Nashville's Thinkers and Doers: 2 Degrees of Separation

Nashville, TN is a big small town, which according to The New York Times article, "Nashville's Latest Big Hit Could Be the City Itself", is the new "darling" of the nation. Yep, they like us, they really like us!

For me, Nashville is the land of opportunity. A place to connect with like-minded folks, share ideas, and make S**T happen.

Just this week, I was sitting in a Social Media Nashville (@smcnash) planning meeting - doing the above mentioned, when a Tweet came across from @AAFNashville: Nashville's ‪@davedelaney‬ is speaking now on BlogTalkRadio with ‪@DebCE‬ here - ‪http://ow.ly/gGvlD ‬ He's mentioned ‪@crossga‬ ‪@NashvilleAMA‬.

Flattered and curious, I tweeted to Dave to send me a link to the podcast.

Mail vs Email: Dinosaur Branding Techniques

Is mail a dinosaur? Compared to email, it may be. I check my mailbox about twice a week. I check my email inbox about twice a minute.

Maybe it's because I don't get much mail, in fact here's my count for all of 2012:

• 3 cards
• 1 personal letter
• 2 postcards

I'm not kidding! In less than 10 years first class stamped mail has been cut in half from 50B in 2002 to 25B in 2011. 
[Source] about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-facts

New Year, New Goals and Resolutions

As the new year approaches, it's time to reflect upon what we didn't get done or what we wish to do better in 2013 - Am I right?

My only resolution for 2012 was to be happy, positive, and "go with the flow" of the universe in living in the moment, rather than focusing so much time and energy on worrying about things out of my control.

I'm HAPPY to say, I've done a pretty good job with that, even through a temporary job transition over the Summer. By the way, if there's ever a good time to be out of work- Summer is it, because at least there is pool time between interviews and networking!

My positive inspiration came from a little book called "The Secret."  I've learned that you can control your thoughts to be positive and change your mood in a flash. By focusing on helping others good karma always seems to follow, bringing new connections, friendships, and adventures. I will continue practicing having a positive attitude every day in 2013 in addition to a few tactical, measurable goals.

Marketing Cast of Wizard of Oz Characters

This is my version of the classic Wizard of Oz cast with a marketing-style remix.

The Cast:

Starring Dorothy, THE WIDE-EYED MARKETER, always up for an adventure and on an ever-changing journey.

"I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too" - Toto, YOUR COMPANY, can't be left behind. You must bring all of your colleagues with you, coaching, training, education along the way.

The Lion  as CONTENT, the heart of marketing. You must be brave, put yourself out there with original content. It isn't easy and you may fail a time or two. You will never succeed until you try.

The *NEW* 4 P's of Marketing for the Digital-Age Marketer

Consumer behavior and technology change at lightening speed, and so do marketing tactics as marketers strive to keep up.


This blog post is brought to you by the letter P!



The basic marketing principles taught by college professors have traditionally been the classic textbook Marketing Mix, also known as the 4 P's:  Product, Price, Placement, and Promotion. What are you selling? How much are people willing to pay? Where is your store located? How are you getting the word out?

What's changed? Well, everything: the internet, mobile phones, social media. People think differently, shop differently, and respond to brands differently than in the old school days of marketing. While some of the 4 P's characteristics remain staples in marketing planning, there are many more considerations for today's digital marketer.

Here are the *NEW* 4 P's of Marketing to add to the Mix:

Personality

Every brand has a personality, just as its customers do. The magic marketing mix here is adjusting your brand's personality to fit your customer profile or persona groups.

• What is your brand's voice in online conversations and in 140 characters at a time on Twitter?
• How does the look and feel of your brand translate in not just print or on your website, but in all of your collective YouTube videos or instagram and pinterest images?
• What is your writing style in social media status updates and blogs? Is it serious, funny, informative, educated, child-like and playful?
• What are your brand guidelines in digital? Is your brand consistent in email, web, and across all social networks?