Category Archives: eMarketing

Starstruck

Posted on by
3

JayBaerFrom what I’ve heard, even the most popular movie stars turn bashful when they meet somebody whose work they admire. At least that’s what I’ll keep telling myself after sharing a silent flight with one of my own industry celebs.

I was boarding my flight in Chicago bound for Social Media Marketing World in San Diego, so I knew there was a pretty good chance that somebody on that flight was headed to the same destination. As I approached my cabin, there he was in the front row with his trendy black glasses and striped socks. I knew it was Jay Baer and I wanted soooo badly to let him know how much I was looking forward to hearing him speak the following day. As fortune would have it, the line halted and I was directly in front of him for a good 90 seconds. I whispered a few introductions in my head and they all sounded like stuttering gibberish, so I proceeded to my seat.

Kicking myself from the epic fail, I chose to share my experience with my Twitter followers, who I knew would understand the magnitude of my shame:

———————————–

Jessica Tiede @tiedejess Apr 7
Pretty sure I’m on a flight with @jaybaer but I’m too dorky to say hi. #smmw13

———————————–

I waited for a little empathy, but instead received the following in return:

———————————–

Austin Rogerson @austinrogerson 7 Apr
Make moves #jealousofyou “@tiedejess: Pretty sure I’m on a flight with @jaybaer but I’m too dorky to say hi. #smmw13”

MonikaRun @monikarun 7 Apr
@tiedejess @jaybaer ha! I love that you will tweet that, but won’t say hi in person. The joys of social media. #smmw13

———————————–

Did I just get called out for being lame?! Oh yeah, I got called out alright. Not cool. I needed to turn this day or ship or plane around and not let that happen again. I vowed to throw that shy girl back into my luggage and get my social on for the next three days. Couldn’t be happier that I did.

That night at the first networking event of the week, I introduced myself to more than a few social celebs, Jay Baer included. We talked, we drank, we danced…okay, maybe we just shook hands and I snagged a photo…but I overcame the bashful and was happier for it.

The silliness of it all is certainly not lost on me. I realize that these are just people with great ideas doing what I do, but doing it better and probably having done it longer than me. Doesn’t mean that there isn’t possibly maybe perhaps just one person out there who thinks I’m that cool too. Is there somebody out there who thinks I’m that cool? Don’t be shy now…speak up! Just kidding. Not really.

My second favorite thing about these three amazing days was knowing that I had made new friends and mentors who I could actually tap on the virtual shoulder and ask questions. Experts in the vast world of social media are willing to share what they know and spread the word. They are approachable and they are teachers.

My first favorite thing about these amazing three days was the tweet I received on the second day:

———————————–

Jay Baer @jaybaer 8 Apr
@tiedejess Drinks on me next plane!

———————————–

#boom

Build communities, build yourself

Posted on by
1

photoLast summer, I was fortunate to attend a Socialmedia.org conference in Chicago. It’s is an exclusive community of social media thought leaders who are enthusiastic about sharing their own experiences and best practices with members of the organization. I love any opportunity for a conference in Chicago — home to amazing hot dogs, pizza, Navy Pier, pizza, the Cubs, pizza, museums, pizza and more. See where this is going? Fortunately, I was traveling with a colleague who was smart enough to suggest that we consult Yelp to make our culinary decision. It led us to Pizano’s and the rest is eat-until-you’re-miserable history. I still dream about that pie.

If you travel, Yelp is a necessity. Last year I used it in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Princeton, Indianapolis, San Francisco and Miami. So, when I arrived at this month’s Social Media Breakfast (SMB) Madison meeting with speaker Corey Dane of Yelp Madison, I was expecting to hear what I already knew about one of my favorite apps. Boy, was I wrong!

Corey reminded me that Yelp is not merely an app for travel and it’s much more than a means to quiet my growling belly. Yelp is a fantastic way to support your local fare by finding that lesser-known cafe or dive bar and then writing a review about the best burger to ever cross your lips. Or to inform fellow hotel guests that they can exchange their floral scented hotel shampoo for an unscented version. Maybe you want to rave about the spa that offers wine with your pedicure. Yelp sponsors offline events for its most loyal contributors and grants them with “elite” status. It encourages you to stand behind your reviews with accurate profiles and personal photos. Yelp builds communities.

While Corey highlighted three main keys to success in building a loyal community for your business, I couldn’t help but notice the parallels to success in building your own personal and/or professional success. These notions to 1) Get Personal, 2) Forge Connections and 3) Embrace Fun are undoubtedly why companies like Starbucks have built strong communities while spending little money on advertising. They seem so simple and yet the impact of applying them can be tremendous.

What do you think might happen if you tried applying those same notions in other areas of your life? Where do you begin? For starters, you need to work hard, cultivate relationships, surround yourself with positive people, celebrate people from all walks of life, don’t be afraid to laugh out loud. According to Corey, “Success = Time + Passion.” Great tips from a guy who knows a lot of about building communities…and the best places to eat in Madison.

My trash = your treasure, I

Posted on by
2

Just one of the many tables filled with toys.

More than two full racks of clothes for kids organized by size and season!

Garage sale season has officially arrived as evidenced by the slew of signs on every corner in my small town. Do you love them or hate them? Do you find them dirty or intriguing? Do you stretch your neck when driving by in hopes of spotting that Blatz Beer sign you’ve been missing since you were 17? Or do you avoid them altogether for fear of finding that creepy plush Ronald McDonald doll that your mom taunted you with for years?

This very weekend I am playing hostess to the most epic of all Tiede garage sales. I have teetered down the attic steps with arms full of boxes, I have climbed up from the basement dragging comforters, luggage and home decor galore. But mostly, I have shed tears sorting through toys and clothes that my children have outgrown. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I welcome the maturing of my kids. I am not crying because they’ve outgrown the beautiful dresses and coolest toys ever. I’m crying because I’m cheap and I can’t believe we paid $25 for the Zhu Zhu Pet and Fun House that Noah played with for five minutes and now we’ll be lucky to sell for $2.00.

I’m so cheap, in fact, that I refuse to pay for a classified ad in the local newspaper. Do you know the going rate for classified ads? It costs $16 for 10 words and 60¢ for each additional word.  I can’t even get my street address and hours of operation in the ad for under $20 and that doesn’t allow me to begin describing the sheer awesomeness of my garage sale!

Then I remembered that I AM A DIGTAL MARKETER. I am a blogger. I am a tweeter. I am a Facebooker. I use Craig’s List. And I pin pins on Pinterest!

So I present to you, my faithful readers, a brazen and bold digital plug for the sale of my Tiede Treasures:

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

This Thursday beginning at 4:30pm sharp, you are all invited to attend the garage sale to end all garage sales. There will be more toys than FAO Schwartz. There will be baby essentials like wipe warmers, bouncy seats, and changing pads. There will be racks of clothes organized on hangers by size and season. There will be nursing pajamas with only minor Lansinoh stains…c’mon ladies, don’t judge — you know it’s inevitable. There will be a pink motorized jeep for your little princess. There will be an infant carrier for your newborn bundle of joy. There will be a Kelty backpack for your slightly older bundle of joy. There will be a One Step Ahead Sit n Stand stroller for your second bundle of joy. There will be home decor that I can no longer bear to look at on my walls and shelves, but there’s no shame in admitting that you can’t live without them. There will be beauty supplies. There will be one kick-ass pair of boots. There will be an interview-ready suit that I clearly don’t need because my job rocks. There will be kitchen rugs. There will be bathroom rugs. There will be shower curtains. Hey! I just realized that you can redecorate your entire bathroom at my garage sale!

Stop by and check out all of the goodies you will find in my garage and on my driveway this weekend. The children are not for sale, but almost everything else you see can be yours for a small price. The sale of my husband is negotiable.

Are you Pinterested?

Posted on by
1

You may have just discovered Pinterest, but it has been online for almost two years already and it’s now one of the top 10 social networking sites. For those of you who have no idea what is a Pinterest, you’re missing out on a gold mine of new recipes, DIY projects, inspirational quotes, videos, and things that make you truly laugh out loud. Your own friends are surfing the Internet and finding new products and ideas they love. They “pin” those new faves and assign the item to a virtual bulletin board filled with other fun finds of a similar nature. If you happen to follow this friend of yours, you will see everything they choose to pin to their bulletin boards and maybe find something you can’t live without as well.

Pinterest is both a time saver and a time suck. When I need a quick kid friendly recipe for school, I hop on Pinterest and within minutes I find s’mores-on-a-stick. Then another minute goes by and I find cookie dough brownies. Then a recipe for homeade cough syrup. Then a killer ab workout. Then tips on how to make a container garden. Then a sassy new hairstyle. Then produce bags made from old t-shirts. I have old t-shirts! The next thing you know, I’m headed to the grocery store to buy Cheez-Its® because I just spent the last two hours devouring the delicious ideas that is Pinterest.

We all have friends who we think are way more trendy than ourselves. Follow them on Pinterest and get a glimpse of what they think is awesome. Latch on to it and raise your own cool factor a notch or two. Why not? Everybody’s doing it!

Pinterest seems to appeal primarily to women as evidenced by my serious lack of male followers. But guys need to jump on this party bus as well. Fill your boards with great athletic shoes, craft brews, video games, power tools, futuristic cars, and 101 things to do with bacon. Need more masculine pinning ideas? Check out #BroPin, created by social media strategist Mike Street and managed by a variety of male Pinterest users.

Before you navigate away from this Hail-to-Pinterest blog, don’t forget to Pin It! It’s easy — just click the “Pin It” text at the top of the right column.

Bad teacher

Posted on by
9

Okay, I’m not Cameron Diaz bad, but even my own mom claims that I’m a bad teacher. Isn’t she contractually obligated to tell me that everything I do is amazing?

In the last several years, I’ve spent countless hours teaching my mom:

  • How to program the VCR
  • How to use a DVD player
  • How to use a universal remote
  • How to use a cell phone
  • How to search with Google
  • How to bookmark
  • How to create a Yahoo! e-mail account
  • How to buy me presents on Amazon
  • How to use a digital camera
  • How to attach photos to an e-mail
  • How to send photos to Walgreens
  • How to buy a Groupon
  • How to “ship to store”
  • How to reserve movies from Redbox
  • How to “friend” somebody on Facebook
  • How to “defriend” somebody on Facebook

While my mom has truly mastered a few of the items above, our lessons have left her performance less than stellar on a majority of these activities. She blames her lack of understanding on me for being a bad teacher. I will admit that I don’t read diaglog boxes, I grab the mouse from her hand, I click faster than a Kardashian marriage, and I swear a little. Apparently what I perceive as efficient, others find irritating. You say potato, I say potahto.

I pretended not to hear my mom a few weeks ago when she asked, “Should I be tweeting?” And again yesterday morning when she said, “I wish that I knew how to sell stuff on Craig’s List.” I literally ran from the room when she uttered the words, “I ordered a DVR last week.”

That said, my mom was my very first blog subscriber and she still doesn’t even know what is a blog. I truly love my mom for trying so hard to learn about technology, new media, and how I spend my days in eMarketing. I just wish that somebody else would teach her.