Josh Hatcher

 
The Dog Days of Summer Marketing: Blogging
In the heat of August, it’s often easy to get lazy with your marketing. “Eh – we’ll start back up again in the fall!” Instead – why not find ways to try something new this month!

Last week I mentioned that the tradition of “back to school” in the fall is something that seems to resonate across out culture – even if we aren’t going back to school, and if we don’t have kids. As summer comes to a close – people are thinking less about the “freedom” of summer, and about getting back to the grind. This is something to keep in mind as you thinking about blogging.

Post “back to school” specials, or talk about the new fall tv lineup. Talk about fall sports like football – and use the excitement of starting something new to drive the feel of the posts that you write!

The Dog Days of Summer Marketing: Social Marketing

In the heat of August, it’s often easy to get lazy with your marketing. “Eh – we’ll start back up again in the fall!” Instead – why not find ways to try something new this month!

Using social media is really not as complicated as you might think.
I think the key is just looking for natural, organic things to post about. Post pics from around your office. Comment on the weather!  Ask questions. Be inspiring. Think outside of the box.

Don’t just try to sell your product. Your social media is about building a relationship with your readers – not just selling.

My “rule of thumb” – you have four fingers – one thumb. For every one sales-y type post – have four other interesting posts that don’t sell anything at all – but build relationship.

Something to think about – as August comes to a close – people are gearing up for the fall! It’s natural ebb and flow in our culture, thanks to years of “Back to School” – everything from entertainment and sports to school itself is rooted in that “settling in” and “starting up” rhythm.  Plan your marketing accordingly!

Tune in next Monday for our next #MarketingMonday installment: The Dog Days of Summer Marketing: Blogging

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The Dog Days of Summer Marketing: Email Marketing
In the heat of August, it’s often easy to get lazy with your marketing. “Eh – we’ll start back up again in the fall!” Instead – why not find ways to try something new this month!

It’s not hard at all to get into email marketing. Here’s what I would recommend.

1. Set up an account at Mailchimp. Why? it’s easy, it’s free, and it’s versatile. Plus – it has all the right stuff to keep you from getting your web address blacklisted for spam.

2. Build your list.
-Ask every customer for their email, and send them a request to subscribe.
-Make coupons valid only if they provide their email address. (you can put a disclaimer saying that they’ll recieve a message to opt in to your list.)
-. Do a giveaway and collect email addresses for entry. (Great way to build your list!)

3. Make a plan.
You can set up email lists that work on based on your website updates. You can also write a unique email weekly or monthly – and it’s not hard at all to work ahead with these!

Tune in next Monday for our next #MarketingMonday installment: The Dog Days of Summer Marketing: Social Marketing

Subscribe if you don’t want to miss a post!