“An iced americano with two shots of espresso and one shot of decaf espresso.”
My friend ordered his birthday coffee this morning.
He and I both worked in a coffee shop back in college. Some 20-odd years ago. His beverage sounded reasonable to me.
Then I ordered.
“Another one of those. And also, four shots of espresso.”
The owner of the cafe looked at us.
“You’re f***ing with me right?”
(more…)2:29pm
Saint Paul
There were no tigers today.
Habitat closed.
I assume that means the animals themselves went into cold storage, like art stashed in a dark basement.
Either way, the all-school field trip to the Minnesota Zoo today was a lot of fun.
I herded the cats that my son calls friends.
Watched the adults act like children, climbing on fences and dropping trash on the ground.
And worked on my small talk with fellow parents:
(more…)12:17pm
Saint Paul
The way I see it, there are only three ways to compete with SEO.
1. Be huge. I mean it. Some companies—I’m looking at HubSpot—were built on SEO. And they now dominate that space. The only way to compete for a single page ranking is to create longer content, add more keywords, get more inbound links. It’s an arms race, and one that the big guys won’t give up on easily.
So, for most companies, this is probably a losing proposal.
Especially in the time of AI. Everyone can use ChatGPT to crank out content. But the companies that focus on creating a connection with their audience, providing a real solution to solve real pains, is going to win.
Not more content. Better content. Somehow, better than what’s already crushing.
But luckily, you have more SEO options.
(more…)1:49pm
Saint Paul
Ever heard of the Blackstone Grill?
It’s a flat-top griddle, like you would find in a cafe staffed by a short-order cook and an overworked server or two.
When you cook a burger on the Blackstone?
(more…)1:33pm
Saint Paul
“Take what you have… and expand it. Make it more. More specific. More examples.
“Use it to position yourself as an expert.”
I was chatting with a fellow marketer, Joshua Lisec, a week or two back. I asked him what I could do with my book, Inside Marketing Secrets.
“Take out the stuff about C-19,” he said. “That’s past. Make your book timeless. And then send it as a lead magnet.”
That’s great advice for you, too. Take anything you’ve written, polish it up for a specific industry, and use it as a lead magnet.
(more…)9:22am
Saint Paul
Ever have a promotion that went well…
But not quite as well as you expected?
Maybe it was the audience… didn’t like the offer.
Maybe it was the offer… not valuable enough.
Maybe it was the copy… not compelling action.
There’s an idea in direct response marketing that:
(more…)1:14pm
Saint Paul
“Hmm. That’s pretty good,” the embarrassed webinar host said.
He was selling his copywriting course as a way to beat AI.
And to show off, he asked his partner to demo using ChatGPT to write an email.
(more…)2:34pm
Saint Paul
I have tattoos.
They’re leftovers from my younger years.
And now… as my kids are growing… I wish I didn’t have them. Because my tats give my kids a reason to—someday—mar their own beautiful skin.
They’re not my only shortcoming, I know.
(more…)Monday, May 1
9:34am
“I’m terrible! I’m horrible!”
My son was already in a bad mood.
I wouldn’t let him use the 120-volt outlet to build a cardboard and tin-foil lamp for his bed. (The repurposed-LED-flashlight solution wasn’t powerful enough for him).
And after he settled down and read a book, we went to play a little Mario Kart.
(more…)