I have this regular Friday feature on my blog – country music lyrics. For an explanation of why I do this, you can check out this post. It’s Friday afternoon, it’s five o’clock somewhere, and it’s time for some more country music lyrics.

The Cold Hard Facts of Life by Porter Wagoner

I got back in town a day before I’d planned to
I smiled and said I’ll sure surprise my wife
I don’t think I’ll phone I’ll just head on home
For I didn’t know the cold hard facts of life

I passed a little winestore on the corner
I pictured big champagne by candle light
I stopped the car right then got out and hurried in
My mind not on the cold hard facts of life
A stranger stood there laughing by the counter
He said I’ll take two bottles of your best
Her husband’s out of town and there’s a party
He winked as if to say you know the rest
I left the store two steps behind the stranger
From there to my house his car stayed in sight
But it wasn’t till he turned into my drive that I learned
I was witnessing the cold hard facts of life

I drove around the block till I was dizzy each time the noise came louder from within
And then I saw our bottle there beside me
And I drank a fifth of courage and walked in
Lord you should’ve seen their frantic faces
They screamed and cried please put away that knife
I guess I’ll go to hell or I’ll rot here in the cell
But who taught who the cold hard facts of life
Who taught who the cold hard facts of life

Posted in Uncategorized View Comments

I recently discovered the great 10 Golden Rules of Internet Marketing podcast. If you have listened to the podcast, I highly recommend it. As an aside, I originally discovered Jay Berkowitz of 10 Golden Rules from an interview on Cliff Ravenscraft’s Podcast Answer Man podcast.

In episode 17, Jay interviewed Sarah Miller Caldicott, great-grand niece of Thomas Edison, and co-author of Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America’s Greatest Inventor. I’ve been a huge, huge fan of Thomas Edison for more than 20 years. I distinctly remember reading a voluminous biography of Edison in high school. At the time, a lot of the background about Edison’s business dealings, contracts, negotiations, litigation, flew right over my head, but Edison’s passion for knowledge and invention certainly captured my attention. Since then, I’ve read several other Edison biographies, and I’ve had a copy of Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America’s Greatest Inventor in my To Be Read pile for ages.

In the podcast, Jay asked Sarah Miller Caldicott what Edison would be working on if he were alive today, and that question immediately captured my attention. Caldicott mentioned social networking (because Thomas Edison was known for cultivating friendships and working relationships with people he could learn from), and she also mentioned Edison would probably use the Web to keep track of international scientific experiments and developments, because even when he was alive he tried to stay abreast of what European inventors were working on.

I also wonder what Edison would be interested in and working on today.

Here’s what I think:

Twitter – Yes, Twitter has jumped the shark twice this week alone. Yet, Edison would have been fascinated by the communication implications of Twitter. Edison got his start first as a telegraph operator, and his first inventions were telegraph related.

Semantic web – I think Edison would look at the Web today, and inevitably ask, what’s next. He would want to figure out some way to easily structure the data already on the web – text, video, and audio – so that computers could act on that data and lead to web-based apps we can’t even dream of today.

Electric vehicles – Edison would almost certainly be ringing up Elon Musk, head of Tesla Motors for a lunch or dinner meeting. Only months before his death Edison oversaw the introduction of electric trains on the Lackawanna Railroad in suburban New Jersey.

3-D movie technology – Edison invented the kinetoscope, an early motion picture exhibition device. Edison would be fascinated with current 3-D movie technology and would be interested in how he could improve and expand on the 3-D technology.

Smartphones – While most people associate Edison with inventing the incandescent lightbulb, he also invented the phonograph and recorded sound. I think he’d be fascinated with smartphones and the computing power that can be held literally in one hand.

What do you think Thomas Edison would be working on if he were alive today?

Posted in Uncategorized View Comments

With the growth of Twitter, many companies and businesses are trying to figure out how to use Twitter to drive business.

We all know the importance of using social media tools to listen to customers, but can social media also be used for promotions and coupons to actually drive business? Let’s face it, as much as listening is important, restaurants are one business category that simply don’t have the time to devote to “listening.”

This recent Nashua Telegraph article details how several New Hampshire eateries using Twitter and Facebook for promos. Interestingly, given the recent stats that many Facebook users don’t remain users past 30 days of signing up, these restaurants are seeing more response from their Facebook pages than Twitter.

Axel’s Food and Ice Cream (@eatataxels) - is alerting customers via Facebook and Twitter to special offers. For example, on Earth Day, Axel’s offered free soft-serve ice cream per order to anyone who walked, biked, or drove a hybrid, and mentioned “Twitter” when they ordered.

The Sugar Mommy (@thesugarmommy) – a brand-new dessert and bakery, has started Twittering what she’s baking and cooking. Her hope is to drive interest in her business while keeping marketing/advertising costs low.

If you were building a social media strategy for a restaurant, what would you recommend to help them drive awareness and attract customers?

Photo by Unique O’Mania on Flickr.

Posted in Uncategorized View Comments

Josh Bernoff at Forrester Research recently wrote a report Social Technology Strategies for “Boring” Consumer Brands. Alas, the report costs $749, so I haven’t read it – yet. But, Bernoff’s executive summary explains his key point – “borrowed relevance.” If you have a “boring” brand or product that doesn’t necessarily lend itself to digital conversations and social media, you shouldn’t give up on leveraging social media.

Instead, Bernoff suggests creating an application that taps into your customers’ problems, and then using that application to capture the online enthusiasm of consumers.

Josh’s colleague, Chad Mitchell, followed up Bernoff’s report with an article in Insurance Networking News where he gives specific examples of “boring” insurance companies/brands using the “borrowed relevance” strategy. Some examples, include:

Geico’s MyGreatRides – a site for motorcycle enthusiasts.

Allstate’s Allstate Garage – another site for motorcycle enthusiasts with articles and content related to motorcycle safety.

Though Bernoff’s report focused on consumer brands, the “borrowed relevance” concept can also be applied in a B2B environment too as I mentioned in an earlier post.

If you’re a B2B company selling a product and service and you’re wondering how to capture the digital passion of your potential customers, you may want to ask yourself what problems those customers are having that don’t currently have an online solution. It could be as simple as a dedicated messageboard so that your potential customers could connect, vent, and problem solve with other people in their field.

Maybe you’re working in a specific niche that lacks a go-to blog or news source. You could consider creating that blog or news source as long as you commit to building a truly neutral news site. If you start excluding articles that mention your competitors or giving prominent placement to your own press, your customers will start doubting the value and authenticity of the site.

further elaborate

* Social media can sell “boring” brands, too
Using a social-media marketing strategy to sell something dull and practical isn’t as tricky as it looks, writes Chad Mitchell, especially if firms are willing to follow the examples of a couple of market leaders. Companies such as Geico have used social marketing to reach out to specialty clients such as motorcycle enthusiasts, while companies such as Nationwide and Liberty Mutual have tried to hook clients with educational content, Mitchell notes. Insurance Networking News (4/29) LinkedInFacebookTwitterEmail This Story

* Century 21 marketing is all social media, all the time
An online radio talk show about real estate issues that includes an unbranded forum is the latest element in Century 21 Real Estate’s shift from TV to an all-digital marketing strategy. The company, which in January stopped running national TV ads, also is using social networks and Twitter as elements in its C21 Communities social-media platform. Advertising Age (4/29) LinkedInFacebookTwitterEmail This Story

Posted in Uncategorized View Comments

I have this regular Friday feature on my blog – country music lyrics. For an explanation of why I do this, you can check out this post. A few weeks ago, I featured a song Chiseled in Stone by Vern Gosdin. At the time, I didn’t know I’d be featuring another song so quickly by Vern Gosdin.

But, sadly, Vern Gosdin “The Voice” died this week. I interviewed Gosdin in 1989 or 1990 for my country music show, Dirt Roads & Honky Tonks, for WUOG, the University of Georgia college radio station. I don’t have any tapes of that interview, but he was a great interview, and a great country music singer.

Well, it’s Friday afternoon, it’s five o’clock somewhere, and here are the lyrics to Vern Gosdin’s Today My World Slipped Away.

We made it final today
I gave you all I had, you made your get away
All the love we once made
Turned to memories today.

I left the courtroom and went straight to the church
I hit my knees and told God how much I hurt
There’s nothing left of my heart
It’s going to be so hard to make a new start.

Chorus:
‘Cause today my world slipped away
We buried the plans that we made
And tonight I’m alone and afraid
Cause today my world slipped away.

All my friends say I’ll make it alright
I’ll recover and start a new life
But that’ll be so hard to do
‘Cause livin’ ain’t worth livin’ without you.

Chorus:
‘Cause today my world slipped away
We buried the plans that we made
And tonight I’m alone and afraid
Cause today my world slipped away.

‘Cause today my world slipped away…

And, finally, here’s a video of another Vern Gosdin song – That Just About Does It.

Posted in Uncategorized View Comments