Welcome,
I'm excited to announce the launch of our new Social Listening and Social Feedback Software, QuestionMine. Stop by at
QuestionMine.com
Best,
Gary
By some peculiar fate, women have woven much of the fabric of my life.
Mother’s Day reminds me of the many women who have contributed to my awareness of what it means to be more gracious and giving of yourself.
Mother’s Day got me thinking of how it came to be. I didn’t realize Mother’s Day is celebrated around the world on different dates. In some countries Mother’s Day is related to religious and pagan rituals that go back to Greek and Roman Times.
In the U.S., Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday every May. Anna Jarvis of Grafton, West Virginia created the current holiday in 1908 to fulfill her mother’s dream to celebrate all mothers.
With the help of Philadelphia merchant John Wannamaker and persistent lobbying, President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day a national holiday in 1914.
After Christmas Eve and Easter, Mother’s Day is the highest church-going day.
Beneath all the commercialism, Mother’s Day is a day for reverance.
But, I believe, it is also a day of bitter sweetness for those mothers who can’t see their children or whose children may not see the day as one to honor them.
It also brings up the hopes, dreams and regrets of those who are not yet mothers or who never will be.
My Mom turned 90 this past January. As a gift, I flew my Mom Gloria to Austin along with my two daughters Alexandra and Danielle to celebrate her birthday with my girlfriend Kaisa.
My two daughters are not married. Kaisa never married but loves children as my daughters. It was a terrific week taking walks and pulling out all our baby pictures.
Being the only guy had it’s benefits and rewards.
But, my mom took and kept center stage. At 90, she still drives a red car and trolls for 70 year old guys. In fact, one tried to pick her up at a coffee shop in Austin.
As I listened to my Mom recount her relationships with men including my father, I could see the challenges women face to maintain looks and deal with the opposite gender.
What I’ve learned from my Mom, my daughters, Kaisa, my ex-wife, my sister (who is battling pancreatic cancer successfully and will be operated on a few days after Mother’s Day), my other relationships is how vulnerable and emotional we all are beneath the surface.
It’s not how much money you have nor how many Facebook friends or Twitter followers but the few loving relationships that contributed to your life, however brief those relationships were.
Mother’s Day is a time of celebration and reflection not only for your mom but for you, man or woman.
On Mother’s Day, ask yourself what you learned from your mother; whether you knew her well or not and what the relationship meant to your life.
Til next time,
Gary
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As I have been writing, you must become part of the Interactivity Revolution or see your business stagnate or perish.
Interactive as defined by Dictionary.com means a system interacting with a:
- Human user
- Often, in a conversational way
- To obtain data
- And to give immediate results or updated information
Now, do you deploy such a system?
I very much doubt it.
Not that’s it your fault or choice.
Up to now, few systems can create a two – way conversation or interaction.
The lack of such a system goes to the heart of your business.
You do not know your customer in depth.
As a result, you cannot know what they truly want.
Thus, you end up with phony lists with few buyers and sales. A recipe for business stagnation or failure.
A recent study by Forrester – the Future of Interactive Marketing – says all businesses must become truly interactive to survive.
Evaluate how interactive your business is with your prospects and customers.
Ask how much do you really know about them and how much do they really know about your business.
To your continued success,
Gary
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Just got back from a conference that covered many of the cutting-edge online marketing strategies and techniques.
What you realize right away is that the successful marketers work long hours and are constantly testing stuff.
And one figure constantly stands out – 85-95% of marketing strategies – and businesses themselves – fail.
Business today is not for someone seeking a quick fix. It takes a lot of thought and questioning.
What I am seeing is a real debate between building a list with tons of free stuff and building a smaller list of buyers.
My leaning is towards a list of buyers.When people buy from you, it’s a different commitment. It means they are seriously interested in what you are offering.
Having a customer also should make the company responsible to deliver the value the customer seeks.
It is my belief the market is moving toward a more interactive real-time experience.
This will involve the use of surveys as marketing and research tools at the same time.
To get ahead of the curve, start to think of 3 to 5 questions your customers would have of your business and what questions you would want answered by them.
This will help focus your business immensely.
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Finally, the initial beta-tester launch of Questionmine!
What does a launch look and feel like?
A scramble.
You are never prepared.
There is excitement and trepidation.
What makes a successful launch possible?
Here’s a few things I’ve learned:
- You always want to offer more than you can
- You must stay brutally focused
- Deliver the minimal viable point
- Be upfront about whether you are in beta
- There are a handful of people that come forward to assist
- When you get toward your launch, you need more and more people to put on the finishing touches
- Some people try to take advantage and overcharge you. Do not be afraid to say no even if they may be influential
We are headed to Underground 8.
I will let you know what we offered.
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You can get a hint of what makes for great writing by how it developed.
It took time. For thousands of years, men drew pictures and sent messages in the form of pictures which represented events. This system developed into writing in 3500 BC in Erech, a Sumerian city. (Source: Answers.com)
Winning content comes from great stories articulated well.
So, to write great content, paint great pictures, appeal to the imagination of your reader.
Writing, like any other craft, starts with a passion and some questions:
- Do you really love to write?
- What subjects are you passionate about?
- Do you have an expertise in a certain area?
- Do you have stories and experiences you can relate in an entertaining way?
I believe to create winning content, you have to have:
- A talent for it
- A know how
- An inspiration
Are writers born to be writers?
They don’t come out of the womb branded writers. But, yes, I believe some people have a natural bent toward writing as some do mathematics and sports.
Here is my process:
- I come up with an idea or concept that interests me.
- I ask, is there a story that would illustrate my idea or concept?
- I ask what lessons are to be learned.
- I ask what actions should be taken.
If you want to create a following and traffic, you have to ask a different set of questions:
- Do you want to write a blog or more a day? Here’s the truth (facts): daily blogs get much more attention, but it’s a real time commitment that takes a long time to pay off – if at all.
- Will you want to have guest bloggers to add some variety?
- Do you have a unique voice and expertise to attract and engage a following?
The reason most writers create winning content is that they write and write. They go the extra mile. And they entertain.
The bottom line: There are no magic bullets other than ask the right questions, be passionate about a topic, tell the best stories you can, paint pictures, and write every day.
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