JMU612 - 36: Innovative Methods for Sharing Information Quickly with guests Joel Carlson, Lori Druskin Ryan & Ian Schwartz

We're only a few days away from the June 6th edition of JMU612. If you haven't gotten your tickets, you'll want to hurry! There are only a few available. Find your ticket here.

This month's topic is centered around innovative technologies that help individuals and businesses share information/news in real-time with their audiences. Our panel of homegrown experts will cover getting started, best practices and mistakes to avoid. There is sure to be a discussion involving use of newer media options such as Vine, so bring your questions! 

Before you hear from our panelists on June 6th, please take a few minutes to learn a little more about them. 

Here are a few places our panelists flex their muscle:

+ joel carlson - @joelecarlson

+ lori druskin ryan - @lryanis

+ ian schwartz - @ids07

Lastly, we encourage you to support our sponsor, Urban Bean Coffee. Their generosity and space have been and continue to be instrumental to the success of JMU612. As a show of appreciation, we ask that you purchase your favorite morning beverage at the event. Thanks!

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For questions regarding JMU612 events, please contact:

+ joel carlson - @joelecarlson or

+ liz tunheim sheets - @liztunheim or

+ josh cinnamo - @joshcinnamo

Do customers care about what you do?

Hardly.

In nearly every marketing engagement or networking discussion I've had recently, I'm being told it's "important to tell them (potential customers) what you do and how you do it." Forgive me. I disagree.

When I go to the Mazda dealership to get my oil changed, I'm not interested in hearing the process of how they do it.

I don't need a step by step description.

I don't need a whitepaper.

I don't need a use case.

What I need as an oil change customer is this:

  • Cost (and we all know they are inexpensive so as long as it's less than $30, we're good)
  • Can it be done quickly?
  • Does changing the oil help the health and longevity of the car?
  • Does maintaining the health of the car help me get more money when I go to sell it?

Boom. You answer those and I'm making a decision in 2 seconds.

People are busy. Their time is more important than learning about you. Creatively show them how you make them more successful, more profitable, more popular, more 'anything positive' and they are yours.

I've worked with a recruiting company recently that wanted to describe their entire recruiting process to potential accounts. How would that be helpful? Unless you somehow do it differently than every other recruiting company, stick to what is important such as how many hours you're going to give back to that hiring manager each week by scouring resumes and conducting interviews. Or how much money they won't have to put at risk, because a poor hire these days can cost a company upwards of $50,000. WOW! That'll grab their attention, wont it?

So? What should you do?

Boil it down.

If you haven't already, research what is important to your target market. What are those pieces of information they need to say 'yes' or 'no', right now and present to them their answers in a simple, yet creative way.

It behooves you to have this knowledge. It will help you become better at creating relevant content and help you better understand how to become more social, more relevant and ultimately, become that target market's trusted expert. That should be your goal.

JMU612 - 32: Podcasting with guests Meghan Wilker, Pamela Muldoon, Brett Baldwin & Phil Wilson

It's the first Thursday of the month! That means it's time for JMU612! This month we'll hear from 3 of the Twin Cities most successful podcasters.

Here are a few of their best quotes and recommendations:

+ meghan wilker - @irishgirl

  • Recommendation to use libsyn.com and Garage Band to start
  • "Get a mic, plug it in, and start talking."
  • Snowflake by Blue Microphones

+ pamela muldoon - @pamelamuldoon

  • "Podcasting is the most mobile form of media. Only your ears have to be engaged."
  • "It's not just about live, it's about archive."
  • "Transcribe all your podcasts and re-use that content everywhere."

+ phil wilson - @philson

  • "Podcasting is not a stand alone way to grow revenue. Use podcasting as another arrow in your marketing quiver"
  • Don't rely on the iTunes Store for people to find your podcast; you've got to point people to it.
  • Yeti by Blue Microphones - "Great mic for price!"
  • "Get off Twitter and go outside! You have to live to create content"

+ brett baldwin - @brettish

  • "Get guests with a lot of followers online as a podcast promotion method."
  • "Fair use of music in podcasting is 30 seconds worth of a song"
  • "The more you podcast, the better you'll become. Practice."

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For questions regarding JMU612, please contact:

+ joel carlson - @joelecarlson or

+ liz tunheim sheets - @liztunheim