marketing: What is Pinterest? - 06/12/12 12:47 AM
What is Pinterest?
Last week I attended BlogWorld and New Media Expo.  This is a marketing conference all about inbound and content marketing (including blogging podcasts, streaming video, how to monitize your blog etc).  There were lots of great tips and "tricks" for blogging, creating great content and how to promote your blog etc, but my favorite slide of the week was this one:
 
With all the buzz about Pinterest being the latest and greatest marketing platform I couldn't resist snapping a picture (as did almost everyone else in the session).  
As others on Active Rain have posted in the past there are plenty … (45 comments)

marketing: Looking for a Marketing Intern - 03/26/12 10:57 PM
I am looking for a Marketing Intern (or two or three).  If you know anyone looking to get into marketing (in any field) have them drop me a note.
Here is the basic role:

Job Description
StraighterLine.com, an innovative platform for college course delivery is seeking interns to help with marketing and other business development opportunities.  
Candidates should have or be working towards a baccalaureate or masters in business administration or economics and have a strong interest in marketing, education and technology.  
Desired Experience:
Demonstrated mastery of common software employed by businesses (Microsoft Office, Google Docs, Gmail, various internet browsers) An understanding … (34 comments)

marketing: Giving Back with 1 Hour of Your Time - 12/29/11 01:22 AM
Giving Back with 1 Hour of Your TimeOn Monday I spent one-hour helping out a NYC real estate professional who needed marketing help.  People move around in their careers for many reasons and for most change is hard so I figured let me help Aldo out and see if there was a way for us to work together.  After all I am a marketer with years of experience and hands on knowledge that I can share.  In addition, my work experience has giving me the opportunity to work on many real estate marketing projects.  It was time to give back and … (4 comments)

marketing: We Said Yes! - 03/07/11 04:05 AM
One of my 2011 New Year’s resolutions was all about saying yes.  Little did I know it was going to pay off so soon in the New Year.
My wife and I were recently asked to be the dinner honorees at our congregation's annual dinner.  So after much debate we said yes.  The committee made a compelling case and then we realized it was the 11th annual dinner and we have been members for 11 years after moving into the community so it seemed fitting. 
Being a marketing guy I was going to have some fun with this whole affair.  To … (1 comments)

marketing: All PR is Good PR and How to Get It - 03/06/11 08:43 AM
All PR is Good PR and How to Get It
You know the old saying that "all PRis good PR”.  Whether this is true or not is a constant debate but what most business owners want to know is how do they create PR?  Or how can they find stories to be quoted in or positioned as an expert?  They want PR to help drive business.
You can create your own PR without the help of a high priced agency (of course they can help but lets focus on the small business.)
Enter HARO – Help A Reporter Out
The other … (9 comments)

marketing: Growing Your Real Estate Business with Social Media Marketing – Some insights - 02/28/11 01:16 AM
Growing Your Real Estate Business with Social Media Marketing – Some insights
 
Last week I helped a friend out who is now running training programs for the Real Estate Education Center in New York.  I presented to a group of about 40 Manhattan real estate agents on how they can grow their real estate business with social media marketing.  We covered the basics.  However, before I started I took a quick poll of the room to see how involved (or not) the agents were with some of the major social media sites (forget marketing for the moment).
Here are the … (10 comments)

marketing: Job Opportunity for a University of Akron Student - 02/06/11 06:39 AM
If you know a University of Akron Student looking for work please pass this along.
StraighterLine is looking for students from The University of Akron to promote and implement marketing initiatives on their campus. This position allows you to set the hours and amount of work you are able to do while still going to school full or part-time. It is an opportunity to use your innovative ideas and marketing techniques, while also helping your friends and peers find a more viable and cost effective way to a college degree. You can also make some good money and get work experience … (0 comments)

marketing: Jobs for High School and College Students - 12/08/10 12:32 AM
 
Jobs for High School and College Students In today’s economy I am sure you know someone who is looking for work.  Unfortunately it seems that the hardest hit are student’s who are looking for that first job or a part time position to make some money while still in school.  My company is trying to help out these students.  We are looking for high school and college students who want to work on growing a business. This is a great way for a student to get some work experience, earn some money and best of all they get to work … (0 comments)

marketing: Four Press Hits in One Week! - 11/08/10 02:38 AM
We had four Press Hits last week!
At my last job we used to joke about the saying "Never Give Up" well it is true and paid off for us last week.  With one exception all of these media hits came about without the help of a PR firm.
When you do things well, sooner or later reporters and bloggers start to notice. That explains why in the last week StraighterLine received a number of media mentions and features.
Here is a recap:
“StraighterLine's challenge to the rising cost of college,” an article in The Baltimore Sun on October 31, tells … (2 comments)

marketing: 20 Plus Direct Marketing Tips - 10/20/10 12:07 AM
20 Plus Direct Marketing Tips In a previous post I wrote about Marketing Your Business With Postcards.  Here is a list of direct marketing dos and don’ts that should help you improve your marketing results:
Note- this list is not "targeted" to real estate marketing exclusively but many of these tips still apply.
Do: Focus on your target audience as well as who you don’t want to mail to Personalize your messages Use direct mail to acquire, retain and win back customers Make it easy for me to respond (include 800#s, URLs, mail response and
today, mobile text messaging and social … (10 comments)

marketing: Stop Using All Those Marketing Buzz Words - 10/17/10 03:26 AM
Marketing Sales Folks– stop with the marketing buzz words they are a clear sign you don’t understand marketing. I have posted about sales calls a few times.  However the other day I was on a call and the sales person just tossed out one buzz word after the next.  It was clear to me and would be to anyone who worked in the industry that this person didn’t know what they were talking about.  Here are some marketing buzz words and phrases I have come across over the last few weeks that are over used by sales people all the time.
… (6 comments)

marketing: Look What Happens When You Talk With Your Customers - 08/25/10 02:10 AM
I am a big fan of word of mouth marketing. I always gather (or give when requested) referrals from friends and family when I need a service or a product. So it occurred to me why not let our customers do all the talking for us. Last week we put together this video with one of our students. She loved the StraighterLine program and wanted to tell the world about her experiences so we recorded her and put this up on YouTube / Facebook etc. We did edit the recording to add some fades between her comments along with some music … (7 comments)

marketing: Get Out and Network - 08/24/10 01:57 AM
Social networking is great.  We all know that but every now and then you should go to a in-person networking meeting.  You never know who you are going to meet.  I have been attending the NJ Open Coffee networking meeting that takes place every Friday at 10:30am.  We meet at It’s a Grind Coffee shop located in Englewood, NJ.  I go for a few reasons.
Did you miss my second sentence…to meet people in person and talk business The person who started the meeting is a friend and I enjoy the conversation on social media and technology Now that I have … (11 comments)

marketing: Get Your Picture in the November Issue of Fast Company - 08/05/10 12:54 PM
Fast Company is doing something interesting with social media.  They have set up a site to determine who the most influential person is by tracking sign ups and pass alongs of your link.  Everyone that participates is supposedly going to get their picture in the November issue when they reveal the Most Influential Person.  How cool is that going to be to see your picture in the magazine? 
Of course the size of your picture is going to be determined by the amount of influence you have so get cracking now.
Think about the promotional possibilities if you are the most … (11 comments)

marketing: It's Stick Your Tongue Out Day - Really! - 07/23/10 01:05 AM
 
Earlier this year I wrote about using holiday cards to market your business and a few months later asked Are You Going to Celebrate Pi Day?
So, when I read this post I had to share it since it has great ideas for marketing your business with "holidays".
Enjoy and Happy Mosquito Day ("scratch" the happy part...hey I didn't create this holiday...)
 
July 19 is "Stick Your Tongue Out Day".  I wouldn't make that up.  (Hang in with me, because I'm going to make a connection here with real estate blogging. Please read on...)
It's just one of many … (2 comments)

marketing: Education Marketing - 02/25/10 06:29 AM
I have been lucky to be part of the online education industry in a number of marketing roles. Through the years I have used different tools and techniques both online and off to market education and learned a lot about the industry.  I love education marketing because the products and services being promoted help others achieve their dreams and goals. A couple of things have occurred in the last few weeks.
Since joining AR most people know me as the guy who works for Donald Trump. Well, I left Trump University and my days marketing real estate investment classes and events … (1 comments)

marketing: Marketing Internship Get Hands On Marketing Experience - 02/17/10 01:01 PM
Do you know a college student looking for an Internship?  
How about a recent college grad who is looking to learn the ropes and get some marketing experience?
If you do, have them get in touch with me.  I have a few marketing projects and can use some help. In return for their assistance interns will receive great work experience, access to my network (with a great recommendation...) and a hands-on learning experience with real marketing projects that they can use to land a full time job.
This position can be located anywhere in the US while they work remotely … (1 comments)

marketing: Add Yourself to GeoFollow a New Twitter Directory - 04/12/09 11:33 AM
 
Bill Gassett always seems to have the latest and greatest tips for blogging, social media and SEO.  Here is a one I thought you might find interesting.
 
For all you Twitter fanatics here is a new Twitter directory to add yourself to. GeoFollow is a location based Twitter Directory.
This is a directory that you will want to get listed on ASAP! - The tweeple on Geofollow first will be listed first. The quicker you list yourself the higher you will appear in your city and state’s listings.
GeoFollow allows you to list yourself geographically, and categorically, by simply … (4 comments)

marketing: I'd Like To Thank The Academy And - 03/18/09 03:11 AM

OK I am not attending the Academy Awards or the Emmys nor have I been nominated for any awards (why is that by the way...) but I am attending the John Caples International Awards this Thursday evening.  This is a big event in the direct marketing community and this year I was invited to attend (OK you can buy a ticket too but invitations are more fun.) My friends at Alloy Marketing (my hosts) are the sponsors of the first annual Student Campaign of the Year.  This evening should be full of excitement since none of the finalist campaigns, companies … (4 comments)

marketing: Sales Calls Rant - 02/05/09 05:41 AM
I just posted a rant about unsolicited sales calls to my blog at Trump University.  If you are in the mood for a good rant (with proposed solutions) check it out and let me know what you think.
The current slow down in our economy triggered the post.  If you are interested in other sales call related posts than you might find the following two posts interesting.  I wrote Voice Mail Marketing and Don't Ask a while back but are both still relevant today.
… (14 comments)