Genesis
Abacab
Atlantic Records US / Charisma Records UK
1981
Genesis’ last good album according to progressive rock fans. Genesis’ first good album according to pop rock fans.
#TBT #Vinyl Genesis, Abacab, 1981
7 SepSave Local Business
5 Sep
I’m looking forward to heading to Capitol Hill next week to join some old friends and new ones in speaking with legislators about issues affecting local businesses.
One of the topics will be the Save Local Business Act which seeks to protect workers and small business owners from recent government overreach and confusion. Here are some links to information about the event and background on the topics:
- More information on the Save Local Business Act (H.R. 3441)
- Details and agenda for IFA’s Franchise Action Network event
- Social Geek Radio’s interview with IFA CEO Robert Cresanti
Please let me know if you’re attending – let’s connect!
#TBT #Vinyl The Firm, 1985
31 Aug
The Firm
The Firm
Atlantic Records
1985
This was not exactly Led Zeppelin, but Jimmy Page wrote the songs, produced the sound, and played the guitars. That makes it better than anything else that came out in 1985.
Tips for Using LinkedIn Video
13 Aug
Many LinkedIn users can now post native video directly from the LinkedIn mobile app. Grab your phone and check it now. If the posting area now shows a video icon, then access has rolled out to you.
Like a Facebook Live video, it’s easy to fire up your camera and share a video instantly or share a video already saved in your camera roll. But unlike Facebook, these videos will have business-focused content…I HOPE…
You can post this video from your personal profile as a representative of your brand (or your personal brand) instead of your company page. This is a great feature; your personal profile is much more powerful than your company page. You probably have more connections than your company page has followers. Besides, who really follows company pages and engages with them? I’ll tell you who: people who want to sell the company something or get a job there!
LinkedIn will share with you the company names and titles of those who viewed your video. While this will be good to know, perhaps someday the viewer data will become targeting data. But for now, this video you’re about to upload will be seen be your connections and anyone else with whom they share it.
As you’re trying it out, here are a few tips to consider:
- Sales folks: don’t use the video to only push your latest sales promotion. Tell a story! Tell stories about your customers, some best practices, industry issues, and anything that would make someone want to have a conversation with you.
- Marketing pros: Again, tell a story, and leave out all corporate-speak about comprehensive global solutions and enterprise services yadda yadda yadda…
- It can be ten minutes long, but don’t make it ten minutes long. Start with 30 seconds. When your 30 second videos are so good that your connections want more, increase to one minute.
#TBT #Vinyl KISS, Dressed to Kill, 1975
10 Aug
KISS
Dressed to Kill
Casablanca Records
1975
Lookin’ good gentlemen…
#TBT #Vinyl Pink Floyd, Division Bell, 1993
27 Jul
Pink Floyd
The Division Bell
Columbia Records
1993
The best Pink Floyd is Pink Floyd without Roger Waters. This is one of my favorite albums from Floyd, and it has also a fantastic album cover by artist Storm Thorgerson.
#TBT #Vinyl #Cassette #CD Guns N’ Roses, Appetite for Destruction, 1987.
20 Jul
Guns N’ Roses
Appetite for Destruction
Geffen Records
1987
The greatest album in history turns 30 years old tomorrow.
Here are copies of the the original LP, the cassette, and compact disc. It still sounds as good as it did 30 years ago and better than anything that anyone has made since then!
#TBT #Vinyl — Styx, Paradise Theatre, 1981
13 Jul
Styx
Paradise Theatre
A&M Records
1981
I was never the biggest Styx fan, but as a kid, I loved this album. It had some screaming guitars by James Young (“Snowblind” and “Half-Penny”), new-wave-ish pop by Tommy Shaw (“Too Much Time”) and some funky theatrical jazz by Dennis DeYoung (“Nothing Ever Goes As Planned”).
The packaging was cool. The LPs had laser etching and the cover and back paintings were fantastic – truly a lost art!
Christmas In July: Planning Q4 Digital Marketing Now
12 Jul
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of 4th Quarter sales for retailers, restaurants, and many other small businesses or multi-location businesses. While operations and other parts of your organization have had the rest of the year mapped out since last year, your digital marketing activities may not even be finalized for back-to-school promotions, let alone holiday shopping.
In the past, too many marketers have waited until the summer was over to gear up for the holidays. But now that’s too late. It’s now Christmas in July or at least planning your digital marketing tactics for Christmas during July.
Also, is 2018 the year your big idea explodes? If next year is your “hockey stick year,” then Q4 better be solid. To get started, here are three questions to ask yourself during July:
1. What are you going to do now to have a great Q4?
What will compel customers to pay you a visit and make a purchase? Do you have a killer promotion ready to roll?
2. How are you getting people into your stores or onto your website?
Facebook (organic) posts? Forget it. Tweets? Unless your name is Donald, forget it.
You’ve got to hit large numbers of people or smaller numbers of the right people using:
- Facebook ads
- Pay Per Click ads
- Display ads
Blog posts and other forms of content marketing are great for awareness and long term branding, but you need to guarantee traffic soon. Find what advertising and promotions work now and pour some fuel on it. And when I say fuel, I mean ad dollars.
3. Are the customers you had last year coming back, or are they buying from Amazon?
This one is very important for retailers – all boutique shops, specialty stores, chains, or franchises. We think we have a loyal base, so why would they not come back in this year
I’ll tell you why … there are an estimated 80 million Amazon Prime customers. Many of your customers are part of that. Use digital ads to reach them and give them a reason to get off their big fat lazy Amazon and come into your store!
#TBT #Vinyl Men At Work, Business As Usual, 1982
29 Jun
Men At Work
Business As Usual
Columbia Records
1982
In June of 1982, I came home from camp and our town had it: MTV. The first video I saw was “Who Can It Be Now” by Men At Work. I was hooked ever since…
