Ishaq Williams, Stephon Tuitt, and the Chicago Tribune is Awful

Good evening everyone,
I hope your day was good...

Well, it looks like from everything I am reading and seeing that Stephon Tuitt is indeed visiting Auburn, and his mother knew nothing about it. Was her mom dishonest? Well, maybe she was trying to protect her son. All she had to do was answer the question, if he is visiting Auburn, what is there to hide? It would be disappointing to lose him, he is great tight end, but there is no need for dishonesty.

Coach Kelly and Bob Diaco visited Ishaq Williams this week and apparently "wowed" him, so supposedly Notre Dame is in the lead for his services, but after the last month I don't take anything anymore for granted.

Finally, the hatchet job that the Chicago Tribune tried to do on the Lizzy Seeberg is ridiculous, it was announced today that no charges would be filed in the case. Shame on the crappy Tribune.

all the best,
ndmpb

Welcome to Blue Gold Thunder!

Finally, at long last the new blog is here!

This blog is for all the diehard Notre Dame fans out there, this blog will be insightful, fun, and I look forward to sharing my knowledge of ND football for you.  I also welcome all comments and emails (mblum16@yahoo.com)

posts coming soon!

matt

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Format Change

Sorry it has been awhile!  I am changing the format of the blog, some very exciting new stuff… stay tuned!

marketmpb

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QR Codes

Good morning, are you staying warm where you are at?  It is 17 degrees right now in southern Ohio…  Another great post by Patricia Plourde of Honey Bee Marketing!

enjoy,

marketmpb

QR Code

As the Marketing Director of the New England School of Communications (www.nescom.edu) it’s important for a school that is so technologically advanced to have marketing, which represents that. Since I live the life of a double agent as the owner of Honey Bee Marketing I know that I want my clients to be competitive.

QR code is short for Quick Response and that is certainly what you get. With a Smart phone you have the ability to download barcode scanners, once downloaded all you do is open the application and scan the code and you a directed where ever the marketer wants to take you. At NESCom we have recently used them during tours. The Student Ambassadors had QR codes on shirts that they wore and the code took prospects to a page about “What to do next”.

As Honey Bee Marketing my business card has a QR code on it. You are able to take my business card, scan the code and go directly to my website www.beethebuzz.com. As I write this blog in flight US Airways Magazine has one on its cover. It takes you to their website. I have recently seen QR codes on Sears weekend flyers for the latest sales. I love QR codes, so in love that I have refused to actually type website addresses into my phone. Don’t lose your customer because you didn’t make it easy! Contact me at Honey Bee Marketing and take your marketing to the next level.

 

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5 Pricing Strategies

Good afternoon, are you enjoying your day?

For those that know me, I am a huge fan of Noel Levitz, they are truly higher education marketing experts. Here is a great article discussing pricing strategies.

enjoy, marketmpb

(source: noellevitz.com)

Last week, Kim Clark at U.S. News and World Report, contacted Noel-Levitz for some background on the article, Here Come $60,000-A-Year Colleges: Many elite colleges are about to break the $60,000 price barrier. My colleague Scott Bodfish and I provided some context and insights based on our research and experience in the field. The article makes some very good points and it got me thinking about how colleges set price. Historically, there have been five broad approaches.

• Cost-based pricing: This approach sets cost solely in the context of internal fiscal needs and tends to ignore the realities of the external marketplace. It can work effectively for institutions with strong demand.

• Competitive pricing: This approach sets prices in the context of your competition. In addition to analyzing your competition, you should also research the perceptions prospective students and their families have about your educational value. They may not see you and your competition as equally valuable.

• Non-incremental price increase: This obvious way to raise net operating revenue can be especially useful if your institution’s price is as at the low end of your competitors, or if you have a substantial number of low- and no-need students.

• Tuition reduction: Enrollment growth usually drives this decision, and it can also significantly alter your market position and lower your discount rate.

• Differential pricing: This strategy is typically employed by adding additional fees (e.g., lab fees, computer fees) to more costly educational programs, or through true variation in tuition by program or student level.

Generally, schools use some combination of these strategies based on their market position and fiscal circumstances. One thing that is clear: colleges are becoming far more sophisticated in their approach to pricing. We see this at Noel-Levitz as a growing number of institutions are partnering with us on price sensitivity studies and econometric modeling to manage net cost of attendance for various student groups (what used to be referred to as financial aid leveraging).

I think the real key for colleges is to have a pricing strategy. Too many institutions still employ cost-based pricing, letting their own internal needs drive their pricing decisions. So as you engage in these conversations on your own campus (and we are at that time of year for the 2011-12 academic year), I encourage you to ask your colleagues a simple question, “What is our pricing strategy,” before diving into the financial models and forecasts that invariably dominate the process on most campuses.

The Fall of Troy!!!!!!!!!!!

Good evening all,

Did you have a great Thanksgiving?

I am still smiling from ear to ear about Notre Dame's victory over USC this past Saturday. This team has been simply amazing in the last three weeks with the 4 best players injured, all the off the field adversity, and just the losses to Navy/Tulsa. The job Brian Kelly has done is sensational and he is building a great foundation for years of championship Irish football, which is the way it should be!

enjoy your night, more marketing stuff this week, GO IRISH!

marketmpb

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to wish all of my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving. Take time tomorrow to reflect on what is really important in your life. Think about your friends, family, and others.

Thank you again for reading my blog and look for great stuff tomorrow night or Friday!

marketmpb (matt)

Miami University Names New Provost

enjoy your weekend,  Go Irish, Beat Army in Yankee Stadium…

marketmpb

(source: cincinnati.com)

Miami University has named Conrado "Bobby" Gempesaw, dean of the College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware, as its top academic officer.

Gempesaw, a native of the Philippines, will start as provost in May 2011. He has been dean at Delaware since 2006 and his research is concentrated in areas including financial simulation, agribusiness and international trade.

He will replace Jeff Herbst, who left this past summer to become president of Colgate University. John Skillings will continue as interim provost through the remainder of this academic year.

Gempesaw was chosen from four finalists, including Valerie Hardcastle, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Cincinnati.

"Dr. Gempesaw will bring creative thinking, visionary leadership and strong management skills to Miami during a time of great change in higher education," Miami President David Hodge said in a statement.

Gempesaw will earn $310,000 a year. He earned a bachelor's degree in Economics from Ateneo de Davao University in the Philippines, a master's degree from West Virginia University and a doctoral degree in Agricultural Economics from Penn State University in 1985.

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Embracing Diversity in Higher Education

 

A great article today from Noel Levitz,  thanks! marketmpb

source: noellevitz.com

Embracing diversity, all sorts

by Lew Sanborne

Dr. Lewis Sanborne, Noel-Levitz executive consultant, offers two decades of experience in higher education and enrollment management, particularly in the areas of student retention, assessment, and institutional research.

One of the great pleasures of my job as a retention consultant is the diversity of the campuses I work with: public, private, two-year, four-year, secular, faith-based, single purpose, liberal arts, and so on. Diversity within those institutions is amazing too, from those primarily serving “traditional” students to those serving primarily working adults; some majority male, but most majority female; some with a single race majority, and some with a balance of students from a number of racial backgrounds. Some campuses are in transition from one dominant student profile to another. Perhaps it is my bias, but I think the diversity of our institutions, and the diversity of our student populations is one of the great strengths of higher education in America.

Imagine how disappointed I was, then, when ACE released a report last week that showed that the postsecondary attainment rate for Hispanics and African-Americans aged 25-34 has dipped in comparison to their older peers. At a time when so many are working so hard to foster success among diverse student populations, attainment is slipping. And it’s slipping in spite of evidence from our Noel-Levitz research that African-American and Hispanic students report slightly stronger levels of determination to finish a degree than their White peers. What can we do then to help African-American and Hispanic students be successful in their courses, stay enrolled, and earn a degree?

I suggest the following principles to keep in mind when working to support academic success and degree attainment of diverse student populations:

• Consider the needs of the family, not just of the student. When building orientation programs and first-year experiences, weave in the transition and educational needs of the family. Going to college is a big deal, whether students are going to a two-year or four-year college. Family support is essential. Help families learn how to support the students in their midst.
• When building first-year experience programs, help students understand how all of their coursework is preparing them for a career after college. Even at small liberal arts colleges, students are thinking about their after-college experience. First generation students in particular often fail to see why general education courses are necessary, or why they must take developmental courses before getting to the “real” college material. We understand that most working adults will work in numerous careers in their lifetime, and that general preparation is at least as important as major preparation. We must help students understand why we ask them to do what we do.
• We must do a better job of collecting outcome stories about our graduates. Armed with those outcome stories, we must build communication strategies that show our students—especially African-American and Hispanic students who may be first generation students and may not be convinced of the value of an education—that education can make a huge difference in their lives. I’m reminded of a Time article from September showing the results of a study that found in 147 of 150 of the largest U.S. cities, the median incomes for young, childless women are 8 percent higher than for their male peers. The study’s author, James Chung, attributes the earnings differential primarily to education. Finishing that degree matters!
• We can document the long-term economic benefits of degree attainment to our students, but we must help our students manage the immediate economic costs. So often I see amazing levels of support offered to new students and their families during the recruitment process. Also too often, I see almost no help for families struggling to complete the financial aid process the second or third time around. We must be as intentional in helping our continuing students navigate the financial aid processes as we are with our prospective recruits.

As I reflect on what I’ve written above, it occurs to me that all of these strategies are, well, just good retention strategies. This blog entry could be as much about first generation students as it is about African-Americans or Hispanics. And truly, these strategies can support mainstream or majority students too (however we define mainstream or majority). Program differences for diverse student populations are often found in their focus or emphasis.

The keys are to know your students; understand their backgrounds, their strengths and challenges; and then act on what you know. Tailor your programs to meet the needs of the students you have, not the students some on your campus might wish you were serving. Help all see how the education you are providing can be life-changing.

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Managing the Flow of Information

Good evening, and these Irish Eyes are still smiling,  did you enjoy your Monday?  I hope so.

Another great guest post from Brad Ledson of the 0301 Consulting Group.

enjoy,

marketmpb

Managing the flow of Information
When it comes to blogging, social media an marketing in general I personally thing quality and consistency are key. You have to have a continual flow of great content that keeps your audience interested and wanting to engage with you. But not so much that they "hide" your Facebook updates or un follow your twitter because it's only every your updates on there feed.
The beauty of taking your brand global is this continues flow of information can be aimed a specific demographic while still appealing to your customers as a whole. The thing I would say is if your brand offers discounts and offers to these specific markets be careful how they are promoted and make sure each area is given equal time, effort and incentive to buy.
In regards to updates and keeping your content fresh if you have 4 or 5 different markets they can feed each other and support each others actions while still staying true to your brand.

I wrote a post not so long ago called ‘’Social Stores’’ which highlights how you can manage and control the information your customers get to see, the presentation ‘Online & Instore Integration’ (shown below) demonstrates how you can engage, update and inform your global market of all the goings on in your business with taking over there news feeds and updates.

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,brad ledson,0301consultinggroup,marketing

Interviewing Marketers/One Voice, One Vision

 

Good morning, I hope your Irish Eyes are smiling like mine, and you are enjoying your weekend!

Another great guest post this morning by Brad Ledson of the 0301 Group…  enjoy

marketmpb

s Part of an interview series 0301 Consulting have done called

We have interviewed both established marketers and experts in their field san dup and coming web entrepreneurs. Below we speak to -

0301 Meets Rodney Riley creator of www.playareabark.co.uk

The next instalment in our One Voice One Vision series comes from Rodney Riley, and SEO Specialist and all round fountain of web knowledge.

We worked our interview a little differently this time and asked one simple question, how did you get www.playareabark.co.uk online?

And here is what Rodney had to say -

How to get started quickly and easily in e-commerce

A little background before we get started – I’ve worked with the web since 1999, both for agencies such as Mando Group and online retailers. Having worked for both providers and users of e-commerce systems gives an interesting perspective which I’m hoping to bring to this post.

A few years ago if you wanted an e-commerce solution you had very little choice, you had to have it developed bespoke for you. This is was and remains an expensive solution, with the larger agencies the cost quickly escalates into the tens of thousands of pounds. That said just because the solution is expensive it does not mean that it is necessarily the wrong path, it all depends on exactly what you are trying to achieve.

A bespoke solution (so long as you nail the development company down to your function requirement document) will be exactly as you want it. Digital agencies will be there to support you throughout the life of the project right from initial idea to the day your replacement site is launched. A full service digital agency will also be there to help with online marketing which if you don’t have the skills within your own organisation can be a real benefit. A website with no visitors is pointless.

However, these days with a little determination and skill it is possible to build yourself a powerful e-commerce site using readily available technology. This when you think about it makes a great deal of sense, after all PC manufacturers for the most part use readily available components and simply add their own style to the box and the same goes in many other industries.

There are literally hundreds of these systems but they are generally split into two types. Cloud hosted solutions (such as ecwid.com) were you simply use an e-commerce solution like any other service or systems hosted on your own server (such as Magento). Of the two cloud hosted solutions are the simples but as is often the way with simple they are also the least flexible.

Web development agencies will tell you that these off the shelf solutions are not suited to busy e-commerce sites but these days that is simply not true. Magento powers some of the largest stores on the planet and has a team of developers working constantly on security and improvements.

It might sound like I’m beating down on digital agencies – I’m not. They are fantastic if you have a large budget and want your hand holding, however, if you fancy having a go yourself it is possible to build an e-commerce site to a very high standard and this is exactly what I decided to do.

I’ve wanted to work for myself for years in one form or another but I’m happy my employer and job as well. So after much soul searching I came to the conclusion that I could do both. However, I had a few problems. No product, no site, no payment gateway.

Problem 1

I quickly came to a deal with employer that I would buy product off them and sell it myself just like any other trade customer can.

Problem 2

This is the interesting one. I did not have the budget (or in my case the desire) to go down the agency route, I wanted to do this part myself. I’m good with html and css having built 9 sites in the past year for work but I’m not a designer.

Tip 1: Don’t try and do everything yourself or you will fail. If you need a skill which you don’t have contract it out. Need a contractor? Have a look at Linkedin – you will find many competent contractors out there who are more than happy to help you at very favourable rates.

I chose the designer Amy Clover and she did all my graphical work. Amy successfully developed a distinctive look for my site but I still had the problem of what e-commerce system to go for.

I didn’t want to go down the Magento route, as powerful as it is I felt that it would probably need more maintenance (and skill) than I wanted to out into the project. My focus needs to be on selling to make the project work as it is been run in my spare time.

I tried out many solutions and found that ecwid.com offered the best all round system. It is so easy to use and install, it features large product images, clear calls to action and it has that ‘feel’ of slickness that I wanted. I cannot praise ecwid enough at this moment in time I feel it is the best of the breed.

The back end of ecwid is also very complete, orders are easy to process, products easy to add and manage (stock control is standard). The only bit that was difficult to sort out was the shipping methods. For most people this would not have been a problem but as my chosen products weigh between 25kg and 5 tonnes so my shipping matrix is more complex than most.

Problem 3

The choice of payment gateway is critical, they handle the financial transaction for you. I’ve chosen to go with Paypal because it offers both credit card and paypal payment methods as well as a well trusted brand. This is important as you need to build consumer trust.

Result

Play Area Bark was launched on Saturday 11^th of July – a mere 8 weeks after the project was started (trying getting your web development company to do that for you!), the first sale came 8 days later. If you have the determination and drive you can build yourself an online presence on a tight budget. The total cost of the project to date has been less than £500!

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A very good day for Notre Dame Football

A little off-topic tonight but to my readers who know me, I am an avid Notre Dame Football fan, and the last three weeks have been tough on me, and tough on the program.  Today, I saw a beacon of light shine down from God :) as my Irish defeated  the #15 Utah Utes with a freshman qb (Tommy Rees) and many key starters missing, wow the future is bright!!!!

I just wanted to relay to my readers that I am a very, very happy man tonight, and I wish I was in South Bend, Indiana!!

Go Irish!!!

marketmpb

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Facebook Firing…..

Well, if you don’t like your boss or company, best keep it off social media… hope you enjoyed your day,

marketmpb

source: cnbc.com

Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post

In what labor officials and lawyers view as a ground-breaking case involving workers and social media, the National Labor Relations Board has accused a company of illegally firing an employee after she criticized her supervisor on her Facebook page.

Source: facebook.com

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This is the first case in which the labor board has stepped in to argue that workers’ criticisms of their bosses or companies on a social networking site are generally a protected activity and that employers would be violating the law by punishing workers for such statements.

The labor relations board announced last week that it had filed a complaint against an ambulance service, American Medical Response of Connecticut, that fired an emergency medical technician, accusing her, among other things, of violating a policy that bars employees from depicting the company “in any way” on Facebook or other social media sites in which they post pictures of themselves.

Lafe Solomon, the board’s acting general counsel, said, “This is a fairly straightforward case under the National Labor Relations Act — whether it takes place on Facebook or at the water cooler, it was employees talking jointly about working conditions, in this case about their supervisor, and they have a right to do that.”

That act gives workers a federally protected right to form unions, and it prohibits employers from punishing workers — whether union or nonunion — for discussing working conditions or unionization. The labor board said the company’s Facebook rule was “overly broad” and improperly limited employees’ rights to discuss working conditions among themselves.

Moreover, the board faulted another company policy, one prohibiting employees from making “disparaging” or “discriminatory” “comments when discussing the company or the employee’s superiors” and “co-workers.”

The board’s complaint prompted Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, a law firm with a large labor and employment practice representing hundreds of companies, to send a “lawflash” advisory on Monday to its clients, saying, “All private sector employers should take note,” regardless “of whether their work force is represented by a union.”

The firm added, “Employers should review their Internet and social media policies to determine whether they are susceptible to an allegation that the policy would ‘reasonably tend to chill employees’ ” in the exercise of their rights to discuss wages, working conditions and unionization.

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American Medical Response of Connecticut denied the labor board’s allegations, saying they were without merit. “The employee in question was discharged based on multiple, serious complaints about her behavior,” the company said in a statement. “The employee was also held accountable for negative personal attacks against a co-worker posted publicly on Facebook. The company believes that the offensive statements made against the co-workers were not concerted activity protected under federal law.”

The case involves Dawnmarie Souza, who had to prepare a response to a customer’s complaint about her work. Ms. Souza, the board said, was unhappy that her supervisor would not let a representative of the Teamsters, the union representing the company’s workers, help prepare her response.

Ms. Souza then mocked her supervisor on Facebook, using several vulgarities to ridicule him, according to Jonathan Kreisberg, director of the board’s Hartford office, which filed the complaint. He also said she had written, “love how the company allows a 17 to become a supervisor” — 17 is the company’s lingo for a psychiatric patient.

The labor board said that her comments “drew supportive responses from her co-workers” and led to further negative comments about the supervisor. Mr. Kreisberg said: “You’re allowed to talk about your supervisor with your co-workers. You’re allowed to communicate the concerns and criticisms you have. The only difference in this case is she did it on Facebook and did it on her own time and her own computer.”

An administrative law judge is scheduled to begin hearing the case on Jan. 25. Marshall B. Babson, a member of the National Labor Relations Board in the 1980s, said a broad company rule that says one cannot make disparaging comments about supervisors is clearly illegal under labor law. But he said an employee’s criticizing a company or supervisor on Facebook was not necessarily protected activity.

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“There will arguably be cases where it is not concerted activity,” Mr. Babson said, suggesting that if a worker lashed out in a post against a supervisor but was not communicating with co-workers, that type of comment might not be protected.

If the Facebook conversation involves several co-workers, however, it is far more likely to be viewed as “concerted protected activity,” he said.

But employees might cross the line into unprotected territory if they disparage supervisors over something unrelated to work — for instance, a supervisor’s sexual performance — or if their statements are disloyal.

Courts often view workers’ statements as disloyal when they are defamatory and are not supported by facts. Mr. Babson cited a case upholding the firing of airline workers who held signs saying their airline was unsafe. But, he said, if employees held signs accurately saying their airline or restaurant had been cited for dozens of safety violations, that would most likely be protected

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,facebook,facebook firing,social media,cnbc

Social Media Higher Education

A great article from eduguru.com on Social Media Policy… enjoy! marketmpb

(source:eduguru.com)

When developing a social media policy, it is important to remember the nature of “social media” as a web platform. By creating an official presence for your college or university on a social media platform, you are immediately opening a dialogue with your audience. With every post you make, you’re engaging in a conversation that may have different rules and regulations than your existing communications policy.

One of the best ways to begin is to look at a wide range of policies developed by other schools. Here are some examples of social media policies from higher ed institutions:

• DePaul University
• Florida International University
• George Mason University
• Hamilton College
• Kansas State University
• Northwestern University – Feinberg School of Medicine
• Seattle University
• University of Texas – Austin
• Washington University in St. Louis

Some of the most common key messages in these social media policies are:

• Authenticity and transparency
• Protecting confidential information
• Respecting copyrights
• Developing a social media strategy
• Respecting your audience
• Obeying terms of service on specific platforms

For information on responding to negative comments or posts from your audience:

• Negative Facebook Comments: @#$% Me by Jessica Krywosa
• How to Avoid a Social Media Disaster by Mashable

If your plan is to cover blogging in your policy document, here are some resources:

• Blogging Policy Examples by Charlene Li
• Corporate Blogging Policies and Guidelines (PDF download)

You don’t have to start from scratch, either. Check out the PolicyTool for Social Media, “a policy generator that simplifies the process of creating guidelines that respect the rights of your employees while protecting your brand online.”

Remember, your social media policy document doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Coca-cola had a very simple approach to their social media policy. They listed 10 Key Principles for Online Spokespeople and supported it with a 3-page document. Adam Brown, Head Of Social Media at Coca-Cola, explains in the video below.

And finally, make sure that you’re well-prepared for an official social media presence. Robin Smail put together a great, simple presentation called 10 Signs You Shouldn’t Be Doing Social Media. It’s up-front and honest about the key traits you’ll need to have, like social skills, humor, and openness.

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,eduguru,social media marketing,advertising

New Web Browser Rockmelt

Good evening, did you enjoy your day?  I certainly hope you did and as always thank you for reading my blog.

A great article from Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel on the new web browser Rockmelt.

enjoy,

marketmpb

(source: sunsentinel.com)

Now a top Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Andreessen is backing an ambitious new Internet browser tailored for the way 2 billion people connect to one another as they surf the Web.
On Monday, Andreessen is expected to unveil RockMelt, a browser that incorporates popular social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter so users can take their friends with them as they wander the Web.

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The browser also keeps tabs on users' favorite websites, alerting them when new content pops up, and makes it easier to flip through search results. Users can log in to the browser from anywhere so they can always have the same experience.
Andreessen said that RockMelt would unleash a new wave of innovation, intensifying competition in the already heated browser market.
"The market is ripe for new ideas and better products," said Andreessen, whose Netscape lost the browser wars of the 1990s to Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer. "What's exciting is how dynamic the market has become. Nearly 500 million people have changed browsers in the last three years. Back when I was working on the browser, there weren't that many people on the Internet."
Mozilla's Firefox rekindled the browser wars in 2004. The innovative product was embraced by a passionate grassroots community, prompting Internet Explorer and Apple Inc.'s Safari to roll out improved versions of their browsers and Google Inc. to introduce its own browser, Chrome. Whereas Microsoft used to control more than 90% of the market, it now has 59%, losing users to Firefox, which has 23%, and Chrome, with 9% of the market, according to data tracker Net Applications.
The renewed focus on the browser not only gave consumers speedier, more secure browsers, but it also reflected a broader shift in computer use from the desktop to the Web.
As people spend more time on the Web, the browser has arguably become the most important piece of software installed on a computer. Tech titans such as Apple, Google and Microsoft have invested heavily in their browsers in recent years. With the rise of Facebook and the new age of social networking, analysts expect browsers to become more social too.
This is not the first time a browser has tried to tap into the increasingly social nature of the Internet. Firefox offers Facebook extensions that connect users to their friends. And Flock Inc. pioneered the social browser category five years ago, placing an early and prescient bet that the way people connect to each other online would change how they connect to the Web, drawing interest from investors including Andreessen.
Flock has focused on building its browser rather than on marketing it, Chief Executive Shawn Hardin said.
"It has been a challenge for us: How to go from 20 million downloads to 200 million downloads," Hardin said.
Gartner Inc. analyst Ray Valdes says no matter how fleet-footed and innovative, the new RockMelt browser will face the same hurdle as others: getting people to try it. New browsers face a "very difficult software distribution challenge," said John Lilly, the outgoing chief executive of Mozilla.
Analysts and others have not yet test driven RockMelt, which has been developed in secret.
"It's a little hard for us to speculate about what it is, how it might be received by users and ultimately whether or not it serves users' best interests and privacy concerns well," Lilly said.
But the trend that RockMelt represents is clear, he added: "We expect every browser to build in more social capabilities over time."
Andreessen, who sits on Facebook's board, said he expects RockMelt to harness the word-of-mouth power of social networking to get in front of consumers, who are more willing than ever to switch browsers. He also says the 2-year-old company co-founded by Eric Vishria and Tim Howes — both former executives of Opsware Inc., a company that Andreessen sold to Hewlett-Packard Co. in 2007 for $1.6 billion — has the technical experience and vision to stay ahead of competitors.
Whether RockMelt wins over consumers in the process is another question. Jesse Ehman, 25, of Los Angeles got an early invitation to try out RockMelt because he was part of a small production team that made a video to teach people how to use it. He said he likes that he can just boot up RockMelt and interact with his Facebook friends from a narrow left-hand strip or get updates from his favorite websites on the right-hand side.
"I just fell in love with it. I use it every day now," Ehman said. "It keeps all of my important information in one spot."

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,rockmelt,advertising,social media,internet,sun sentinel

Notre Dame Letter

Good afternoon all, I hope your Saturday is going well.. a little off topic today, I thought I would post the letter from Fr. John Jenkins (president of Notre Dame) to the Notre Dame community, taking responsibility for Declan Sullivan.  I am very proud of the way my favorite school has handled this.

enjoy,

marketmpb

Dear Notre Dame students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends,
The tragic accident that took Declan Sullivan's life just over a week ago, the Mass of Remembrance in the Basilica, and his family's faith-filled funeral for him this week have given each of us the chance to grieve, remember and pray. Declan was a bright and energetic young man who lived his life with passion. We will miss him, and we believe that he is in the loving embrace of our Lord.
Over this past week, I have had the great privilege of meeting with and trying to provide some measure of support to Declan's parents, sister, brother and other members of his family. Many Notre Dame faculty, staff and students also have reached out to offer their assistance. Yet the Sullivan family, through their incredible grace and courage, has given us support and an example of how to respond. They ministered to us as we tried to minister to them.
There is no greater sadness for a university community than the death of one of its students under any circumstances. Yet this loss is more devastating, for Declan died in a tragic accident while in our care. For that, I am profoundly sorry. We are conducting an investigation and we must be careful not to pre-judge its results, but I will say this: Declan Sullivan was entrusted to our care, and we failed to keep him safe. We at Notre Dame - and ultimately I, as President - are responsible. Words cannot express our sorrow to the Sullivan family and to all involved.
I am committed to determining why this accident happened and to ensuring the safety of our students. We have been conducting an internal investigation to examine this accident from every possible perspective and to draw conclusions and formulate recommendations for the future. In order to ensure that our inquiry has been thorough, unbiased and accurate, I have asked Dr. Peter Likins, former President of the University of Arizona, to provide an external review of our inquiry, and he has graciously accepted.
In selecting someone to review our investigation, I sought an individual experienced in higher education, with an impeccable reputation for integrity, intellect and independence. In Dr. Likins, we are fortunate to have just such a man. He brings numerous credentials to this assignment: as a world-renowned engineer; as a university administrator who served as provost at Columbia and president at Lehigh and Arizona; as a highly regarded member of numerous NCAA committees; and as a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.
Investigations and external reviews such as this take time, but I assure you that, when complete, we will issue a public report on the outcome, including information on the events of the afternoon of Oct. 27, any institutional ramifications, and recommendations for safety policies in the future.
Finally, in light of what I believe to be unfounded and unfair commentary and speculation, I want to say something about Coach Brian Kelly. Coach Kelly was hired not only because of his football expertise, but because we believed his character and values accord with the highest standards of Notre Dame. All we have seen since he came to Notre Dame, and everything we have learned in our investigation to date, have confirmed that belief. For those reasons I am confident that Coach Kelly has a bright future leading our football program.
Thank you for your concern, and your prayers. At the darkest moments, the love, and care, and faith of the Notre Dame family shines most brightly.

In Notre Dame,

Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
President
University of Notre Dame

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,declan sullivan,father john jenkins,notre dame

Popular Facebook Applications

Good morning, did you enjoy the whirlwind Election Day yesterday?  Mr.. Obama has been put on notice now…..

I read with interest some of the most popular Facebook applications and thought I would share those with you….

-Are you Interested?  (matchmaking)

-Windows Live Messenger (instant messaging)

-Crime City (action video game)

-Mafia Wars (video game)

-Birthday Cards (card tool)

-Bing (search engine service)

-Smiley Central (smiley maker)

The questions remain, how are you using these to market your business?  Also, how is your demographic Facebook users using them to purchase product?

enjoy your day,

marketmpb

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,facebook,facebook marketing,advertising

2010 Election Results

A little off-topic tonight, and a very Happy Election Day to you!  As of 11:42 PM, here are the current election results… A great night!

courtesy: politico.com

Latest Polls

Race
Results
Source

Colo. Senate

Buck (R)

49%

Bennet (D)

48%

Public Policy Polling

Conn. Governor

Foley (R)

48%

Malloy (D)

45%

Quinnipiac

Conn. Senate

Blumenthal (D)

53%

McMahon (R)

44%

Quinnipiac

Nev. Governor

Sandoval (R)

55%

R. Reid (D)

44%

Public Policy Polling

Calif. Senate

Boxer (D)

50%

Fiorina (R)

46%

Public Policy Polling

Calif. Governor

Brown (D)

51%

Whitman (R)

46%

Public Policy Polling

Ohio Senate

Portman (R)

60%

Fisher (D)

39%

Ohio Poll / U. of Cincinnati

Ohio Governor

Kasich (R)

47%

Strickland (D)

46%

Quinnipiac

Pa. Senate

Toomey (R)

50%

Sestak (D)

45%

Quinnipiac

Wash. Senate

Rossi (R)

50%

Murray (D)

48%

Public Policy Polling

Fla. Senate

Rubio (R)

47%

Crist (I)

30%

Meek (D)

21%

Public Policy Polling

Fla. Governor

Sink (D)

49%

Scott (R)

46%

Susquehanna/ Sunshine State

Alaska Governor

Parnell (R)

54%

Berkowitz (D)

43%

Public Policy Polling

Nev. Senate

Angle (R)

47%

Reid (D)

46%

Ashjian (TP)

1%

Public Policy Polling

W.Va. Senate

Manchin (D)

50%

Raese (R)

46%

Technorati Tags: election results,2010 election results,mattblum,matt blum,off topic

Internationally Social

 

Good morning, did you have a great Halloween weekend? I sure did, had a great party (minus ornery Meg) hahha, but none the less a great party, the hosts were incredible.  Today we have another great post  from Brad Ledson of the 0301 Consulting Group.

Internationally social

I have been doing some reading lately on the best strategies to take your brand / product to a global market.

This includes assessing if you already have an online presence there, broadband penetration, & product / brand adaption to your new market and so on.

My initial thoughts went in two directions -

1) When entering a global market what are the key areas you need to focus on and what will have the biggest impact on your endeavor?

Assessing what competitors are doing is a must, as well as how long they have been either making profit in that market or on the flip side how long have they been trying to break into it. What are they doing right and wrong and how can you learn from this?

2) What role will social media play in you breaking these markets? And what social mediums would be the best to use? Facebook and Twitter are probably going to be the first two words that jump into your head when you think social. But what about (Orkut & Hi5 & MySpace here) then there is blogging, my Posterous blog gets more traffic than my blogspot page, and I have more interaction with my twitter followers than my Facebook. Is this what my market dictates or my actions on each platform?

The thing with social and going global is you can delve into exactly what your customer wants an expects by doing one simple thing!

Ask them.

Yes it really can be that easy, you can also "test" the topics and conversations your global market will engage in. I have seen one brand have international followers on one Facebook page as well as small more localized pages and within a half hour post about @theXfactor on their main page and on a local page post about @UFC and had excellent engagement on both. I don't think you could get two more different post yet they clearly understand what makes their audience tick.

If you are sat now thinking but how do I get started the best piece of advice I can give is start monitoring where you fans and followers are coming from and how often do they engage on your pages. Start posting updates for specific holidays or events in the countries you would like to develop into. A good trick is to post good morning / afternoon / evening posts in the language of these countries, you would be surprised how followers will react.

Good morning to all our Italian followers - Buon giorno a tutti i nostri seguaci italiani

If you’re a fashion brand and its Milan fashion week, how inviting would this be to your Italian fans?

I remember reading an article that said why should a potential customer have to come to you? You should go to them and engage at their level. This is excellent advice and a lot of fans and followers will always retweet / share any brand news with their own groups because you have taken the time to make them feel valued.

Let me know what you think?

Do you agree disagree? Do you want to know more?

Next post will help you mange the flow of information and how each group can and do support each other.

Brad Ledson

E- Brad@the0301consultinggroup.com

W- www.the0301consultinggroup.com

Facebook -

www.facebook.com/0301consulting

Twitter -

www.twitter.com/0301consulting

Blog-

www.0301consulting.Posterous.com

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,brad ledson,social marketing,international,0301consultinggroup

Declan Sullivan

A very moving piece about the Memorial Mass at the University of Notre Dame for Declan Sullivan, the 20 year old videographer killed this past week at ND. This should have never, ever, ever happened.

courtesy:  amyunsettled.wordpress.com

blessings,

marketmpb

On Wednesday, Declan was killed on campus in an accident involving a hydraulic lift. He was filming football practice for his job as a student manager, and high winds caused the scissor lift he was filming from to topple over.

He was 20 years old. He was a junior majoring in FTT (film, television, and theater) and marketing. He lived in Fisher Hall.

Tonight, Father John Jenkins, University President, presided over a Mass in Declan’s memory in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Mass began at 10 pm. I was in a lecture and movie screening for class until 9:45 pm, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to the Basilica in time to get a seat. I also wasn’t sure if I even wanted to go to the Mass. I didn’t know Declan, so a part of me thought, “Why should I take a seat from somebody who knew him, loved him, cared about him? Who am I to do that?” But another part of me desperately wanted to go to the Mass to show my support for Declan’s family during this horrible, difficult time. That part of me wanted to show the Sullivans that Notre Dame is a place where everybody matters, a place where the spirit of the community links everybody together. I was already running late and I knew that my baseball-cap-and-Ugg-boots attire wouldn’t fly at the Basilica, so I decided to go over to LaFortune Student Center, where I had heard there would be auxiliary seating and a live feed from the Mass.

As I walked across God Quad in the dark, I watched people walking towards the Basilica, two by two. The doors were wide open, emanating a warm golden glow. I was able to hear the prelude for Declan’s Mass all the way at the flagpole on South Quad, and the sound of the organ became clearer as I crossed through the pine trees and made my way to LaFortune.

Up the winding staircase, I burst in to LaFortune and brushed past the representatives from the Student Activities Office who tried to usher me upstairs to the ballroom. “We have some seats left up there,” a girl with a nametag whispered. By the time I heard her, I had already set down my backpack near my usual spot in the main lounge. LaFortune was different. Normally, the building serves as a study/food/coffee/socialization/meeting space, and it’s one of the busiest places on campus. But tonight, it was quiet. Dimmer, somehow.

All of the comfy armchairs were occupied, so after lingering against a wall, cornered by a trashcan, for a few minutes, I plopped down on the floor like a kindergartener. Mass was beginning. The broadcast was coming through on the two large televisions in the main lounge. (It was available online as well.) During the opening song, the SAO folks brought out a number of chairs from another room, and I snapped up a seat just as Fr. Jenkins was greeting the Sullivan family.

Then, the oddest thing began to happen. Everyone in the room began to respond to the TV, just like Mass.

Peace be with you.
“And also with you.”

I don’t know if it was reflex, a genuine desire to participate in the Mass, or some combination of both. All of a sudden, I found myself in the midst of the celebration of the Eucharist in the same room where I drink coffee, read the paper, watch ESPN, and play Sporcle.

Notre Dame is very good at a lot of things, and one of those things is church. Notre Dame knows how to put on a great Mass, and the higher-ups pulled out all the stops for Declan. The Folk Choir provided beautiful music for the service. I was particularly impressed with the selection of the readings. The first reading was Romans 8:31-39 (“If God is for us, who can be against us?”). The gospel reading was John 14:1-14 (“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”).

Father Tom Doyle, Vice President for Student Affairs, gave the homily. He spoke eloquently and simply about storytelling—about Declan’s love of telling stories through film and about the feeling that we have been “written out of the book of life” that accompanies loss and grief. Doyle said, “Most days, we live in this place that is like Eden before the fall.” Normally, bad things don’t happen here. Students joke about the “Notre Dame bubble” for a reason. When terrible things hit Notre Dame, it seems that much worse.

As I watched the Mass on TV from my chair in the LaFortune, I noticed that the camera kept panning out to the people sitting in the pews at the Basilica. The Sullivan family sat in the front row. Gwynn, Declan’s sister, wore a Notre Dame football jersey and Mac, Declan’s 15-year-old brother, wore a Notre Dame sweatshirt. Across the aisle, the men of Fisher Hall sat in the other front section, all with their trademark neon green retro sunglasses pushed back into messy brown waves and perched on blonde crewcuts. Fishermen wear these distinguishing sunglasses around campus all the time, so seemed appropriate that they wore their shades to Mass in memory of their hallmate. The Notre Dame football team sat behind the contingent from Fisher Hall.

During the Eucharistic Prayer, LaFortune was filled with the mutterings of hundreds of students.

Lift up your hearts.
“We lift them up to the Lord.”

When it came time for the Our Father, the Liturgical Choir sang the beautiful Notre Dame Our Father. LaFortune joined hands and joined in. Then, everyone got out of their seats for the sign of peace. Hugs and handshakes all around.

The SAO employees notified us that the Eucharist was being distributed outside the Basilica and that we could leave and come back. After a moment of hesitation, about 75% of the room stood up, grabbed coats, and quietly filed out of the room. I was near the door, so I made it out quickly. Down the stairs, across the quad, towards the music and light. There were hundreds of people already standing outside the Basilica—overflow. Outside, there were musicians performing acoustic versions of the songs playing inside. As I huddled around the front of the Basilica, I turned around. A massive block of students stretched all the way from the foot of the Basilica to the stairs of LaFortune, and people continued to stream out of the building from the ballroom on the second floor.

We stood patiently, quietly in the cold. Occasionally, a priest would emerge from the big Basilica doors. People gathered around eagerly as the priest distributed Communion. Nobody jostled, nobody complained. We just waited. Slowly, more priests came out. After I received Communion, I walked back to LaFortune. I counted six priests standing outside, each man completely surrounded by students waiting for the Eucharist.

I made it back to LaFortune just in time for the final blessing.
The Mass is ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
“Thanks be to God.”

And then, as always, we sang the alma mater, arms around each other, swaying.

Notre Dame, Our Mother
Tender, strong and true
Proudly in the heavens
Gleams thy gold and blue.
Glory’s mantle cloaks thee
Golden is thy fame.
And our hearts forever
Praise thee, Notre Dame.
And our hearts forever
Love thee, Notre Dame.

The fervent prayers of the Notre Dame community are with Declan Sullivan and his family.

A night like this should never have to happen again.

Technorati Tags: mattblum,matt blum,declan sullivan,notre dame

Notre Dame Tragedy

My apologies for not writing in the last couple of days.  I have been mourning the loss of a Notre Dame Student who was taping practice when his scissor lift fell over.  Football is insignificant this week as the Notre Dame community mourns Declan.

Please say a prayer for Declan.

God, Country, Notre Dame

marketmpb

Technorati Tags: mattblum,matt blum,notre dame

Where are we with Location Based Marketing?

Good afternoon,  a great guest post today by Brad Ledson of the 0301 Consulting Group,  my thanks to Brad!

enjoy,

marketmpb

 

Location based marketing and networking such as Foursquare and Twitters @anywhere service are a fairly new marketing medium, but a very fast growing medium nevertheless.

I checked in today and receive an invite for a free coffee and marketing consultation. Now this was not for the place I was checking into but they caught my attention anyway! In the grand scheme of things what is a free coffee to a coffee shop? Answer, pennies. But to a consumer this could be the only draw they need. It had my interest and I was checking in @thelowry for a conference event. I just find it really interesting to see people using such a simple tool to encourage visitors, and if you think about it how many people would like I would share the experience with a number of our social groups?

I think for apparel store the like of Four Square is a totally untapped resource to drive customers and increase store footfall. There are so many ways you can promote this and it really is a shame so many are unwilling to embrace such a unique opportunity. I could present more than 10 different ways to increase your store/ showroom footfall at very little cost. It's all about being creative and being a leader in the field.

Consumers want to be engaged, they want to be gripped by the latest fad, trend or innovative marketing forum. They want something for nothing because you can bet if you don't do it someone else will.

Brad Ledson
E- Brad@the0301consultinggroup.com
W- www.the0301consultinggroup.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/0301consulting
Twitter -www.twitter.com/0301consulting
Blog - www.0301consulting.posterous.com

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,brad ledson,0301consultinggroup,advertising,location based marketing

Some Email Marketing Tips

Well,  I avoided jumping off the cliff after watching the Notre Dame Football game,  wow was that a pitiful defensive performance.  I think I could have been a better defensive coach.

Lets talk some today about email marketing.   First, lets talk about segmenting your audience….

I occasionally get email ads for Spring Break discounts to Cancun.  Does the marketer not know I am 35, married, with two kids?  I think that I would stick out like a sore thumb and the girls would think I am an old pervert :) .  My point here is that it is very important to segment your audience  and know your demographics!  Who likes to feel old?

The second thing is to know your audience.  I can’t tell you how many times I have received an email ad for candles, crafts, and other girl stuff?  Does Matt sound like a girl’s name?  I understand that some spam is rarely targeted, but I think you see what I am getting at here.

The next thing you always want to avoid is the “double opt in”.  For example, if you sign up at national restaurant chain for their newsletter, and a week later you receive an email stating if you really want to subscribe and confirm?  I think that makes your business look like a clown show.  It certainly diminished your time you spent at the restaurant or whatever business you have.

It is very important to know your audience, don’t make someone feel old and avoid the double opt in, and PLEASE say a prayer for Notre Dame Football.

all the best,

marketmpb

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,email marketing tips,advertising,marketing,notre dame football

Colleges Need to Adapt

Good Friday to you,  here is a great article from Inside Higher Ed on leaders needing to adapt to the “technology” student.

thanks, marketmpb

(source insidehighered.com)

Imagine the following hypothetical scenario. Jen is a college first-year student. She attended a public high school in which randomly selected students received iPads as part of an innovative curricular grant project. Jen was fortunate enough to be one of the selected students. She loved writing, reading and using the computer – sometimes for fun, sometimes for homework.

Jen scored in the 78th percentile on the SATs, played on a varsity athletic team, and late in her senior year, showed an aptitude for and interest in photography. She worked during the summer. One of her two parents is a college graduate. Their combined income approximates $95,000.

Jen was accepted to a variety of colleges and universities, and decided to attend a mid-sized university, largely because of the financial aid package, and because its website showcased a new photography major.

Jen was bemused after her first week in college. She is a product of iPhones, smartboards, iPads and text messaging, and yet her classroom was devoid of technological gadgetry. Her professors lecture, sometimes with PowerPoint, sometimes without. They talk about research as if it is something to be done in a library, and not on one’s lap or in one’s hand.

The following example may or may not sound familiar to many educators and students, but it is likely to be the norm in the next few years. Our students process, retrieve and garner information in ways unimaginable a few years ago, if not months ago. We faculty, trained with card catalogs, photocopy packets, and reserve reading, are rapidly becoming living, breathing anachronisms.

Challenges abound – for Jen and for us. Students’ demand for infotainment need not be satisfied, but so too one should not dismiss the reality that such demand is a creation of cultural forces not easily ignored. Similarly, Jen’s technological acumen is not unique, nor is her professor’s lack of it. That divide is only likely to grow. Even as universities attempt to prepare faculty with info-tech workshops and seminars, today’s teenager is going to be more proficient at web design, for example, than your typical 50-something year-old English or sociology professor.

Years ago, I would find an article – in hard copy or on microfiche. If the abstract looked relevant, I would print out the article and read it. Now the digital version of that article is available with the touch of a few clicks. Which article abstracts does one read? How does one choose? The plethora of data is overwhelming for me; it must be daunting for someone without years of experience filtering and culling information.

We need to devote some time to rethink how we – faculty and students alike – read, write, study, research, and more generally, learn. As a relatively new dean, I have asked faculty to rethink their classes, not by tweaking a syllabus by adding or removing a book, but by thinking about today’s and tomorrow’s students. While this process has just commenced, I find that, generally, faculty are eager to accept the challenge. They too realize that today’s students are showing different learning skills than but a few years ago. Anecdotal evidence suggests that they are comfortable with facts – dates, times, and places – but less secure questioning ambiguous or conflicting ideas. Perhaps this is nothing new. After all, contextual analysis is a tricky and sometimes exhausting enterprise.

We have to develop those skills by adapting our own pedagogy and modifying our formal training. Many of us still love the book – the smell, the spine, and the ability to write in the margins. But we need not be intellectual dinosaurs. Perhaps there is something to be said about digital textbooks, replete with high-pixel digital images, highlighting and note-taking capabilities, podcasts and moving cameras. (The new digital art history books are mesmerizing.)

How do we develop those skills? The responsibility, I would suggest first lies with provosts, deans and chairs. Instead of wasting valuable time on weekly meetings about the status quo, we should be listening carefully to college-bound high school students. Our faculty should be present too, perhaps sitting in the background taking copious notes (either on a memo pad or an iPad). Provosts should make technology in the classroom the theme of their faculty retreats, perhaps for the next year or two, if only because technological advancements find the marketplace faster than the glacially slow academic calendar.

We then should be holding a series of summits with our information technology departments, not as we always do to discuss next year’s budget, but to imagine together what the next five or ten years of classroom instruction will look like, and to develop specific strategies for implementing that vision. Perhaps it will require a million dollars. Perhaps, indeed. If so, then it is time for us deans to raise funds, or for us quickly to develop strategic partners with computer companies.

There are no more Luddites in the university. I should know. I learned how to do chi-squares calculations by hand, and I still believe such a method teaches students how to understand the relationship between two variables. I still have a file cabinet full of journal articles. My fondness for books and bookstores has not dissipated, nor has my passion for reading the hard copy of the newspaper.

Critics may misinterpret this call for action as a desire to teach to the whims of technology. Quite the contrary. Even the able scholar with a fountain pen now uses a laptop and a flash drive. Information abounds – good, bad, true and false. It can be retrieved and stored in ways inconceivable but two years ago. Teaching Jen to discern what is crud and what is critically valuable – in a way that both inspirational and imaginative – is no easy task. Her voracious intellectual appetite must be met with creative energy we have not yet tapped.

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,insidehighered,marketing,advertising,higher education marketing,highereducationmarketing

Happy Days Dad Passes Away

Very sad, one of my favorite “dads” on TV, when I was growing up..  Tom Bosley RIP

(breaking news)

courtesy: foxnews.com

TV

'Happy Days' Dad Tom Bosley Dies

(ABC)

Tom Bosley, the actor who played mild-mannered hardware store owner Howard Cunningham on the classic sitcom 'Happy Days,' died on Tuesday, his agent confirmed.

Bosley was 83.

He had been battling a staph infection when he passed away at his Palm Springs home, according to reports.

Bosley's death comes just days after that of another beloved TV parent. Barbara Billingsley, who played mom June Cleaver on 'Leave It to Beaver," died this past weekend.

Bosley also starred in the "Father Dowling Mysteries" series in the late '90s, but he was best knows as Richie and Joanie Cunningham's dad, and Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli's landlord, on "Happy Days," which aired from 1974-84.

The show depicted middle-class life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1950s just as rock and roll was taking hold of the American consciousness.

Bosley's character was typically the calm at the center of the storm, often dispensing his reasonable advice from the comfort of his easy chair in the Cunninghams' living room

Technorati Tags: mattblum,matt blum,tom bosley,breaking news

Would you like to be a writer?

Good afternoon, and I hope your news is good today. 

This is a shout out to anyone who would like to write about marketing, advertising, or any aspects of social media.  I am fortunate to have a few true experts writing for me now (eg, Patricia Plourde of Honey Bee Marketing), but I could use a few more.  I also don’t have any silly rules on writing, so you can include as many links back to your business/yourself as you like.

If interested, please contact the administrator (me) at

marketmpb@rocketmail.com

thank you!

Matt

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,writer,advertising,marketing,promotion

Forming Partnerships with Community Colleges

a great article, courtesy of stamats.com, one of the best out there!

marketmpb

As I think about the efforts four-year institutions are going through right now to try to befriend community colleges, I can’t help but think about the fact that many of the original “good partnerships” in higher education started with adult student programs. Many schools that I visit have had long-standing arrangements (some more formal than others) in relation to the 2+2 that community colleges and four-year institutions can often offer to adult students. Some of these partnerships go so far as to allow for recruitment staff to have office space on community college campuses, present in classes, and participate in educational sessions relating to “next steps” beyond the community college education.
What this actually offers is a true service to our adult students. The opportunity to have an introduction made to a trusted partner in higher education by the community college that has benefited them so much during their enrollment can go a long way in pointing an adult student toward a solid institution who operates a program that is truly designed to meet their needs. Additionally, it serves as a real vote of confidence to the adult student that a community college advisor feels they have what it takes to make the next step in their education.
If you are a program that has benefited from a solid partnership with a community college, I want to urge you to touch base often with a partner. Community colleges have truly been in the spotlight for their booming enrollment, but they are also a new focus for many institutions who have never before been interested in the prospective transfer students who graduate from their programs. In order to keep your relationship solid with these valuable partners I strongly recommend that you develop a clear process of connecting with them often and listening carefully to their needs. Be the good partner that they have been to you for all these years

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,community colleges,marketing,advertising,highereducationmarketing,higher education marketing

Brand Recognition, at a Young Age

Did you have a good weekend?  I hope you did.  Mine was great, a Notre Dame victory and some great time spent with family.

Tonight I would like to take a look at brand recognition from a young age perspective.

As some may know, I have a two great kids, a 4 year old and a 3 year old and they are great at recognizing certain things, especially a John Deere logo.

If you follow my blog,  you know that I have mixed feelings about John Deere.  Our L108 garden tractor blew up this past summer after only 5 years of use, plain and simple it apparently was not made for the rigors of cutting 3.5 acres of grass.  My take is that if something has a John Deere label, it should be made to cut any amount of grass.  Now I have to take some personal responsibility because the “cooling” fins apparently became clogged inside the engine and it got so hot it actually melted the crankshaft.  So I took the kids and we went and bought a new more powerful X-300 tractor and we love it.

Anyway, back to my story :).  So the kids and I are at the store the other day and my son yells out in the parking lot,  “DADDY, DADDY, JOHN DEERE, JOHN DEERE!!!!”.  So I am thinking we are in a urban grocery store’s parking lot, where in the world is this kid seeing a John Deere tractor???  It was not a tractor.

He had spotted a John Deere window sticker about 10 yards away, he knew the logo!  How about that???  The kid liked John Deere so much from our experience in buying the new one (and playing with the JD toys) that he recognized the logo.

Talk about marketing at an early age.  Would a young kid recognize your logo?

enjoy your weekend and thanks for letting me share this story…

Technorati Tags: matt blum,mattblum,john deere,marketingatanearlyage,advertising,marketing

Customah Feedback

a great marketing tool, from a great marketing expert Patricia Plourde,  owner of Honey Bee Marketing  (www.beethebuzz.com)

enjoy!
Matt

In a world where people take to the Internet to voice their opinions, how do you as a business do your best to make sure that negative comments don’t make it to the Internet or even through word-of-mouth on the street? It is true that when customers have a bad experience they will tell multiple people but when they have a good experience they might not tell anyone. Are our expectations too high to think that service needs to be perfect every single time we have a Business to Consumer interaction? I think we would all agree we would like the best service, and if it’s our business we would like to give the best service - what is critical is how we respond to bad service. Responding appropriately to bad service is just as important as always giving good service.

I have been recently introduced to a new product that is great for those of us that are on the go and constantly busy. We all have seen what I believe is a somewhat ineffective feedback process, the receipt at checkouts promising a chance to win a prize if you share how the Business’ service was. Don’t get me wrong, I would love a shopping spree but I’m never going to take the time to pull out the receipt (which is usually lost when I leave the store) then remember to find it when I get home, and go online: and so what if I tell you I have had a horrible experience. Time has passed and maybe too much to make a difference with the shopper.

So, why not invest in mobile feedback, Called Customah Feedback. Customah Feedback is easier and faster, keeping up with today’s demands: at your business (such as a shopping store with snacks, goodies, etc.) through marketing at the checkouts customers receive a number to text feedback. A customer could very well text in their feedback while waiting in line – it’s that fast and easy. The text message will contain a rating of 1-10, which is automatically sent to a mobile phone, for example, the manager. The manager knows that this person came in and s/he gave them a rating of 4. Well why? What happened? Customah Feedback gives the manager an opportunity to directly call that person immediately and find out what happened at the store and most importantly how the store can fix it. Staying on top of negative feedback and offering a solution will make your company stand out in the customers mind, and gives businesses an edge in customer satisfaction.

We all live in a world of instant gratification. When we have a bad experience we want to know someone cares and they will try to do their best to fix the problem. Customah Feedback allows that to happen. If you would like to invest in this for your company feel free to contact me. Make sure that when your customers are taking to the Internet it’s to talk about how you resolved a problem quickly!

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