Associations: Is it time to eliminate the newsletter?
As we all know, paper is getting less relevant. Many associations are scrambling to “go green” with their newsletters in an effort to reduce costs and make use of electronic means of delivery. Kudos for this! However, what most associations are doing is simply emailing out a PDF version of the newsletter they used to print. While this does save money and takes advantage of modern electronic tools, there is a problem with this approach: it assumes that members want to consume information the same way they always have. We need to abandon our old thinking of just “going...
Read MoreDon’t send me “e-news”
I see a lot of email newsletters. They vary in their degrees of design quality, content, and general appeal. However, over 90% of them (made-up statistic for CJ McClanahan) fall into the trap of being simply “e-news”. Some of the titles are even things like “March E-news”, “E-news from Company XYZ”, or “March Newsletter”. These are boring subject lines but the content of the newsletter makes it even worse. These newsletter are typically packed full of little advertising boxes that shout at the reader or ramble on and on about things going on at...
Read MoreFacebook friending etiquette
Ok, I can’t take it anymore. It seems like almost every day I get a Facebook friend request from someone I don’t know. And each time there is no message sent with the request. Just a friend request with no explanation. Now, I’m more than happy to make connections with people I don’t know as long as I know how the connection was made. However, if I don’t know someone and he/she gives me no reason to connect, why would I take the risk of opening up my network and personal life to that person? If you want to friend someone on Facebook and you don’t know that...
Read MoreStop making excuses and start blogging
Blogging is hard. I get that. It’s not easy to consistently create new content and make the time to tweak and publish it. However, blogging is one of the best ways to build deeper relationships with your constituents and reach deeper into their networks as well. Often when I talk about blogging with others, I hear all sorts of excuses: I’m not a good writer I don’t have time I don’t like to write I don’t know what to write about I wouldn’t be able to keep up with it No one would read what I wrote The list goes on and on. However, like most...
Read MoreDon’t use consumer email for business
I frequently attend networking events during which I meet a variety of business owners. Often we exchange business cards and I continue to notice a trend which disturbs me: the use of consumer email as a business email address. I often see email addresses using the domain “sbcglobal.net”, “yahoo.com”, or (shudder) “aol.com” listed on a business card. This really makes me cringe. It’s poor branding, and says to the world that your business has not invested in a proper email system. It’s also risky to operate your business on a free system or a...
Read MoreHow does building websites change the world?
At SpinWeb, we create professional websites and online marketing initiatives. We’ve been doing it since 1996 and have gotten very good at it. We’ve gotten so good at it that it amazes me how fast and how well we deploy new websites on time, on budget, and with amazing design quality. Sometimes, however, I think we get so caught up in the mechanics of our systems and processes at the “runway” level that we can lose sight of why we are doing what we do. How does our work make a difference? How does it change the world? How does it change lives? I think it’s...
Read MoreBook Michael to Speak
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