actionable marketing guide

Dear ,

While New York City continues to experience a rollercoaster of weather conditions, I threw a big party for my husband’s birthday this weekend.

It was the type of event where you invite all of your family and friends and everyone is excited to join you and celebrate.

For me, it was like organizing a live marketing event complete with in-depth planning and on-going promotion.

Coincidently I realized that I’ve missed a number of great marketing events such as Small Business Week (April 29 through May 5, 2018) organized by the Small Business Administration of the US government. A national event like this is a golden opportunity for anyone serving this difficult to target market.

Having developed marketing for this segment for a Fortune 100 company, I know that small business can be challenging to find and sell since they often think and act like individuals not businesses!

Similarly the US yarn industry proclaimed Saturday, April 21 as LYS Day. If you don’t know what LYS stands for, you’re not the target audience. Next week is also National Fashion Revolution Week; it’s focused on fairer, safer, cleaner fashion industry.

For yarnies, an LYS is your local yarn store. Unlike big box stores like Michael’s and Joanne’s these stores are often small, independently owned neighborhood shops where the owner knows everyone. Even better these stores create communities.

What can you learn from these celebrations and events?

1. Check your calendar at least a month in advance. Just as I was surprised to discover Small Business Week, you may miss other opportunities. (FYI…I did update my mega-post on Recycled Content Marketing!) Need help? Check Google and use annual content planning or monthly content themes
2. Only use relevant events for your business. While most businesses can create promotions around key holidays like Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Back-to-School, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, be selective so that you don’t look like you’re just pushing product.
3. Create related content. The key is to develop evergreen content that you can use every year for that event.
4. Integrate related promotions and partnerships. Your objective is to expand your reach and build community beyond pushing your latest sale. (You don’t want to train people to only shop sales. Be the LYS of your niche where your community spends time, builds relationships and buys from you.
5. Use your celebration to build your housefile and get new prospects to become on-going parts of your community and customer base. To do this, give them a reason to return. For example, Annie & Co, one of my favorite LYSs, makes buyers return to the shop to get their yarns wound later.

Then next weekend, I’m off to San Francisco to attend Marketo’s Marketing Nation Summit (April 29^th through May 3^rd) as a Social Media Ambassador. If you want to join me, you can save $300 on your ticket by using Cohen300. Please note that I don’t make any affiliate revenues on these sales.

Alternatively, if you’re in San Francisco but not attending the conference, please let me know. Perhaps we can meet IRL.

Happy marketing,
Heidi

Heidi Cohen
Actionable Marketing Guide

​​​​​​​Marketo's Marketing Nation Summit is less than a weeks away! I’ll be at this premiere San Francisco happening April 29^th through May 3^rd as a Social Media Ambassador. Join me. Save $300 on your ticket by using Cohen300. Please note that I don’t make any affiliate revenues on these sales.

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McKinley Marketing Partners released their marketing hiring research. It’s a must read for marketers to see how their plans align with other firms.

On a personal level, it reveals where you need to update your marketing skills. BTW—If you’re a kickass B2B marketer, there’s an opening at Shopify!  Just drop me an email I’ll forward it to the hiring manager.

The good news: Marketing hiring is projected to increase in 2018! W00t!

Deeper examination reveals that roughly 60% of this hiring will focus on forms of digital marketing. (Note: Actionable Marketing Guide has your back on this increasingly important topic!)

• ​​​​​​​Feedspot’s Anuj Agarwal rounded up and ranked the Top 100 Marketing Blogs. Heidi Cohen’s Actionable Marketing Guide clocked in at number 66!
  
  

• LinkedIn's Jason Miller included Heidi Cohen's Actionable Marketing Guide in his 50 Blogs Every B2B Marketer Should Follow.
  
  

• Heidi Cohen was asked about how to measure marketing campaign success in this roundup on AdStage written by Pamella Neely (a former student of mine!). This post is full of useful information nuggets.
  
  

• Hat tip to Serena Dot Ryan!  I met Serena at SMMW17. Take a page from Serena’s playbook, she got my attention and we sat down during lunch to discuss her business. Here’s her write up of SMMW18.