I’ve just stumbled upon EverythingCU.com, and have come across this excellent list of 27 Credit Union Social Media Don’ts. Don’t worry – every point can be applied beyond Credit Unions. Read it, apply it, and critique yourself. Whatever your first two reactions are after reading it, promise you’ll do something about it. Otherwise, it’s just another fancy list.

My favorites -

Don’t think that social media is just another marketing channel to starting shouting on.

Don’t blog just because everyone else is doing it. And if you do, don’t let it languish for long periods of time.

Don’t think that social media and traditional marketing are an either/or situation. The best campaigns utilize both types where appropriate.

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Chris at the Raw Stylus opened my eyes to this bit of simple genius.

Introducing the Firefox tablet – read all about it at Tech Crunch.

Isn't this worth $200?

No, you can’t get it yet. That’s what makes it even more exciting. The spark has caught on, and thanks to the openness of our new culture, anyone can help fan the flame. And we’ll all be better off because of it.

What idea have you got that is sitting in some dusty corner of your brain that couldn’t use the help of a couple hundred experts?

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Tul has launched a graphological analysis feature on their website, TUL.com. It’s worth your five minutes, I promise.

I can’t think that pens are at the top of the “most fun products to market” category, but that didn’t stop TUL from having fun anyway. And it works, at least in generating a little exposure. According to Compete.com, the site is getting 7k+ visitors a month, which ain’t too shabby for a pen.

What’s something fun-loving, even goofy, you can do with your company?

Thanks to Ron at the BusyNoggin.com for passing along the link.

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Often the red-headed stepchild of pay-per-click advertising, AdWord placement in Google’s content network is often frowned upon and shied away from. Not so for skincare distributor Murad. This article from Internet Retailer details how Murad was able to increase sales by 15% via ads on Google’s content network.

The campaign’s success had lead Murad to restructure its approach to paid search, according to Katherine LaFranchise, senior director of online marketing for Murad. “”We used to think that content advertising was only useful for increasing search conversions, but we found you can achieve direct return on investment from content campaigns,” she says.

It’s interesting that only one site from the network is mentioned as being the prime generator of traffic.

What’s the smallest niche you can think of for your company? What website(s) do those people visit? Is there any way you can get involved?

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OK – for those of you bored to death with my marketing pontifications, loyal readers of this blog only because of a dedicated friendship or a love of giving me a hard time via the comments, I got ya something:

Introducing VintageBrett.com, my all-new blog that has absolutely nothing to do with marketing, and everything else to do with anything else that crosses my mind.

Start here to find out all about it, and then make your way through the few posts I’ve got up there. I’m still getting the tone and feel of the blog down, but I think it will be a rather enjoyable conversation for us all.

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I just googled ‘news,’ expecting Google News to be the first link on the page. It wasn’t. CNN.com takes the cake.

What does that tell ya about Google? Mixed reaction?

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Here’s an educational rant at Search Engine Land that provides a little food for thought. Are you guilty?

To me, this line sums up the real point: “The problem with this, of course, is that any time you do anything just for SEO purposes, you’ll almost always do it wrong.”

SEO is powerful, but providing valuable content and resources is much more powerful. Don’t let the allure of SEO suck you in to the point you suck.

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Bill has posted his Luther-esque thesis on the doors of the blogosphere with this post on 26 reasons why I love marketing. My three favorites:

1. The best people I know are marketers
2. I understand the phrase “Having a Purple Cow who Zags in a Blue Ocean”
3. It’s better then being beat with a bag of oranges

Check out it out share your favorites.

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I’m a little behind on sharing some great reading, but here are some highlights from the past couple months.

1. Finding an extra 15 hours in your week. Seems the Marketing Minute posted all the great marketing blogs out there, and the next question became “How in the world do I find time to keep up with all that?” Here are the answers. Pooping productivity is especially key.
2. Turning Points: How I Became a Consultant. Steve takes a look back at the moment he realize it was time to do it himself. The entire post is excellent and enlightening, but I believe this quote sums it up: “If I was going to fulfill my professional desires and drives, and add maximum value, I had to “create it myself,” and not vainly hope that someone else would conform their business to my ideals, or custom-create the perfect position for me.”
3. Early Retirement is a False Idol. The norm is to slave away during our “working years” so we can finally enjoy life later because we don’t have to work. However (as quoted in the post): “Why does the idea of work have to be so bad that you want to sacrifice year’s worth of prime living to get away from it forever?”
4. Focus on the Goal, Not the Mechanics. If you’re requesting the help of a designer or other creative service, don’t micro-manage the process. You obviously aren’t an authority to begin with, or you wouldn’t be asking for help. Be the champion of the end-goal, make it clear to your partners, and let them, the messengers, craft their message. As Jay Moonah is quoted in the article: “If you are working with an agency, what you need to help your agency partners understand is WHAT you want to accomplish, not HOW they should do it.”
5. Here’s $1,000 to Quit. John cites a post on the new-hire policy of Zappos, a growing online shoe retailer. They offer any new employee $1,000 to quit within the first week. Why? Read the post. It’s smart, and probably quite cost-effective.
6. Did You Know? – Brand Loyalty. Insightful quick stats on the price and profit of increased usage by repeat customers. Fascinating. For example, did you know It costs 7 times more to get a new consumer for the brand than it does to get a current consumer to make an incremental purchase?
7. Not Even Cocktail Napkins Are Safe. Advertising on napkins at bars? C’mon . . . .

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Pei Wei Restaurant

I was at Pei Wei the other night, picking up a much needed and specifically requested order of Spring Rolls for my pregnant wife. I walked in, placed my order, and expected to wait 5-10 minutes. As the checkout procedure comes to a close, the clerk grabs a to-go cup and asks, “Would you like a free drink while you wait?” I gladly take her up on her offer, grab me some Mandarin Green Tea, and wait smiling for my order to be done.

This is a simple, no-brainer tactic that can only help boost Pei Wei’s business. Their cost for that drink? Probably less than 20 cents. But it’s got me moving them to the front of the line anytime I want takeout. It’s made me consider something else as a possible necessity when making the decisions. A necessity that’s going to give them an edge every time.

Nice job.

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