Ever since Marcia Yudkin has been sending out her weekly Marketing Minute, I’ve looked forward to each one. She always comes up with suggestions that are both creative and practical. When the following article arrived in my mailbox last week, I knew I wanted to pass it along since it is a great addition to the Ideafest.
Many bloggers and newsletter writers run out of ideas: Yikes, what else is there to write about?
Take a tour.
Find some place where you can efficiently experience and then comment on dozens of examples relevant to your expertise.
What are they doing wrong – or right?
For instance, if you specialize in customer service, visit a mall or main street and describe the demeanor of the shop assistants or how they respond when you ask directions.
If you sell promotional specialties, walk the aisles of a trade show, then comment on the fresh and cliched giveaways you see.
Or suppose you’re an attorney. Read the privacy policies of the ten most popular dating sites and warn readers about the pitfalls hiding between the lines.
For best results, explore some colorful setting your readers might not expect you to visit.
For my naming newsletter, I toured the ads in Entrepreneur Magazine’s annual Franchise 500 issue, cutting out examplesof comment-worthy company names, tag lines and logos. In about 15 minutes I painlessly collected observations for the next three issues of my newsletter!
$100 Hour: Teach a class. Whether information is your primary product or you’re a service provider, the opportunities to pass along what you know are enormous. Start close to home in an adult ed program or, if your target is a younger audience, a community program for kids. What have you learned that could be useful to others? Don’t be stingy…pass it on.
Explore More: For years I’ve been raving about Marcia Yudkin’s marvelous book, Six Steps to Free Publicity. She recently updated this useful handbook to include the latest opportunities to let the world know what you’re up to. Whether you own a previous edition or not, the third edition belongs in your library.
What you actually do within twenty-four hours of having a creative idea will spell the difference between success and failure. ~ Buckminster Fuller
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