Category: Monday Mash-Up

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Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2019.01.21

This will be a shorter, holiday version of the Monday Mash-Up… 
Monday, January 21, 2019
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up
Recommended (Reading time <1 minute)
How to Be Honorable by Seth Godin

Seth Godin is a master at making a big point with few words.

Here’s an 88-word post about “Honor” that offers a huge, important lesson.  In Honor of…? 
Does this Truck Ad Tarnish MLK’s Memory?

Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Last February 4, on Super Bowl Sunday, just a few weeks after the 2018 MLK Day, Dodge aired a television ad that sparked heated debate.

The ad’s audio features a recording of King delivering a sermon 50 years earlier, to the day, February 4, 1968.  He preaches service. The lays visuals on top of King’s audio.

The visuals tell a story about hard work and sacrifice and love and service. 

Scenes of hard-working Americans, disaster-site volunteers, football teammates and Marine Corp platoon-mates, parents and children hugging. 

Halfway through the ad, we see a RAM truck, just for a moment. As King’s voice fades to silence, we see the Dodge logo and the tagline: “Built to Serve – RAM.”

The Martin Luther King Estate worked with Dodge and approved the ad. Still, it sparked outrage. 

Here’s an article that summarizes the debate well.  

What do you think? Please email me (tom@marketvolt.com) if you want to share your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. 

Quotable
A Few of My Favorite Quotes from MLK

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”

“We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“No person has the right to rain on your dreams.” 
 
Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom
Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2019.01.14

Hello: I hope you’ve been enjoying a great holiday season. From all of us at MarketVolt, we wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2019. Happy New Year!

– Tom 
Monday, January 14, 2019
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up
Recommended Reading
A Remarkable, Sad Chapter in American History

Over the holidays, I read a fantastic book: Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. In the early 20th century, oil was discovered on land owned by the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. Soon after, Osage people who owned the oil rights began to be murdered — one after another. The book tells the story of these murders and how federal investigators pursued the killers. 

This is a great book that tells an important story. Productivity Tips
Common Mistakes that Hinder Our Productivity

Here’s a great article I clipped over the weekend: 9 Productivity Mistakes You’re Making in the First 10 Minutes of Your Day. 

Speaking of Productivity…
Music to Work By

Do you listen to music at work? I do… Lots of different genres. Some I know. Some are new to me. This article from Fast Company magazine caught my attention last month: This is what kind of music you should listen to at work to be more productive.

Recommended Viewing
Injured Athlete Inspires

I saw this story last night on the local television news about Kiland Sampa, 20, a former high school athlete who was paralyzed in a swimming pool accident. After receiving treatment at Ranken-Jordan Pediatric Bridge hospital, Sampa now returns there weekly as a volunteer who helps other patients. 

This is such a great, inspiring story. 

Wise Words

McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc passed away on this day in 1984. Here’s my favorite Ray Kroc quote: The two most important requirements for major success are: first, being in the right place at the right time, and second, doing something about it.

Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom
Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2018.12.31

Hello: I hope you’ve been enjoying a great holiday season. From all of us at MarketVolt, we wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2019. Happy New Year!

– Tom 
Monday, December 31, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-UpRecommended Resource
Shift Helps You Manage Multiple Online Accounts

I started using a desktop application called Shift earlier this month. I love it. In the one app, I manage multiple online accounts — including multiple Gmail and Office 365 accounts. Two primary benefits: It’s now much easier to jump back-and-forth among the accounts I use and Shift uses far less memory and other computer resources — so my computer runs faster. The app is free for managing two accounts. Monthly fees apply if you want to manage more. (Full disclosure: If you click the link above and sign up, I will receive a referral credit.)

If you sign up, let me know what you think. 
Year-End Laughs
Dave Berry’s Year in ReviewI love Dave Berry. Reading his Year in Review is an annual ritual for me. It never disappoints. Here’s his amusing take on 2018.
List of Lists
“Best of…” Lists Compiled I’m a sucker for those end-of-year “Best of…” lists. They’re a great way to discover movies, music and books I would otherwise miss. Here’s a collection of Year End Lists — all in one place. Sort of a Best of the Best Ofs…

Simple Advice
Resolve to Keep Your ResolutionsThere’s a great scene in the Seinfeld television show in which a rental service doesn’t have the car Jerry reserved. The clerk says, “We ran out of cars.” Jerry says, “But the reservation keeps the car here. That’s why you have the reservation.” The clerk replies, “I know why we have reservations,” leading Jerry to proclaim, “I don’t think you do. If you did, I’d have a car. See, you know how to take the reservation; you just don’t know how to hold the reservation.” 

Same goes with new year’s resolutions. We know how to make a resolution. We just don’t know how to keep a resolution. 

So here are four simple tips to help you keep your new year’s resolutions. 


Wise Words for the New Year

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

– Albert Einstein

Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom
Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2018.12.17

Hello: Here’s the latest edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other interesting, valuable stuff.

– Tom 
Monday, December 17, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-UpRecommended Reading
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene

My buddy recommended The Laws of Human Nature to me over the weekend. I can’t put it down. This is one of those books that’s full of wisdom not just for business, but also for life in general. 
Recommended Viewing
Lord of the Rings Director Brings The Great War to LifePeter Jackson took more than 100 hours of grainy WWI footage. He adjusted the frame rate. He colorized it (using painstaking research down to the right color for uniform buttons). Lip-readers discerned what people on screen were saying. Voice actors were hired to put voices to the footage (researchers determined where soldiers for different units were recruited; so they could put the right accents to the voices). He drew from oral histories, recorded by the BBC in the 60s and 70s, to create voice-over narration. 

The result: They Shall Not Grow Old, a feature film screening in limited release on just two night — tonight (12/17) and on 12/27. 

I’m going to see it tonight. 

Here’s the trailer. Ticket information here. 
Great Info…
Which Metrics Matter? When evaluating your email campaigns, how do you measure success? Here’s a great article that discusses which metrics matter and which ones don’t. Pay attention, especially, to the third point about “surface metrics.” It warns people against, “focusing on surface metrics like opens and web traffic when they should be focusing on deep metrics like email conversions and sales conversions.”

Excellent advice in this article. 

Gratitude Tips
Don’t Wait Until the Holidays to Say “Thank You”My inbox and USPS mailbox is filling with thank you notes from vendors and business associates who use this time of year to spread gratitude. That’s nice, but why wait until December to say, “Thanks?” Here’s a blog post I wrote a few years ago that encourages you to make gratitude a year-long practice. 


Happy Birthday to My Favorite Comic Geek

Eugene Levy turns 72 today. I love this guy. He’s never the star, but he’s always a scene-stealer.

Here’s one of my favorites — a scene from the mockumentary “Best in Show” in which we learn that Levy’s character, Gerry Fleck, has two left feet — literally. 

Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom
Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2018.12.10

Hello: Here’s the latest edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other interesting, valuable stuff.

– Tom 
Monday, December 10, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-UpRecommended Reading
This is Marketing by Seth Godin

If Seth Godin writes it, I read it (and usually recommend it). His latest book is no exception. I haven’t finished it yet. But so far, so good. Here’s a .pdf excerpt if you want to sample before you buy. 
A Disclaimer About OCR and Rocketbooks
Last week, I recommended Rocketbook reusable notebooks. I said you can photograph the pages with the Rocketbook app which converts words to editable text and sends the scanned page(s) to wherever you designate — an email address, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, etc. 

The more I use the app, the more I realize that the convert-to-editable-text (Optical Character Recognition or “OCR”) feature in this and similar apps is hit-and-miss — especially when you try to scan handwriting. Sometimes it does a good job. Sometimes it does a lousy job. I’m still loving Rocketbook, but it’s not ideal if I must convert my notes to editable text.

If you want to test the Rocketbook app and its OCR capabilities, you can download free disposable Rocketbook pages here. Find the app in your app store and test its capabilities with the free pages. 

Other Options…
For Scanning from Your Phone, without Rocketbook
A few readers told me they like the idea of scanning from their phone, but they don’t want to buy the reusable notebooks. Here’s a good article that compares some of the more popular scan-from-phone apps (both for iPhone and Android). Like Rocketbook, these apps are inconsistent when scanning hand-writing to editable text. But I’ve tested several — including Abbyy, Adobe and ScanBot — and they do well with printed text and business cards. Very handy!

I’m Listening to…
American Songwriter’s Top-25 AlbumsI love this time of year when the various Best Of… lists arrive for music, books, movies, etc. I’m plowing through American Songwriter magazine’s Top 25 Albums of 2018 list. I like this list because it offers a variety of genres. I don’t love everything on the list, but I always discover some gems!

Please let me know if you discover anything that you love. 


Mr. Potato Head, I Hate You

With the holiday season in full swing, I was doing some research this month on ads that target children. I discovered that Mr. Potato Head, by Hasbro, was the first toy to have its own advertisement that targeted children.

Here’s that ad. It’s an amusing, quaint blast from the past.But it also represents the start of “pester power.” Advertisers discovered how advertisements could fire up children to pester their parents for the latest and greatest toys. 

I still remember that “Mr. Potato Head, I love you…” ditty from my childhood. And, yes, I pestered my parents to buy me one. 

Here’s an interesting article about Mr. Potato Head and pester power. 

(Fun fact: The original toy was a box of plastic facial parts and accessories that you put into a real potato; Hasbro switched to a plastic potato after receiving complaints about moldy, rotten vegetables that heartbroken kids didn’t want to throw out). 
Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom
Categories
Monday Mash-Up

py: Monday Mashup 2018.12.03

Hello: Here’s the latest edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other interesting, valuable stuff.

– Tom 
Monday, December 3, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-UpRecommended Reading
People Don’t Mind Marketing. They Mind Irrelevant Marketing

Here’s a great article from Copyblogger that explains why you shouldn’t be bummed out by opt-outs. This is one of the best concise pieces about content marketing that I’ve read in a long time.   
Recommended Resource
Reusable Notebook Improves Productivity and Saves Trees
Thanks to my friend (and Mash-Up reader) Neal Albritton for recommending Rocketbook reusable notebooks. A damp cloth is all it takes to erase ink from the notebook pages (you need a special eraseable ballpoint pen). Before you erase the content, photograph the pages with the Rocketbook app which converts words to editable text and sends the scanned page(s) to wherever you designate — an email address, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, etc. 

The multi-page notebooks are a bit of an investment: List prices are $34 for letter size (8.5 in x 11 in / 32 pages), $32 for executive (6 in x 8.8 in / 36 pages) and $16 for mini (3.5 in x 5.5 in / 48 pages). But I think it’s worth it since you don’t have to fuss with disposable paper and trash. 

Each comes with a pen and a microfiber cloth.
Recommended Viewing
Ricky Jay — Master of His Craft
Ricky Jay was an extraordinary magician, actor, scholar and card sharp. He passed away last month (obit here). 

I spent time last week watching incredible Ricky Jay videos.

Here’s one of my favorites — well worth the 30 minutes. 

Historic Day
Dec. 3: No More Cold WarOn this day in 1989, President George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev declared the end of the Cold War during a summit meeting in Malta. Here’s an audio clip from their press conference at the summit. 

I was born in 1965, during the Vietnam War and less than three years after the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was just 24 when the leaders met at Malta. So I grew up during the Cold War and worried about the threat of nuclear war. 

Historians can debate how and why the Soviet Union collapsed and who deserves credit. But in these days after President Bush’s passing, I wanted to acknowledge this moment in history. It was an important moment for the country and me — a moment for which he deserves plenty of credit.


Quotable 

“I do not mistrust the future; I do not fear what is ahead. For our problems are large, but our heart is larger.”– George H.W. Bush

Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom
Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2018.11.26

Hello: Here’s the latest edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other interesting, valuable stuff.

– Tom 
Monday, November 26, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-UpRecommended Listening
Kwik Lessons to Power Your Brain

I first discovered Jim Kwik when Cal Fussman featured him on the Big Questions podcast. 

That turned me on to his Kwik Brain podcast which I love and recommend. 

Here’s the podcast description from iTunes: Kwik Brain is a fun, fast-paced show designed to help busy people learn and achieve anything in a fraction of the time! Your coach, Jim Kwik (his real name), is the brain & memory trainer to elite mental performers, including many of the world’s leading CEOs and celebrities. In this easy to digest bite-sized podcast, you will discover Kwik’s favorite shortcuts to read faster, remember more, and ‘supercharge’ your greatest wealth-building asset: your brain.” 
Marketing Advice
List-Building Tips from Forbes
I came across this article last month. Great advice on how to build an online following and email list. The article offers advice for “authors.” But its lessons apply to any business conducting email marketing. 

Here’s my favorite point from the article: “(Many) have the misguided view that regular communication could be construed as SPAM, that horrible four-letter word. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They WANT to hear from you—often. These people have freely given you their email address—a very closely guarded destination point—and they expect to get something in return. Namely, your ideas, opinions, thoughts, impressions—and most importantly, your writing.”

If You Have to Shop Online…Here Are Some Tools to Help You Save

Last week, I encouraged you to go local for Small Business Saturday. Supporting local businesses should be a year-round thing, but most of us shop online occasionally. 

So for those times when you shop on the Web, here are 11 Browser Extensions That Can Save You Money Every Time You Shop Online. 
Recommended Reading
From Suburban Kid to Army Medic to Bank RobberI learned about Nico Walker when his novel, “Cherry” was listed among 100 notable books of 2018 in this article. I sampled “Cherry” on my Kindle, and I was instantly hooked. 

The novel is a semi-autobiographical story of a young man who…

…Well, the headline tells you plenty. 

If you want to learn more, read this profile of Nico from BuzzFeed. 

Better yet, read the novel. It’s brilliant. Warning: It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s full of bad language, crude behavior, violence, mayhem. It may offend some. If any of that concerns you, dig deeper before you dive in. I found the novel honest and raw and riveting. 

Nico’s publisher claims the book is not ghost-written. The words are Nico’s — written in prison, where he still resides today. 


Quotable 

Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.– Charles M. Schulz
(Creator of the Peanuts comic strip, born on this day in 1922)



Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom
Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2018.11.19

Hello: Here’s the latest edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other interesting, valuable stuff.

– Tom 
Monday, November 19, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-UpRecommended Reading
Early to Bed, Early to Rise…

Mash-up reader (and high school buddy) Tim Toole shared this article with me last week. Great advice: How Becoming An Early Riser Can Change Your Life. 
Marketing Inspiration
Brilliant and Funny Holiday Marketing Campaigns

Here’s a collection of 15 great marketing campaigns related to the holidays.

Which one is your favorite? Email me with your vote and comments. 

Recommended ListeningHow the Beatles Made the White Album

Fifty years ago this month, the Beatles released the “White Album.” This month the album was re-released with re-mastered versions of the original tracks, plus bonus tracks (demos and outtakes). Giles Martin produced the re-release. His father, George Martin, was the man who produced the Beatles albums in the sixties. 

Last week, NPR released a myth-busting interview with GIles Martin in which he describes how the Beatles made the “White Album.” On this page, you’ll find an interview summary; at the top, you’ll see a play button to hear the entire 44-minute interview. 

Very entertaining and informative. A Request…
Shop Small® on SaturdayMany of our MarketVolt clients are small businesses. On Friday, online vendors and the giant retailers will woo shoppers with “Black Friday” deals. I know those deals are hard to resist. But please save some of your holiday shopping cash for the next day — Small Business Saturday.

Our communities depend on small businesses. So please spend some time Saturday supporting local retailers and grabbing lunch at a local restaurant.


Happy Thanksgiving

I’m looking forward to gathering with family and friends on Thursday to give thanks for all good things. 

Here’s a quote from Willie Nelson that reminds us that giving thanks should not be a once-a-year ritual: “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” 


Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom
Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2018.11.12

Hello: Here’s the latest edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other interesting, valuable stuff.

– Tom 
Monday, November 12, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-Up
Veterans Day EditionMarketing Tips from a Vet
Military Experience Instructs Marketers Civilian Work

Addison Blu served with the US Army in Afghanistan and now works as an entertainment writer and marketing strategist.

In this article on Medium.com, he shares “3 things I learned about marketing from serving in the military.” Good lessons. 
Recommended Reading
Book Sheds Light on How Combat Haunts Veterans

The Price They Paid: Enduring Wounds by Michael Putzel is an extraordinary book. Putzel spent two years in Viet Nam, covering the war for the Associated Press. In this book, published in 2015, he tells the combat stories of soldiers he knew, and he traces their stories since the war. It’s a story of courage and fortitude, but it’s also a story about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and how it haunts so many of those who served.    
Apology Accepted
Moment of Forgiveness on SNL Reminds Us to “Never Forget” Earlier this month on Saturday Night Live, comic Pete Davidson made a tasteless joke about Lt. Com. Dan Crenshaw, a Navy Seal who lost his right eye during combat in Iraq. Elected last week to Congress, Crenshaw appeared on SNL to accept Davidson’s apology, poke some fun at the contrite comic and share an important message about how to honor and establish camaraderie with veterans. 

Here’s the video from SNL.  

Lessons in Leadership
In 1917, Maj C. A. Bach delivered a farewell speech to student-officers at the Second Training Camp at Fort Sheridan. Many of these young officers were on their way to fight in World War I. Many didn’t return. 

I share Maj. Bach’s speech because it is a great playbook for leaders — not just military officers, but for anyone who acts as a leader in business or any walk of life. 
Renovated Memorial Reminds Us Why We Never Forget

Congratulations to MarketVolt client the Missouri History Museum which oversaw the renovation of the St. Louis Soldiers Memorial and Military Museum.

Last weekend, the Memorial re-opened with new exhibits. The Missouri History museum spent years updating the Memorial into a state-of-the-art facility that will educate visitors for years to come..

MarketVolt’s Lori Naeger was on hand for the re-opening ceremony and was inspired to share her feelings in writing. We shared Lori’s observations in this post from our blog.


Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom
Categories
Monday Mash-Up

Monday Mashup 2018.11.05

Hello: Here’s the latest edition of MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-up. We’ll kick off every week with this quick collection of tips, recommendations, observations and other interesting, valuable stuff.

– Tom 
Monday, November 5, 2018
MarketVolt’s Monday Mash-UpMarketing Tips
How to Wield Influence to Grow Your Business

My son, Jacob, is a great fisherman, and he has attracted on social media followers who like the pictures he’s posting. I’ve learned some valuable marketing lessons by seeing how businesses treat Jacob as an influencer and wish to work with him to promote their products. I share some of the lessons in this post from the MarketVolt blog. 

Recommended Reading
Create a “Customer Service Culture”

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert. His blog is great. I learn something valuable every time I read it.   
Conspiracy Theories
Has Elvis Really Left the Building On this date in 1971, Elvis Presley performed in Minneapolis. After the final number, the crowd went wild and was chanting for another encore. Promoter/announcer Al Dvorin encouraged the crowd to go home by saying, “Elvis has left the building.”

He wasn’t the first to use the phrase at an Elvis concert, but he is often credited with making the phrase stick.

But the question remains… Has Elvis really “left the building.” 

Here’s an article that outlines 10 of the most popular “Elvis is Alive” conspiracy theories. 

And here’s a video of Mojo Nixon singing “(619) 239-KING” — in which he encourages Elvis to come out of hiding and call him. Funny song. 
Innovative Hotel Branding

Thanks to Mash-Up reader David O. England for sharing this with us…

A new hotel is generating a lot of buzz for its unique design. The hotel is just down the street from MarketVolt’s headquarters. Fox Business ran a story, calling it the “first hotel in the world to allow guests to pick a room based on color.” That’s not the only design innovation. Watch the Fox story for more. 

I like it. I’m always interested to learn how businesses bend the rules. 

What do you think of this? Good innovation or meaningless gimmick?

Please reply if you’d like to share your thoughts. 


The Things We Take For Granted

On this day in 1872, Susan B. Anthony was arrested when she tried to vote. 

It would take another 38 years (1920) before The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would finally be ratified:

“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” 

Fast forward another 44 years to 1964 when the Twenty-fourth Amendment was ratified, abolishing poll taxes and literacy tests that were being used to suppress African-American and other poor voters in southern states. 

Please vote on Tuesday. 

Any reading, listening, quoting, resourcing that you think we should share? Send us a tip.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of this week and the weekend.

Tom