Here’s your chance for some free advertising and to win something!

In thinking about a marketing post for this week I decided that I could tell you some educational or inspirational information or I could have you tell me.

I decided to to with the latter, here’s why:  we can learn a lot from shared experiences.

I learn a bunch when folks weigh in at the comment section below and thought what a great way to engage readers, learn something new and provide a platform for sharing.

The Contest:

So here we go… leave a comment answering the following questions:

• What is your business, what do you do?
• Do you have an irresistible offer and if so, what is it?  In other words, why should we buy from you?
• You are limited to 75 words total to answer both questions.
• Comment must be posted by January 31, 2011.

What You Get:

You get free advertising by telling folks what you do and if your entry is chosen, you get an Amazon gift card for $50.

How Your Entry is Judged:

Team “U” will randomly choose a winner through a series of woofs and woofities, there will also be a very intense review of the entries by the non-furry workers.   We are looking for a great entry.

There you have it!  Let’s get this party started!

©2012 Marketing Unhinged. All Rights Reserved.

Me at Lady A

The Lady A

Lady A means Lady Antebellum!  Took my Mommy to the Lady Antebellum concert on Halloween night.  No I’m not a country music fan but the trio is very talented and puts on a great show.

Well, you know how they always sing their last song and head off stage and then everybody claps and shouts and then they walk back out on stage and sing another song… Yeah, well that didn’t happen.

Everyone is shouting and clapping and stamping their feet and then the announcer says that special guests have arrived and names some other country stars.  Now if you’re a country music fan you’d know who it was.  Mom and I just looked at each other and shrugged.  Anyhoo, everyone came back out on stage in costume including Lady A who were dressed as Reba and some guy duo.

They tried to stay in character but couldn’t and it was actually very funny.

If you’ve read my post at David’s site you’ll know that number 2 on the list is “Be Bold”.  Being bold means that it’s okay to have some fun and mix it up and do something unexpected.  The costume song was unexpected and the audience loved it.  Lady A had fun, the band had fun and so did the audience.  THAT’s marketing 101!

#customerlove

Yep, the #customerlove challenge has started again for November.  If you don’t know what that is head on over to LaVonne Ellis’ great site where you can sign up for the challenge.  It’s all about customer-centricity.  If you want to learn to market your business without feeling like all you do is sell and advertise then the challenge is for you.

My contribution this week was a post about how to inject some #customerlove into your marketing efforts.  In fact it’s a list of 51 things you can do so head on over there to get that great stuff.

Here & There

Last week I was a guest poster at Virtual Business Lifestyle.  At first glance, many of us assume that Virtual Lifestyle means sitting on a beach in Tahiti with your laptop…

But as you’ll see I tried to mix it up a bit because working anywhere, anytime is really what it is all about.  So it doesn’t have to be on a beach.  It can be anywhere.  If you’ve got a minute, surf on over and have a read, it’s a short post.  I’d love your thoughts.

Here & There Again

This week I guest posted at DavidRisley.com and wrote about how you can attract more attention to your blog.  It received a wonderful amount of comments.  David has a great site and a great audience.  If you are looking to enhance your blog surf on over there and have a read.

Whew!

As you can see I’ve been a busy bee!  I’ve got more content out there than right here!  But no worries, on Monday the 10MMM will be out and during the week I’ll be here with some announcements and some new content.  So be sure to check in or subscribe to the email updates or RSS feed.

FINALLY

This might be the longest Wrap evah….

Just a reminder to connect with me on Twitter @yolandafacio it is by far my most favorite place to hang out and get to know you all.  AND if you want to be my friend on Facebook you can find me at www.facebook.com/yolanda.a.facio however, I’m not on Facebook as much as Twitter.

©2012 Marketing Unhinged. All Rights Reserved.

Okay, here’s my week in a nutshell…donuts, broken Porsches, more donuts, 15 miles of running Sat to Thursday, one meaty blog post, and doggie costumes.

Really, that was my week.  Did I tell you about the donuts?

Last weekend was Blog World I was not there…

When you have a $300k contract and something comes up, you sort of have to skip Blog World.  I’ve read tweets and blog posts and it sounded great!

20 Things

Last week, I posted my 20 Things You May Not Know About Me post.  It had been sitting on my computer for many weeks.  I suppose I was being a little bit shy about posting it.

First, it isn’t about marketing so I thought why am I doing this…but then I realized it very much is about marketing.

Engaging your customers and potential customers is a big deal in our very busy world.  The idea that when you come to my site you are in fact dealing with a real person makes a difference, it matters.

I encourage everyone to do their 20 Things list.  I think it makes a good addition to your overall content.  Best part, it was my highest traffic day ever.

Meaty Post

This week I wrote about Lady Gaga’s meat dress and was slapped into knowledge by @Tzaddi who let me know, in no uncertain terms, that Lady Gaga is a damn thief.  Check this out: Meat Dress Circa 1984.  From now on I will be doing some source checking or just let the readers keep me in line.

BUT the good news is…I came up with Remarketing 2.0 which currently has not been stolen.  It’s just a matter of time, what with all my celebrity and all.  But it’s mine, all mine.  I’m not giving it up and I will use all of you as witnesses.  Plus, there will likely be a car chase scene.

The Interwebs

I was also out and about at An Encouraging Bird talking engagement in a marketing sort of way, not an “I want to marry you” sort of way.  It was my second post in The Zen of Marketing series.  You should check it out if you haven’t already.

Halloween

Yes it’s just around the corner.  Last year I dressed Sparky up as a candy corn and sent the photo along with a coupon and a bag of candy corn to my Porsche customers.  This year Sparky asked to be a ghost…but then Bella wanted to be a ghost too.  So now there’s a dog fight…  The important part here is…dog pics and candy corn are effective marketing, the customers love it.  Nevermind my chasing the dogs around with a camera.

Okay so that’s The Wrap.  Sorry I missed last week, but really, I had nothing good.  But this week, WOW, juicy!  And if you’re paying attention there’s like 3 really good marketing lessons in here.  If you missed any of them…go back and read again!

©2012 Marketing Unhinged. All Rights Reserved.

In the spirit of what others have done recently, I thought I’d slap up my own list of stuff.

I promise there’s nothing scary here.

My thought is that you’ll find something interesting and connect with me on Twitter because I LOVE Twitter.  I also LOVE Skype.  I’ve met some of the coolest people on Twitter and I am truly loving the online connection and conversations I’m having.

So, without further adieu, “da list”:

1.  I am an extroverted introvert.  Yes, it’s true.  Once I know you I won’t shut up but until then I’m a little shy…

2.  I’m a runner.  It took me a long time to learn to say that.  I figured since I’m slow I couldn’t really call myself a runner.  But I have finally realized that once you complete a ½ Marathon slow or not slow…you’re a damn runner!

3.  I like to drive fast.  I’m an 18 year Porsche Club member which gives us access to autocrossing events and track events.  This year I took first place in my class in autocrossing for our region.  I have done a Concours and placed first in my class as well and although I like to keep my car nice…cleaning every single nook and cranny and then having some guy come over with a white glove and find a speck somewhere…once was enough.

4.  I’m terrified of drowning and just as scared of heights.  I have no idea why.  I hate getting on ladders, freaks me out and of course everyone thinks I’m nuts.  I did manage to get through dive school without freaking out too bad but let’s just say no one will want to scuba with me!

5.  Coffee.  I love coffee.  Can’t get enough coffee.  Three mugs in the morning, iced in the afternoon and a nice big mug before bed.  Mmmmmmm coffee.

6.  Can we talk donuts….  I love donuts, I can’t help myself.  Sweets in general do me in.  I cannot leave a restaurant serving creme brulee unless I have some.  If I see a cupcake I lose all self control.  Put marshmallows on it and I become a raving lunatic.

7.  I have a degree in film and television production.  Yes I wanted to be a film director.  Then I moved to LA…

8.  I worked at Playboy in Beverly Hills for 5 months.  Great place to work, nice people mostly.  Yes, I went to the Mansion.

9.  I’ve got this thing about acquiring knowledge.  I can’t help myself.  I read and read and read.  I love books!  Mostly I read business, some science, some economics, love books about the brain.  And then I have this little thing for mystery books and Jack Reacher.

10.  The Wizard of Oz, The Color Purple and The Sound of Music are my favorite movies.  And I’m not ashamed of that.

11.  Absolutely hate having my picture taken.  I’m much more interesting in person.

12.  I’m one of those odd ducks who honestly believes that action speaks louder than words.

13.  I really believe that being successful has a lot to do with being decisive.  You’ve got to just go for it sometimes.  Pick a path and take it.  You might be very surprised at what comes of it.

14.  I think my favorite color is currently orange…it will probably change.

15.  I mostly think that people are good when you give them a chance but I also see that people can be awfully self-involved and myopic.  So I give people a pretty long rope, good people will show their goodness in small and significant ways without ever knowing it.  And the other folks, well they will show their true selves as well.  When someone shows you their true self, believe them, it is who they are.

16.  Dogs, not cats.  I had a cat once…  Now I have two dogs, my furry babies.  The puppy is a black lab and the old lady is a black lab, terrier mix…kind of like “mini me”.

17.  I am a well-documented migraineur.  (That means I get migraines and no I don’t have a hole in my heart.)  I try very hard not to let it derail me.  Does it suck, yep.  Do I complain, yep.  But hey, it could be worse right?  Right!  So all I can say about dealing with migraines since I was 16 is this…management.

18.  I absolutely am a sun-freak.  I live in the desert because I love the sun!!!  One cloudy day and I get very, very crabby.

19.  My hair is naturally curled and yes, I hate it.  My hair used to be stick straight and yes, I hated it.  It is not something I understand…my hair or why I care.

20.  I’m pretty much an optimist.  I strongly believe that things work themselves out in necessary ways because we need to learn something or grow in some way.  Even when it seems like the outside forces are closing in.  We are never without options.

There! Now you know a bit more although I’ve saved all the really interesting stuff for volume two.  Now it’s your turn.  A short post like this can speak volumes to your customers.

Simply stated, we like to do business with people we like and people we can connect with.  I’d love to learn more about you and I’m sure your customers would too.

©2012 Marketing Unhinged. All Rights Reserved.

So, the week is coming to a close and it’s time for The Wrap. Here we go!

Free! No Strings Attached

This week I decided to make the Twitter for Profit ebook available to everyone.  Previously it was for subscribers of the 10MMM only.

Letting stuff go without strings attached, i.e. no sign up required, didn’t require much of me emotionally.  I had been intending to do it but just hadn’t had time to make the page and links and so forth.  But for some, giving stuff away for free is very, very hard.

You’ve poured your energy into it and you’d like to think someone would be willing to give you an email address at the very least.  But there are rewards to letting stuff go without strings attached.  I think you should give it a try.

Here’s the thing, from a business perspective we are all trying to get folks into our ‘funnel’. We want customers or potential customers anyway and we’ve been told that building a list is the way to get them and that is true to some extent.  But an email address is currency and each person assigns a different value to that currency.  My email address is worth, say, $150 (just a number) and I come to your site and you want my $150 in exchange for an ebook.  Both sides have to ask the question, is it worth it?

By allowing me to have something for free, you let me, as a prospect, decide whether or not I like what you have to say and want more.  If you’ve done a great job, I’ll be back. There’s a trust building going on, and some other psychological stuff….but hey this is just The Wrap so I gotta keep it short!

So give it some thought.  Consider it.  People on the subscriber list will still get first shot at newly released stuff but then out it goes out to whoever wants it.

SXSW

It is official I’m going to SXSW! Now, what to wear…

Best part is I’m meeting up with and staying with some awesome people that I’ve met online through forums and classes and twitter. This is really going to be very exciting! The Seven Amigos are all on Twitter so if you want to follow them and learn about what they do it would be very cool. The other six “Amigos” are: @CaroleABrown (aka my cousin)also @CB4wildlife (New Rules of Book Publishing & Ecosystem Gardening; @GrandmaMaryShow aka @AndreaVahl (Grandma Mary Show); @PamelaIWilson (Big Brand System); @SuccessfulGardn (Successful Garden Design); @tzaddi (Have a Smoothie); @LisaWood Sprout New Media

Introducing Butterflies

Next up, my Twitter BFF has finally launched her site formally and I’m excited about it! If you follow my tweets at all you know I’m a very big fan of Teresa Deak’s photos at PicsieChick.com but what you don’t know is she’s doing social media too! Enter the butterflies…

She is the brains behind my Twitter background and is a pro at connecting online with people.

So check her new site out at SocialButterflySolutions.com and follow her on Twitter @picsiechick…

In the meantime… Have a great Weekend!

Photo courtesy of tanakawho

©2012 Marketing Unhinged. All Rights Reserved.

He was a little past 10 years old.  He’d been with us for almost all that time.

He started out life in a cage on the back patio of a house across the alley from my Mom’s house.  They could hear him every day.  The cage was in the full sun most of the day and my Mom and her neighbors could hear him bark and cry all day.

When the owner’s kids came around every other weekend for the day, he would let the puppy out to play with the kids…but the kids only came every other weekend.

Finally, my Mother and her neighbor friends decided enough was enough.  One of them climbed the fence and slunk across the yard after the owner left for work.  She opened the cage and pulled the puppy out, raced back across the yard and over the fence.

My Mom was in charge of the foster care.  She had told the other ladies that if they got the puppy she would take care of him until a home was found for him.

She sat in the dark, on the floor, with her back against the wall and a puppy on her lap all night.  She gave him water.  She wiped him with cool cloths; he was burning up and she was sure he wouldn’t make it.  He had been heat exhausted.

By morning he was moving around and eating.

A few days later he was a puppy again.

After a month of care it was clear that he “wasn’t right” as my Mom put it.  She feared he had been hurt irreparably by the heat.  In Arizona, in full sun midday it can be as much as 120 at it’s hottest and the puppy didn’t always have enough water.

I said, “I’ll take him, he’ll be fine with us.”

But she was concerned and said no.  He was with her now, he was doing better and he would stay with her.  I think she wondered if he would make it all that long.

But he did.  He ran and jumped.  Chased cats and the mail man.  He was stubborn and loved to take his nightly walk.  He loved my Sparky like she was a princess and he’d follow her around and gaze at her when we came to visit.  He was a bit crazy, a little unpredictable.  There were folks he just didn’t like.  But he never went off the deep end, thankfully.

He was a dog, yes.  But he was also a loving, furry, crazy companion.

A few months ago he went completely blind, in a matter of just weeks.  It was suspected he had high blood pressure, but there are no warning signs.  He bumped around and crashed into things.  He chased invisible cats in the yard and would hurt himself.  He just couldn’t adjust.

And just like the full circle that life can be, my Mom would spend all night up with him again because he was unwell and anxious, confused and uncomfortable.

So, with all the love she has in her, Mom decided that it was time.  He had lived a nice life, a comfortable and spoiled life and he wasn’t comfortable anymore.

I don’t know how she does it.  My Mother is an incredibly strong person.  And with my Mother’s hand upon him until the very last moment he knew we loved him.  She never left his side.

There are simply no words to explain it.  Sad.  But happy.  We are all agreed he’s chasing cats and the mail man and he’s there with friends.

We’ll never ever forget our furry friend Spike.

Spike with his Xmas hat 2005

©2012 Marketing Unhinged. All Rights Reserved.

HOWEVER, skip on over to An Encouraging Bird where you’ll find me writing about the fun part of marketing. It is a new series and it will publish regularly. The series is called The Zen of Marketing and for Part One we’ll be talking about attitude.

Teresa Deak, @picsiechick, has graciously donated a photo which sums up the idea of attitude beautifully.

And, finally, if you are not already subscribed to the 10 Minute Marketing Motivator, get on the list! It goes out today and is not on an autoresponder system so if you subscribe and don’t get today’s issue send me a tweet or an email I will get it to you.

Have a great Monday!

©2012 Marketing Unhinged. All Rights Reserved.

Courtesy of PicsieChick (Teresa Deak)

Hellooooooo!

I thought a weekly re-cap would be a nice addition to the M:U blog.  And let’s be straight about this…it may not happen every week!

But here’s what’s happening and what I know!

Wynonna

If you are an Oprah fan you know that she has started her final season.  The week was the start of the final season and she had Wynonna Judd and Naomi Judd on the show.  I’ve always been a fan of strong female figures and Wynonna is one of them.  Even in her lows she is a straight-forward, a tell-it-like-it-is woman.  One comment she made on the show was that telling your truth, telling the truth doesn’t necessarily win friends.

As someone with a healthy dose of self-esteem, I completely understand where she is coming from!  I tend to be a tell-it-like-it-is girl myself.  But to be an entrepreneur of any kind takes a dose of self-confidence.  You have to believe in yourself and what you are doing far more than anyone else and it can be a very lonely path at times.  However, you’ve got to do it.  Fight the demons that say not everyone will like you because the ones that do are your right people.

There are clips from the show at the Oprah site.

Catherine Caine

I have been following Catherine Caine of Be Awesome Online for quite some time.  I watch the tweets and read her blog when I can.  She produces a great amount of content and so, for me, it is hard to keep up.

But last week she started on a journey to get to BlogWorld in Las Vegas.  She has recently quit the 9 to 5 and has been working her ass off trying to build a business.  I admire her tenacity.  Her trip to Las Vegas from Australia is a big one.  And yet I doubted my ability to get there myself.  I’m a 5 hour drive away!  But, I too decided…What the Heck!  My doubts about attending such a big event with tons of folks I’ve heard of but never met seems daunting even to an extrovert like myself.

I’m hoping that Catherine will take me up on my offer of a Mojito, not only to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit but also to cheer the idea just of getting out there and getting things done.  Follow her journey at BeAwesomeOnline.com

Twitter

Every day that I am on Twitter I learn something new, meet someone new, make new connections and grow.  I encourage you to get on Twitter if you haven’t started.  Follow me, let me know and I’ll introduce you around.  It is not scary and can be a great boost to your day.  Twitter is a very supportive environment with lots of wonderful people.  You can follow me @yolandafacio

An Encouraging Bird

This week I was interviewed at An Encouraging Bird.  Starting Monday I will be writing there regularly about marketing.  It will be a series on non-yucky, non-scary, non-slimy marketing called The Zen of Marketing.  I hope that you’ll hop over and take a look.

There you have it!  The wrap of things that made my week.  If you found something interesting this week that you want to share, please do so in the comments.

©2012 Marketing Unhinged. All Rights Reserved.

Graphic Courtesy of Yolanda A. Facio

Well, the ebook is finally finished!  You’re probably thinking, “What Ebook?”

The story is, I’ve been working on a little Ebook project and I’ve finished the content.  It is currently out to the proof-reader.  I will be releasing it next week.  Best part is it’s Free!

There will be a couple of different ways to get it but if you want to be one of the first, then get on the list!

If you are a subscriber to the 10 Minute Marketing Motivator e-newsletter list you’ll get first crack at it.

So look over to the right side of the page, you’ll see a sign up form, fill it out and you’ll be on the pre-release list.

Another announcement… I will be writing a monthly column for GiveABrick.com starting in September and I’m really jazzed at getting to provide information and education to people who will use it to make their lives better.  It is very, very exciting.

I encourage you to visit the site and check it out!

©2012 Marketing Unhinged. All Rights Reserved.

So here’s the ‘skinny’:

Sign up:

At the right side of your screen is a sign up box.  No worries your info will never be shared.

What you get:

The 10 Minute Marketing Motivator Email Newsletter

What is it:

The 10 Minute Marketing Motivator is 1 marketing task that you can complete in 10 minutes.  Easy schmeasy DONE!

Why:

Good question!  Here’s the deal, marketing can be complicated and I really hate that, so I’m changing the game.  I’m going to show you every Monday how you can very quickly and very easily do one marketing task in 10 minutes.  We’ve all got 10 minutes to spare.  The best part is you can do it once and move on or you can be a power marketer and do the task each day.

Baby steps count!  If you do one 10 minute motivator I know you’ll see that it’s easy, and can be a lot of fun.

So get signed up we start on Monday.  Spread the love and let other’s you think might benefit know about the newsletter.

Let’s get the customers and skip the boring stuff!

©2012 Marketing Unhinged. All Rights Reserved.