Category: Uncategorized
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Learning how to leverage status-seeking behavior for Creative Houston
Thanks to Eugene Wei for explaining it all so that I finally understand Instagram, among many other things. As I develop the business plan for Creative Houston, I have to try and anticipate how Houstonians will react to this platform that is about them, but not targeted to them. Creative Houston is targeted to creative…
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Being an innovator, living with loyalty, like Tig Notaro
On Finding Your Roots, a brief interchange between Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Tig Notaro stopped me in my tracks. They were talking about the fact that one of her ancestors was elected mayor of New Orleans by fellow members of his working class, whose interests her ancestor defended. "I love loyalty," says Notaro, and…
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Short-term goals keep killing long-term goals
"Opportunity costs are invisible," notes Rory Sutherland. That phrase is going to get taped to the top of my computer screen. The audience we want to reach with our startup, Creative Houston, has to be reached before it arrives online. We are going to be forced to reach out and form partnerships with out-of-town schools…
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The power of making decisions
We are all barraged with requests for our opinion, time, participation, subscription. Ignoring the request is easier than making a decision. When prompted to make a decision, we often do what seems "good for us." So as marketers we should not just show the benefits, but ask people to actually make a decision, not just…
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Turns out that Facebook and Twitter are terrible places to find out what’s going on
While I knew that I should not rely on the current events reporting I find when checking my social feeds, I'm slowly coming to realize it's not just that we use the platforms improperly, it's that the platforms encourage very poor behavior around current events. Let's share more travel and pet pictures, people. Get your…
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Stop hoping that inactive subscribers will revive
When I work with business owners, they frequently resist removing inactive subscribers… they know that person still exists. Sadly, being alive doesn't make you a reader or user of email. And more seriously, inbox providers are driven to eliminate unwanted messages. If you manage an emailing list you have to get ahead of the problem…
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Brand growth in the face of the “buy local” movement
Can a brand which has grown by celebrating its local roots then turn the corner and grow past them? My hypothesis is that if the locale has a strong positive identity before the brand was launch, growing beyond the local market is possible. We probably need to see a natural match between the values of…
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How newsletters and crowdfunding are improving the prospects for book authors
Craig Mod shares some amazing insights for people in all professionals who want to make a living from words. The primacy of the newsletter in finding an audience is the most reassuring. Having a direct channel with one's readers doesn't necessarily lead to big income, but it does lead to crucial connections and feedback that…
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Giving better in the new year
With so many of my friends trying to raise money for so many good causes, social media has actually burned me out for charity. My goal for the coming year is to think ahead and give with a plan. Ideas42: ‘Tis the Season for Americans to…Give to Charity? 2018-Nov-20 by Sarah Welch One reason Americans…
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What is the president’s role?
The single biggest issue I have with the current administration is the practice of blaming. How can we do better if we're so busy pointing fingers instead of trying to understand what the other side wants? Comedy writers are not paid to be role models. Presidents are. Houston Chronicle: How do we learn to hate?…
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