Take a Look, it's in a Book, the Reading Kickstart!

In an era where the Internet is bursting with consumer generated content and budding entrepreneurs with unique ideas,  Kickstarter’s grassroots-meets-empowered-user philosophy is allowing more people than ever before to bring products and services that solve problems and satisfy needs.

Since its launch in 2009, Kickstarter has enabled a whopping 6.3 million people to pledge over $1 billion to fund more than 62,000 creative projects. Some of the most successful projects funded through Kickstarter include: 

• Pebble -- A smart watch starting at $150 designed for the super nerdy (or the super connected) starting that syncs with your phone to keep you constantly connected, even if your phone isn't on your person. The goal for this Kickstarter was $100,000...but it ultimately earned over $10 million in pledges. The company has since created a second version of its watch.
• Formlabs -- Finally--an affordable, professional 3D printer! The company's goal was $100,000 but they earned nearly $3 million pledges through Kickstarter from over 2,000 backers.
• Start Up Bros created this infographic highlighting Kickstarter's top projects.

Based on events over the last few days, Start Up Bros will have to update that infographic. On May 29, 2014, Reading Rainbow started a Kickstarter project, hoping to earn $1 million in 35 days in order to put Reading Rainbow on the web, build a specialized classroom version, and provide it free to schools in need.

We know literacy is important…but why?

• Because today, 1 in 4 kids in the US will grow up illiterate…
• And kids who can’t read at grade level by 4^th grade are 400% more likely to drop out of high school
• As of 2011, America was the only free-market country where the current generation was less well educated than the one before.
• Here are the complete details of the Reading RainbowKickstarter. 

The Kickstarter project went viral...and earned an unheard of $1 million in 11 short hours.

"That great swooshing sound you just heard was the entire Internet opening its wallets simultaneously."

I get chills when I read that on Day 2, May 30th, the project had amassed a total of $2 million. Reading Rainbow changed its goal to $5 million, where they could now be available for free in 7,500 classrooms instead of 1,500, and be optimized for Mobile, Android, Consoles, and OTT boxes. And by day three, May 31st, the project had earned $3 million.

Tonight, I created a Kickstarter account and became one of the six million backers. I made a $10 contribution to the Reading Rainbow project because...

• I believe in literacy and education
• I've been a bookworm since I was 4
• I can't get the theme song out of my head and I'm swimming a pool of nostalgia
• I've got goose bumps on an 80-degree day. I'm incredibly moved by millions of people coming together to help others and our future.

If you remember the Reading Rainbow in your classroom, or if you believe that literacy can make a difference in one's success in life, I encourage you to become a backer and bring Reading Rainbow back for every child, everywhere.

The Why and How of Pinterest For Your Business

Benjamin Moore brings more life to paint colors with their doors! board.

Pinterest is more than just the latest fashion, assorted DIY crafts, and animal pictures.  Pinterest rules the pack with 70 million users and it is the fourth largest traffic driver in the world!  However, if the promise of growing reach with an attentive user base isn't compelling enough, Hubspot has compiled six reasons why companies should use Pinterest.

Pinterest...

1. Converts more browsers into buyers
2. Drives tons of traffic (10 million plus unique views)
3. Garners more inbound links (about 95% of images on Pinterest were pinned or re-pinned from the web)
4. Has addictively high user engagement (attributed to its visual format that enables people to search for whatever interests them
5. Integrates with a company's website, Twitter, and Facebook
6. Helps companies discover what their audience loves

Now that we've covered the "why," let's dive into the "how."

1. Establish the goals for your Pinterest account, and measure accordingly.  This article shares some common goals that businesses may have for their Pinterest accounts.
2. Integrate your Pinterest activity into the rest of your marketing campaign.  Your marketing campaign and plan are vital so you can get a clear picture of all your planned activities and communications to your customers across channels (and segments, if you're segmenting).
3. Don't use your own content.  It drives higher engagement because it's new and relevant for your users, and builds on your brand.  Honda provided customers with money to make their DIY projects come to live and Loew's inspired their customers by sharing their customers' DIY projects made with materials from Loews.
4. Be a source of information and knowledge for your customers.  Whether you're positioning yourself as the authority on children's fashion, unique desserts, or like Wall Street Journal, sharing current events infographic-style.
5. Put your marketing hats on and get creative.
• Etsy asked Random House to be a guest pinner and they created this shared board, which has 229,000 followers, to celebrate their shared love of books and handmade items.
• To get customers jazzed about dog insurance, Petplan created this board featuring photos of adorable dogs, provided background information and medical information relevant to each breed.

A snapshot of the variety consumers have on their boards.
Check mine out here.

Google Life Coach: The Service of the Future

Google has, at its fingertips, a wealth of information from our grocery shopping habits, favorite stores, our medical ailments, and our hopes and dreams.  But the question is, what can they do to make their ads truly more useful to their users and their advisors?  Google has the information available to create a robust service called Google Life Coach.  The service could be deployed via mobile devices by way of a free app, and would enable Google to reach more information on users’ mobile devices, expanding its information to include text message data, mobile browsing behavior, contacts list, and almost anything else for an individual user. 

This sounds great for Google…but you’re probably wondering how this makes users’ lives better.  In exchange for access to this information, Google a) wouldn’t sell any of your information to others and b) would deliver a robust personal assistant-like service to its users, allowing users to control their settings.

But before we get to these Google Life Coach messages—first, Google Life Coach would improve AdWords results for their users.  By using information stored on Google calendar and G-Chat, Google would offer more relevant, customized, and timely ads, like those below.  By showing users more relevant ads, users are more likely to click—making this win-win for both users and advertisers.

In-Laws in Town Soon!

Shop Clorox Here and Save

Get your place tip top now.

Disinfect and impress your guests!

Your 4th Party is Coming Up

Shop 4th Themed Decorations

Red, white and blue favors,

décor, treats, and more!

School's Out!

20 Activities for an Awesome Summer

Avoid the summer blues and

keep your little ones busy!

Now—back to the Google Life Coach messages.  Users could create goals, and Google Life Coach would help users reach those goals via messages pushed out to users’ mobile devices.  Google Life Coach could even take on a social turn: users could connect via Google+ to share goals or have join goals (read one book every two weeks, work out 3 times a week, cook one new meal a week, try one new restaurant a month, etc.)

Messages are based on settings that each individual user selects and could have personalities (think GPS voices on steroids).  Personalities might be “Nice Nancy,” who is almost too nice about all of her messages suggestions…or “Snarky Sam,” who might be just a touch condescending when he figures out you’re ordering pizza instead of going to the gym for the third time this week…or maybe “Robot Rob” whose voice is an undisguised computer.  Of course, a “Mute Muse” option would be available for those who didn’t want their messages announced.

I might receive Google Life Coach messages like these:

This is the third time this week you're googling pizza places.

Try this healthier homemade option OR

Add one more gym visit to my Google calendar.

You have exceeded your shopping budget this month.

Would you like to add this to your Pinterest?  OR

Would you like to search for part-time jobs in your area?

REMINDER.  It is now 10:00 PM.

You have brunch with your parents at 10:00 AM tomorrow.

Remind you again in 1 hour?  OR

Stop reminding me about this activity.

This idea was inspired by this post and this one via Imgur.

Possible?  Yes.

Extreme?  Absolutely?

Useful?  Maybe, depending on just how customizable the settings are.

Would this idea take off?  Maybe.  Today, we're wary about our privacy, but not so wary that the masses aren't sharing on Facebook, and not so cautious that we've stopped using Google.  The next generations might have social media presences before they talk and mobile devices before they can walk...but they just might be the perfect demographic that finds value in handheld life coach service.

Author's Note:

I am not sure if I would use the Google Life Coach service if it were available.  I think it's extremely intrusive, though also trying to provide genuinely helpful information and a service to help make people's lives better, just like a life coach would!

Handy Marketing Resources

A Google search doesn't always yield the best answer.

I used to only use Google search when looking for marketing information.  However, I've found out that doesn't always yield reputable, informed answers that I need to make decisions for my job and career.  Here's a few my favorite resources when I need marketing information--whether it's general (like "good marketing campaigns") or specific (like "best email templates to increase click through).

In exchange for your email address and basic data like company, position, and company size, these websites will share a wealth of free information and tools that can help you become a better marketer--even if you don't have a huge budget.  Resources available  include everything from social media and infographic templates to helpful how to's on building campaigns, email best practices, and more.

What I like best about these two sites in particular is that they address both B2B in addition to B2C businesses.  I work in a B2B environment and support small-to-medium-sized businesses who sell to other small-to-medium-sized businesses.  I find the following sites very useful and regularly download their content and browse their information.

• Duct Tape Marketing -- Simple, effective, and affordable small business marketing. Provides useful tools like itemized checklists for and worksheets to help small business owners become better marketers.  Since small business owners aren't always marketers, this site introduces a lot of concepts in layman's terms. 
• Hubspot's Blog -- Hubspot sells software to help businesses generate more traffic, leads, and sales.  However, they also offer a wealth of free information (mini e-books, reports, and lots of templates).  They track who uses which information since you have to fill out a brief form for them to send you the free materials.  After downloading several e-books from them, I've only received one sales call.

To keep stretching your marketing brain, check out The 25 Best Marketing Blogs of 2014 and Forbes' Top 10 Online Marketing Experts to Follow in 2014.

Do you have a favorite blog or other website for marketing resources?  Share it in the comments!