What App am I currently loving right now?
It’s like Instagram…with motion. I actually find myself waiting for Instagram photos to start moving now.
Vine records 6 seconds of video and loops it over and over. I’ve seen some crazy creative Vine’s, but for me, it’s a way to bring what would normally be a photo to life.
Vine is gaining popularity and its quickly becoming one of the most popular apps in the App Store.
Give it a try by Clicking Here
I’ve been asked several times over the past few weeks, “What’s it like selling ads for a magazine?” My answer always starts with “I love it!”
I work for Jason Watson, Publisher and Owner of Keep Sharing. Keep Sharing publishes magazines all across the state of Alabama.
Jason is a hustler if there has ever been one. He’s not the guy that brands himself like some of us…you know, making how to videos, spamming the internet with his face, and trying to get a hundred thousand followers on Twitter. He’s a grab the shovel and start digging kind of guy.
I like to use the web in any way I can to give me an advantage. It’s my area. It’s what I know. We all get to the finish line in different ways. I do spam the internet with my face.
You may not even know who he is, but if you live in Montgomery, Auburn, Mobile, etc, you’ve seen his publications all over your city. Or you may have seen him recently in this article in The Montgomery Advertiser.
OK, so we’re on with the day… Read more…
So you’re driving down the road and you hear your business’s commercial on the radio. It makes you feel good. Really good. You know all of your buddies are hearing your ad and saying…hey, she’s made it. I’m not calling you out. I’ve done it myself.
Radio can be effective for some businesses, particularly businesses with a large advertising budget . However, I find most times a small business doesn’t have the advertising budget to actually make an impact. You have to build a campaign over a long period of time. It’s all about brand awareness.
It’s pretty much the same for TV. You’re shouting out a targeted message at a broad un-targeted audience. Unless it’s food, or clothes, or something that EVERYONE needs, you could be wasting your money. TV advertising can work…but once again, you need a large budget to make an impact.
If you’re able to generate the interest with a great TV or Radio campaign, make sure you’re ready to be found. That means your business information needs to be accurate on Google, Yelp, Foursquare, and of course your website. Why? Because there is a very good chance that when they see your commercial while they’re watching their favorite show…you’re probably closed. They will turn to the internet to find out more. Build interest in your business…don’t just look for immediate leads.
What about billboards? Gary Vaynerchuk put it best when he said “people aren’t looking at billboards when they’re driving, in fact, they’re not even looking at the road.” He’s right. People are texting, or putting on lipstick, or eating a sausage egg and cheese croissant. What’s the rare success in billboards? I’d say the digital billboards facing a busy four way intersection. That’s about it.
What works is exposing your business to a targeted community. If you sell arrows, doesn’t it make sense to advertise on a hunting website? If you sell childrens clothes, run a day care, teach swimming lessons, or manage a pediatrics office, should you not be advertising in a family magazine? And if you’re an app developer, shouldn’t you be advertising with Facebook on mobile devices?
Be smart with your advertising dollars. They can boost your sales, or they can boost your ego.
It’s Your Choice.
Last year, Lindsay and I were sitting outside and noticed something at the top of one of our columns. A little bluebird head was sticking up watching us. It was a momma bluebird sitting on 6 blue eggs.
I had become an accidental bluebird lover. I never really had any interest in them at all before.
We got really excited. This was happening right in our backyard. We would get to watch the babies hatch, grow up, and hopefully enjoy growing into adult bluebirds.
The baby birds did in fact hatch. All but one. There were five tiny, naked, sideways mohawk creatures in the nest. You know the saying, “So ugly they’re cute”?
A few days later, I went to check on them, and they were gone. I won’t go into details, but it was apparent that a house sparrow had killed them all. I was dreading telling Lindsay. She loved those little birds. She cried when I broke the news.
It’s was then that I decided we would try again the next year. But first, I had to take care of some business. Seeing few to no house sparrows in the area was my goal.
I waged war against the house sparrow. It sounds immature I know. You would have laughed at the sight of my “sparrow blind” I set up. Read more…
I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but there is a sweet new email app called Mailbox for your iPhone. How would I sum it up in one sentence?
Now, Mailbox is not perfect, and I’ll get to that in a moment…however, I’m going to start with what makes it amazing.
The Pros:
Mailbox treats your email like a task list. You can absolutely scream through your email. You are in control of every aspect of your email “list”. You have the ability to archive, delete, and move the message to a folder. My favorite feature is that you can give the email a time to “pop back” into your list at a more appropriate time. For example, later today, this evening, tomorrow, this weekend, next week, in a month, or someday. You can also apply a specific date and time.
You make it to inbox zero like a super star. And, if you’re using IMAP, you will see the effects in your desktop email client as well. I have found that I “organize” my emails with Mailbox app in the morning, and then work within my desktop client for the rest of the day or when I’m away from my computer.
The Cons:
At this time, Mailbox only supports Gmail accounts. Lucky for me, all of my accounts run through gmail, even my business accounts.
There is a waiting list. I’m not sure what it’s at now, but when I first downloaded the app a month ago, I was behind half a million people, and it took three weeks to finally “get in”.
You don’t have the option for multiple signatures. This is my biggest problem with the app. This one needs to be addressed ASAP in my opinion.
The bottom line: I love this app, and can’t imagine not using it now. It really is that great. Get Mailbox for iPhone HERE.
Don’t forget to pick up your April editions of Montgomery Parents and Journey Magazine. Let me know if you need to know where you can find them near you.
I am the founder and designer at Hatfield Taylor Company, as well as an Account Representative for Keep Sharing, which produces several publications including Montgomery Parents and River Region's Journey. I believe that there is a very close connection between technology and people, and I try to understand that connection better every day. I'm a believer in my city, Montgomery, AL.
