Dear ,

This past weekend, a friend and I took a road trip up to Northampton, MA and I learned a useful marketing lesson you can apply to your business.

As many readers may know, I'm an avid knitter who travels long distances in search of unusual fibers. So it shouldn't be a surprise that the object of our adventure was to shop for yarn at the Webs Tent Sale, an annual event.

Billing itself as America's Yarn Store (with the URL http://yarn.com), Webs is a yarn store attached to a warehouse chock full of yarn and weaving products. For many knitters, crocheters, spinners and weavers, Webs is a fiber mecca.

Many businesses use their anniversary to celebrate their customers, often including a sale. Some even change the date to accommodate a promotional gap in their calendar.

BUT – Webs makes their sale different in 3 distinct ways:

1. Extend their anniversary sale over 2 months. Sounds a bit long for a sale right? But it works since they've been doing it for a while.
   
   
2. Vary the merchandise offered. Webs presents different sales product in April and May.
   
   
3. Make it into a special, must-attend live event. Webs takes their Anniversary Sale up a notch by hosting a May Tent Sale complete with tents in the parking lot, tables full of yarn, and additional staff. During peak hours, it's so packed with shoppers that the check out line can be an hour wait!!!

While all 3 points are useful, the key marketing lesson is make your sale or other promotion special enough that your audience goes out of their way to participate in real life.

Neither my friend nor I need more yarn. But the tent sale gave us a reason to take the 2 ½ hour drive each way road trip. Without the special tent sale, we wouldn't have bought more yarn and related supplies.

While I have no inside information on Webs' sales, this was their 40th Anniversary Sale and 12th Tent Sale. So I have to believe that it's major element of their marketing calendar.

Similarly, Content Marketing Institute (aka CMI) created Content Marketing World 2014, The Largest Content Marketing Event on the Planet. It takes place in Cleveland, Ohio on September 8-11, 2014. An estimated 2,500 people from over 50 countries are expected to attend over 80 sessions covering strategy, integration, measurement, and more.

Are you looking for epic content marketing inspiration, information and practical advice?

Content Marketing World 2014 is the 1 event in the world where you can find all the best and brightest content marketing rock stars, together, at the same time. Created for motivated marketing professionals like you, Content Marketing World features over 100 incredible speakers (including me), killer sessions, and amazing networking opportunities. and grow your business.

REGISTER TODAY and take advantage of discounted rates before they increase on May 31.

I believe in Content Marketing World so strongly that I'm making a special offer to my readers who sign up using my affiliate link. I'll send you a set of Actionable Content Marketing worksheets to help you.

BUT-it doesn't stop there!!!

The first 5 people to register for Content Marketing World through my affiliate before May 31st (when the prices go up) will get a FREE mini-consulting session with me in real life at CMW!

BTW-Did I mention that I'm teaching an intensive course on Content Curation at CMW? 

Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen 

P.S. Still not convinced, here's why you should attend Content Marketing World.

Meet me in real life at CMW 2014 in Cleveland. Register Now!

BTW - Don't fret if you missed my session last year: 
Get all the content of CMWorld 2013 OnDemand now!

25 BIggest Lead Generation Mistakes
(& What You Do About Them!!)
Posted on May 12, 2014 by Heidi Cohen in Lead Generation, Marketing

5 Key Actionable Lead Generation Tips You Need Now

Lead generation is at the heart of B2B marketing.

It's a major driver of content marketing.

According to Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs research: 

Continue reading

7 Tactics For Content Curation Success
Posted on May 13, 2014 by Heidi Cohen in Content Marketing

How to Excel At Content Curation

Content curation success depends on discovering, selecting and packaging high value, sharable information that's relevant to a specific audience.

While not created from scratch, curated content is key to marketers' content offerings.

Content curation accounts for 25% of the content marketing mix according to Curata research. Continue reading

Small Business: Are You Using Social Media Photographs?
Posted on May 14, 2014 by Heidi Cohen in Content Marketing, Social Media

How To Bring Your Business Into The Social Media Picture

Is your small business held back by a lack of marketing know how and resources?

If so, you're not alone.

The good news is that you can break away from the pack to maximize revenue generation without the need for deep pockets.

Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, the answer is so simple that you've had it all along. It's in the palm of your hand, literally. Your smartphone can fuel your small business marketing with social media photographs. Continue reading

Are You Losing $1,506 Per Customer Due to Poor Content?
Posted on May 15, 2014 by Heidi Cohen in Content Marketing

5 Content Marketing Fixes To Retain Customers and Sales

Have you ever recommended content marketing tactics that would make you see red if you received them as a customer? (You do remember that content marketing shouldn't be pushy-right?)

Don't worry-it's okay if you're the only one who knows. It can be our secret.

The problem is that your prospects, customers, influencers and the public DO care. Continue reading

The Must Have List of Free Summer Content Titles
Posted on May 16, 2014 by Heidi Cohen in Blogging, Content Marketing, Writing

50 Free Summer Content Titles - No Thinking Required

Need writing inspiration for your editorial calendar?

Look no further!!

Here are 50 free summer titles to your fill your content calendar before the temperatures rise. Use these titles as the jumping off point for your content marketing, blog or other writing.

Continue reading

What Actionable Marketing Guide Readers Are Saying

Here's what Jay Baer had to say about our post: 25 Biggest Lead Generation Mistakes (& What You Do About Them!!) 

"These are great Heidi! This one made me lol... so true."

"Clearly the biggest mistake I see is asking to get married on the first date. That's an obvious analogy for asking for too much from the first touch point with your target audience. Marketer's need to use the "romance" metaphor in their approach."

Gary Vaynerchuck says something similar:  "jab jab jab right hook."

REMEMBER: The first 5 people to register and pay for Content Marketing World through my affiliate before May 31st will get a FREE mini-consulting session with me in real life at CMW!    Register Now!

BTW - Don't fret if you missed my session last year: 
Get all the content of CMWorld 2013 OnDemand now!