5 Things to Share: September 2023

Hey Friend!

I just watched Lego's short film about the power of play. 

Did you know on average, children are spending just 2% of their week (about seven hours) engaging in free play. Uff.

I grew up GenX, so free play was a way of life, not just a pastime.

We rode our big wheels around the neighborhood unsupervised, my brother and I made tree forts out of branches in the woods behind our cabin, and there were no cell phones (gasp!)

Creativity and play go hand in hand, like peanut butter and jelly.

Infusing play into our work is like a breath of fresh air for our brains. It encourages us to think outside the box, take calculated risks, and approach problems with the same sense of wonder we had as kids.

So, don't be afraid to let loose and play now and then. I think Jane Lynch said it best in the film — “Let's Put the Rhythm Back in Algorithm.”

On that note, let's get back to work.

#1 ✅ Get Verified on LinkedIn

Maybe it's my crazy creative mind, but sometimes I can't tell on social media if Susan, who wants to connect with me on LinkedIn, is a real live person, a bot or a scammer.

This is why I think the future is all about being verified—it gives people proof that you're who you say you are. Did you know you can get verified for free on LinkedIn? Learn how here. Or learn more about it here.

#2 Work Smarter. Not Harder.

Want to work less and play more? Me too. The secret to the marketing sauce is repurposing your content.  Repurposing is simply taking existing material, like a blog post, and turning it into a video or social media post. Learn how to save time, money, and effort and boost your business here.

#3 Top 10 Reasons You Need an Email

An email newsletter may seem old-fashioned, but it’s still one of the best ways to market your goods and services today. Here are my top 10 reasons…

#4 Shower Heads Marketed as a Beauty Product?

Jolie has marketed its shower heads as a beauty and wellness product rather than just another run-of-the-mill showerhead—touting the beautiful benefits its customers will see after using their product. What do you think, genius or not so much? Let me know.

#5 You’ve Got Mail

Did you know 98% of people check their mail every day? Last week, I attended Guru's Delivered Conference all about direct mail. Besides that fun fact, I learned three key things—

1. Print is here to stay and helps you stand out.
2. It's all about the omnichannel baby. That’s marketing speak for you get the most for money if you combine print with digital marketing (emails, landing page.)
3. Automating direct mail is the future — personalizing your direct mail with handwritten notecards, setting up a trigger in your CRM to mail out a postcard (similar to abandoned cart emails), or customizing coupons to your customer.