','2013-09-23 15:04:52','Deborah Brody lanyard from Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013','wordpress lanyard','Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013','inherit','open','open','','wordpress-lanyard','','','2013-09-23 15:04:52','2013-09-23 15:04:52','',2338,'http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/wordpress-lanyard.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2343,4,'2013-09-23 15:05:56','2013-09-23 15:05:56','What did I do this past Saturday? I attended <a href=\"http://2013.baltimore.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress Camp Baltimore</a> for the second time.  I think that if you blog regularly and/or help people set up blogs, you should most definitely attend  this volunteer-run event, available worldwide probably at a city near you. It is well worth the low cost of admission. If you want to find one near you, check out the <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress camp site.</a>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2342\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/wordpress-lanyard.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2342\" alt=\"Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/wordpress-lanyard-225x300.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a> Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013[/caption]\r\n\r\nI attended five sessions out of the total of 15. There were two tracks: one directed to the developers and one to the users.  Obviously, what I learned would be more useful to a user than a developer.\r\n<h4>Social media must be integrated into both your actual blog and your blog\'s strategy</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Google + indexes faster, so consider setting up your Google + authorship description</li>\r\n	<li>You need both inbound and outbound social media plugins</li>\r\n	<li>Check out the Tweet Old Post plugin to be able to use your older blog posts</li>\r\n	<li>Be careful with sending people to social networks--the last thing you want to do is lead someone away from your site.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4> SEO keeps changing but there are several things you can do to keep your site visible</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Use the Wordpress SEO by Yoast plugin--highly recommended by tons of people</li>\r\n	<li>Name all your images</li>\r\n	<li>Do not ever write \"click here.\" Write a description.</li>\r\n	<li>Organize your content well--Google likes organized websites--using headings, etc.</li>\r\n	<li>Optimize your site so users like it</li>\r\n	<li>Include rich content--pics, graphs, videos</li>\r\n	<li>Watch your page speed (you may need to cache you website using plugins like WP Super Cache)</li>\r\n	<li>Install and submit a site map using the Google XML Sitemap plugin</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>Producing your own podcast is not that hard</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>What you need to produce a podcast is: a blog, hosting that provides enough bandwidth, artwork/branding materials and a podcast feed. You will also need a microphone and a way to edit your audio.</li>\r\n	<li>Use editors like Audacity.</li>\r\n	<li>Look into podcasting plugins like PodPress and PowerPress</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>Blogs and Wordpress sites make content marketing easier</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Content marketing\'s purpose is to drive profitable (however you define it) customer action.</li>\r\n	<li>Content marketing is about providing relevant, valuable (educational) and enjoyable material for your audience/user</li>\r\n	<li>Remember that customers care about themselves not you</li>\r\n	<li>Keyword research is key (you must know what keywords your customers would use to find your service/product)</li>\r\n	<li>When you provide valuable content, the reader/user is bound by the need to reciprocate since humans have  a deep seated need to return favors.</li>\r\n	<li>Remember that information that is exclusive is more persuasive (this is only available for a limited time)</li>\r\n	<li>Humans are more receptive to requests from people who appear to be authorities or experts.</li>\r\n	<li>Read <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion</span> by Robert Cialdini</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThanks to the following presenters:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>AkilahThompkins-Robinson</li>\r\n	<li>Byron Warnken</li>\r\n	<li>Arsham and Josh from Webmechanix</li>\r\n	<li>Douglas Bell</li>\r\n	<li>Shane Powers</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n&nbsp;','Top lessons from Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013','','inherit','open','open','','2338-revision-v1','','','2013-09-23 15:05:56','2013-09-23 15:05:56','',2338,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2338-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2344,4,'2013-09-23 15:08:03','2013-09-23 15:08:03','What did I do this past Saturday? I attended <a href=\"http://2013.baltimore.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress Camp Baltimore</a> for the second time.  I think that if you blog regularly and/or help people set up blogs, you should most definitely attend  this volunteer-run event, available worldwide probably at a city near you. It is well worth the low cost of admission. If you want to find one near you, check out the <a href=\"http://central.wordcamp.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress camp site.</a>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2342\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"225\"]<a href=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/wordpress-lanyard.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2342\" alt=\"Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013\" src=\"http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/wordpress-lanyard-225x300.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a> Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013[/caption]\r\n\r\nI attended five sessions out of the total of 15. There were two tracks: one directed to the developers and one to users.  Obviously, what I learned would be more useful to a user than a developer.\r\n<h4>Social media must be integrated into both your actual blog and your blog\'s strategy</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Google + indexes faster, so consider setting up your Google + authorship description</li>\r\n	<li>You need both inbound and outbound social media plugins</li>\r\n	<li>Check out the Tweet Old Post plugin to be able to use your older blog posts</li>\r\n	<li>Be careful with sending people to social networks--the last thing you want to do is lead someone away from your site.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4> SEO keeps changing but there are several things you can do to keep your site visible</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Use the Wordpress SEO by Yoast plugin--highly recommended by tons of people</li>\r\n	<li>Name all your images</li>\r\n	<li>Do not ever write \"click here.\" Write a description.</li>\r\n	<li>Organize your content well--Google likes organized websites--using headings, etc.</li>\r\n	<li>Optimize your site so users like it</li>\r\n	<li>Include rich content--pics, graphs, videos</li>\r\n	<li>Watch your page speed (you may need to cache you website using plugins like WP Super Cache)</li>\r\n	<li>Install and submit a site map using the Google XML Sitemap plugin</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>Producing your own podcast is not that hard</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>What you need to produce a podcast is: a blog, hosting that provides enough bandwidth, artwork/branding materials and a podcast feed. You will also need a microphone and a way to edit your audio.</li>\r\n	<li>Use editors like Audacity.</li>\r\n	<li>Look into podcasting plugins like PodPress and PowerPress</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h4>Blogs and Wordpress sites make content marketing easier</h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Content marketing\'s purpose is to drive profitable (however you define it) customer action.</li>\r\n	<li>Content marketing is about providing relevant, valuable (educational) and enjoyable material for your audience/user</li>\r\n	<li>Remember that customers care about themselves not you</li>\r\n	<li>Keyword research is key (you must know what keywords your customers would use to find your service/product)</li>\r\n	<li>When you provide valuable content, the reader/user is bound by the need to reciprocate since humans have  a deep seated need to return favors.</li>\r\n	<li>Remember that information that is exclusive is more persuasive (this is only available for a limited time)</li>\r\n	<li>Humans are more receptive to requests from people who appear to be authorities or experts.</li>\r\n	<li>Read <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion</span> by Robert Cialdini</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThanks to the following presenters:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>AkilahThompkins-Robinson</li>\r\n	<li>Byron Warnken</li>\r\n	<li>Arsham and Josh from Webmechanix</li>\r\n	<li>Douglas Bell</li>\r\n	<li>Shane Powers</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n&nbsp;','Top blogging lessons from Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013','','inherit','open','open','','2338-revision-v1','','','2013-09-23 15:08:03','2013-09-23 15:08:03','',2338,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2338-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2355,4,'2013-10-04 13:35:42','2013-10-04 13:35:42','In my blogging workshop, I tell participants that if they are not feeling up to blogging they can do what I call a \"round-up\" post. In it, you round up the best/most interesting/relevant articles or blog posts that you have come across from around the web. In this way, you provide value to your readers, without actually having to write much.\r\n\r\nThis week, I have seen lots of good stuff, but here are four very useful articles for all you bloggers out there.\r\n\r\n(As a side note,  I am still having difficulty with Feedly and my posts are not showing up, so this is a test in a way.)\r\n<h4>All about Google Analytics</h4>\r\nHave you wondered how to use Google Analytics? <a href=\"http://www.jeffalytics.com/google-analytics-for-bloggers-presentation/\" target=\"_blank\">Google Analytics 101 for Bloggers</a> may give you some actionable information.\r\n<h4>Do you have content mission?</h4>\r\nJoe Pulizzi argues, quite rightly, that you should have a <a href=\"http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2013/09/19/content-marketing-mission-statement/\" target=\"_blank\">content marketing mission statement</a> for your small business. Do you have one?\r\n<h4>What are the best practices for business bloggers?</h4>\r\nHubspot shared <a href=\"http://blog.hubspot.com/blogging-best-practices-list\" target=\"_blank\">\"What the Best Business Bloggers Do (And You Should Too).\"</a> Do you already practice this?\r\n<h4>Using \"science\" to increase your social media impact</h4>\r\nIf you think there may be a better time to post to reach a certain audience, Fast Company has some proof in <a href=\"http://www.fastcompany.com/3018656/work-smart/a-scientific-guide-to-maximizing-your-impact-on-twitter-facebook-and-other-digita\" target=\"_blank\">\"A Scientific Guide to Maximizing Your Impact on Twitter, Facebook and Other Digital Media.\"</a> Read away and see if you can use these findings to help  you.\r\n\r\nDo you like round-ups? I may start running them more often because there are so many great and useful articles out there.\r\n\r\nHave a great weekend, and I hope your blog reader shows this!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How to read analytics for your blog and other great articles','','publish','open','open','','how-to-read-analytics-for-your-blog-and-other-great-articles','','','2013-10-04 13:35:42','2013-10-04 13:35:42','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2355',0,'post','',0),(2346,4,'2013-09-25 13:22:56','2013-09-25 13:22:56','We spend lots of time thinking about what to include on our blog: what articles to write, what images to use, where to share our stuff. That\'s all important, but just as important is making sure our blogs are running well. Here are seven actions you can take to keep your blog running smoothly:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Install a spam detector and empty spam comments frequently:</strong> I use Akismet, and it stops 99% of all spam. Spam is placed in a spam comments folder that should be emptied regularly, preferably daily (depending on how much spam is there). The more spam you have in that folder, the slower your site will load.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Update your themes and plugins:</strong> Wordpress does a good job of telling that which plugins and themes need to be updated but it is up to you (or your site administrator) to do the actual updating. It only takes a few moments. But before you do anything, make sure you have a backup of your site (which leads to my third suggestion below).\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Backup your site by installing an automatic backup plugin:</strong> There are several out there. I have heard good reviews of Backup Buddy (not free) and I am using BackUp Wordpress on here.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"Mechanics working on race car at La Carrera Panamericana road race, Mexico, May 1954 by The Henry Ford, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/thehenryford/5412864933/\"><img class=\" \" alt=\"Mechanics working on race car at La Carrera Panamericana road race, Mexico, May 1954\" src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5060/5412864933_91814cc9d8.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"393\" /></a> Mechanics working on race car at La Carrera Panamericana, Mexico, May 1954 for The Henry Ford on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Check your Google Analytics frequently (and if you don\'t have Analytics, install right away!):</strong> By checking your Analytics, you can learn a lot about what is working and what is not working on your blog. You should check the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Bounce rate (are people staying on the blog or leaving immediately?)</li>\r\n	<li>Page load speed (if it is taking too long for your pages to load, you are going to lose readers)</li>\r\n	<li>Landing pages (where are readers going?)</li>\r\n	<li>Keywords (useful to know how people are finding your blog)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>5. Deal with comments:</strong> If a comment is legitimate and you use moderation (which I believe you should), approve it ASAP and respond if appropriate. People who comment on your blog are looking to engage with you. Don\'t leave them hanging!\r\n\r\n<strong>6. Review your plugins, widgets and settings:</strong> Too many plugins make your site slower. Are you using them all? Do you need them? Are your widgets still relevant? Are you using them? Do you need to add anything? And finally, check your settings. Is everything up to date and still relevant?\r\n\r\n<strong>7. Optimize your SEO:</strong> There are several SEO plugins and they will help make your site more easily findable. I am not an expert, but making sure to include keywords and descriptions and filling out the fields will help make your site more visible.\r\n\r\nWhat actions do you take regularly on your blog\'s back end? Please add to this list!','7 actions to keep your blog running smoothly','','publish','open','open','','7-actions-to-keep-your-blog-running-smoothly','','','2013-09-25 16:31:42','2013-09-25 16:31:42','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2346',0,'post','',1),(2347,4,'2013-09-25 12:56:18','2013-09-25 12:56:18','','7 actions to keep your blog running smoothly','','inherit','open','open','','2346-revision-v1','','','2013-09-25 12:56:18','2013-09-25 12:56:18','',2346,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2346-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2348,4,'2013-09-25 13:04:18','2013-09-25 13:04:18','We spend lots of time thinking about what to include on our blog: what articles to write, what images to use, where to share our stuff. That\'s all important, but just as important is making sure our blogs are running well. Here are seven actions you can take to keep your blog running smoothly:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Install a spam detector and empty spam comments frequently:</strong> I use Akismet, and it stops 99% of all spam. Spam is placed in a spam comments folder that should be emptied regularly, preferably daily (depending on how much spam is there). The more spam you have in that folder, the slower your site will load.\r\n\r\n2. Update your themes and plugins: Wordpress does a good job of telling that which plugins and themes need to be updated but it is up to you (or your site administrator) to do the actual updating. It only takes a few moments. But before you do anything, make sure you have a backup of your site (which leads to my third suggestion below).\r\n\r\n3. Backup your site by install an automatic backup plugin. There are several out there. I have heard good reviews of Backup Buddy (not free).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','7 actions to keep your blog running smoothly','','inherit','open','open','','2346-revision-v1','','','2013-09-25 13:04:18','2013-09-25 13:04:18','',2346,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2346-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2349,4,'2013-09-25 13:22:18','2013-09-25 13:22:18','We spend lots of time thinking about what to include on our blog: what articles to write, what images to use, where to share our stuff. That\'s all important, but just as important is making sure our blogs are running well. Here are seven actions you can take to keep your blog running smoothly:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Install a spam detector and empty spam comments frequently:</strong> I use Akismet, and it stops 99% of all spam. Spam is placed in a spam comments folder that should be emptied regularly, preferably daily (depending on how much spam is there). The more spam you have in that folder, the slower your site will load.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Update your themes and plugins:</strong> Wordpress does a good job of telling that which plugins and themes need to be updated but it is up to you (or your site administrator) to do the actual updating. It only takes a few moments. But before you do anything, make sure you have a backup of your site (which leads to my third suggestion below).\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Backup your site by install an automatic backup plugin:</strong> There are several out there. I have heard good reviews of Backup Buddy (not free) and I am using BackUp Wordpress on here.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"Mechanics working on race car at La Carrera Panamericana road race, Mexico, May 1954 by The Henry Ford, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/thehenryford/5412864933/\"><img class=\" \" alt=\"Mechanics working on race car at La Carrera Panamericana road race, Mexico, May 1954\" src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5060/5412864933_91814cc9d8.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"393\" /></a> Mechanics working on race car at La Carrera Panamericana, Mexico, May 1954 for The Henry Ford on Flickr[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\r\n<strong>4. Check your Google Analytics frequently (and if you don\'t have Analytics, install right away!):</strong> By checking your Analytics, you can learn a lot about what is working and what is not working on your blog. You should check the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Bounce rate (are people staying on the blog or leaving immediately?)</li>\r\n	<li>Page load speed (if it is taking too long for your pages to load, you are going to lose readers)</li>\r\n	<li>Landing pages (where are readers going?)</li>\r\n	<li>Keywords (useful to know how people are finding your blog)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>5. Deal with comments:</strong> If a comment is legitimate and you use moderation (which I believe you should), approve it ASAP and respond if appropriate. People who comment on your blog are looking to engage with you. Don\'t leave them hanging!\r\n\r\n<strong>6. Review your plugins, widgets and settings:</strong> Too many plugins make your site slower. Are you using them all? Do you need them? Are your widgets still relevant? Are you using them? Do you need to add anything? And finally, check your settings. Is everything up to date and still relevant?\r\n\r\n<strong>7. Optimize your SEO:</strong> There are several SEO plugins and they will help make your site more easily findable. I am not an expert, but making sure to include keywords and descriptions and filling out the fields will help make your site more visible.\r\n\r\nWhat actions do you take regularly on your blog\'s back end? Please add to this list!','7 actions to keep your blog running smoothly','','inherit','open','open','','2346-revision-v1','','','2013-09-25 13:22:18','2013-09-25 13:22:18','',2346,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2346-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2350,4,'2013-09-25 16:31:42','2013-09-25 16:31:42','We spend lots of time thinking about what to include on our blog: what articles to write, what images to use, where to share our stuff. That\'s all important, but just as important is making sure our blogs are running well. Here are seven actions you can take to keep your blog running smoothly:\r\n\r\n<strong>1. Install a spam detector and empty spam comments frequently:</strong> I use Akismet, and it stops 99% of all spam. Spam is placed in a spam comments folder that should be emptied regularly, preferably daily (depending on how much spam is there). The more spam you have in that folder, the slower your site will load.\r\n\r\n<strong>2. Update your themes and plugins:</strong> Wordpress does a good job of telling that which plugins and themes need to be updated but it is up to you (or your site administrator) to do the actual updating. It only takes a few moments. But before you do anything, make sure you have a backup of your site (which leads to my third suggestion below).\r\n\r\n<strong>3. Backup your site by installing an automatic backup plugin:</strong> There are several out there. I have heard good reviews of Backup Buddy (not free) and I am using BackUp Wordpress on here.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a title=\"Mechanics working on race car at La Carrera Panamericana road race, Mexico, May 1954 by The Henry Ford, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/thehenryford/5412864933/\"><img class=\" \" alt=\"Mechanics working on race car at La Carrera Panamericana road race, Mexico, May 1954\" src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5060/5412864933_91814cc9d8.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"393\" /></a> Mechanics working on race car at La Carrera Panamericana, Mexico, May 1954 for The Henry Ford on Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong>4. Check your Google Analytics frequently (and if you don\'t have Analytics, install right away!):</strong> By checking your Analytics, you can learn a lot about what is working and what is not working on your blog. You should check the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Bounce rate (are people staying on the blog or leaving immediately?)</li>\r\n	<li>Page load speed (if it is taking too long for your pages to load, you are going to lose readers)</li>\r\n	<li>Landing pages (where are readers going?)</li>\r\n	<li>Keywords (useful to know how people are finding your blog)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>5. Deal with comments:</strong> If a comment is legitimate and you use moderation (which I believe you should), approve it ASAP and respond if appropriate. People who comment on your blog are looking to engage with you. Don\'t leave them hanging!\r\n\r\n<strong>6. Review your plugins, widgets and settings:</strong> Too many plugins make your site slower. Are you using them all? Do you need them? Are your widgets still relevant? Are you using them? Do you need to add anything? And finally, check your settings. Is everything up to date and still relevant?\r\n\r\n<strong>7. Optimize your SEO:</strong> There are several SEO plugins and they will help make your site more easily findable. I am not an expert, but making sure to include keywords and descriptions and filling out the fields will help make your site more visible.\r\n\r\nWhat actions do you take regularly on your blog\'s back end? Please add to this list!','7 actions to keep your blog running smoothly','','inherit','open','open','','2346-revision-v1','','','2013-09-25 16:31:42','2013-09-25 16:31:42','',2346,'http://deborahbrody.com/2013/09/2346-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(2352,4,'2013-10-01 13:57:22','2013-10-01 13:57:22','The really bad news today is that the US government is shut down (let\'s hope temporarily). Another piece of bad news (for content marketers) is what I learned last night at the Web Content Mavens Meet Up about findability and search, and how search engine personalization is playing into it.\r\n<h4>Findability is key</h4>\r\nThe first speaker last night was Jill MacNeice, who is an information architect for the Library of Congress (LOC). She explained how the LOC is working to make their millions of documents and images findable by using a \"findability framework\" that is built around the idea that people should be able to find what they are looking for both inside the site, and from external search engines. It makes search visible and easy to find. It depends on metadata, good descriptions and URL design that makes it human readable, shorter and more shareable.\r\n\r\nThe LOC is an example of why SEO and search in general is important. After all, if people can\'t find you, then why are you on the web?\r\n<h4>Personalization throws a wrench in search</h4>\r\nBut then Katherine Watier Ong, Ketchum\'s VP of Online Strategy and Market Insights, got up to speak about personalization and the semantic web. And if I were to boil down what she said to one phrase it is that personalization is making search engine optimization more challenging. It is no longer enough to have the right keywords, tags and content because Google and Bing and all your social media sites are personalizing the content they show you based on your profile and previous activity.\r\n\r\nIf you want to see how much information Google has about you, just check your Google Dashboard (search Google to find it). Bing uses your Facebook data to suggest things your friends like.\r\n\r\nDid you know that you don\'t see every tweet in your Twitter stream? Twitter shows you what it \"thinks\" is most relevant to you, even from people you follow, based on your previous interactions and interests.  Isn\'t that a tad scary? You sign up to follow someone and you may not see his/her tweets.\r\n\r\nKatherine says the really creepy personalization is visible on LinkedIn. I have noticed that too recently. Since I liked a couple people\'s new photos, LinkedIn always shows me new photos and for several days. And how does it know which people I may know?\r\n\r\nSearch engines and social networks like Twitter and LinkedIn are moving toward developing a sort of artificial intelligence that tries to figure out what you are looking for and then practically jump ahead of your request, which is why you are seeing all these suggestions (you may want to follow so-and-so, you may want to check these items for sale, etc.)\r\n\r\nAll this personalization is useful for you because if not you would be drowning in extraneous information but it is really bad news for small businesses/websites.  For example, search for your name on Google. For you, your name will appear at the top of your results. Now have John Doe do the same search on his computer wherever he may be living. Guess what, you will not appear near the top (unless you have a very unusual name or are someone like President Obama).\r\n<h4>How do marketers deal with personalized results?</h4>\r\nHow do we work to cut through the personalization? Katherine suggested several actions:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Create personas for your target audience so you can market appropriately</li>\r\n	<li>Personalize your website (just like when you go to Amazon and it recognizes you) using tools like Marketo.</li>\r\n	<li>Build social relationships.</li>\r\n	<li>Stay on top of changes in search</li>\r\n	<li>Use a content management system (CMS) that uses <a href=\"http://schema.org/\" target=\"_blank\">schema</a></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIn short, <strong>personalization is a big challenge for search marketers.</strong> Now, you don\'t only need to cut through the clutter of millions of websites, you have to cut through results that are personalized for each searcher.\r\n\r\n<strong>If you work in marketing or communications, you need to be aware of how people find you.</strong> It is not enough to have a website and a blog. You have to understand SEO and the latest changes to search. You have to see the relationships between social media and search engines.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Why SEO and content marketing are not enough','','publish','open','open','','why-seo-and-content-marketing-are-not-enough','','','2013-10-01 13:57:22','2013-10-01 13:57:22','',0,'http://deborahbrody.com/?p=2352',0,'post','',0);
