actionable marketing guide

Dear ,

During these dog days of summer, I’ve been catching up with friends and colleagues.

I’m lucky since New York is a popular holiday and business destination. Many people I know pass through.

When they’re in town, I always try to find time to get together with them.

Make time to build relationships with colleagues, customers and friends face-to-face. 

But this week I learned that you have to keep your messages and appointments clear.

A CEO of a martech firm I’ve known for years was in New York and had time to meet. It took a series of emails to nail down the time and place.

We were finally going to get together in NYC!

Except for one problem: We had neglected to exchange current phone numbers.

YIKES!

We were waiting at 2 different places across the street from each other.

Since I couldn’t get through to my colleague via mobile phone (call or text), I called my husband to email him.

This was a friendly meeting but if it had been a first business meeting this could have gone badly.

Since last week was a week of meeting challenges due to issues with scheduling programs and non-functional video options. Here are my suggestions for live and phone meetings.

1. Check time zone differences. Otherwise you can be waiting for a call at the wrong time.
2. Confirm the date via email or text the day before. Include meeting times, locations and contact information.
3. Exchange phone numbers.  Old fashioned systems are a good back up plan.
4. Have a game plan. If you don’t know the person, check out their background with a quick Google search. Read their website and social media profiles.
5. Honor the other person’s schedule. Don’t assume you’ll get more than a half hour.

BTW—Here’s a secret for job seekers or others who have trouble connecting with busy executives:

• If you’re in job search mode, the summer and Christmas are the best times to reach out to busy executives.  Their calendars tend to be less crowded and they’re willing to take time to build their network.

I’m still working on my Interactive Content Workshop for Content Marketing World. I’m excited to share how to effectively use this white hot content format.  If you’re attending Content Marketing World, please consider adding this workshop to your program.

If you haven’t registered for Content Marketing World, you still have time. This year’s event has an amazing lineup with new speakers and topics you need to keep your content marketing on track for success in 2018.

Additionally, Content Marketing World gives you the opportunity to build relationships that help you long term as well as to create great conference content. That includes #throwbackcontent.

Check out my Orange Cowl Album from #CMWorld 2013:

https://www.slideshare.net/HeidiCohen/how-to-create-fun-user-generated-content-at-a-conference-case-study

Happy Marketing
Heidi.

Heidi Cohen
Actionable Marketing Guide

P.S. Don’t forget to register for Content Marketing World! (BTW—Please let me know if you’ll be in Cleveland.)

P.P.S. If you’re a B2B marketer, consider attending MarketingProfs B2B Forum in Boston. It’s one of my favorite conferences. It’s small and fun because Ann Handley is the hostess with the mostest (by far). Also, they get an unusual lineup of speakers.

P.P.P.S. Okay I’m getting carried away but I’ve registered for Social Media Marketing World 2018 and you should too. This year Mike Stelzner has expanded social media to include content creation. If you’re a content creator, they’ve even got a discounted option (albeit more limited!)

Ultimate Content Marketing Distribution Checklist

60+ Ways To Maximize Your Content Distribution

Face reality: Without at least minimal content marketing distribution, no one will know about your lovingly created masterpiece.

Except possibly your boss and your mother, a pair that isn’t necessarily the best combination to deliver maximum content marketing reach.

Even worse your content has no chance of going viral because no one knows about it. As a result they can’t talk about it or share it. Continue reading

HYPERGROWTH – Book Interview

Heidi Cohen Interviews David Cancel

Q: What’s your best piece of advice for readers looking to improve their marketing?

My best piece of advice for readers looking to improve their marketing: Never forget that every single marketing activity that you do—every blog post, every Instagram photo, every tweet, every conversation—is a reflection of your brand.

Everything you do in marketing contributes to the overall experience your customers and potential customers have with your company. So if what you’re doing in marketing isn’t making that experience better, it might not be worth doing.

Continue reading

The Interactive Content Marketing Purchase Funnel Guide

How to Create Fun User Generated Content At A Conference

MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2017

MarketingProfs B2B forum is one of my favorite conferences of the year. Join me in Boston, October 3-5, 2017, for an exciting program and fun events. Register now with my promo code: AMPLIFY1717  to save $100.
​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​Social Media Marketing World 2018 is just around the corner (February 28 - March 2, 2018, at the San Diego Convention Center.)

Brought to you by Social Media Examiner, this is the conference for anyone wanting to learn how to make the most of social media and meet the companies and experts in the field.

Join me at this exciting event. Register now and save $590. Don't delay – prices go up every Friday!

• Heidi was featured in this list of 25 influential bloggers you should be following. Check it out to help your blogging! Hat tip to: Derek Martin
  
  
• Entrepreneur.com listed Heidi as one of 11 Marketing Experts Whose Insights Could Change Your Business. Peter Daisyme wrote: Heidi Cohen is arguably one of the most well-rounded marketers working today. 
  
  
• Check out these Growth Hacks From Top 30 Social Media Influencers

I met Derek Halpern back in the early days of SocialTriggers at Affiliate East. Despite the fact that he was visibly nervous before his presentation, he got his pacing during his presentation and delivered high quality information.

Since then, Halpern keeps getting better but his content remains grounded in research data.

For those of you who have an issue with confidence (doesn’t everyone?), this article is a must-read despite it’s length: How To Be Confident.

FREE WHITE PAPER

2017 State of Performance Marketing

Last year, we found the vast majority of marketers are familiar with running programmatic campaigns.

Did you know...

• 57% of marketers are changing their attribution model this year
• Almost 40% of marketers spend a majority of their budgets on measurement alone
• 69% of marketers are using dynamic email based on user behavior

This report compiles survey results from 1,300 marketers about how they coordinate various different channels and technologies to achieve their goals, and how they're thinking about the latest performance strategies across every stage of the marketing funnel.

See More Free Marketing Resources