Sharing is Caring
Sharing really IS caring.  Well, unless it comes to icky germs or proprietary company secrets.  I care about my readers, so here are my top 3 “favorite-of-the-moment” marketing articles.

What Does “of-the-Moment” Mean?
Basically it’s my way of saying there will always be many, many more.  I love to learn about marketing, and I’m easily distrac – oh, SHINY!  Not to mention that there are thousands more websites, articles, and groovy graphics created every day.  The links below are the top 3 that you should know about right now.
Inexpensive Marketing
Article Link: http://blog.kissmetrics.com/inexpensive-marketing-plan/

While the lessons from last week’s article, “Investing in Your Business (You Get What You Pay For),” still ring true, there are options for inexpensive marketing that can be quite effective… if utilized properly.  This article on KISSmetrics talks about the myriad of marketing techniques for generating inbound leads in “Step #2” – leads, in many small businesses, are what make the world go ‘round.

Also, KISSmetrics is quickly becoming one of my favorite marketing blogs.  Wait… can a marketing blog like another marketing blog?  Yes, of course.  (Sometimes, that’s how little blog babies are born.) At any rate, I think this article by Neil Patel is worth a read.

Social Media & Finding Your Voice
Article Link: http://blog.bufferapp.com/social-media-marketing-voice-and-tone

I happened across a very quotable caption while reading this article, which may sound familiar to those that follow our Facebook page:
“At a cocktail party, you wouldn’t walk up to someone and say, ‘Hey, I’m Dave. My stuff is 20% off.’ What you do is ask questions, tell stories, listen, and relate to people.”

I also appreciate their four-part formula graphic, which breaks your social media brand voice into Character/Persona, Tone, Language, and Purpose.  The article supplies a number of examples, which I cherish, because I can quickly learn and apply.

I originally found this gem on Fast Company, but then traced the article back to Buffer and author Kevan Lee.

Stop Saying “I Love It”
Article Link: www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140429143922-13583-why-i-love-it-is-actually-bad-feedback?trk=tod-posts-post1-ptlt

Don’t misunderstand – I’m not a jaded, hater who wants to keep the hippies at bay.  In fact, I am guilty of using the phrase “I love it” to describe anything from my new phablet to my guest writers’ articles.

The point this article makes is that the phrase is not enough, and goes on to describe better ways of being clearer about feedback.

Why this is marketing-related?  Actually, it’s EVERYTHING-related, but it’s important when giving feedback to the people that help create your marketing.  Beyond that, when reporting your marketing results, it’s important to share the “what” and “why” regarding how your target audience reacted.  Taking the extra steps the article describes ensures that the good is repeated and the bad is transformed.

Discovered this on LinkedIn, by author Nancy Lublin.

What is Your Favorite-of-the-Moment Marketing Article?

Author
Megan Vogel is a bubbly marketing professional, living in Atlanta, GA. She launched The Marketing Lush to share basic marketing concepts with small businesses. An entrepreneur herself, she deeply respects the difficulties small business owners face when launching and sustaining their companies. Megan is available for consulting opportunities and speaking engagements.  For more information, visit www.meganvogel.com.