Dog paints picture to help Austrialian friends February 22, 2009
Posted by Richard Shatto in Blogs, Social Media.Tags: Austrialian Fires, Innovation, Social Media, SparkyBarky
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Sparky in his studio
This is Sparky Barky, an artist, a writer and an actor.
Last week Sparky was struck with an idea to offer up one of his original paintings for a charity auction on eBay… with the proceeds going to four-legged victims of Australia’s fires.
Sparky’s Blog
Sparky’s YouTube Channel
Sparky’s eBay Painting
The painting, an acrylic on paper, was done in his studio in British Columbia Canada. Sparky is genuinely excited about the potential to do his part in raising some support help his fellow four-legged friends and their humans, who have suffered enormous loses.
A writer in the social media sphere, Sparky has been pawing a dog blog on BlogSpot (he immediately took to that name) for two or three years. He is also a budding YouTube star, with a channel following that grows daily.
Sparky thanks everyone for their interest in his cause and hopes that you`ll cliek through to his eBay page to place a bid for his painting. The winner will get a signed copy, and ALL proceeds will go to the charitable cause.
If you`d like to know more about Sparky and his human, please click through to his blog for a quick read, or watch a video or two.
And again, if you feeling a little philanthropic, he and his friends would be more than grateful. You`ll be getting an honest-to-goodness SparkyBarky original… a once in a lifetime experience.
Sparky would also like you to forward this to anyone (young or old, canine, human – even feline) who might have an interest.
Again those links are:
I`ve agreed to help Sparky out a bit. I`ll be monitoring the hits and links for the next few days and I’m also going to send out a few Twitters. I hope you`ll share this as well.
Marketing VP — Role and Responsibilities February 21, 2009
Posted by Richard Shatto in Business Strategy, Marketing Strategy.Tags: Guy Kawasaki, Kristin Zhivago, marketers, Marketing VP, Rivers of Revenue
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Kristin Zhivago is one of the America’s most important marketers.
Kristin has worked with some of the world’s largest companies and most celebrated CEO’s. Guy Kawasaki said of Kristin’s insights, “You can suffer through years of marketing and selling experimentation, or you can read this book [Rivers of Revenue] and understand exactly what you have to do.”
In this, her latest blog, Kristin adeptly dissects The Role and Responsibilites of today’s Marketing VP and, in a just a few succinct words, puts it all into perspective.
If you are an Entrepreneur, Director, CEO or Marketing executive feeling more than just a little uneasy about your current marketing direction, click through and read.
Twitter… Who has time? Better Watch this. February 16, 2009
Posted by Richard Shatto in Business Strategy, Social Media.Tags: Perry Belcher, Twitter
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I thought it… maybe still do, but Perry Belcher’s little chalkboard lesson is making it harder to ignore.
Go see Perry at http://www.winningatsocialmedia.com/ He’s got lots more.
Thanks Perry.
Great Little Service for Startups and VC’s! February 13, 2009
Posted by Richard Shatto in Business Strategy.Tags: branding, Custom Logo, entrepreneurs, graphic design, Logo Tournament, Marketing Strategy, startups, VC, venture capitalist
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Get a custom logo for a fraction of the cost it would be from a traditional creative designer or marketing firm.
This service furnishes you you dozens of different graphic designs to look at and choose from among. It employs many talented designers competing for the top prize — you choosing their design.
This will be very helpful for entrepreneurs, startups, small marketers, and even VC’s who are looking to advise their valuable startups on how to save money and speed the process.
Big marketing and graphic design firms will probably not be so ecstatic. But, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which side of the coin you are on), it is the way of the ‘cloud’. Its a new game out there, and we need only look back a few years to the recording industry, MP3, iTunes and their ilk, to see the future and, hopefully, begin our adaptive strategies.
And, think of this… for a pre-launch business plan or presentation, having a professional custom logo so quickly and economically is a great opportunity.
One caveat, this is only a logo. There is no design layout for an ID package, bus cards, letterhead, envelope, labels and the likes. You’ll need to go to a graphic design firm, or buy the extra service from LogoTournament for that.
And, you certainly are not getting a Branding Strategy, which, in the long run is going to be critical to your new enterprise. A reputatable marketer or branding firm (like Corebrand) would be best to provide you with that.
If you have a smaller budget and would like some advice you can also contact me – info below.
Opportunity is good, isn’t it great there’s so much of it!
Richard Shatto
Wordstorm Communications
Facilitators for Innovative Business Growth
C | 604-807-6334 | wordstorms@gmail.com
LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/rickshatto
Blog | http://rshatto.wordpress.com
Twitter | http://twitter.com/RickShatto
Skype | iamubiquitous
HubSpot’s Brian Halligan on Blog Analytics February 11, 2009
Posted by Richard Shatto in Blogs.Tags: Blog analytics, Brian Halligan, Hubspot, Website Analytics, WordPress
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WordPress and BlogSpot Fall Short .
Today, I was having an exchange with Dennis Schiraldi, a Linkedin connection and he sent me a link to HubSpot. Now, being a marketer, you’d suppose that not knowing about this HubSpot, I must have been completely comatose for a while. But, there you go… it was indeed new to me. Not any more. After pouring over the site, for what must have been 90 minutes or more (I lose track of time when I’m having fun), I came across this blog.
Brian Halligan, CEO and Founder of HubSpot recently wrote the blog named How Blogs Fall Short. It’s about shortcomings of the major blog engines like WordPress, the one I use, for business users.
He expresses 3 issues:
- Blog engine analytics only give you the “attraction side” of the prospect to customer (revenue) equation, not the conversion side.
- Blog engines make it difficult to properly brand the blog for the business. It also frustrates the corporate website metrics by the blog’s naming conventions.
- Blog engines do not provide the conversion tools to properly qualify the newly attracted prospects.
Brian may be correct in his analysis.
He asked for a comment on the blog, and as I’m a new blogger, still feeling my way around, poking at the various tools and widgets available for WordPress, I’m not sure I can adequately comment, except to say it does seem these various widgets/tools do provide, or are trying to provide the analytics it question.
Brian, perhaps if you have a solution(s), you’d like to share them. I’m sure there are many of us willing to listen.
Richard Shatto
Wordstorm Communications
Facilitators for Innovative Business Growth
C | 604-807-6334 | wordstorms@gmail.com
LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/rickshatto
Blog | http://rshatto.wordpress.com
Twitter | http://twitter.com/RickShatto
Skype | iamubiquitous
Expert Advice on Web 2.0 Content Marketing February 7, 2009
Posted by Richard Shatto in Business Strategy, Innovative Strategies.Tags: Content Marketing Program, Personal Positioning, Thought Leadership, VAZT.com, Web 2.0 Content Marketing, Wendy Goeckel
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Earlier this week, I read an article by Wendy Goeckel, which helped me. She did so with no expectation of a payoff. She simply offered advice about a market I’m not as familiar with. And, it is advice I can act on. It has real value to me and my clients.
But, was there a payoff for her? I think so.
She positioned herself as an expert I wanted to learn more about and I immediately went to her Linkedin profile. She also positioned her company, because in turn, I followed links back to her company website which offers more value advice.
Is Wendy becoming an expert in my mind? Absolutely.
Here’s a link to the Linkedin question Wendy graciously answered for me.
Here’s a link to Wendy’s public Linkedin Profile.
And, here’s the link to Wendy’s original article.
If you’d like advice this subjects and many more. I’m sure Wendy and her company won’t mind if you give them a call.
Thanks Wendy, keep up the thought leadership.
CoreBrand and Google: Core Thinking & Communications February 5, 2009
Posted by Richard Shatto in Business Strategy.Tags: brand logo, branding, business analysis, common sense business, Corebrand, corporate branding, Google, James R. Gregory, Wordstorm Communications
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I’m still impressed.
There are a few companies that I have been following my entire marketing career. One is CoreBrand… arguably the most successful branding company in, well, I don’t know this for certain, but probably the world. I was originally attracted by their own brilliant corporate brand, and I was determined to make my first branding project somewhat a look-alike. As you can imagine, it just wasn’t the same.
And, they still impress me, read the link below and you’ll get a sense of the breadth of their business mandate. Though a branding company… don’t just think logos. This is “core” branding… the strategic center of the company. The very thoughts that will seriously affect a company’s operations and viability.
Lesson Learned
But sometimes I question myself, why didn’t I just call CoreBrand? Well, I know why, I was too shy. They had huge mulitinational clients and we, were a micro-company, micro-niched into a macro industry. I was sure CoreBrand would be way out of our price category. However, I still wonder what would have happened had I called up and said, “Hi CoreBrand, I have a small branding project. Can you help us become a powerhouse brand?” Well, I’m not so shy today… so, CoreBrand, be expecting a call from me or Wordstorm Communications in the near future.
Click here to link to an article by CoreBrand CEO James R. Gregory. He speaks to the “core” of such brand phenomenon as Google itself. It’s short and succintly to the point, and you’ll get a sense of what it means to think strategically; typical (for CoreBrand) of a clear common-sense understanding, thoughtful business analysis and some potential outcomes.
I hope you enjoy.
YouTube – O’Pen Bic Sailing/Sledding West Coast Sailing February 4, 2009
Posted by Richard Shatto in Marketing Strategy.Tags: BIC Pens, Inspired Marketing
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Now, this is great marketing! While others are hunkering down, these folks are getting their message out, making it fun. It’s no wonder they are selling like hot cakes in a cold tent.
And, look at that BIC! Da ya think they are getting their money’s worth? Would that all products were as good to their sponsors.
And, low budget… Oh, we hates you.
Go guys, you inspire.
Who’s an American? February 1, 2009
Posted by Richard Shatto in Uncategorized.add a comment
The following is not written by myself, rather mailed to me. But, I appreciated it and thought it worth adding. It is popular for some in Canada to bash Americans, but I find such attitudes very distasteful, and feel strongly the sentiment expressed below.
It is reported that someone recently published in an international newspaper the offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.
The following day, an Australian wrote an editorial to inform readers just what an American is… so they would know one when they found one.
‘An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish , Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be C anadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.
An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.
An American is Christian , or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims i n America than in Afghanistan.The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.
An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.
An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.
The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence , which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness..
An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.
When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!
As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan
The national symbol of America , The Statue of Liberty , welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, temp est tossed. These, in fact, are the people who built America.
And, some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11 , 2001 earning a better life for their families. It’s been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.
So, you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo , and Stalin , and Mao Tse-Tung, and other tyrants in the world over. But, in doing so you would just be hurting yourself, beecause Americans are not a particular people from a particular place, they are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. And everyone, everywhere who holds to that spirit, is truly an American.
Author unknown.
I’ve heard it said that one of the best long-term things that can happen to a country is to go to war with the Americans. Interestingly, just ask follow the post-war history of Germany, Japan or Korea. Perhaps it’s true.
