Never have I seen this explained better!!
Playfully Tacky
From MeetTheIntroverts.com 1) We need to recharge alone.
This right here is the cusp of the entire introvert v. extrovert debate (if there is one, anyway) – Introverts need to be alone to recharge. We tend to get completely worn out by socializing. This is basically what it means to be an introvert.
2) We don’t hate being around people, but we probably hate crowds.
I love being with people, but if you drop me into a large crowd I instantly feel like I’m alone and invisible. I try to avoid situations where I feel that way, so I may decline your open invitation to some random event. It doesn’t mean I don’t like to be around you, it just means I like to have more control over my surroundings.
3) We don’t mind silence.
I can sit beside you in silence and not think we are having a bad…
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Here we are on Friday afternoon and I was thinking about all the ways social media affects my sales and marketing efforts. I have come to the conclusion that for a B2B marketer, there are some platforms that work better than others. For me, it’s video and LinkedIn. Why? Because my content lives much longer here. A tweet has a short shelf life, unless constantly re-tweeted; even then the very nature of short attention publishing on Twitter leads me to believe that nothing has a long run in 140 characters or less.
Video on YouTube however, can live for years. I have a tendency to look up old commercials from the 50s and 60s to watch on YouTube; giving life to products older than me!
LinkedIn is another place I love to frequent. Great advice, while some say a “stalker” platform, I find much more good than evil there. One can build a solid profile that is searchable and builds credibility over time. Salespeople can build trust 24/7 simply by posting a robust online persona. One person I love to follow and read about is Viveka Von Rosen and her LinkedIntoBusiness site. She’s an expert on all levels of LinkedIn.
B2B marketer wondering how, when and why to start with social platforms? Start with the ones that have everlasting life!
Leave a comment | tags: LinkedIn, Viveka Von Rosen, YouTube | posted in Branding, Branding & Marketing, John Ely Blog, Marketing, Social Media
The Super Bowl is the holy grail of marketing and advertising you say? I say no! This time of year we get to witness the Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and the World Cup (by US standards) and then some. The NCAA basketball tournament has morphed into a marketers dream over the last 25 years or so.
It used to be like most sporting events, just that; a college b-ball tourney that basketball fans tuned into. Today, March Madness has become a plethora of advertising, new product releases and awareness campaigns reaching all types of demographics. The typical person tuning in may have a college team they support, but most I suppose, wouldn’t know the difference between a Jayhawk and a Chicken McNugget.
So, you college basketball purist are out of luck; the NCAA tourney will never be what it was back in the 70s, 80s or even 90s! This year’s event will be chalked full of ads, apps and other marketing media including the Quicken Loans/Yahoo Sports/Warren Buffet impossible chance at $1B. Marketers know when and where you pay attention…and March Madness is a gold mine!
Leave a comment | tags: Branding, John Ely Blog, Marketing, the branded blogger, the branded blogger.com | posted in Branding, Branding & Marketing, John Ely Blog, Marketing
Wow, I looked at the sports reports this morning and one ESPN writer asked “What now for Alabama”? Really? I mean, I’m a Big Ten homer but even so, I have to say that Alabama will be just fine…three championships in four years is incredible! This year they get beat by a very good Auburn team; even then it takes a last second play. Last night they lost to another good team.
In this year’s Sugar Bowl Oklahoma was a 17 point dog, Mark May predicted a 48-10 blowout by the Crimson Tide and no one outside of Norman gave them a fighting chance. So, how did this happen? Is the Earth spinning the wrong direction? Is the sky falling? No. The last time I looked, every FBS team fields scholarship athletes on both sides of the ball…the best 18-22 year old players from all across this land! Last night the Sooners were the best team on the field; they fought harder and the play-calling was near genius.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a little tired of ESPN, CBS, and the other network pundits continually talking about one conference vs. another for sports dominance, or deeming a program a failure after a loss or two. I’m a football fan and can appreciate talent no matter if they wear the Maize and Blue, Crimson and White or Scarlet and Gray. I love the game and enjoy watching these athletes perform at a level I could only dream of. No matter what trends or statistics the media focuses on, these kids come to compete – and anything can happen on the field. That’s why they play the game and why I’ll keep watching college football!
Leave a comment | tags: Alabama, Crimson Tide, Oklahoma, Sooners | posted in College Football, John Ely Blog, Sugar Bowl, Uncategorized
I’ve been watching closely the battleground for the Black Friday shoppers this year and as in years past, the tactics blend into the days before and weeks after the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year we saw the inception of “Gray” Thursday (when I was a kid we called it Thanksgiving Day). Wal-Mart seemed particularly savvy with the timing of the deals starting that evening and breaking them into segments for the following Black Friday. Some doors opened at Midnight, but deals were offered at 6am, 8am and 10 am based on the product family.
This is a pretty cool move by Wal-mart, because the items I seemed to gravitate towards were being offered at their lowest prices later in the day. Do they have a bead on the American male shopper? Maybe so. I’m sure a great deal of data was behind the deal timing, and no one has more shopper data than Wal-Mart. They must have deciphered the fact that I was so full of turkey and mashed potatoes that there was no way I’m getting in line at midnight, or 6 am for that matter. Getting to the store at 10am for certain deals almost got me off the couch!
Still this year I did most of my shopping online…long before today’s Cyber Monday; I received emails from the places I most shop online at, offering deals long before today. but I will still be lurking on the Internet today to see what deals might be out there. If they’re smart, we’ll see treadmills and gym memberships go on sale today!
Leave a comment | tags: Black Friday, Branding, Cyber Monday, Gifts, John Ely Blog, Marketing, Marketing Communications, the branded blogger, the branded blogger.com, www.johnelymbi.com | posted in Branding, Branding & Marketing, John Ely Blog, Marketing, Uncategorized
Well I got the news last week and it wasn’t good…Hostess, the bakers of such iconic treats like, Twinkies, Ho-Hos, Ding-Dongs, Fruit Pies, etc. is gone for good. The management blamed the unions, the unions blamed the management and the approximately 18,000 employees are out jobs just a week before Thanksgiving.
I know from running businesses that’s it’s tough, but in today’s economy it becomes almost impossible to maintain a company without compromises on both sides…which were not evident in this case.
Some savvy company, or group of companies will certainly gobble up (shameless TG reference, sorry) one or more of the brands. But I can’t help thinking this is just the beginning of a long line of once iconic brands going by the wasteside. If Hostess, a brand that rang strongest through the Great Depression and was a staple for me, my parents and their parents can disappear; who’s next?
I know the Mayan calendar says the world is ending on December 22 of this year; I don’t know how much stock I put in that, but just to be safe, I’m not starting my Christmas shopping until the 23rd!!
Leave a comment | tags: B2B Marketing, Branding, Ho-Ho's, Hostess, John Ely Blog, Marketing, the branded blogger, the branded blogger.com, Twinkies | posted in Branding, Branding & Marketing, John Ely Blog, Marketing, Uncategorized
Yo all,
Back for another 50-somthing rant…today Prezi
I signed up for a new Prezi account and even purchased some material on training for this new (fairly) presentation platform. The Website looks awesome and the breadth of presentations on their database is astounding. What’s not so cool? All of the training, tutorials and other stuff contained in the Prezi manual are based on the “Classic” format of Prezi.
Well, now there’s a new and improved version of the Prezi canvas and tools….but every training element is in the old format. Which for me is totally useless. There are a multitude of training tools for Prezi….NONE using the new format.
Hey, Prezi! Get it together. Before launching a totally new format, make damn sure your training (embedded in your Website) is current. Nothing pisses off a new customer more than insufficient training on your product. You and all your in-house geeks can surely navigate the new canvas and tools. Anyone signing up recently will most certainly be lost.
2 Comments | posted in Branding, Branding & Marketing, John Ely Blog, Marketing, Prezi
OK, after the first Presidential debate, and especially after last night’s “Bicker-fest”, I have come up with a better way to choose the leader of the free world (however, I do admit I had to look away a few times last night and watch “American Dad”, just to regain some of my sanity).
If I were King of the World – This is how it would work:
- The parties select their candidates…nothing changes here except, there are no campaigns, no commercials, no signs, etc. Each candidate writes his or her plan and registered party members READ them to form their views and ideas for leadership on categories such as the economy, foreign relations, social programs, energy, land management, homeland defense, and many others.
- These registered party members then cast their votes for the party’s representative, based solely on the qualifications, background and plans written by the candidates.
- The chosen candidates from each party then fully write their plan for the next six (6) years in office. That’s it, no re-election you get ONE six-year stint to make a difference.
- These plans contain all the necessary information a voter would need to make a decision. Background, qualifications, who their cabinet members would be and their qualifications; along with the full six-year plan on how they will lead this once great country.
- Registered voters would be able to read these plans up to six months before the election and the plans would be available in a variety of formats, print, online, audio for those who cannot see. One caveat, if you can see and can’t read….tough shit – you have no right or the proper background to vote in a leader that you and I share.
- On voting day you prove your registration and cast your vote.
Gone are the negative arguments, misinformation and spins that further divide an already divisive country. Gone are the massive media buys that do NOTHING for the economy. In their place are ads for products and services that re-stimulate our economy. Gone are the wasted signs, posters, placards that clutter my neighborhood and yours. Gone are the votes based on fear, humiliation and plain misinformation.
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Leave a comment | tags: Election 2012, government, John Ely Blog, Marketing, Marketing Communications, the branded blogger, the branded blogger.com, The Good Book of Business, thebranndedblogger | posted in Branding, Branding & Marketing, Election 2012, John Ely Blog, Marketing
I hear it all the time and I too was taught the same tactics in marketing school. We need to “fight” for the customer’s attention, fight for market share, fight to get our message out….blah, blah, blah.
I can tell you from the other (consumer) side of the table, I know when someone is “fighting” for my attention. It reaks of desparation and poor execution. I don’t need you to fight for my attention….I need a partner that understands my business, my situation, my budget and my boss!
Few marketers really take time to understand their customers and prospects. How do I know this? Because I’m a customer too. Just because I’m in marketing doesn’t mean I don’t purchase…in fact I probably purchase more marketing services than the ordinary worker!
However, I’m innundated by phone, email, LinkedIn, FB, etc. by marketers trying to drive their products down my throat. Hey you! Take time to ask me about my research needs before trying to sell me a database that exceeds my total annual budget. Look at my business model before trying to sell a B2B marketer consumer leads. Ask questions, discover what I do and what I need.
I’m sorry, but 99% of your emails and messages are ignored…why? Because they are not about me…they’re about you. Switch that around and I might actually talk to you!!
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Here we go again – ready to hit the road for another trade show; probably my last major one of the year. As always, we will get to the convention center thinking that we have crossed all our “T’s” and dotted every “I”, but alas something will go wrong…it always does!
I love the atmosphere at the shows, the over-the-top booths, sideshows and bustling sales people eager to make a mark. There is so much energy, hype, marketing power, etc. Being a marketing geek, I feel I’m in my element. However, the planning, the preparation, the standing up for 10-12 hours at a time and the travel all take a toll on me. Even more so lately.
I’m heading down Sunday for Orlando and Solar Power International 2012 (booth 3586 if you’re in the neighborhood), and I can assure you that while in the midst of the frenzy, while dining late with co-workers and customers and especially when we’ve torn down and are basking in the achievements of the week…I’ll feel fine!
Leave a comment | tags: Branding, John Ely Blog, Marketing, Marketing Communications, Orlando, Solar Power International 2012, SPI 2012, the branded blogger, the branded blogger.com, Trade Shows | posted in Branding, Branding & Marketing, John Ely Blog, Marketing, Uncategorized
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