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When Public Apology Falls Short

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I’m noticing seriously short blog posts being published by one A-lister in particular and wondered, seriously, why I didn’t indulge in that practice just to keep the pump primed and everyone on the edge of their chair wondering what she’s gonna write about next.

That’s, seriously, the issue of late — the time I recouped since kidlet got back to school a week ago today already, has been seriously eaten up trying to catch up. No can do; cannot get ahead, cannot complete projects, cannot find the time to do serious writing. (How many times did I use that word in a few short sentences? That is your morning quiz!)

So, this seriously short blog post (due entirely to the last sentence as my excuse) is about this:

  • I am disgusted with the alleged role models in this country running for public office and or in public office.
  • I am disgusted with the fact that tax-payer-funded political junkets result in “booze-fueled skinny dipping” in Israel’s Sea of Galilee (done late one night in summer 2011 and just now coming to light).
  • I’m even more disgusted when a man running for Senate states and believes rape is “legitimate” and that women’s bodies can reject that kind of pregnancy.
  • I am disgusted with former Rep. Anthony Weiner who last year didn’t wow us with images of his package sent to women by text across the country.

You see, it doesn’t matter whether these men are Republican or Democrat. Each of them has had lapses in judgment; I have my view on which boils me more. And, there are so many more to add to this list.

What happens next, as President Clinton knows so well, is the public apology. Deb Weinstein writes about here relating it more to brand apologies. I commented and gave her an earful, and this is what inspired this post; my passion for a sincere apology and who’s going to regard it from the heart. If you want to read about brands apologizing, please do visit Deb’s blog, called Strategic Objectives; it’s an excellent read and I skirted her content entirely and went off on apologies in general. Thanks, Deb!

I dunno…this is what happens when my mind percolates without release and writing therapy.  Anyone want to toss in an opinion or two?

20 Things To Do Before I Die

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Smithsonian Magazine Grand Prize Winner By Jia Han Dong

Over drinks last week, we watched the final performances of Johnny Cash on YouTube, and I sobbed in fear knowing the messages he crooned would affect our family one day. Last night I read Smithsonian, June 2012, “The Multiverse of Love,” about Roseanne Cash. Apparently, she is one “of the most gifted singer-songwriters of our time.”

Her songs, according to the article, are “doomy, painfully romantic, intense and dark.” I thought about Johnny Cash who knew his days were numbered when he sang his heart true to meet his maker.

Was he satisfied with his life’s achievements? Would you be?

I have so much to do, and I challenge you to carry this series forward. Write a list of 20 things you still want to accomplish before you leave this world and stamp them on the blogosphere as part of your legacy. I have a hunch why this inspiration (which can be positive or not) hit me, and I’m going to make an indelible mark right here.

In no particular order of import, here are the 20 things I want to do before I die:

1. Learn Spanish

2. Become a glass blower

3. Write my book on the gem markets of the world (I’ve been to many) and one on how to buy colored stones

4. Earn enough income to put my daughter through a Bachelor’s degree

5. Hold my grandchild

6. Play the piano

7. Be a gemologist

8. Find true love via a soul mate

9. Endow a foundation in memory of my sister, Tracey S. Soulati, MD, who died at 36-years-old from rare cancer

10. Attend four grand slam tennis tournaments

11. Travel to Brazil and shop for tourmalines

12. Zipline in Costa Rica above the canopy

13. Rent and RV and drive to the Grand Canyon with my daughter and sisters’ kids

14. Buy a comfortable mountain home with satellite access that could be where I retire, if ever I do

15. Never say good bye to my parents

16.Rid the world of child abusers, child molesters, rapists, abusers of women and drug-addicted moms

17. Travel the world with my daughter

18. Take a Mediterranean cruise

19. Pay off my debt and stay that way

20. Stay healthy enough to pass peacefully without disease or need for costly medical care and without burden to my family

Who’s got a list?

Three Tips To Stay The Course

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It was about time for a bit of video; I so love this medium, but stink at any of the editing. So, you get me raw and in one take. I’m trying to figure out how to import this into iMovie on the Big Mac, but if I can’t do it in five minutes, then time to move on.

What’s the message today? Three tips to stay the course in two minutes. I’m sensing a bunch of animosity, uncertainty and doubt; this summer hello may put you back on course…I hope so! See what you think!

Analytics Make Social Marketing Complex

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I just read John Obrecht’s opinion column in BtoB April 9, 2012 on Thriving in the Age of Complexity. He shares how marketers’ bane is the complexity of social media marketing; trying to teach everyone and give them the tools to dive in while mastering the complexity of all the channels, not to mention the ROI of it all.

Indeed. And, he got me thinking; always dangerous.

There are all those lovely back-end numbers hidden from view that people call analytics. They comprise those data-driven reports that many   people salivate over. Analytics make Google rich, and they make me suspect. Are those numbers real or skewed? Did you really get that many people to your webinar? How many qualified sales leads downloaded that white paper off that new landing page you just developed and published?

How about if I go to Clicky and see that 10 people from Canada and 80 from The Netherlands (because I was writing about Dutch tulips) read a post I wrote and stayed on my page three minutes. What can I do with that information? Should I keep on writing about flower bulbs from Holland which is not my primary expertise or service offering to satisfy higher analytics? Or, should I come back to center and write about   which everyone seems to want to know more about (based on analytics reports I see on occasion).

I was talking this week to a colleague being asked to drum up numbers from a few years ago to justify the success of various marketing campaigns. Why? I’m thinking the people at the quarterly meeting don’t care much about what happened in the past; they’d likely prefer to know which marketing campaign is planned for the future with how many built-in touches and success metrics.

The need for proof points, data, numbers that say W00t! and other analyses that contribute to complex interpretation with nary a consensus makes me cringe.

My PR measurement peers will smack me around when I say that, so let me clarify. I like to prove my program worked; I love to have solid and measurable results that support my strategy and help me earn my keep. But, there are many unnecessary layers of analytics blanketing a creative campaign that most practitioners can’t deep dive into for lack of where to start and how to skin the cat.

Just read John Obrecht’s column. He references a bunch of marketers at Digital Edge Live, an industry show, who “are charged up about their work,” despite massive upheaval and the generation of “big data.”  Obrecht’s conclusion, though, calms nerves; “Despite all the complexity, this does indeed seem the best of times to be a marketer. It’s that simple.”

What do you think? When was the last time you used an analytics report or data to prove your campaign or support a new approach? Was it a one-off situation or do you frequently abide by analyses to win consensus? Is your company or website generating mass amounts of data you can’t begin to decipher?

Here’s my conclusion… Do embrace the analytics to an extent, but keep your distance. Too many numbers is like having too many cooks in the kitchen. I’m impressed with numbers, and I’m even more impressed with someone who can work them. We all know that a good analyst can make numbers work for just about anything, but, a one-time analysis that proved a campaign was successful last year doesn’t help me tomorrow.

This post today? Everyone can argue I’m dead wrong; there are so many others saying and publishing the opposite who live and die by analytics – SEM anyone?

 

 

 

13 Tips To Create Remarkable Content

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Everywhere I read, I see this word, “remarkable.” I believe it’s launch into stardom began with Seth Godin; I’m giving him that credit anyway. In a book I’m reading on Inbound Marketing by Hub Spot, the authors substitute “remarkable” for “unique.”

Be remarkable = be unique.

We’ve all spoken about the echo chamber. Today, I read four iterations on the same topic in re Instagram and Facebook. Each was different, but were they remarkable? I think remarkable is in the view of the reader; I’ve not seen a checklist for remarkable writing, have you?

All Bloggers Are Unique

Over at Erica Allison’s house I wrote a guest post about my learnings from a post I wrote on pink slime. It wasn’t received as expected, so I learned and wrote about it. In comments on that post, Michelle Quillin of New England Multimedia and Erica each suggested there’s a graciousness that comes when I stick my neck out with opinion while watching the sparks fly. Somehow, I re-position and opine again, but I have this eagerness to be current and on top of issues that are unfolding in real time.

Erica said she perhaps misses the boat on hot-button issues because she fact finds and analyzes and ensures she has an opinion based on proof points. Then she sits to write her post that takes a deep dive into the vortex.

Who’s remarkable? Neither. I’m a risk taker and she’s not; I share opinion based on wide review of readings and not supported by finite fact. I source a national story and go from there. Erica finds all the information until she can substantiate her content and button it all up.

So, is it possible to develop remarkable content? Unique material that no one else is writing about? Nope, I don’t think so, but we can at least strive to take a remarkable approach — a new and singular angle, be the first out of the gate with thoughts, be strong and confident in statements sprinkled with proof points and facts cited by reputable sources.

Is this remarkable? Nope, it’s smart.

If someone has told you bloggers have to create remarkable content to stay published or go national or get ranked on a list, that’s bogus. On the flip side, if someone, named Jayme Soulati, shared this list of smart tips for bloggers who strive to be remarkable, I’d say that’s #RockHot:

13 Tips to Create Remarkable Content

1.Read, read, read all the national publications you can get your hands on for current events, stories on an industry, material that interests you.

2. When a story appeals to you as blog fodder, tear it out! Jot a note in the margin with the story idea so you don’t lose it. (I wrote five pitches to a client for blog posts; when I opened up Smart Money, two of the  topics were featured stories in the magazine! So, trust your instinct about topic development.

3. Do not read your favorite bloggers every week and expect they will deliver current news. You need to get your news from journalistic sources along with your favorite bloggers.

4. Once you’ve learned the style and voice of your favorite blogger, you might be able to glean a bunch of current news from their writings. Is it credible, cited, sourced, trustworthy? Some bloggers will dive into an issue (I’ve seen Shonali Burke do this stunningly well), and you can trust it’s the real McCoy. Gini Dietrich always provides current news with a twist; you can find her over at Spin Sucks.

5.  Take a story that interests you — perhaps it’s the Zimmerman case unfolding as we speak or the new trial of John Edwards set to begin shortly, or the issue of transgenders being permitted to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, or women still barred from the Masters — and follow this issue with all the nuggets of information.

6. Form an opinion about a current event that is based on proof points, supporting evidence, documentation, citations, and, most importantly, your impression.

7. Write about it. Tell your community you’re going to follow this issue as it unfolds and ask them to follow with you. Get thoughts that percolate in the community; ask for opinions and honor them.

8. Honor your community’s emotions and take their pulse. Ponder all types of commentary. If you’re fortunate to have a community like the one here, the comments are not banter; they are thought-provoking and stimulating.  Not sure how I, queen of banter, have been able to develop such an intelligent community, but I’m grateful!

9. Craft and mold these insights into deeper, more remarkable content that has been “community-sourced.” I learn so much more in comments than I do just writing unilaterally. If you haven’t cultivated a community, let me know, and we’ll see about making that happen for you…not sure how I do it, it just happens.

10. Ensure your content is sprinkled with links to  your favorite bloggers or others with content you need to support you. Cite other sources that are reputable and provide background information as proof points for your opinions.

11. Publish regularly and before  you do, DO NOT read your favorite blogger and then go write your story! Write your story first and then go read the A-lister and see if you can include a link in your post.

12. So much of blogging is about trying to be original, authentic AND remarkable in an echo chamber amongst millions of bloggers striving for the same. When you hit your stride and find your voice, then you will surely begin to feel remarkable.

13. Embrace the ebb and flow of life and know that life happens. Blogging is a journey, and it perfects with time and practice. If the need arises, go dormant awhile and reawaken  your mojo. I promise, it will come back.

So, how do you create remarkable content? Simple; by creating a remarkable you.