Ok, Interview #2 of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Social Marketers series…
Have you met Kate Brodock yet? If not, you should. She’s Founder and Principal of The Other Side Group, a good friend, and an “office mate” at the Boston Athenaeum, one of the best kept secrets of Boston.
1. What one trait or habit got you to where you are today?
Hmm…Resourcefulness + risk-comfortable (I am absolutely a “Let’s do it person” and I’m good at figuring out how to make sure that happens… not in a scrappy way… in the think-big and think-outside-the-box way), communication (I believe very strongly in being direct and addressing issues head on, while still being as compassionate as humanely possible), genuine-ness (I made that word up I think)….. that was three, sorry.
2. Your work day just started, what’s the FIRST thing you do?
Sadly, check my multiple email accounts and (try) to read the news in Google Reader.
3. What makes you efficient with your day?
Google Reader, Tweetdeck, iPhone for tools… Oh I really like the “spaces” feature on my Mac too, it keeps me surprisingly organized. I use To-Do lists like mad, and I try to keep all of my email inboxes to anything that is an action items…. If I don’t file quickly, it can get out of hand! In general, I have to work pretty hard at organization, because I have little attention to details (I shouldn’t be telling people this), I need to force consistent structure on myself. I blame it on my dad, who’s got even more of an artsy, sporadic mental foundation than I do, but has still managed to run and grow a very process-oriented company for 20 years. Although you should see HIS notepad at the end of the day…
4. Your Favorite Business book of all time?
Hmmm, I’m not sure it’s my favorite, but I really like it: Art of Business.
5. 3 things on your desk right now/ 3 things you can’t live without
Notebooks to scribble anything – I’m still a pretty big paper note-taker….I prefer college-ruled paper, I can’t lie I like them higher end because it makes all my notes more important, and I usually have several different notebooks for various purposes (although don’t ask me to explain those purposes because I think it changes a lot, but it somehow makes sense in my head), 3+ colors of felt-tipped markers (you can ask around, I’m a nut about multiple color options for my notes) and water.
6. Habit you want to kick in 2009
Saying yes to everything. I want to try everything – from the new shiny object to chocolate-covered lima beans to running some big project or organization. I gotta say no more, but really, I gotta say no and not feel like I’m losing a big chunk of enlightenment in the process. That and I should stop eating French Fries.
7. Habit you’d like to form for 2010
To the above point, more focus on fewer things, and play more music.
NOTE- for those who want to follow along in the Twitter conversation (and be updated every time we profile another person) use the #sm7habits hashtag
I recently redeemed some leftover frequent flier miles for a year long print subscription to the Wall Street Journal. This cost me about 2,800 points. So, some immediate reactions and a suggestion to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
This is a GREAT deal. The Newsstand price would have a value of at least a couple hundred dollars. If you were to go online today and order a year-long print subscription to the WSJ, it would cost you $110.
So, for 2,800 airline miles you are getting a year full of great WSJ content ($110) for a value of about .04 per mile. Let’s compare that to some other things you can get for roughly the same amount of miles…
A $25 GAP gift card from American Express’s Membership Rewards= 2500 points or .01 per mile
A $17 bottle of Oreck Pet Stain Remover = 2400 points or .007 cents per mile
Dirt from Fenway Park (home of the Boston Red Sox) = 2400 points or .007 cents per mile
Now, we can have fun answering the following questions…
- Isn’t DIRT from Fenway Park worth more than a bottle of Pet Cleaner? (Yankees/Red Sox fans will have fun with this one)
- A 4 year subscription to the WSJ is worth 100 bucks at the Gap.
- And my personal favorite , some dirt from Fenway Park is less valuable than a year long subscription to the WSJ..
And, ask ourselves the following questions….
How do we value the offline (print only) edition of the Wall Street Journal? And for that matter, the value of any other newspaper/publication struggling with their business model now?
And my favorite question
The Mags for Miles program currently only allows print subscriptions to the WSJ and select magazines. With the WSJ and now the NYT soon charging for online content, why isn’t an online subscription available? It’s a terrific opportunity to engage a new audience and use us some of those leftover points…
Ok, Interview #1 of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective Social Marketers” series.
Our first interview is with Aaron Strout. I call him a friend and mentor, but also an evil arch enemy because he’s a Red Sox fan and I can’t seem to shake my allegiance to the New York Yankees…without further delay, Aaron Strout…
Tell us about yourself
I am the chief marketing officer at an Austin-based company called Powered. We are a full-service social media agency helping big brands succeed with their social initiatives. I’m also a diehard Red Sox and Patriots fan (the Celtics also hold a place in my heart). I’m a serial blogger, podcaster and Twitterer which drives my wife crazy but helps me learn the things I need to know to do my job well.
1. What one trait or habit got you to where you are today?
This one is easy. Networking. Ever since I started my first real job at Fidelity Investments back in 1997, I’ve been focusing on building my network. The approach I take is always to provide value to the folks I connect with, whether that’s helping them find a job, introducing them to another key contact or responding to interview questions for a blog like I’m doing now.
2. Your work day just started, what’s the FIRST thing you do and why?
My work day usually starts when I first get up — somewhere between 6:15 and 7:00 AM. I traditionally do two things: check e-mail (both personal and work) and then head over to Twitter. I’ve worked hard at not feeling the pressure to answer most e-mails, comment on blogs or follow people back on the various social networks right away. Usually taking this approach gives me a sense of what my day will look like and also lets me know how much “firefighting” I’ll need to do that day.
3. What makes you efficient with your day?
I’m not necessarily the most “efficient” person I know but I am a good multi-tasker. One thing I’m trying to do a better job of these days is to pick 2-3 things that I know HAVE to get done (yet might be things that aren’t my favorite things to do) and just sit down and bang them out first thing in the morning. That way, I have time to focus on the other things I enjoy doing. One tactical thing I do that seems to help with staying organized is keeping my work inbox to no more than 25 e-mails and then using that as a bit of an ongoing “to do” list.
4. Your Favorite Business book of all time?
This is tough one as I’m not actually a huge fan of business books. From a practical standpoint, I think Groundswell does a nice job talking about ways to think about social that include measurement and ROI. The World is Flat is also one of my favorites.
5. 3 things on your desk right now/ 3 things you can’t live without
My iPhone, My MacBook Pro and my SavvyAuntie Coffee Mug.
6. Habit you want to kick in 2009
I swear this is the year I will find a better balance this year between work and family time. In particular, not being so plugged in all the time. This has been my New Year’s resolution for about 5 years running but I’m hoping this year it might actually take.
7. Habit you want to form for 2010
A greater commitment to blogging about things that people care about.
NOTE- for those who want to follow along in the Twitter conversation use the #sm7habits hashtag
