10 Lessons I Learned From Jewel — Altucher Confidential

Jewel was broke and homeless, but she still turned down a million dollar check when she was 19 years old. Jewel was broke and millions in debt after selling 30,000,000 albums, and built back from scratch when she was 30. Jewel has switched genres, written music from folk to pop to country to even children’s…

via 10 Lessons I Learned From Jewel — Altucher Confidential

ProPublica Shares Design Thinking behind new Mobile Apps

by David Sleight This story was co-published with Source. A few weeks ago, ProPublica rolled out new versions of our app for iOS and Android. (If you haven’t tried them yet, stop reading this and go download them immediately!) Rebuilt and redesigned from scratch, they’re the result of a fundamental rethink that kicked off late…

via How We Built the New ProPublica Mobile Apps — ProPublica: Articles and Investigations

Love ~ Hate Instagram's 2.0 Logo

My first reaction was “tie dye?” How can it compete with my top social icons sporting austere, solid, clean graphics? Convince and Convert breaks down the science of the next generation of logos.

Instagram, the photo sharing app, has launched a new logo. Early reactions are dividing fans, but I believe it will become well-loved in the long run, as it uses some clever neuroscience tricks to appeal to our subconscious minds. Logos, particularly those of mega-popular apps like Instagram, become a familiar part of our lives. Changing…

via 3 Hidden Neuroscience Tricks Behind Instagram’s New Logo — Convince and Convert: Social Media Strategy and Content Marketing Strategy

Saving the dates

A look back after a year of going solo with a calendar in the cloud. Making the final switch from paper was bittersweet.

Final reminder

The neon orange envelope declares – FINAL REMINDER. Renew today! Three devoted decades to the Day-Timer method and it comes to this. We will part ways with a simple ‘thanks for being a loyal Day-Timer customer’ form letter.

My romance with Day-Timer began early as a busy media executive. Continue reading “Saving the dates”

Digital and Social Media coupon technology evolves

Does your business use digital and social media for coupon distribution? Publisher MediaNeedle offers an excellent overview of popular digital and social media coupon technology platforms. While the Daily Deal companies like Groupon and Living Social have well-publicized shortcomings, they continue to fine tune their deals to customers going deeper in business categories like travel and experiential offerings. Niche sites and deal aggregators are designed for a more experienced and sophisticated value seeker. CoupSmart shareable coupon social media technology is distinguished by allowing the brand to keep valuable customer data, rather than the deal company owning it.

Read the entire post here:

The Rebirth of Daily Deals

Many thanks for this post from mdorman on May 28, 2013 on Media Needle.

Inspire word of mouth recommendations from your loyal fans

Woman using coupon 1.22.1392% of consumers around the world say they trust earned media, such as word-of-mouth or recommendations from friends and family, above all other forms of advertising—an increase of 18 percent since 2007, according to a study from Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy. *

Many marketers have put considerable effort into enticing fans to join their communities on Facebook, google+, Twitter and Pinterest. And why do fans accept the invitation? They are extending their approval and loyalty, but they are also expecting exclusive offers, invitations or opportunities to participate in promotions. What have you done lately to retain those fans, show appreciation and inspire word of mouth recommendations from your fans and followers? Continue reading “Inspire word of mouth recommendations from your loyal fans”

3 social networking sites to bolster your strategy

Blog 1.15.13If you’re allocating portions of your advertising budget for social or digital media, odds are you’re investing in Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and/or LinkedIn. When it comes to market share, the logic is sound: Twitter and Facebook continue to dominate the world of social, Google has yet to loosen its grip as the “Boss Tweed” of search engines, and LinkedIn is a no-brainer for companies looking to expand their presence in the professional digi-sphere. For those with some spare advertising change (or not) and a bit of gusto, consider viable alternatives with your marketing strategy.

Here are three options you’re probably not considering yet: Continue reading “3 social networking sites to bolster your strategy”

3-ingredient recipe for a social media analytics cocktail

SM analytics cocktail 12.5.12 Nowadays, just having a Facebook or Twitter page isn’t enough. If your business is “about” social, it’s about upkeep, attention, infiltration, and relevance. Guessing, experimenting, and straight-up repetition is the shots-in-the-dark methodology for too many social media campaigns. Interacting with customers and growing your fan base is a full-time job … and a science. Reaching people comes down to measuring and interpreting.

According to Boot Camp Digital, 72% of businesses don’t know how to measure their ROI. There’s no point in allocating marketing dollars to social media when you don’t have a clue if it’s working or not. The key to calculating ROI is measuring your activity, and the activity of those who visit your site(s). Thankfully, there are platforms out there to keep up with the progress of your pages. The question is, which one is right for you? Continue reading “3-ingredient recipe for a social media analytics cocktail”

3 custom app builders that reinvent Facebook pages on a shoestring


App integration can play a critical role in optimizing the potential of your small business’ Facebook page. Yet, the problem for many tends to be the intimidation factor— app design presents itself as an unfamiliar and seemingly daunting endeavor for marketers and small business owners who don’t consider themselves “techies”. Capitalizing on Facebook apps doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be fluent in code or have deep enough pockets to hire someone who does. There are a significant number of custom app builders that aren’t only “noob-friendly,” but dirt cheap, too. Continue reading “3 custom app builders that reinvent Facebook pages on a shoestring”

Generating a social media strategy for small business

Social media and big business have a special kind of love affair. The problem is, when it comes to small businesses capitalizing on social resources, there’s often the all-to-daunting question of where, exactly, to start. This confusion often spawns a seemingly prototypical response: Social is not right for my business. It is easy to dismiss the potential of social media marketing when that first blog or tweet goes un-talked about. Read on for some tips for where to start when generating a social media marketing strategy for a small business. Continue reading “Generating a social media strategy for small business”