I am giving you permission to sit back, let 2011 slip out of your thoughts for a moment and think about the future. Yes, the future. 2012 is a unwritten story, especially when it comes to your business, brand and strategies.

Strategies, Plural

The one-size-fits-all knitted winter hat style of marketing has never worked. Simply put, BE FLEXIBLE. (If you are not flexible add “Start Yoga” to your New Years resolutions. Trust me it will work both mentally and physically.) Don’t start 2012 with high expectations that your ten page marketing plan is going to attract a legion of clean leads, get you featured on Oprah’s favorite things and pay for that fancy world tour.

Break Down Goals

Create a strategy per business goal. For example, at BizeeBee, we found that studios in non-competitive, small cities were an excellent market fit for our service as it is today. That meant we created an entire strategy focused on that market segment. From physical mailing, email marketing to follow ups through other channels our strategy revolved around a clear vision and the tactics were easier to design as well as measure.

Pitch From Your Perspective

It is easy for business owners to get carried away with trying to sell their vision to people. When in reality, what sells is stories. I don’t mean novels, unless you are JK Rowling. My husband, Eli, recently launched his first big project called Claratii. Word of mouth has been his strategy for spreading the word. I was proud to witness him sharing his story on why he created the tool. He starts off with sharing how having clear communication between him and I around finances as well as future financial planning was very important to him. People engage and relate to his challenges, then delight in trying out this solution.

Hear Your Vision From Someone Else

Remember the days of awkward middle and highschool? Well, one lesson in particular that is valuable from those days to apply to your strategy is peer reviews. Yes, those moments when Joe Too-Cute-To-Look-At-Without-Blushing read your paper and gave you thoughts on how to improve it, what he thought it meant and other tips were actually teaching you a valuable lesson. I challenge you to sit down with a friend and ask them “What does my business do?”. I heard this tactic recently used by Derek Johnson, CEO and Founder of Tatango. He was surprised to hear his friend tell him all kinds of things about his business, but it was a bit fuzzy. What did he do? He simplified his message to focus just on what they did best.

Fall Back In Love

That happy tingling sensation that makes you smile, motivates you to keep going and makes those long nights worth it? Yeah, that’s love. Love for your customers, for your employees, and your vision. If you want to know the key to being genuine it is speaking and acting from the heart, not standing behind fluffy marketing messages. One great example comes from a company I have always enjoyed working with, Freshbooks.

“It is tough to find a phone number for most web companies, but Freshbooks’ number is on the top of the home page. The company even brags on its blog about its commitment to answering the phone … Love doesn’t necessarily pay the bills, of course. But Saul [Colt] says his philosophy “will deliver an incredible ROI that can’t be tracked in a traditional way.” – INC

This 2012, stuff your marketing, business, branding and outreach strategies for success. Wishing you a very happy, and healthy New Year!Similar Posts:

• Importance of Internal Marketing
• Meet Web Designer Nadine
• Mark Thompson CEO of Search Creatively

Unless you use some sort of fluffy critter (Nice job Cheezburger) I wouldn’t be lured easily. If you are a startup you most likely have given up on me and my stubborn, busy and “thanks, but not interested” friends. I am never the one to wait in line for a new apple product, nor do I jump at new social media invites. I have not and most likely will never be a customer of QVC. I still use a $300 Windows based Toshiba laptop, own a blackberry and drive a manual six speed. I am by no means an “Alpha Quitter”, however the few times I have tried to be an early adopter has created one more inactive account, or a no-longer-loyal loyalty card holder.

You've reached the early adopters don't stop! - Photo-Collective

For most companies looking to gain traction, I am not your ideal customer.  My hard to sell friends will nod in agreement when I say that doesn’t mean we aren’t worth talking to. Here’s why:

We aren’t moles. We are actually quite social.

Just because we aren’t joining you at midnight to wait for the newest Apple thingy doesn’t mean we live in caves. Think beyond the web. I host and organize events, work with non-profits and consult with small businesses. I am one of those crazy people that say “Good morning!” to strangers, and happily shares conversations while waiting for coffee. I am also very interested in listening and learning one of the reasons I attend workshops, meetups and networking events. I read blogs, the news and forums.

Listen, and join in the conversation.

First off are you where I am? Do you participate in conversation in Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, how about networking events and workshops? I might be a bit extreme as I am unusually accessible for a late adopter.  My best advice, learn to listen before you speak.

“The market need you’ve identified may be foreign to most people you speak with.  The value you’re creating doesn’t yet translate.  The very people you could help, think you’re crazy.” – Four keys to selling beyond early adopters, Geekwire

Have fun learning the language, the culture and jump with the intention of having a conversation.

In your network? Instant evangelist.

One quick direct message from someone I know on Twitter and I am on it like a bee on honey! Your network is mostly likely stronger than you give it credit for. Even if your network isn’t your target market they are more than willing to help you spread the word. They will spread your message like butter across hot toast. Keep them in the loop with as much of a personal touch as possible, in other words don’t just add them to your MailChimp list, maintain a genuine connection.

Give a little, get a lot.

I love hearing what my friends are up to and look for ways to support them. After meeting Chris Lynch founder of Thoughful.co was kind enough to talk to me as well as the BizeeBee founder about fundraising. So what did I do, I instantly started scanning Thoughful.co for a birthday present for my sister in law, found – done and with great success! I also forwarded the site on to a few friends wondering what to get a mutual friend who has everything, (even a sailboat).

The moral

Don’t give up on those who aren’t going to fill your pockets quick with cash. Look at them differently, more as eh… humans. Don’t be afraid to refresh your strategy, reach out to your existing network for feedback help and assistance in spreading the word. Zoom out and let your teeth chew on the big picture. Don’t fret over trying to catch a quick buck. (Even though they are cute, and fuzzy.)Similar Posts:

• Elements of a Successful Entrepreneur
• Learning – The 2nd Pillar of Social Media
• What Social Businesses Have Learned

Features stuffed inside features is just what the Army Knife, fully loaded car and buffet restaurants have all been able to successfully offer. Yet, for most of the time and for most of us; simple works best.

Even as we get busier and are offered fancier gadgets, tricksy cars and order complex espresso drinks we still choose things like: flip flops, macaroni & cheese, post-it notes, whiteboards, stay-cations and duct tape.

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.~Hans Hofmann, Introduction to the Bootstrap, 1993

Working on the front line for startups I always hear “We need X, and Y feature”. Customers want to see more, they want to hear bells and honk horns. They want features that they think will make their lives easier. In some cases, their insight is the guiding light to making or breaking the product and does help their business. Other times it is a matter of teaching them how a simple tool is powerful, and the value in simple vs every feature under the sun.

A few of my favorite simple things:

The Spoon:

Even while spending weeks in the Alpine Wilderness, I never doubted my trusty spoon. Under my social media presence is a true wilderness girl that loves packing up a couple pairs of clothes, hopping on a horse and hitting the trails. Cooking in a cast iron Dutch oven each evening I never pulled out my army knife and stirred the stew. It was my simple, easy to clean, stir and eat spoon that kept me content for my offline excursions.

Food:

When I begin growing gray hair I want to open a simple lunch café near a river. Serving the basics, grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, iced tea and garden salads all made from ingredients grown locally or right on the café property. I want this to be an inexpensive, feel good sort of place for patrons to have exceptionally good tasting and good memory food. Simple, tasty and affordable.

Campfires:

Entertaining twenty plus guests can be pulled off with a simple recipe: Marshmallows roasted on a stick then squished onto a piece of chocolate in-between two graham crackers.

I tend the fire keeping the whole circle of guests happily entertained talking, and roasting. In the time we have been hosting campfires people have found new customers, new workout buddies even new jobs by attending our smore roasting low-key evenings.

This simple evening event has become a friend and family favorite eliminating my assumption that more stuff, and entertainment made a better party. Smores voted #1 Thompson event 3 years running.

Twitter:

A simple prompt of “What are you doing?” in 140 characters is what Twitter asked. Me, I got a whole new life chapter facilitated by this simple social media platform. While some begged, and pleaded for more features Twitter was able to satisfy 150 million users and growing to connect, share and engage.

So why is someone who loves social media, and marketing talking about simple? Well, it’s simple. [ha ha] There is always a push for more, better, faster, shinier and more attention grabbing. Yet, I think deep down we appreciate simple more than we like to admit. We enjoy the spoon, our favorite basic and easy to make foods, easy non-stress ways to gather people we love, and we want to connect with people we don’t know.

Celebrate the simple.

You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. ~Vernon Howard

Similar Posts:

• I Choose You Hootsuite!
• Find The Best Tweeters
• Good People + Good People

It is expected that as the New Year begins we take time to reflect on the previous year. We look back on our accomplishments, challenges and what we have learned with various intentions. Some look to the past to review performance, create new processes and further pave the path of productivity. Others look to the past and see obstacles overcome with creativity, perseverance and honesty and realize acknowledging those accomplishments are critical not only to productivity yet to the brand’s culture and history and future.

Over the last few years we have all been witness to the heart of social media, the power to connect friends, family, customers, businesses, non-profits, groups and more across states, continents and nations.

For me social media has given me a marketing tool comparable to attending every conference, getting to know everyone at each coffee shop and attending tons of Meetup groups. With the intention to reach out, connect and develop genuine long lasting relationships.

The values I bring to social media are founded in customer service. I believe in and have seen social media reach its true potential when the brands are genuine, customer focused and human.

The challenge I give to you for 2011 is to use the tools of social media not to sell but to be social. Be authentic, open your arms and welcome opportunity. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.Similar Posts:

• Good People + Good People
• Meet Mack Collier – Social Media Consultant
• Social Media, Not Sell Media

Social media has walked the fiery coals of skepticism and has brilliantly performed as a marketing, customer service and relationship building tool beyond expectations.

All size businesses have taken the polar bear plunge into what felt like an alien way of communicating with their customers. When businesses that began using Facebook fan pages, Twitter, engaging on forums, blogging, creating videos on YouTube and more, they realized that being a less like a brand and more human created real long lasting relationships with their customers.

A few things businesses have learned about social media:

It isn’t free: Social media costs time, a lot of time. If you have someone that is customer focused, understands how to write headlines and reach out to the right audiences then you are starting out solid.

Be Creative: social media isn’t sell media. Be social. Have fun engaging your community, from congratulating them on opening their new business, to commenting on their blog and attending networking events with them.

Have a Team: This isn’t a one person show. Just like customer service everyone needs to be trained and have at least a basic understanding on how to help customers, sell the product as well as assist with customer concerns.

Start with Employees: The people that know how to talk about your brand, company and culture the best are your employees. Treat them as family, acknowledge and appreciate and make them feel as they are an important part of your business. Employees are the first to share with their communities and network their experience with your company and brand.

Listen First: Enough with the megaphone blasting your message to customers and employees. Start by spending some time listening to them instead. Reach out and connect with your customers, employees and fans of your brand and make them feel that they are the center of the conversation.

Customers Turn into Marketers: Customers that feel acknowledged and appreciated are loyal, excited to help and eager to be your brand evangelists, at no charge.

Consistency Matters: Have your pixel pixie help you create a Twitter background that matches your website branding, and a Facebook logo that fits, little things that your graphic deisgner can do to enrich

Connect online then in real life: Find ways to connect offline, have an open house, attend a networking event and then share the experience with your social media communities.

Seek Guidance: Look for someone who understands the tools, language, has experience and passion working with social media to give you an hour or two to give you a tour. Learn about social media management tools, ways to monitor effectiveness, help with content strategy and ways to find your audience.

Looking forward to a prosperous 2011 of seeing your business being social online and off.

Facebook fan pages pictured:
Jolkona Foundation – Facebook fan page | Website
Coho Cafe – Facebook fan page | WebsiteSimilar Posts:

• Social Media & Startups = PB&J
• Social Media Chocolate Lava Cake
• Social Media, Not Sell Media

Can you believe that 2011 is just around the corner? For all businesses getting social was the theme being sung over and over by their marketing advisors. Tweeting and writing blog posts sounded like a great idea, however it is never the idea it is the execution. Here are 11 things you can start to plan for, create responsibilities in your team to handle and execute in the coming year.

1. WordPress – You don’t need a super fancy design to make your website great. What you need is a clean site, that allows you and your team the ability to update, add images, events, tweak and tweak content
2. Blog – Regular blog posts are a way for your current customers, potential customers, business partners and community to get to know your business. Share news, updates, promotions, employee highlights, answer customer questions and share videos. Plus, with WordPress you can create multiple blog posts and schedule out when posts will be posted live.
3. Email Newsletters – Recommend using MailChimp – Start out with their Always Free Service that gives you up to 1,000 email subscribers, and up to 6,000 emails sent a month. No limiting features and easy reporting.
4. Facebook Fan Page – Create a page that you can engage with your businesses’ existing fans. Another place to showcase news about your business, upcoming events, photos, and videos.
5. Twitter – Join in the conversation happening about your business, industry and brands.  Starting an account is easy, spend some time listening and getting to know where to engage.
6. Biznik – Takes a village to be successful. Get to know local entrepreneurs, business owners and more through events, while showcasing your business, skills and interests.
7. Teach a lesson – Consider taking your business knowledge and expertise to the classroom and offer a class through Teachstreet. Building your personal brand while also helping others learn about your industry or subject.
8. Update Listings: From Google Places, Foursquare, Whrrl, CitySearch to Yelp spend time claiming your business listings, updating information and adding photos. Monitor the accounts to see what your customers are saying about you.
9. Get on YouTube: Create a YouTube channel and then bring out your little digital camera. Create short informational videos about you, your business, ideas and questions.
10. Google Alerts: Be emailed every time Google finds keywords about your business, brand or about you. Find out who is talking and where.
11. Read & Comment: Find blogs in your industry, where your customers are and give the author feedback, and reflections on their insights.

Looking forward to seeing all of your businesses engaging online with social media, email marketing and by writing great valuable content.Similar Posts:

• Social Media Trick: Schedule Content
• Online Strategy Forget-Me-Nots
• Panning for Social Media Gold

Paint me green and call me the Grinch but I am not in the mood to talk stuff. Buy stuff, give stuff, wrap stuff, or store stuff. There is an itch my gut that says there are a lot of other people singing my same tune. Maybe it is because NPR and the Daily Show are my two main sources of news, or maybe it because I am labeled to be a part of a new attitude that values balance and relationships over seeing huge profits. Whatever the reason is that I think we all have enough stuff and there are a lot of other things we could be doing with our time.

Listen to Lyndit’s Audio Podcast:

This isn’t my normal sort of post, which is okay, as I want to challenge those businesses that read this, and the companies that are throwing some huge black Friday bash to step back for a moment and spend some time reviewing their brand

Fact: We have enough stuff. No one needs a new big screen TV, Xbox or fancy new iPad.
Fact: There are a 1,440 minutes in a day, how many of them does your company use to help your community, acknowledge the hard work of your employees and reach out and thank your customers for their support?
Fact: In 2008, the nation’s sheltered homeless population over a year’s time included approximately 1,092,600 individuals (68 percent) and 516,700 persons in families (32 percent).

Social media has become the channel of choice to share our own opinions, experiences and thoughts. We have used this tool to brand ourselves and become advocates for things that we are passionate about.

I am challenging you to dilute the stuff and increase the sharing. Increase the time you spend each day sharing your appreciation for what you have, those around you and the opportunities you have to make a difference in the world around you.

Ways you can make a difference this Black Friday and beyond.

What was your budget for Black Friday? Split the budget in half and donate that to one of the great causes on Jolkona.

Do you own a pet? You understand how important that little furry beast is to you. Donate to Pasados Safe Haven in Monroe to help bring an injured dog back to health to be adopted, or sponsor a pet from a low income family to get vaccinated and spayed.

Donate towards Christopher Burgess’ fight to end hunger. Did you know that every $5 you give provides 35 meals for hungry families?

If you have to go shopping then go shopping for a warm waterproof jacket, or an educational toy to bring to the Seattle Tweet Drive on December 9^th.Similar Posts:

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Who doesn’t love a great story? Especially one about an young entrepreneur. The story of Derek Johnson and SMS marketing Tantango is becoming my favorite young entrepreneur story to tell. I am delighted to share with your Derek’s own insights into the world of being an entrepreneur, bringing an idea to life and creating a successful business. Being in Bellingham means as a normal Seattle networker you might not have had the chance to meet Derek yet. He is friendly, outgoing and full of energy. I admire Derek not only for what he has been able to accomplish, yet his dedication to excellent communication. He also has a natural entrepreneurial spirit, creating jobs for himself and others since he was a teenager.

“All people want is a reliable way to communicate to their group members or customers. That’s what Tatango does and continues to do…” - Derek

He is one of the NW best leading a revolution of being open, and accessible. He is encouraging and answers questions of aspiring entrepreneurs. Derek has made his own accessibility a priority and is incredibly generous answering emails, Facebook messages, tweets and any other question that comes his way.

“I was amazed to see you listed your personal phone number on the website. Secondly, I was surprised when you personally answered when I called. I don’t think I have ever experienced that before. So I have to admit my first impression with your company was ‘wow.’” – Mo.com

Connect with Derek!

I’m easily one of the most accessible CEO’s and I love to connect with new people.

If you want to reach me, feel free to call/text me on my mobile phone @ 206.334.4012

@thederekjohnson | thederekjohnson.com | tatango.com | Contact

From Idea to a Business

1. Start Small – Start small and you will be able to quickly see if you have something interesting before you look to expand.

2. Don’t Re-Invent The Wheel – No matter what problem you are experiencing or challenge you have in front of you, you aren’t the first person to ever go through it. Seek out advice or guidance from someone that has gone through the same thing you are going through, this will save you from making a lot of costly mistakes in the future.

3. Work your ass off - I’m serious, I don’t think there are bad ideas, I think there are only lazy entrepreneurs. Any entrepreneur that works his ass off can change a bad idea into a good one with a lot of hard-work.

SMS Marketing Win = Win for Businesses & Consumers

It’s a two way street, businesses use Tatango to send text message coupons, discounts, event reminders, etc. to the consumers that opt-in to receive them from the businesses. It’s a win-win situation for both the business and consumer.

“Did you know that only 23 percent of Americans check social networks like Facebook on their phones, and even less than that 10 percent check micro-blogging sites like Twitter on their phones? You can compare that to the 72 percent of people who actively text message on their mobile phones.” -  Derek interviewed on Marketing by Deepak

Even for Business, it Takes a Village

If I had to list everyone that played a role in getting Tatango to where it is now, it would seriously take me a few days. I think that’s a lesson though for any entrepreneur is that you aren’t building a company alone, there are so many people out there that are willing to help and will add tremendous value, you just have to go out and find them. I see too many entrepreneurs think that they are going at building their business alone, those are the ones that usually fail.

Remote Teams Productive with Collaboration Tools

Reducing costs has been the biggest benefit of having a remote team, we’ve shaved off about 14-17% off our monthly burn by getting rid of our office and going virtual. The hardest part is still having that collaborative space to come up with new ideas and work through existing problems. To overcome this, we use Skype, BaseCamp, GoToMeeting and a few other tools.

Personal Branding Means You are Doing Business with a Person

If my promoting myself didn’t bring in extra business for Tatango, I wouldn’t do it. With the speaking events, conferences and interviews I do, the amount of new business we’ve been able to acquire has been staggering. Also, I think in the internet space, it’s always good to have a face behind a company. All of our competitors are an email address and a phone number, that’s all. How can you trust that? I’m a real person, if I was a customer looking for text message marketing, I would want to do business with a person, not a phone number or email address. It’s that simple.

Who is Derek Johnson Offline?

I’m always working, so there really isn’t a Derek offline or away from Tatango. I believe in giving 100% to whatever I do, which doesn’t leave room for anything else and I’m fine with that at this stage in my life. I started kicking into high gear working 15-17 hour days, 7 days a week the minute I received our first investment in Tatango. Taking other people’s money completely changed the game.

Find Your Own Inspiration

I’ve been told I have a condition called Hypomania, a genetically based form of mild mania, which endows people with energy, creativity, enthusiasm, and a propensity for taking risks. I’m ok with this, as these are the keys to being a great entrepreneur. I think true entrepreneurs are born with this inspiration, you can’t learn it in school, absorb it, etc. it’s just who you are. It doesn’t go away either, which made it extremely hard for me in structured setting like university and eventually lead to me dropping out to pursue the entrepreneurial lifestyle.

Selling Your Brand Beyond a College Degree.

A lot of parents question me about this one. I’ve found a unique way though to get them to see my view on this subject. Ask them what university their kid graduated from and then ask them what type of job their kid has right now. With the unemployment rate so high and recent graduates moving back home at a faster rate than ever, there is a good chance their kid has a university degree and is unemployed. That usually proves my point

In my case my business education came from watching and listening to my father and actually doing it. From a very young age I was always selling something or creating businesses here and there, and I have picked up what I my business knowledge along the way.

I have mixed emotions about college. I was actually told by my college counselor that I shouldn’t even apply to the business school because my grades weren’t high enough. On one hand I don’t believe college prepares students enough for making real world business decisions. On the other hand I think college is necessary for building the foundation in which you can build the rest of your knowledge off of. I almost see college as a necessary evil. My teachers are going to love that last quote.”  – Derek being interviewed by Entrepreneurship-Interviews.com

Don’t Let The Haters Get You Down

It feels like there is an abundance of people out there that want to see me fail. Don’t get me wrong, there a bunch of people that want to see me succeed also, but you can’t let the haters get inside your head. That’s the biggest challenge I would say.

Simple Strategy is Successful Strategy

Keeping things simple. There are so many different verticals within mobile that we could have gone, but we’ve continued to stay focused on making Tatango the easiest text message marketing tool on the face of the planet. Nothing else, period.

Staying Informed

I’m reading all of the time, wether it’s on my desktop, laptop, iPhone, I’m always trying to get more information to better gauge where the industry is heading.

Hear Derek Speak

Oh yea, speaking and conferences have been a big part of my schedule over the last year. I’m usually speaking at least once a week at some conference, university, association, etc. The one place you may not see me is at UW, I’m still a little bitter that they denied me to their undergraduate business program. There is actually a fierce discussion on Facebook about whether I should accept their speaking invitations.

Date the CEO of Tatango.

If anyone knows a women that could put up with all that you’ve heard above and is in the 21-30 year old range, have them call me.

Reach out to Derek if you have questions about SMS Marketing, Tatango or are interested in a date.

Connect with Derek!

I’m easily one of the most accessible CEO’s and I love to connect with new people.

If you want to reach me, feel free to call/text me on my mobile phone @ 206.334.4012

@thederekjohnson | thederekjohnson.com | tatango.com | Contact

• Stuff 2012 With Successful Strategies
• Do You LOVE Your Customers
• Meet Kyle Lacy – CEO of Brandswag

Brotherton Cadillac creates a Twitter focused campaign, Race for a Ride to raise awareness, and up to $140k for a Seattle non-profit. The idea takes donating through social media to non-profits to a whole new level, by offering one lucky tweeter a brand new car (2010 CTS).  I personally was very impressed with Brotherton Cadillac for taking the pludge into the deep end of social media to use it for good. The shiny car dealership will get a lot of buzz, and awareness, while making a difference in local non-profit and those it serves. The Race for a Ride campaign website is clean, fresh and fun. Further, type in “Race for a Ride” in Google and the first result will be Brotherton’s campaign  -  Nice SEO.

The Race for a Ride will benefit these five Seattle area non-profits:

• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
• The Moyer Foundation
• Seattle Children’s Hospital
• Arthritis Foundation
• Special Olympics Washington

Connect:

Website: RaceForARide.com & www.BrothertonCadillac.com
Twitter: @RaceForARide & @BroCadillac

Brotherton Cadillac Goes Social

Nology Media had been providing social media services to Brotherton Cadillac for a number of months. Brad Brotherton of Brotherton Cadillac had been pushing the Nology Media team to come up with ways for auto dealers to use social tools.  We wanted to develop a campaign that would highlight Brotherton Cadillac’s community involvement and philanthropic focus – with a big return for one lucky participant. The contest took four weeks to develop from inception to launch – that included on-boarding all five charities, sponsors, legal approval and website design and development.

The Idea for Race for a Ride

The idea originated from a charity golf tournament over the summer. On one of the golf holes, Brotherton Cadillac had a grand prize of a new Cadillac SUV for anyone who could make a hole in one on a difficult golf hole.  This type of contest happens all the time and almost no one ever wins.  We looked at the contest and asked ourselves – could we do something similar, but on Twitter? Race For A Ride was the idea we pitched to Brotherton Cadillac.

Tools For the Campaign

We’re using a number of commercial and proprietary listening and engagement platforms to manage outreach and engagement. Of course, Seattle’s own RowFeeder is the official data tracker of RaceForARide.

Brand & Campaign Values

Brad Brotherton, President of Brotherton Cadillac, devotes an incredible amount of time and resources to a number of local and national non-profits.

Not on Twitter? That’s okay

People may mail in entries on a 3″x5″ card. Entry by mail details are outlined in the Official Contest Rules page of the Race for a Ride website.

Strong Support Team

Nology Media developed the concept, campaign and contest for Brotherton Cadillac. Other sponsors of the contest include Seattle Met Magazine, Pacific Place, and RBC Wealth Management.

Tips for Running a Social Media Campaign for Non-Profits

Non-profits are asking to be educated on what’s possible through social media.  Start with educating them on the power of social media first and the power of the contest second. In addition, educate them on the residual benefits of increased awareness, larger lists, etc. no matter what the outcome of the contest.

Be creative – think about what’s possible, what’s not been done before, and don’t be afraid to take risks.

Connect:

Website: RaceForARide.com & www.BrothertonCadillac.com
Twitter: @RaceForARide & @BroCadillac

• True love lives in appreciation.
• Non-Profit Full of Fur, Feathers & Social Media
• 5 Lava Hot Social Media Must Reads

Problem solving intense jobs that demand creativity, sales, business development a ten to fifteen other hats are often stressful. Watching, and learning from entrepreneurs, marketing and cubicle dwelling folks here are some of the ideas I came up with that seemed to be common habits.

Understanding that not every day is full of sunshine I came up with 21 habits that seem to keep the best marketers focused and ready for action.

1. Appreciation of their team, job and opportunities.
The best way to love your job is to appreciate what you have. Waking up worrying about reports or meetings might steal your focus but happy marketing people remind themselves that they get to create connections and foster long lasting relationships. Don’t sweat the spilled coffee.

2. Choose a community wisely
The importance of networking is second to the importance of finding a great community.  I LOVE Seattle 2.0 and HopsAndChops, both are supportive welcoming communities of entrepreneurs that have big ideas (like me) and are taking action every day to make those ideas a successful reality. Connect online and in real life.

Marketers are great at making connections but happier if they make long lasting relationships with key people that will cheer them on when things get tough.  Even if it just little things like retweeting your event promoting and sending a few introduction emails out to help.

3. Considerate and Compassionate
It is easy to get caught up in the daily distractions. In the big picture it is important for marketers to respect others in their field and be compassionate with others are struggling or have made a mistake. Happy marketing people know the importance of acknowledging their fellow professionals and supporting them.

4. Stay Fresh and Current
Networking, going to conferences, reading blogs, and watching how-to videos will help you stay in touch with the latest and greatest. Know your facts, ask questions engage with professionals in your industry. Making you feel enriched, challenged and keep your sense of curiosity for your job, career and industry alive.

Mix it up a little bit. Go and visit the nerds at one of Scott Hanselman’s nerd dinners, or go to a Social Media Club or a Biznik event. The whole Seattle area is rich in activities and events to expand your experience, network and knowledge.

5. Problems? Solutions!
Due dates approaching, goals seem to be slipping? Happy marketing people know that problems are full of opportunities. Use your clever problem solving skills to reach out to resources, research and bring ideas for solutions to the table. Don’t let the problems get you down.

6. Love Social Media? How about Print Design? Do it.
Marketing is a broad category. You could wear many hats or be a specialist in SEO, Social Media or designing t-shirts.  You spend and invest a great deal of your LIFE into your job. So do something you love. If you aren’t doing what you love work with your employer to move in that direction or it might be time to start looking at Craigslist for a new opportunity.

7. Smell the Roses
There is more to life than analytics, WordPress and dare I even say it, Twitter. I spend time every day taking care of our little farm critters. Living in Maple Valley I am surrounded by really beautiful forests, parks and wildlife.  Find your happy place and spend time there, don’t say you are going to jog around the lake and never go. Invest in yourself and spend time outside, fresh air and really take in the beauty around you.

8. Add a little Goof to your attitude
Life is full of joy, and that joy often is shared through being a little goofy. Have a girls, or guys night out and invite Ben & Jerry over, watch comedy, look at funny cat pictures and don’t take things too seriously. Don’t forget to let yourself have a little slack, no one is perfect so develop the ability to laugh at yourself.

9. I’m Sorry & Forgiveness
The most successful people don’t make all the money. The best marketers, entrepreneurs and even cubicle dwellers are successful because they know how to say “I’m sorry”, and “I forgive you” and genuinely mean it.  Holding stress and grudges only hurts you. The same goes with yourself, send out a weird tweet that might not be the best reflection of your brand. It is okay, the world will go on so learn and forgive yourself.

10. Thank you bunches!
People love to help, especially now that social media has made it so easy to share content it is also that easy to tell them thank you. The best marketing people look for ways to say thank you more than they spend time looking for new content that might go viral. Say thanks, say it often. Might seem trival yet you will make someone else feel great for supporting you and your brand which I guarantee will also make you feel pretty good too.

11. Relationships are invaluable
It gets rough, trust me. There are going to be days where you can’t even get a pigeon to pay attention to anything you have to say. You will be frustrated and the one thing you can do is tell people how much you care about them. Even when things are rough acknowledge hard work, nurture relationships and if you can’t keep commitments tell people early. Spend time writing personalized notes, not blanket emails and even when things are rough come back to the table after you have cooled off and show your love and appreciation for those you work with. Connect with people, good people + good people = great communities.

12. Walk the Talk
Marketing can be a lot of talk before there is any action. The best and happiest marketing professionals take action that meets or exceeds their fancy speeches.

13. R&R – Rest and Relaxation
Being in a creative problem solving fast paced job means having the energy and focus to keep up and produce high quality work. The only way creative professionals stay sane is with excellent self care. Yoga, meditation, exercise, eating well, enough sleep are all ways to keep your mind fresh. Limit alcohol and late night events.

14. Avoid the Watercooler
The trap of falling into gossip is not only a waste of time but a great way to burn bridges with great people. Don’t get overly concerned with what other people say, think, wear whatever. Great marketing people are expressive, accepting and avoid conversations that focus on hurtful comments or judgments.  It does take time and it is hard not to make comments, that seem okay at the time but later I think, “Geez, why did I say that?”.  Everyone has the right to live their own life that includes you.

15. Positive Outlook
Life is Good. Seriously, have an attitude of optimism and you will be 100% easier to work with than people that arrive at the meeting table with a glass half empty. Think positive, and look for solutions the best marketing people are able to replace negative thoughts with positive ones almost instantly.

16. Love makes the world go round
If you look beyond the details like resumes, follower numbers and how many Linkedin recommendation someone has and see them for being one heck of an awesome human being it is going to be much easier to love them. Accept those around you; yes even the folks in IT. Love them even when they are frustrated, you are frustrated and nothing seems to be going right.

17. Don’t Take Your Ball and Go Home
The answer to those days you want to go home and hide under your bed is: Get back in the game.

Focus on what you want, and break down your big goal into little tiny achievable ones. Don’t give up, but be flexible as things change.

18. Think Ahead
Being flexible is great, but being able to be flexible based on facts is why we love analytics. The happiest marketers accept that even with great data, an awesome team and fantastic resources there are still things they can control and that’s okay. Determining what things are risks and what could hurt your team, your project and business is essential. Don’t be the dude that is sweating after losing two key people in your team and having to explain to management that you can’t make deadlines.

19. Water not Soda
Professionals that carry a steal water bottle and skip the soda, and limit the caffeine are giving their body the hydration it needs without a bunch of random chemicals from soda and energy altering effects of caffeine. Great marketers are aware of how their choices affect those around them, buy not buying water bottles they reduce waste and encourage others to bring their own bottle to work, the gym or on the road.

20. Being Awesome
Be genuine and you are being awesome. Don’t believe anyone that tells you if you were “A” you would be better than “B”. The best marketing professionals are easy to spot, they have a sense of calm, yet excited about their work and self confident. Do the best you can do, ask for feedback from trusted people like mentors and be genuine.

21. 100% of the time
The only person that can decide how you feel is you. Great marketing people have the ability not to let business matters get under their skin, they understand how important personal relationships are and make sure to invest and work at their friendships. Take responsibility for your own emotions, moods, attitudes, thoughts and your actions. The successful professionals are the first to admit when they have made a mistake and don’t avoid conversations to help repair relationships.Similar Posts:

• Creative Teamwork
• Time to Be a Good Customer
• Mark Thompson CEO of Search Creatively