Never a Lack of Ideas

I'm thrilled to announce that my first book is now available in paperback and eBook! Here's where you can get it: Amazon.com – to get a paperback copy Search an eBook store for the book ( Kindle ,  Apple iBook,  Nook, Google Play, and Vook) Free PDF (based on the prin t version) Infographic based on chapter six of the book I invite you to consider leaving a review of the book wherever you acquired it. If you downloaded the PDF, I ask that you please write a review of it on Amazon — it's the least you can do for a free book, right?! #marketingpriorities Join the conversation about setting marketing priorities by using #marketingpriorities on your preferred social networks. Share the marketing tactics you’ve prioritized and those you’ve decided to skip. If you read my book and share it with a friend, I'd love to give you a free button . Just let me know. Indepen dent Reviews If you're looking to give a review of the book on your own media channe...

Four More Years! I can't believe I've kept this blog going for four years. Thank you to all who have supported me, shared my writing, and contributed ideas throughout these years. I couldn't have done this without you. Taking it to the Next Level I'm excited to announce that I've taken my writing to the next level and written a book. It is called, Hey Marketers, Get Your Priorities Straight.  I'll be self-publishing the book within the next few weeks, so be sure to check it out when it comes out. I'll be giving a TEDx talk at UIC on April 12th in which I outline a few of the basic ideas of my book. There will be a live stream of the event online and I'll post a link to it and the recorded video once I have them. This Year's Posts Looking back over the past year, I had five favorite posts. In case you missed them, here they are: Only Old People Choose Butter Pecan Ice Cream   Diapers May Provide a New Market for Redbox   Lessons I...

Great Content: Part Three Because great marketers know that one key to building lasting customer relationships is providing them with compelling content on a regular basis, I'm writing a three-part series on some of the best online content creators I've seen. In my first post I wrote about the wonderfully talented Amanda Blake and her daily postcard illustrations. In my second post , I wrote about Jeanne Haegele and her inspiring "Making Made" daily blog. In this final post, I'll introduce you to Ray Grayson, who is helping people all around the world lead healthier lives. Ray Grayson: "Mr. Shut Up and Train" Ray Grayson is a fitness trainer at Athletes and Entertainers in Motion (AEIM) in Atlanta, Georgia. He has a great list of celebrity and non-celebrity clients looking to improve their health and fitness. But one man can only reach so many people within his Atlanta facility. So Ray decided to extend his reach (and his personal brand) beyond t...

Great Content: Part Deux Because great marketers know that one key to building lasting customer relationships is providing them with compelling content on a regular basis, I've decided to write a three-part series on some of the best online content creators I've seen. In my first post I wrote about the incredibly talented Amanda Blake and her daily postcard illustrations. In this post, I'd like to introduce you to another extremely talented content creator: Jeanne Haegele. Jeanne Haegele: Queen of Making Things Every day for more than a year, Jeanne Haegele made something and blogged about it. She created doodles, took photos, and cooked new recipes. She also made craft projects, wrote songs, made videos, and anything else she could dream up. She named her blog "Making Made" and simply made things for a year. My favorite project of hers was done on day 180 in which she made a cute little flipbook . She made an amazing video of all of her projects that is q...

Content, Content, Everywhere Great marketers know that one key to building lasting customer relationships is providing them with compelling content on a regular basis. Fresh, unique content will keep your company on the top of customers' minds. And with the proliferation of blogs and other derivations like Tumblr and Instagram, there has never been a better time for marketers to find and partner with amazing content creators. I thought it would be fun to write about some of my favorite online content producers in a three-part series. I'll even brainstorm some ideas on the types of marketers that could partner with these three content creators to provide value to their customers. Let's begin... Amanda Blake: Postcard Queen Amanda Blake is a fantastic artist who happens to love handmade cards. In fact, she's always created her own cards -- store-bought ones just don't cut it for her. And she loves the excitement that comes with recei...

All Dogs Go to Water Bowls I was walking on a sidewalk in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood when I came across what you see pictured on the right: a dog-walking stop with a bowl of water for people's dogs. What a great idea. In a neighborhood filled with dog lovers, a restaurant saw an opportunity to extend some friendliness to the community in a unique way. I imagine that on nice days, several dogs take advantage of this rest stop and over time, dogs may even lead their owners to the front of this restaurant while on a walk. Does this little gesture lead to immediate sales at the restaurant? Probably not. But it lets the community know that the restaurant employees care about their dogs and therefore the people in the community. It's a little touch that goes a long way.   Add This To Your To-Do List   Are there easy ways for you to engage your local community? If you have a physical location, there are likely plenty of opportunities — sponsor a youth baseball team, ...

Chips, Dip, and Redbox Yesterday, I attended a marketing presentation by Mark Achler, Senior Vice President of New Business at Redbox. Mark discussed how Redbox has formed great partnerships with consumer packaged goods companies. He showed an example in which Tostitos had set up large displays in grocery store aisles. If consumers purchased three Tostitos products, they'd get a free night's movie rental from Redbox. This partnership increased sales for both Tostitos and Redbox, so it was a win-win situation. Diapers, Wipes, and Redbox   When Mark showed a graphic of all the brands Redbox has partnered with on similar deals, I thought there was one big missed opportunity — diapers. As I've come to learn, new parents are very much tied down to their homes at night. Once a baby goes to bed, parents are left awake in the house with a few hours of "free time." As new parents, my wife and I have spent several nights watching movies rented from Redbox. We have nev...