The Wax Blog

16 Jul

Posted at 12:09h in Integrated Marketing, Management Mondays, Uncategorized by
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Seasoned marketing people know that long term results come from persistence, patience and creativity. Sometimes, though, I think the media's celebration of "overnight" sensations has created unrealistic expectations.  For example, businesspeople may think that the Internet and technology in general have made it possible to achieve results in half the time.  They think videos go viral overnight all the time. They might think if something doesn't work right away it's a bad idea. Now add those notions to the typical entrepreneur's over-developed sense of urgency and you might have a real expectation problem. I've written about patience and ADHD marketing before but it bears another look. Here are a few ways to figure out if you're falling prey to marketing impatience:

09 Jul

Posted at 08:18h in Digital Marketing, Integrated Marketing, Small Business by
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A few weeks back I noticed a post on the New York Times small business blog about hiring. In that post, small business owners were lamenting the fact that even with current unemployment rates they still had a tough time finding qualified workers. In fact, one owner said if you were an online marketer you could pretty much write your own ticket.  Right after I read that article my friend and freelance writer Aniya Wells sent me this guest post about courses on online marketing at MIT. I'm not saying we should all dump our careers to become online marketers, but if you're interested in doing more online marketing for your business these might be good classes to consider! - B.  3 MIT Open Courseware Opportunities for Online Marketers There are so many ways to go about marketing and promotion online. From establishing a social media presence to keeping up to date with the latest SEO techniques, online marketers have to deal with an ever changing landscape of user-drive content and experiences. Because the use of the internet has such a fundamental human element, those of us who market online can never stop learning about humans, what makes them tick, and how they use technology.

06 Jul

Posted at 08:22h in How to Pitch by
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Another post from last year that seemed to resonate was this one, on getting to the point. If you're getting geared up for a "back to the school" pitch or a book campaign I advise you to review all your pitching materials and see if you really do GET TO THE POINT FIRST.   There are tons of workshops and e-books out there from supposed "experts" who will teach you (usually in a couple hours of course) how to do their own publicity. I got a postcard  the other day from Steve Harrison that even said he could teach you everything  so you wouldn't have to use a 'fancy publicist'. And another Facebook notice for a workshop that promised after attending, 'you would never have to hire a publicist again.' Seriously, learn to write a good release, build your contacts, etc but there's only one thing you need to do in order to get the media's attention.

01 Jul

Posted at 08:32h in How to Pitch, Public Relations by
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Since this is a slow week for us in the U.S., I thought I would bring back some of the more popular posts that people seems to really use. If you've got a book, radio is still a great complement to a book marketing campaign. These tips still apply...enjoy! Last June I wrote about pitching radio in 10 steps. Since then, advertising is up and free spots are DOWN, making it a bit harder to gain those coveted drivetime spots. Be sure to check out 10 Tips for Pitching Radio - these basic points still apply, as do my tips for Being a Great Radio Guest. I've also included a sample pitch at the bottom of this post...this pitch got over 50 interviews for my client! Here are a few more ways to see if you can get noticed and booked on a radio station.

25 Jun

Posted at 09:49h in Small Business, Social Media by
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I don't know about you, but sometimes updating my blog feels like such a pain. My friend Kate offered to write this post for me this week and it was a great reminder why we should all consider a blog on our main websites. I hope you find it helpful too!

Business websites typically all follow the same pattern: there is a homepage, an about page, a page that lists your products or services, and a contact page. They all have the same impersonal feel and they all serve one purpose, which is to give consumers information about the business and hopefully land a sale. Every business needs a website because we live in an online world. But every website also needs a blog.

  1.  It’s a place to share thoughts and ideas – Blogs give websites a space to bounce around ideas and share thoughts with your consumers. It’s a place where consumers can see the day-to-day activities going on with the business, which gives a more intimate feel to the business than a website that strictly contains factual information is able to maintain.

18 Jun

Posted at 14:02h in How to Pitch, Public Relations by
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[caption id="attachment_4887" align="alignleft" width="114"] LA Nik the most famous guy I've never heard of[/caption] Last week I saw a social media post congratulation someone for getting booked on David Letterman. I knew a little bit about the supposed guest-to-be so I clicked on the press release - which was sent out on the wire. If you read the release carefully, it doesn't say anywhere that this  guy  is actually appearing on David Letterman. In fact, it doesn't say he's even booked on David Letterman, which would be enough of a faux pas. Instead the worthy news item is this (verbatim): "L.A. Nik, a man wealthy with friends and relationships, was introduced by longtime friend Barry ZeVan, the infamous television weatherman (now President and CEO of The ZeVan Corporation, a PR and Communications consultancy) to the segment producer at LATE NIGHT." Maybe the guy is booked on David Letterman and it's just a poorly written release. But to me, since it's titled "Guy in talks with David Letterman" it looks like they're basically touting the fact that he was introduced to a producer at Late Night.  SIGH.  I guess this is a good opportunity to  review some basic rules of press releases. Feel free to add some of your own.