Uncategorized

Aug 16 2011

How to Survive a Painful Unsubscribe

It is bound to happen – someone you thought was your friend, someone who you’re related to, someone who you thought you had on the hook…they’ll unsubscribe. Or unfollow. Or – GASP – unfriend.

First, background: “unsubscribe” is what happens when you use an email service to send out messages (newsletters, autoresponders, whatever) and someone clicks on the link and says, basically, they’re not that into you. Or, more accurately, they’re not that into your message.

What’s a marketer to do?

What to do When Your Own Dad Unsubscribes.

This is a true story – my own Dad, who was busy with his real estate business, clicked on the link to unsubscribe from my startup’s monthly newsletter. ACK! Was it something I said?

Well, when you dig a little deeper, like I did, you can learn a lot. For instance, it is quite possible that Dad didn’t need to get monthly updates from the startup I was running (since it was aimed at college-bound students).

I got over it – partly because I knew how much my Dad hustled at real estate, and partly because I knew how much he was indeed interested in my business ventures.

I since have received countless unsubscribes, a few rude messages, a couple pleasant apologies for unsubscribing – and, over the years, built and rebuilt list after list.

Your family may not unsubscribe from your messages, or unfriend you on Facebook (shameless plug for 12 Minute Marketing on Facebook), or unfollow you on Twitter (follow Area 224 contributor and one-half of 12 Minute Marketing Rick Strater on Twitter) – but here are ways to soften the blow if they do.

Permission, Permission, Permission.

Dad was in Real Estate, where the three most important words are “Location, Location, Location.”

In email marketing, the three most important words are “Permission, Permission, Permission.”

Don’t just take our word for it – visit a site that is much better at this stuff than 99% of the population, that of Outspoken Media, and hear what they say about email permission.

I have scores of business cards from my U Sphere days – most of them don’t have any value now, but I actually have notes on the back that say things like “send the monthly email” or “follow up with a phone call.” A good chunk of them had notes that would fall into the “unsubscribe” category – thus saving pain in the process. (I remember vividly a guy saying to me something akin to “don’t bother me until May, then I’m happy to talk, and I’ll remember you.” I didn’t, he was, he did.

Your Message May Not Be Relevant (to the reader)

We all have a ton on our plates, so you can forgive the person who thought they were into wine a couple months ago if they aren’t into wine right now. Relevance is subjective. The greatest message (“save thousands of dollars”) sent to the greatest list (that you built over years) may not be the right thing at the right time, at least right now.

And you may actually know some of the people who unsubscribed from your list.

Tough to not take these things personally, right?

Think again. Open rates – the percentage of people who actually OPEN your email – can be as low as 10% for people with great lists of potential target customers. The fact that someone opens your email AND takes a couple seconds to unsubscribe…that’s a win, in that you now know not to keep talking AT them.

Your Message May Not Be Well-Written

“Monthly Musings from XYZ Co.”

Welcome to an email newsletter that has increased its chances of the dreaded unsub.

We get some great stuff here at HQ. We also get some very average stuff.

Styles are all over the map. One woman likes to tell us the semi-intimate details of her life, warts and all – but does it in such a way that we can’t help but think she’s human and someone we’d like to have a beer with.

There’s another guy running a little info empire whose newsletters are close to poetry – and he sends them sorta like a waiter at a fine restaurant…exactly when they are needed and not a second later.

Like relevance, it’s subjective. Like Edwin Meese describing pornography, sorta, you’ll know good writing when you see it.

Move On.

You should have enough on your plate as you build your business that one little unsubscribe, one less Facebook friend, and one fewer Twitter follower won’t have you weeping and gnashing teeth.

Get permission, strive for relevance, and sharpen your writing. Now go get ’em!

Aug 12 2011

Tag vs QR Code – Guess What Wins?

The QR Code has been around since 1994; the Microsoft Tag is just two years old.

QR Codes have the “open source” feel to them; the Tag comes from a corporate behemoth.

The deck is stacked…right?

First, a little background before we begin our study. You have no doubt seen QR Codes everywhere. You have read about them lots of places – even here, where we asked if this is the Year of the QR Code.

Link to the post here: Year of the Q

The basic concept goes like this: take out your mobile phone, use a QR Code reader, and snap the code to access digital content.

Microsoft Tag works the same – take out your mobile phone, use the Tag reader, snap the code and access digital content.

While they might appear to be pretty even, this is actually not a fair fight.

Not by a longshot.

In fact, and the answer may shock you, Microsoft Tag wins hands down. Here’s why, along with some tips you can put to use in your business starting right now.

Reason 1: Flexibility – and not just Color.

QR Codes sure could use some spice. Right?

Remember this photo from the Holidays, with QR Code Wrapping Paper? That is as flexible as you can get with a QR code. You’re stuck with a black-and-white square.

The basic information in a Tag still has to fit into a square – either dots or triangles – but, as long as the dots or triangles remain intact, you are free to make some magic happen.

For instance, let’s say you run an art museum and want to take people behind the artwork. Like this:

Steamboat Tag — Thanks, tag.microsoft.com

(You can read the blog post for more on what the Steamboat Museum did with Tags.)

So you’re not constricted by color, and you can get rather creative with what goes behind the Tag – as long as the important dots or triangles are there.

Flexibility Score: Tag 1, QR 0.

But what about actually using them – like, putting the tag onto something printed, and getting more information to your audience?

Reason 2: Hundreds of Readers – or Just 1?

Open Source technology is awesome – WordPress we love, of course – but there’s a problem with Open Source in that, well, it’s “open.”

Think about this for a second: WordPress is great and thousands of people are creating thousands of plugins for millions of websites. But what happens if your plugin provider decides they’re bored with the plugin – but you find out that the plugin doesn’t work?

Try finding support.

Meanwhile, Tags are supported by Microsoft AND there is just one reader. Add reliability for your end user – the person you want scanning your Tag and taking a look at your content – and you have a winning combination.

Usability Score: Tag 1, QR 0.

Okay, one more category. Fixability.

Reason 3: Fix Your Codes on the Fly.

This is less about fixing the codes themselves – once they’re out the door on some printed material, they’re gone.

This is more about fixing the links to your digital content.

Seriously, can you tell these two apart? And just try keeping track of them, where they link to, what you’re using them for. Without a place to keep them all, you’ll go nuts: one place to create them, storing them on your blog, knowing where all the creative goes for each…

Microsoft to the rescue with this category.

Let’s say I wanted to change the link on the above tag – takes a few seconds, done, and done. And, since I customized it, or color-coded it with my logo, or have one that has my picture and another one that has my logo, keeping track mentally is a heck of a lot easier, too.

Fixability Score: Tag 1, QR 0.

So…now what? Are there any categories where the QR could win?

Maybe – adoption numbers have QR way ahead. But Flexibility, Usability and Fixability – give those to Tag, hands down.

Final Score: Tag 3, QR 0.

If you STILL have doubts about how to use these in your marketing efforts…listen to a chap named Kenny Powers.

httpv://youtu.be/vRt4fCf86uE

Apr 05 2011

Practice Safe Networking

Friendly Faceless LinkedIn Logo Guy
A friend uses this saying quite a bit. And he’s not kidding.

When I try to explain the difference between “social media” an “social networking,” I usually go this direction:

Social Media: Connecting information from people, places and things with technology to tell stories online.

Social Networking: Connecting people through technology to form real relationships, online and off.

The differences between the two might seem subtle, but, if you focus on the “Social Networking” definition, you’ll see why we want to focus on the title – “Practice Safe Networking” and get you to think differently about how you approach social networking.

How to Practice Safe Networking

The same friend I referenced above knows my strengths and weaknesses. Knows what I’m up to professionally. And knows how I can help him.

Whether he keeps a file on me or not is a whole other story – but, suffice it to say, if I ask him for a contact, it’s for a very specific reason.

Sometimes, it’s because I know he worked at a certain company. Other times, it’s because I see someone listed on his LinkedIn contacts.

“Hey, I’d like to connect with Mary Jones in HR at XYZ Corp.” That is not likely to get a positive response from him – nor would the same request get a positive response from me if you asked me. (Are we connected on LinkedIn yet? If not, this could make a heck of a lot more sense if we did connect.)

Tip #1: Always Have a Specific Reason for the Connection

“Hey, I’ve got a question about Mary Jones in HR at XYZ Corp. You two are connected on LinkedIn. Do you know her very well? I have a friend who is running a startup and they are looking for someone to head up HR, with a Comp and Benefits focus. From Mary’s bio, it looks like she’s got the right skillset. Do you think you could connect us via email?”

Odds of a connection are 50/50. Since this person knows me pretty well and I know him pretty well, the BS meter is always going off. If either of us detects it, then we’ll say so. “Great potential, but I know her well enough to know that if it’s not a pretty interesting company, then she won’t be interested.” OR “Our paths hardly crossed; I heard great things about her, but an intro from me would be pointless.”

Tip #2: It’s Not About Me. It’s About You.

When I reconnected with a former colleague recently, he asked tons of questions about what I was up to. Then, he started revisiting his own databank of people to connect me with – focusing on those that could help with my current endeavors.

Not-so-subtle hint: This is one of my current endeavors. 12 Minute Marketing. Now, back to regular programming.

This was a nice gesture on his part. And, maybe, down the road, I’ll be able to help him by making a connection that can help him with his current endeavors.

Tip #3: Pick Up The Phone.

Can’t stress this enough. Call. On the Phone.

Normally, the amount of time it takes you to craft the right email is 10 times what it would take you to find the phone number and reconnect.

Tip #4: Karma Bank.

Keep paying it and paying it. BUT to the extent that you’re not mucking up the Mojo you’ll need for our fifth and final tip.

Tip #5: Your Ace Connections are an Extension of You.

This is why I “get” LinkedIn, I don’t “get” Hashable, and I still love doing the Social Networking thing the old fashioned way.

If I send my friend the banker in the direction of another friend who is running a startup, I only do this because my friend the banker is someone I would have a beer with, and whose bank is someone I have done business with. And because the startup executive is someone I trust, and would also have a beer with.

(Beer doesn’t have to be the common thread. Still…)

Even the seemingly random “hey, you should talk to this guy” requests you might get are an extension of the person sending the request. Why should I talk to this guy?

Beyond that, requests to talk to one of your guys can come back to bite you. Wasting the time of one of your ace contacts is a surefire way to see that ace contact start recommending you less and less.

We’re done. For now. Be careful out there.

Apr 04 2011

We Have Launch: 12 Minute Marketing is Here!

Pretty excited at HQ today. Here’s why…

We’ve heard tons from small business owners about the concept of “Marketing Overwhelm.” You run a business, you know what it is you need to do to keep your business moving: but marketing is a complete jungle.

We launched 12 Minute Marketing to cut through that clutter – and train business owners, franchisees, coaches, solo practitioners, consultants and anyone else who needs to ramp up their marketing expertise.

We’re pretty darn excited about it. We hope you’ll check out the site and let us know what you think.

Investing 12 Minutes a Day can make you a Better Marketer…it’s part of our guarantee.

And, to make it official, we put out a “pitch” using the fine services of PitchEngine. http://pitch.pe/136996 is the short link. Love short links.

See you there!

Mar 01 2011

March 1, 1944

Today would have been my Dad’s 67th birthday; I think I learned a good chunk about business from him.

Missing my Dad, Tom, lots lately; he left this earth on June 1, 2009. He was – fittingly – born on March First: he had leadership qualities and was one of the guys you wanted on your team.

He never took the time to write a book – but what I learned about business from him would take up more than a few cocktail napkins. Here are a few highlights.

1. Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself.

It was bound to happen: Northern Indiana’s economy was not doing so well, and the factory that had been the family’s lifeblood decides it want to relocate to Georgia. Not being much of a Dawg, not wanting to uproot everyone with three kids in high school, Dad did what everyone should do at least once in their life.

He reinvented himself.

Always Smiling

Turns out, as is the case, “Quality Control Director” was not as fitting for him as the new life he invented: “Real Estate Agent.”

You may want to (if that industry you picked in college isn’t what it’s cracked up to be in the real world), you may have to (in walks the boss, pink slip in tow). But, at some time in your life, you NEED to. Reinvent. Yourself.

2. Play to your strengths.

We joked that Dad grew up on 7th Street, got married and moved to 8th Street, then, when the kids were grown up, moved to 13th Street.

This was true: the Belgian-American enclave of the West End of Mishawaka, Indiana was his home and, even when he and Mom moved for the last few years to a street without a number, he was still in the same 2 mile radius for his entire 65 years.

Hey, guess where he sold the bulk of his houses as a real estate agent?

Dad would do one deal a year that was outside of his normal zone, but his business was pretty much The Guy on The West End.

While he reinvented himself rather easily, he sure didn’t reinvent himself as something he wasn’t.

3. Show up.

Wish I had a dollar for every time Dad called me from a boring open house. Of course, he would never say that out loud; it was always something like “well, we’re waiting for the crowd to show up.”

He couldn’t just hang up a shingle and expect the business to start coming to him – he had to actually put in the work. That meant a lot of events – not just open houses but rubber chicken dinners and local sporting events – that were probably not ideal places to spend your time then…

But those events paid dividends down the road.

4. Give.

There’s something that is important to you. A charity. An organization. Your church. A club. A cause.

It doesn’t have to be financial – heck, Dad wasn’t rolling in dough – but he sure did give of his time.

I still remember him getting the frequent donor club card from the Blood Bank. As a kid, I thought it was nuts – I mean, who in their right mind would let you take their blood?

It’s not about “my cause is better than your cause.” He found the causes that were important to him. And he gave.

5. Please have fun.

I am 100% certain that my Dad did not take himself all that seriously.

I’m guessing, if Dad were around today, he’d probably chide all the “Social Media Gurus” for being “Guru” first, “Media” second. And “Social” third.

Dad would talk to anyone, and listen to anyone. And drink a beer with anyone.

His last birthday, March 1, 2009, found him at the casino, having gotten his faculties back and being good to go after his first stroke. He had a nice payday at some exotic sounding game – Mississippi Stud or some such – and was thrilled to tell me all about it.

I’m sure my Dad picked up quite a few lessons in business, and life, from his Dad.

So I always wondered, not totally “getting it,” why my Dad made a big deal out of his own father’s birthday, years after his father had passed away.

I get it now.

Notes: since it was a stroke that marked the beginning of Dad’s last days, consider this an invitation to understand the warning signs of a stroke:

Directly from the American Heart Association’s web page, be on the lookout for these signs:

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

If any of these things are happening, don’t mess around: Call 9-1-1.

Here’s a link to the American Heart Association’s web page. You can learn all sorts of things there and, even though February 28 was the last day of “Heart Month,” well, you can learn tons there. Please do.

Thanks, folks.