One thing very well

I ate at a restaurant that specializes in smoked meats yesterday. Delicious. (Unless, of course, you are a vegetarian.) Here’s a place that does just one thing… and it does it well. There are just eight mains on the menu – and they were all themed around smoked meats. (And at least one dish was…

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Why this tough new law is a good thing

Up in Canada, a tough new anti-spam law goes into place next Tuesday. While that doesn’t directly affect you (unless you email to Canadian clients), there are some interesting things that can be learned. And I am also going to give you the opportunity to confirm that you want to hear from us. The law…

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The power of touch

I read an interesting money-saving tip the other day, so I thought I would share it with you. Apparently, if you touch something when you are out shopping, you are more likely to buy it and are willing to pay more for it. So… to keep your wallet shut, keep your hands in your pockets.…

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You, your newsletter and a cup of coffee

I’ve been doing the volunteer morning radio show gig for over a month now. For those of you new here, I host the breakfast show two days a week for our local community radio station. It’s fun. But those mornings… they are so early. One of the tips I picked up from one of the…

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Losing money by saving money

I was in a condo building yesterday. Like most condos, it has a newsletter for residents, to keep them up to date with happenings in the building. In the elevator yesterday was a notice proudly saying that the newsletter was no longer going to be printed. The condo was “going green” and “saving money.” Residents…

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A lesson from the flower that smells like death

The corpse flower is well named – because it smells like death. You don’t want to get too close to that thing if you value your nostrils. The stench of rotting animal carcases is overpowering. But some insects find the odor quite delicious. They are drawn to the plant to lay their eggs. To them,…

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Still spinning the lazy Susan

I love tapas. I also love a good buffet lunch. There’s so much to try – a bit of this, a little of that. And before long, you have a plate that’s piled high. Now, that’s great for a party or a night out with friends. But it won’t work with marketing your business. The…

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Don’t be afraid to show you’re an expert

I was on the phone with a potential new client yesterday. Indeed, he started our free trial at the end of our conversation. We were talking about newsletter titles, and he wanted to use the word “advisor”. However, he was nervous about appearing too “cocky” by using that term. This is what I said to…

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Don’t let Facebook control your future

Facebook – it turns out – isn’t so great for marketing yourself after all. Unless, that is, you’ve got a lot of money to spend. I was reading this weekend that organic reach on Facebook is now as low as 2%. That means the post you make on Facebook will be seen by only 1…

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Uptight politeness vs. helpful opinions

We Brits are famous for being hard to read. Sometimes, it’s difficult to know what we think about anything because we’re so indirect. When a Brit says an idea is “interesting,” what he often means is that it’s the worst idea he’s ever heard. Maybe we don’t want to offend. It’s that uptight politeness thing…

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Singing your catchy song

My house is surrounded by trees. And because of that, we have a lot of nature here. Right now, there are birds everywhere. Just yesterday afternoon, I took a walk outside and at the top of the tallest tree was this little bird singing its heart out. Small bird; big song. Now, I’m no biologist,…

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First this, then that

As many of you know, I’m an on-air volunteer for our local community radio station. And this summer I’m hosting the breakfast show a couple of days a week. One thing my co-host, Heather, and I have been trying to do is get more interaction with our listeners. And it seems to be working. Today…

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Why we don’t care what printing companies think

Some of the things we do here with our print format newsletters upset printing companies. Now, I’m not in the business of upsetting people. But sometimes… well, it just can’t be helped. However, there are very good reasons why we do it this way. In fact, there are two of them. First, printing companies don’t…

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As famous as a Google drive-by

I found myself on Google Street View the other day. There I am, striding down the street, looking quizzically at this car which was crawling by with an enormous, multi-headed camera on its roof. Famous forever… and completely zoomable. Now, Mayna (our wonderful customer service manager – you’ll chat with her if you join us)…

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Be on the path of least resistance

Water, as you learned in school, follows the path of least resistance. That was certainly true yesterday when, as my mother is fond of saying, the heavens opened. There was a deluge. A hard, pounding rain that bounced and thudded… ….and left a six-inch deep channel down the driveway. Following, you see, the path of…

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Use leftovers or be left behind

There’s something extra delicious about meals made with leftovers. So the omelette I threw together for lunch yesterday (leftover sliced mushrooms, leftover brie cheese and a couple of dubiously aged leftover eggs) was extra tasty. I don’t know if it was the food that was so appetizing… or the thought of the money I was…

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You know stuff, you’re good at it, and you make people’s lives better

Sometimes I think there are two types of people in the world. There are those who talk a lot but don’t know much. We all know some of that type…they’re all over the media and they’re very loud. And then there are those who actually do know a lot but don’t talk much. They hide…

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