Writers are All Vampires

Writers are all vampires.

― Herman Wouk

Writer Trisha Richards asked me where I find ideas for blog posts. 

Novelist Herman Wouk provides the answer.

When it comes to sources for ideas, I'm indiscriminate; an equal opportunity vampire.

More or less in rank order, I derive ideas from:

• Nonfiction books
• Bloggers
• Everyday conversations
• Everyday experiences
• $#*! my spouse says
• Print articles
• White papers
• Fiction
• Movies
• News programs
• Fantasies
• Memories
• Dreams
• Songs
• B2B events
• People and things not otherwise listed

Whenever an idea for a blog post comes to mind, I always write it down.

Immediately.

Sometimes I grab a napkin or a piece of trash; most often I send an email to myself.

Writer Neil Gaiman says there's no lack of ideas; only of attention to them.

"You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it."

Covfefe

Blogger Josh Bernoff has discovered the meaning of the word "covfefe" in the president's famous and now-deleted Tweet.

"Here’s what the word 'covfefe' means: It means 'I am a crazy person,'" Bernoff says.

"This president is not a master manipulator of media. He is a wacko with little grasp of reality that says the first thing that comes into his mind. That is the meaning of 'covfefe.' It’s a variant of 'crazy.'"

Many critics of the president have reached a similar conclusion.

But do typos imply the writer is dotty? Or are they, as sociologists argue, joyful centerpieces of digital writing?

"Digital writing is inherently playful, first of all, because the medium, the computer, invites participants to 'fiddle,' and to invoke the frame of 'make-believe,'” says Brenda Danet. 

"When this frame is operating, participants understand and accept the meta-message 'this is play.'”

Digital writing's hallmarks, Danet says, are four: haste, ephemerality, interactivity, and freedom from the "tyranny" of paper. In essence, digital writing is just like kibitzing, a stream-of-conscious game people play. There, like lots of nonsense, typos are the rule.

So do typos ever matter?

They do, in my book, when they riddle public-facing communications, because they open you to ridicule.

Ridiculous people (and brands) aren't merely hacks: they're clowns. 

And clowns aren't trustworthy. 

Clowns can even be scary. 

Or covfefe, if you prefer.

How to Acquire High-Value Attendees

Trade Show News Network asked five marketers how they'd go about attracting "high-value" attendees―influencers―to an event. They advised:

First, identify the influencers. Use markers like travel distance, length of stay, team size, job function, budget, track record, and social media footprint. While spend would be the most telling sign, it's impossible to determine, except anecdotally.

Target young guns. They're the next-gen buyers who assure an event's vibrancy and longevity. They may not display the signs of veteran influencers, but they're critical to your event's success.

Package and promote personalized perks. Provide free or reduced registration, airport transportation, express entry, care packages, onsite concierge services, private meetups, exclusive lounges, free tickets to local attractions, etc. Use big data to personalize influencers' pre- and at-show experiences, but never make anyone feel "stalked."

Have great events. Offer the right mix of exhibitors and convenient show hours. Use event tech to help influencers and exhibitors connect on site, and don't get hung up on appearing "democratic." Break a few rules to make influencers feel appreciated.

Show your appreciation. Send a gift after the event, and celebrate influencers' presence in your blog and other digital properties. Ask exhibitors to do the same. Influencers will return to your event―and draw others, as well.

TSNN interviewed Marlys Arnold, ImageSpecialist; Terence Donnelly, Experient; Ravi Kiran, Dazzletoday; Megan Powers, EventCollab; Walter Winn, Feathr.

BONUS TIP: Reach out and touch influencers. Use pre-show telemarketing to cut through the digital clutter. And I don't mean placing cheesy robo-calls. Orchestrate a high-end, B2B outbound campaign, to assure influencers their time's well spent at your event. Consider both pre- and post-show "courtesy" calls.

The Sheep of Things to Come

Photo: Ann Ramsey

I had the honor to sit down and interview England's renowned shepherd and author James Rebanks in his Lake District home in April. Our main topic: the likely impact of Brexit on UK farmers.

The resulting article has just appeared in Sheep Canada.

The Big 5 B2B Email Boo-Boos

Email, despite its shortfalls, is the B2B marketer's drug of choice.

And its shortfalls loom large: inbox rates max out at only 70%; open rates, at only 20%; click-through rates, at only 2.5%.

B2B marketers worsen things by making the same five boo-boos repeatedly.

You can't improve deliverability—much—but you can improve open and click-though rates, by avoiding these five common and colossal blunders:

Recycled Subject Lines. Open rates rely on Subject Lines. Formulas bore readers. Why begin every Subject Line "5 Top Tips for..." or "Last Chance to..."?

TMI. Click-through rates reflect readability, at least in part. Why overwrite? Time is short. Your emails should be, too.

Generic Emails. Your customers don't all share the same interests or pains. Why send them all the same thing? Segmenting customers isn't rocket science: it just takes time. Sure, it's tempting to create and send one email, and be done with it; but that's self-serving.

Impersonal Emails. If your email isn't personalized, it isn't 1:1. If it isn't 1:1, it's sorta spammy.

Unreponsive Emails. Half your emails are read on phones. If your templates aren't "responsive" and your copy bite-sized, you're toast. (This is my Number 1 B2B email bugaboo. My reaction's always the same: What's wrong with these people?)