Category: marketing

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Last mention

Greener Grass Media BlogHey friends.

Today, I’m writing over at the blog on my business site, Greener Grass Media. I post something there once or twice a week. I’d love for you to visit. Even if you’re not a business person, I think you’ll find some useful ideas.

This may be the last time I’ll mention that here, as I understand it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Finally, if you would like automatic notification of when I post something there, start using an RSS reader. Here are some simple instructions on how and why. The difference is that you’ll start by clicking the button on your browser I’ve shown below.

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Announcing Greener Grass Media!

I’m now working full-time at the helm of my own business, Greener Grass Media.

I’m offering social media services, marketing, and visual design for your web sites and apps.

Why did I go so broad in my offerings? I’ve discovered that many of the organizations and people I work with need help in several of these areas and not just one. When I can’t handle the load or level of expertise needed for a particular challenge, I work with a team to provide the solutions you need.

You can see some more specifics of what I can do for you on the site.

So if you need help, send me an email or give me a call at 720-235-9720. I’d love to lend you a hand. We’ll push your communications to the next level!

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A daring step

I had never seen that before – a man on the cover of Good Housekeeping.

I asked Heather if that cover would appeal to her more than their normal cover, showing a female good housekeeper. She said a female.

Why? Maybe because she can relate with the woman more than with Dr. Oz.

In any case, I thought it was a noble experiment for Good Housekeeping to put a man on their cover. (I was unable to contact their editorial staff to find out if newsstand sales dropped for the April 2011 issue, but my guess is that it did.)

What small act of daring can you do today? Even if you fail, the risk might reveal new things you would not have known otherwise. (And I admit that my headline was a teaser – Good Housekeeping’s move was not as daring as putting Gaddafi on their cover.)

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Using QR codes in marketing

Here at the South by Southwest Interactive conference, QR codes are everywhere. If you don’t know what they are, here’s the Wikipedia description. (In short, they are smartphone scannable codes that send users off to a website or mobile application. They often allow the originator to grab a potential new customer.)

Problem? Too many of these babies are all over the place here. It’s as if each company said, “We need to get something out there with a QR code on it – and it doesn’t matter what it says or links to. Just get it out now, now. We only have two weeks till the event kicks off!”

Fail.

None of them (that I saw) thought of a hook to make themselves stand out among the sea of other QR codes. Moral of the story? Take a little longer to think through your marketing effort before you launch it.

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Lack of proper research

Our son Jay is a junior in high school. This haul of mail was one day’s set of letters from colleges and universities wanting him to apply. Sadly for them, their mailings almost instantly end up in the recycle bin. Nothing distinguishes one from another.

If any of those universities’ marketing departments actually had children in the target age group for their mailings, they would try reaching their target audience another way.

Takeaway: What are some ways your message can be different than that of your competitors?

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Slightly wonky

“Wonky” is a great word. Askew or amiss might have a close meaning, for those of you not from the UK.

Anyhow, sometimes it’s better for a thing to be slightly imperfect for it to be more interesting. In the case of this little sign, if the clear background portion were perfectly aligned with the front portion, it would be boring.

Takeaway: Can you be intentional about adding some interest to projects you are working on? Adding a tiny bit of chaos could be a good thing.

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The details

A nearby coffee shop has a descriptive tag next to a piece of fabric art from India: “Embroidered Mirrored Tapestry, Gujarat.” But the thing is, that describes a tapestry across the room, and not the one it’s next to. I brought that up to an employee, and she basically said, “Oh.”

My gift is noticing details. Others notice the big picture. Both are needed for a job to get done well.

Teams work best. If you work alone, find a way to join a team. I’m part of a mastermind group that meets occasionally (mostly online), and we all help each other. You can do the same, if you’re not part of a team.

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You have to go outside yourself

Cheez-It Party MixThe makers of Cheez-It snacks weren’t thinking too well. Only a tiny precentage of their buyers would ever notice the name change from “Party Mix” to “Snack Mix.” My guess is that their staff were so excited about the new name that they felt they had to announce it on the box.

The rest of us? We would never have noticed the name change.

Takeaway: Think of your audience in any communications you create. Consider what they care about.

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