In the three weeks since I posted the notice on my site about link building, I’ve received lots of link solicitations. Now it’s time to give them what they want. First: why do I classify emails asking for links or a contributed article to be spam? Because: You’ve paid no attention to what is on…
I am writing a lot of marketing copy lately. I’ve noticed some things you might find helpful. Here’s what I’m currently writing and editing: Marketing description for a book on management. Marketing description for a book on the future of transportation. Articles about corporate AI strategy for an author. Blog posts announcing an AI-focused startup….
We keep getting emails and pitches from everyone we’ve ever done business with. And they all start the same way . . . “In these unprecedented times . . . “ “I hope you are well . . . “ We can do better. I can do better. So, in the interests of variety, I’m…
A new analytical voice has appeared on Twitter. Here’s a little of what they shared yesterday: just gonna come out and say it: vulnerable people are always the most susceptible to propaganda, misinformation, and conspiracy, especially in times of cultural anxiety, and if there is a way to help them out of these traps, targeted…
Coronavirus has frozen your business in place. Nobody’s buying. Nobody’s even able to buy. What should you do? Be generous. Give stuff away to your customers. It’s simple. The only real asset you still have is customer relationships. You also have workers — unless you’ve let them go — and those workers are used to…
It’s hard to think long-term right now, with everything changing rapidly. But you don’t have to react — and communicate — as if your time horizon is measured in hours. Think a few weeks ahead, and your messaging will look a lot smarter. I thought of this because of the string of messages I got…
TV spots and other advertising right now are mostly wasted. Consumers view your normal ads for normal products against a backdrop that is not remotely normal. People are shut up in their houses; people are dying. This is not a time to get people to test drive SUVs or open a new credit card or…
My inbox is full of irrelevant messaging. There are the messages from everyone from my eye doctor to the bike shop about COVID-19. And then there are marketing pitches that were clearly created months ago and are totally irrelevant now. There’s only one thing on people’s minds: surviving the pandemic. If that’s all people are…
American Dirt is an Oprah-recommended novel about Mexicans fleeing violence to find asylum in America. It’s also hugely controversial. The publisher and author are dealing with the blowback. It’s instructive to see how they’ve written about that experience. The unexpected challenge here is coming from Latino communities, some of whom feel that the author Jeanine…