Would you like SEO with that savings?

I was at Jo-Ann this past weekend. As I was checking out with my three and a half yards of purple and grey upholstery fabric, Lexi the clerk asked if I had any coupons with me.

How could I forget? Like any good red-blooded American that comes from a family of sewers (as in people who sew), I'm on the Jo-Ann mailing list at both my office and home and usually have coupons coming out my ears! In case you're not familiar, Jo-Ann is the undisputed coupon potentate of modern American retail. They send out weekly flyers covered in coupons, many for 50% off or more, and they send a daily coupon-heavy email to their massive email list.

But alas, I didn't have any coupons with me. I had left them at home, along with my wits that would have told me to call up that morning's Jo-Ann e-blast and corresponding coupon. So without hesitation Lexi said, "Just open up a browser on your phone and google Jo-Ann coupons." So I did and it brought me to the Jo-Ann home page, featured on which a big, bold 50% off coupon beamed like a beacon of savings. She scanned the barcode on my screen and I saved $12.50 … just like that.

Though truly grateful for the discount, I thought to myself as I walked back to my car why Jo-Ann would encourage their staff to be so liberal with their coupons, especially as a sale is being finalized with a customer who clearly was happy and ready to pay full price. (Well, to be fair, mine was a red tag fabric so it was already on sale. But still…) And then I thought about what Lexi did--so brilliantly sly, masking her true bottom-line boosting intentions in a façade of savings and sweetness: She boosted joann.com's SEO (search engine optimization) by having me specifically google them from my unique device and then click through to their website (which, if you visit you'll notice the pop-up that must be addressed before entering that solicits the visitor for their email address to join Jo-Ann's amazing email list); she got me to realize--or remember--the wealth of information about her business available literally at my fingertips; she ensured a happy transaction by giving me an unexpected discount, therefore creating a loyal customer for life because I left with a very, very good feeling about the transaction. I left as their advocate.

I don't know any business that rocks the coupon game like Jo-Ann. The way they turn the simple, traditional marketing technique of couponing into a customer experience-focused SEO stimulus scheme is fascinating. It's so brilliant, it must be diabolical!

Think about it…

#SEO #Coupons #Marketing #JoAnn #AskUncleMarty #SoBrilliantItMustBeDiabolical

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Also published on the AMBC blog on January 24, 2017.

A Simply Perfect Piece of Marketing Magic

I was flipping through an issue of Architectural Digest last night and came across this stunning ad for JW Marriott--a simply perfect piece of marketing magic.

The intention of this delightful spread is to communicate something exceptional to look for on your next stay at a JW, confident that the sophisticated Architectural Digest-reading customer will indeed be staying at a JW again sometime soon. In doing this, JW Marriott is keeping their brand top-of-mind. And that's all they need to do.

JW Marriott's reputation has already been established, and everyone knows what the JW brand stands for. So they don't need to explain that in an ad. But they do need to show why they should be the hotel of choice; they need to show what makes them different, interesting, … better.

Sometimes our most effective advertisements don't blatantly advertise what we're trying to sell. Of course, JW Marriott put this ad out to book more reservations. But they don't outright solicit bookings. They're not advertising a deal, a special, or a gimmick. Rather, they're simply appealing to the target reader--in this case, design aficionados--with a sleek, clean layout. Featuring the ad in a publication full of color, they've chosen a black and white picture highlighting beautiful architectural columns to grab the reader's eye paired with spot-on soft pink and elegant, clean text to keep the reader engaged until the simple message is received. It's exquisite.

Ads are not the place to tell your customers every little detail about every little service that you provide. And unless you're selling medication and legally required to do so, ads generally are not the place for long disclaimers. Ads are simply a method to grab someone's attention and give them a little tease as to why they should do business with you instead of someone else. Ads keep your business top-of-mind.

Kudos, JW Marriott. This ad is a winner!

#JWMarriott #ArchitecturalDigest #AMBC4ME #AskUncleMarty

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Also published on the AMBC blog on January 11, 2017.

Caregivers

Four years ago this season, I had just finished my first of four chemo cycles--confused, weak, scrawny, itchy, nauseous, and bald, yet surrounded by amazing, uplifting humans who cared for me. 

Every Christmas, I keep in touch with the staff of the inpatient chemo floor where I stayed for the majority of my treatment. Their card this year reminds me once again that I was not just a patient. I wasn't just some pin cushion that needed his IV changed every few hours. I was a fellow human--a friend whom they genuinely cared for and cared about.

Treatment is more than the drug regimen; treatment is the caregivers and administrators that hold your hand and lift you up.

I had the best caregivers. They gave from their hearts ... and they're still giving.

#Survivor #Christmas #Caregivers #Chemo #GivingfromtheHeart #AskUncleMarty

Don't Feed the Wolves

I've been doing yoga for the past few months. I started going late in the summer, figuring it would be a good outlet for tension and pent-up stress. And it has been!

Initially, I was just doing hot vinyasa yoga--sweating it out in a 105-degree room, trying to push myself to stay active for the whole 75 minutes without having a complete panic attack. But then I discovered yin yoga. Yin is a passive practice, holding positions for three minutes at a time to stretch connective tissue. It's amazing. And the class I try to go to is at night, done by candlelight, with an instructor who speaks softly and constantly reminds us how great we are for taking time for ourselves. It's the crunchiest, chillest, most wonderful experience. But I digress…

Last night, Linda the instructor kept repeating, "Don’t feed the wolves. Water the flowers instead." I've been thinking about that since, wondering what my wolves are and realizing just how much I encourage them.

We all have wolves in our lives. Some are external, threatening us and trying to tear us apart with aggressive attacks. These can be competitors, enemies, frenemies, injury, restriction, or even just negative people that bring us down and make us fret. And then some wolves are internal, eating us up from the inside out: worries, phobias, self-depreciating thoughts, disease, and addictions.

These wolves are bad news. In all logical thinking, we should avoid them and put up fences to keep them out because they're destructive and dangerous. Yet somehow we feed them! But how? And why?

Some ways we feed the wolves are easy to understand, like how we feed addiction … because we literally do feed addiction. "Just one more cookie; I'll eat a salad tomorrow." "Just one last puff; I'll quit when I'm not so stressed." "Just one last episode; I'll sleep better tomorrow night." Worries, phobias, and other obsessions are fed in much the same way. We focus on them--feeding them--which, instead of bringing resolution, just makes them stronger and allows them to take over more of our being.

Other ways we feed the wolves are harder to understand, like how we feed competition … because we don't think we actively feed competition. Isn't our intention to beat competition? Well, we do feed it--just like we feed other aggressors--by playing its game. We play price wars, insult, condescend, downplay, and degrade. We want to run negative ad campaigns, telling the world just how much they suck and we rule. But that behavior only makes us look petty, whiny, and on the defense. It makes us appear weaker, and consequently makes the competition stronger.

What if, instead of feeling all of these wolves, we put energy into building up those things inside of us and in our lives and businesses that are beautiful, strong, attractive, and distinguishing--watering our flowers. Let's stop throwing scraps to those wolves, and stop giving them the territory that they're creeping in on. Instead, let's plant new seeds, take back our property, and make it shine. Let's stop the damage, stop bringing ourselves and others down, and instead make healthy choices to build our world back up again.

A friend messaged a Simon Sinek quote to me today: "Fight against something and we focus on the thing we hate. Fight for something and we focus on the thing we love." 

We have nothing but opportunity. Here's to a beautiful year ahead!

#DontFeedtheWolves #WatertheFlowers #Resolutions #AskUncleMarty

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Also published on the AMBC blog on December 27, 2016.

A Case for Holiday Cards

I got my first Christmas card yesterday. It was from my Aunt Bonnie, and it was spectacularly special.

I send cards out every year, both personally and from my business. It's quite a project! Though I must admit that I'm indeed exceptionally organized and have card crafting down to a science. 

I keep a spreadsheet going all year long with different contacts, then just do a simple mail merge to create my labels and I'm golden. Well that and designing, proofing, printing, cutting, gluing, cutting some more, writing an itty bitty note, enveloping, labeling, sealing, and stamping … then repeating those steps a few hundred times in an assembly-line fashion.

What's the point of this, you may ask? It seems like a lot of work for something kind of silly. It seems like other projects--especially for a business--should take priority over something like this. I mean, who cares about a little card anyway? Right?

Wrong.

People care. And it makes a huge difference.

It truly is a lot of work. But much more than that, it's a lot of fun. It keeps my favorite people top-of-mind. It keeps me in touch with friendly clients past--those who have moved away but still advocate for my business from afar. It keeps me in touch with friendly clients present--those who have been in my store this year and have been a joy to work with. It keeps me in touch with friendly clients future--those who may not be doing much business with me yet, but with whom I'm connected and for whom I'm hopeful. It's a direct, personal, seasonally appropriate way to reach out, express gratitude, and share warm fuzzy feelings.

I don't send cards to every single customer that has waltzed through my door this year. Goodness! Can you imagine?! No, I just send cards to my regulars--the loyal friends of my shop. Some spend thousands of dollars each year, and some spend just a few. Some are in multiple times per week, and some only occasionally. But each one is someone who I consider part of my team--an important part of the essential network that allows my business to organically grow.

If you're having trouble thinking about who to send holiday cards to or where to draw the line, think about it like this: If your business was a person, who would it want to say hello to? Who would it want to wish a happy holiday season to? Who would it want to keep in touch with? Who brings it joy? Send cards to those people: the ones who will appreciate the gesture.

I'm in the middle of my card project now. I should have done this in November; I usually do this in November before the holiday rush starts. But one thing led to another, projects piled up, and getting my business's holiday cards done simply just got put off. So now, as the busy season gears up, I'm furiously finishing my festive messages and sending them off to my friendly clients--past, present, and future--all around the world.

Someone said recently, "To be respected, you must first show respect." While I echo my "Amen" to that, I'll also state a new version: "To be thought of by others, you must first think of others."

Merry Christmas!

#HolidayCards #KeepInTouch #SpreadJoy #AskUncleMarty

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Also published on the AMBC blog on December 6, 2016.

Election Day

Running a shipping store in a very diverse college town, I see a lot of absentee ballots being mailed, and a lot of first time voters--both young adults looking toward a future full of potential, excited to have their voice heard and recognized, and also a fair share of new citizens, grateful to be Americans and honored to perform their civic duty. It really is beautiful.

As deadlines approached, I saw more and more customers eager to overnight their ballots. Some have chosen to send them Priority Mail Express to their ultimate destination PO Box, but many of my student customers have gladly shipped them via FedEx Priority to their home addresses for a family member to hand deliver them on election day. The fact that no one has flinched to drop $30-60 to cast a last minute vote has starkly reminded me of what a profoundly great privilege we have, as Americans, to have a voice and a vote.

The future indeed is bright because America isn't made up of politics. America is made up of people--free, independent, and empowered people. And those people are voting. No matter what outcome today's votes determine, we'll all still be Americans at the end of the day; we'll all still be compatriots, neighbors, and friends.

Here's to the future!

#GodBlessAmerica #ElectionDay #AskUncleMarty

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Also published on the AMBC blog on November 8, 2016.

My Buddy Lewis

I want to take a minute to tell you about my buddy, Lewis Howes.

I discovered Lewis's The School of Greatness podcast about a year ago and I haven't missed an episode since. I've written about what he's shared before, and my good friend Fahim--fully aware of my dedication to Greatness--gifted me The School of Greatness book in hardcover when we were together a few months ago at the 2016 Retail Shippers Expo.

I listen to a lot of podcasts, and some hosts are more genuine than others. You can tell by the intonation, intention, and intensity in someone's voice whether they believe what they're saying, and whether they're hosting just as an acting gig or because they genuinely have something they want to share with the world. And Lewis is unquestionably genuine.

Lewis interviews two different people each week--business leaders, health and wellness gurus, celebrities, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and regular folks like us--and digs deep to uncover their intentions and reasons for being. At the end of the week, Lewis shares a Five Minute Friday thought to give everyone a little boost.

The caliber of guests that Lewis welcomes is amazing. Many of the Greatness visitors are not (yet) household names, but what they bring and share is fascinating. And then many are indeed household names, and the depth of character that Lewis is able to uncover in their interviews sometimes shocks even them! Then occasionally--rarely--a guest will come on and share an attitude that may be a little uncomfortable to listen to, and Lewis shows amazing talent, grace, heart, and discretion in how he reacts to and treats those individuals. I always learn something--usually more about myself than the guest he's talking with.

Why is Lewis on my mind today? Because, of his 222,000+ Instagram followers, he stumbled upon my feed this afternoon, liked a few of my posts, and even took a minute to give me a ":)" comment. I am absolutely honored! (And I may have screen capped those notifications, excitedly texted Fahim, jumped up and down a bit, and squealed … just a little.)

I've set a goal: be on The School of Greatness podcast. This isn't going to happen right away, but it's not a pie-in-the-sky either. I'm just getting started gathering my portfolio of things I've shared over the years on different blogs and publications, and am excited to post that content--both new and from the archives--now on Ask Uncle Marty™. I have a lot to share, a lot to say, and a lot to discover; I know I'll be able to bring value through my quest to find awesomeness.

Now go subscribe to The School of Greatness … and enjoy!

#LewisHowes #SchoolofGreatness #Podcast #AskUncleMarty