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It's True. I Am a Nerd.
Posted on March 30, 2005 by Sarah Eaton.
Imagine this scenario, if you will: a group of friends has just completed a rousing game of kickball. The main character (all right, it's me) says, "Well, I'm heading to the library now." All of the peripheral characters practically fall over laughing. "The library?" they say. "You gigantic nerd, why are you going to the library?"
Now probably, because you read "kickball," "library," and "[taunting] friends" in the previous paragraph, you might think that all of this happened in fourth grade.
But, um...that scene took place fairly recently.
The truth is that I love the library. I love the library because I love to read. I love to read because I love to learn. (Okay, so yes, they were right to call me a nerd.)
I think it’s important to stretch my brain every day; I like to get better at things. And improve my vocabulary. And think about sentence construction. (Okay, so yes, they were right to call me a gigantic nerd, but I wear that moniker proudly.)
That’s why I’m so pumped about the company book club that BeTuitive has begun in the name of continuous learning.
Look for reviews of books that my co-workers and I have read to be posted here periodically.
March 30, 2005 in award winning design, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Blogs, Building Customer Intuition, business credibility, CMO, company newsletter sample, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (1)
Brain Food for the Time Hungry
Posted on March 29, 2005 by Sarah Eaton.
If you don't keep your brain nimble, it turns to jelly. Just like that. Jelly.
Check out Peter's post today over on my brother blog, BeConnected.
He talks about an issue near and dear to my heart--continuous learning, and he's got a nifty tool for those of us who want to keep on learning, but don't have the time to read all the books that are out there that could help us out: Executive Book Summaries.
They condense the information and give you a quick rundown of what you need to know. In the world of often-dry business books, sometimes a summary is all you need.
March 29, 2005 in award winning design, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Award winning publications, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, Blogging Tools, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, Company publication, Corporate Blogging, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Not an urban myth
Posted on March 28, 2005 by Sarah Eaton.
First I must confess that I resisted writing about this with every fiber of my being. But it proved to be just too much to withstand:
Yes, someone found a fingertip in her Wendy's chili. No, it's not an urban myth. Yes, that's disgusting. No, Wendy's isn't talking about it.
At least not on their website. Why not? Obviously, this is something horrible that's happened--why not come out and address it directly? And what does this say about the relationship between corporate Wendy's and its franchisees?
March 28, 2005 in award winning design, blog publish, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, company newsletter sample | Permalink | Comments (1)
It's Not Just About Content
Posted on March 25, 2005 by Sarah Eaton.
I'm more of a word-centric person, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten that design is ever-so-important in e-newsletter creation.
Kat, my designer colleague, pointed me toward Identifont, which does exactly what you think it does: that's right--it helps you identify fonts.
A useful little tool if you're looking to modify a previous designer's work. And for other stuff, I'm sure, but I'll let the designers out there tell me what.
March 25, 2005 in award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Award winning publications, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, company blog, company magazine, company newsletter, Company newsletters | Permalink | Comments (0)
Too Much Information
Posted on March 23, 2005 by Sarah Eaton.
Susan was a busy bee last month when it came to cranking out quality articles for our newsletter (sign up here.)
I talk about dealing with info overload every once in a while (like here, and here, and here), but Susan's article really brings it all together and offers five action steps for overcoming info overload and taking charge of your electronic communications.
Here's a taste:
Evaluate your effort and react accordingly. Ask the hard question: is anybody really interested in reading this? Be honest. Track the results. Tailor your messages in reaction to those reactions. Test and re-test how you send your messages.
Read it all here.
March 23, 2005 in award winning design, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Award winning publications, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, Brand enhancement, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, business credibility, company blog, company magazine, company newsletter, company newsletter sample, Company newsletters, Company publication, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0)
So...Where's the File?
Posted on March 22, 2005 by Sarah Eaton.
I do this with enough frequency that it's bothersome: I write an email message with the sole purpose of transmitting an attachment to someone, and then I forget to add the attachment.
It's awkward enough when you realize it on your own and correct it right away, but when you get an email back that says, "You didn't attach anything, moron," then it can become downright embarrassing.
If you use Outlook, this macro, found at KC on Exchange and Outlook, might be your solution:
Here are the instructions
and the code.
March 22, 2005 in award winning design, award winning magazine, Award winning publications, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, company newsletter, company newsletter sample, Company newsletters, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0)
Know Your CMOs
Posted on March 21, 2005 by Sarah Eaton.
Golly, but those CMO-types sure are busy and enigmatic folks. Lucky for us, MarketingSherpa put out an article in which the CMO's thinking patterns are de-mystified. It lists a bunch of dos and don'ts for marketers trying to capture their attention:
My favorite do:
Do #4. Concise, personalized emails that identify a business problem the CMO knows he has or convinces him he'll soon have -- coupled with suggestions on how you've solved the problem for other relevant businesses the CMO actually knows or has heard of.
My favorite don't:
Don't #1. It should go without saying that marketing savvy CMOs are highly resistant to the standard "fodder" companies still send out. Run-of-the-mill collateral coupled with vague benefits statements such as, "We'll help you increase your bottom line," will be instantly trashed.
Get all their advice here.
March 21, 2005 in award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Award winning publications, company newsletter, company newsletter sample, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (2)
Spelling Counts
Posted on March 18, 2005 by Sarah Eaton.
It's got a few problems, this tinySpell app, most notably that we're all constantly typing words that don't really exist (like passwords and BeTuitive), and each time that happens, tinySpell (not recognized as a word by tinySpell, incidentally) beeps and turns yellow.
However...I still dig it. What it does is check your spelling no matter where you're typing (hence the abovementioned difficulties).
Even though I'm a proofreading devotee, sometimes things still slip past me. Because I'm not always typing in Word, and because I am a firm believer in correct spelling, this app is right up my alley.
Thanks to alltheseideas (also not a word) for pointing me toward it.
March 18, 2005 in award winning blog, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, Building Customer Intuition, Business editorial, business magazine, Business Marketing, company magazine, Company newsletters, Corporate Blogging, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (2)
Pump Up Your Personal Productivity
Posted on March 15, 2005 by Sarah Eaton.
Pavlina's personal productivity pointers:
- Keep a detailed time log
- Analyze your results
- Calculate your personal efficiency ratio
- Cut back on total hours to force efficiency increase
- Gradually increase total hours while maintaining peak efficiency
It seems to me that paying that much attention to how you work is a lot of extra (and perhaps unnecessary) work. But perhaps this falls into that do-it-once-and-change-your-life-habits-for-the-better-forever category. Thoughts?
March 15, 2005 in award winning blog, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, Business Marketing, Business publications, company blog, company magazine, company newsletter, Company newsletters, Company publication | Permalink | Comments (2)
Unplug to Connect
Posted on March 14, 2005 by Sarah Eaton.
It's pretty common knowledge that getting away from it all can help to rejuvenate your spirit, essentially creating a Brand New You who's ready to jump back in to work pursuits with unrestrained vigor.
While we may all know that, there are those of us who, even while lazing on a white sand beach, are still thinking about those email messages piling up, one after another, relentlessly, just waiting for us to return. And we're just not. able. to. relax.
Unscrunch your shoulders, and read Todd Smart's ideas for taking control of information overload, like:
- Scaling back on multitasking
- Separating business & personal communications
- Turning off technology that causes distractions
Read the rest of his suggestions here. Apply them to your own life, and you'll feel like you're lazing on a beach every day, even when you're at the office. Well, not really. But close.
March 14, 2005 in award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, Brand enhancement, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, Business Marketing, Business publications, company newsletter, Company newsletters | Permalink | Comments (0)