11
SHAWENON COMMUNICATIONS   
Effective Messaging
No. 74
May, 2012  
Greetings!

I guess last month's subject line--"Bleeding Edge"--wasn't gory enough. Opens went down significantly after record rises with "Attacked!" and "I'm Still Confused." I'm curious to know how "Nailed Again" fares.

This month's subject line refers to the second article about the loss of two good products to corporate self interest. Good for the companies maybe; not so for the consumer. But we'll see. Sometimes the demise of one thing produces an even better replacement.

The first article reviews some essentials about networking--the old fashioned kind--face-to-face. It offers a reminder that these events are opportunities to hone and practice messaging our business as well as growing our connections.

The experiment last month with Constant Contact's Social Campaigns product was, how shall I say it, interesting. Though I promised results this month, I'm going to defer until June. I have some more work to do. In the meantime, however, please join in the lively discussion on the Shawenon Facebook page. Well, OK, let me rephrase. Please help create a lively discussion.

I'm on Facebook and Twitter. Follow me.
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In This Issue
And You? - Networking tips
The Picnik's Over - Website gone
Web Tips - Creative funding
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And you?

I went to a networking event recently. You know those gatherings where you actually talk to people face-to-face, shake their hands and ask, "What do you do?" I hadn't been to one in a while, and I made some startling discoveries about myself at this one.

I've long touted networking events as the ideal place to test new elevator speeches and refine personal branding. And, as you know from previous articles, networking events are where I grow my readership. Maybe I first met you that way.

 

Go Second

I believe in encouraging the other person to go first when we engage each other. There are two reasons for this:   

  • People like to talk about themselves and when they do, a good listener makes a favorable impression. Of course, the trick here is to actually listen and not be scanning the room for a long-lost friend.  
  • Their interests become the context for talking about my business

Of course, some people play the same game, so I need to go first sometimes, too. But less often then you might think.

At the end of my introduction, sometimes almost as an afterthought, I say a variation of, "I publish a newsletter. It's about communicating online. I'd love to add you to the mailing list. Do you have a card?"

The Ah Ha

Because I'm in a bit of a transition, I found myself talking about what I used to do. Now why on earth would I do that? Why does anyone care about my previous specialty? They don't, of course. And I was wasting precious face time with unproductive information. I did it because I hadn't thought though what I wanted to say.

At the end of the event, I mentioned to one person that I was a Constant Contact business partner. "Oh," she said, "I've been meaning to learn more about Constant Contact." What an opening.

So now I need to be sure that you know that I'm a Constant Contact business partner. More times than I can count, Web Words subscribers and others that I've been talking to for years go to the Constant Contact corporate account and sign up for a trial account. Mostly I never know about this. When I do, I can easily have the account transferred.  

 

The lesson: don't forget what you do and be sure to communicate it clearly, especially when there are new business opportunities

 

And remember, if you want to try Constant Contact, be in touch or sign up here  

 

The Picnik's Over
Picnic

I hate when this happens. A fabulous, free Web site that offers a much-needed service in a lovely environment--gone. Why? Because the monster Google devoured it.

Picnik closed on April 19. Their staff want you to think that the ants took it away. But the truth is Google wanted the team for their latest effort in social media--Google+.

Gone to Google


I can't tell you whether or not the functionality is really in a feature called The Creative Kit, as they claim. That's because I haven't decided what to do about Google+. Touted as more true to life than Facebook, the project (that's right they're not calling it a product) follows two failed efforts on Google's part to break into social media. If you want an amusing summary of the situation, check out this video.

So back to Picnik, which was the subject of the May 2009 Web Tips. I loved it, Constant Contact loved it. They even built Picnik into their products so you could seamlessly edit photos in an email with a single click. Just read the comments on the Mashable blog on the topic. Users are devastated--and not just hacks like me. Professional photographers used the product, eschewing the expensive, complicated industry standard--Photoshop.

So what are we to do now? Well, there are options. Some disgruntled Picnik engineers have their own start-up called Picmonkey. It works a lot like Picnik, minus the metaphor. True to their metaphor, the copy sounds like it was written by a monkey. And they don't yet have the collage feature, though that's promised soon.

Then there's Aviary, which offers similar features and is courting Picnik refugees. Finally, if you want to get out of the zoo, there's Pixlr.

D�j� Vu

The last time this happened in my world was in 2009. The start-up Pure Digital, maker of the video camera Flip, was acquired by Cisco and then cruelly murdered when the parent feared Wall Street wouldn't like their foray into consumer electronics. Or maybe they just wanted the technology all along. No one knows for sure, but David Pogue wrote a great piece about it in The New York Times.

The bottom line, enjoy the technology you love and pray for its survival. Chances are if you love it, others will, too. And if they are huge companies, they may just take it away from you. And there's nothing you can do about it

Web Tips

Tips2Do you have a creative project you'd love to get off the ground, but you don't have the cash it takes to get started? Or do you love to explore new ideas and maybe support those that appeal to you?

Then you should check out Kickstarter. This site helps people fund creative endeavors. Every week, tens of thousands of dollars are pledged to fund independent projects in the arts, technology, design, food, publishing and more. Look for projects in your area or by category.  

And Finally . . .

Shawenon Communications collaborates with small businesses, solopreneurs, professionals and not-for-profits to get their messages across in the written word.


We specialize in electronic communications, including e-zines and other forms of email marketing, Web sites and social media.  We also ghostwrite articles and other business communications. As a solution provider, we resell Constant Contact's email marketing service.

 

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www.shawenon.com



Sincerely,
First name
Susanna Opper
Shawenon Communications
413-528-6494


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Over the six years I've been publishing Web Words, I've given a lot of advice about creating good content. That is, I hope, what you see here.

Constant Contact has put their take on this information in a free white paper

If you want to get started with email marketing, be in touch.  I'd love to talk about how you can use Constant Contact to boost your business with very little effort.

 


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