Chris Pullman was the design visionary at WGBH for 35 years. I met him at TED a few months after he made this classic retirement speech in December 2008. He was very surprised that I had read the speech. He had no idea at the time that it had gone viral. That’s the power of […]
Good advice on starting (or re-starting) a creative career
September 30, 2012
A word of mouth marketing strategy in 50 words
September 29, 2012
Do I give my customers and fans something interesting to talk about? How can I help them tell a friend? How can I make it easier? How can I remind them? How do I help them tell more friends each time? How can I thank them? Am I having fun?
An entrepreneurial lesson I wish I learned 10 years ago
September 28, 2012
Every business decision is a choice about how to use a resource. You have a finite amount of time, people, tools, and cash. Use them well and you thrive. Use them poorly and you stagnate. It comes down to a simple choice: I could use this $100 thing for project A or project B. Both […]
Newsletter #904: The “Get to the Right Place” Issue
September 27, 2012
[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] Sometimes it’s not about who you are or what you’re selling — it’s about where you are or where you’re able […]
The kind of review that should go on your home page
September 26, 2012
Are your best reviews buried deep in your product pages? Stories like this one about Zappos should be highlighted up top. It tells more about the spirit and love for the the company than any marketing copy ever could. POSTED: 3/18/11 REVIEWER: Margie L from OVERALL: Rated:5 stars! My son who is now 21 manages […]
The difference between sharing and not sharing is how easy you make it
September 25, 2012
Is someone going to share your video, your blog post, or your idea? Maybe … if it’s not a pain. I’ll share your blog post on Facebook or Twitter — if you have a Facebook or Twitter button right on the post. I’ll embed your video in my blog — if you make it look […]
Ending it badly
September 23, 2012
You have a great stay in a hotel. You ask the doorman for a cab. Instead, he brings around a private car, with no meter, probably unlicensed — and usually with ripoff pricing. Obviously the doorman is taking a payoff. The customer gets screwed. Honest cabbies get screwed. And the last thing the customer remembers […]
The big ideas behind a great word of mouth marketing program
September 22, 2012
I had the honor of keynoting Shop.org‘s Annual Summit last week, and in my talk I covered the big ideas behind all great word of mouth marketing programs. Thanks to Shop.org’s Jennifer Overstreet for capturing a bunch of them: Word of mouth topics are always portable, repeatable and emotional. For example, when Apple started selling […]
The Best Word of Mouth Marketing Campaign of 2012
September 21, 2012
How the town of Troy, MI saved their library (more here): Troy Library from Jennie Hochthanner on Vimeo.
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