Comments on: Superbly Idiotic Marketing

By: Weekly favorites (Feb 13-19)

Weekly favorites (Feb 13-19) — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 23:01:20 +0000

[…] 31 Unexpected Perks of Blogging You’ll Never Want to Give Up How to Keep Guest Contributors From Ruining Your Blog Why a Location Independent Lifestyle is Good for You What Should You Do Before Launching a (Successful) Blog It’s Time To Increase Your Freelance Writing Rates – Part 2 13 Steps to Being the Worst Blogger on the Planet 7 Powerful Ways to End Your Next Blog Post How To Charge More As a Freelancer 21 Times for a Freelancer to Say “No” Agreeable Disagreements What’s Your Price? The Encore Juggling Act Superbly Idiotic Marketing […]

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:06:32 +0000

Denise, I haven't yet. She's going to point to her vast knowledge and audience. That may be so, but how many more could she capture if she just stopped shouting so much?

By: Denise Gabbard

Denise Gabbard — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:55:28 +0000

Some good points in this article– the final point is perfect! Payment options are the perfect answer when someone tries to beat your price down. As for that "marketing" friend of yours, I hope you took her by the hand and showed her the error of her ways:(

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:38:31 +0000

Lost my own darned reply - sorry!

Cathy, I hear you. His list is probably huge, so I can see why you get multiple offers. But I agree - if the order's been filled, remove you from that list.

Damaria, super one! Hate that. Nothing says "I couldn't be bothered" more than a group email. Newsletters, as Devon points out, are the exception, and I don't think we expect them to be that personalized - except in the information we receive.

Paula, ew! Yet people think image doesn't matter...

Amelia, I never doubted you weren't committing these sins. :)

Ashley, I am my own irony. LOL True enough. I had such a rotten experience when I signed up for a friend's newsletter. Within a week, she's bombarded me with so much crap I unsubscribed. And she calls herself a marketer.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:33:53 +0000

One thing that especially bugs me is when I sign up for a mailing list, newsletter, or whatever, and all I get is sales messages. I'm a willing audience when I get sales messages after I get what I signed up for, but if all that business wants to do is sell me something, I'd rather it not be disguised as something useful to me.

It's bad timing to mention this with your newsletter sign-up, Lori, but I registered for yours without hesitation and I'm eager to receive it! :)

By: Amelia Ramstead

Amelia Ramstead — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:30:04 +0000

Whew! I had to check that list and make sure I wasn't doing any of those things! Looks like I'm in the clear… good advice to keep on the burner!

By: Cathy Miller

Cathy Miller — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:20:03 +0000

What a great story, Paula (you getting the gig – not the b.o. story) 🙂

By: Paula

Paula — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:54:15 +0000

Your vacuum-packed beef reminded me o when a salesman for a similar door-to-door frozen food company rang my bell. His b.o. was so bad the stench lingered long after I sent him packing. Years later a different salesman from the same company showed up. I let him leave a catalog (talk about expensive!), but told him everytime I see their truck it triggers flashbacks to the previous guy's putrid and unappetizing "aroma."

Many years ago I sent a complaint letter to the publisher of a writing newsletter/market list I subscribed to. I noted some sort of recurring problems and said I wouldn't renew if they didn't clean things up. I was my usual diplomatic self, incorporating appropriate humor. Never once did I suggest I could do better, and I wasn't asking for a chance to write for them. The editor replied by calling, saying she and the publisher enjoyed my letter and agreed with the points I'd raised. She said the quality of my writing stood out and then challenged me to help them improve the newsletter. I wound up freelancing there for several years. I think the key differences were 1) I wasn't pitching myself as the answer to their problem, and 2) they were objective and open-minded enough to admit their publication had room for improvement.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:33:06 +0000

Damaria,

Good point. I don't mind a newsletter that lets me know what new products and services are coming; I mind a group marketing blast.

The packaging, I guess. I like a more subtle approach.

By: Damaria Senne

Damaria Senne — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:46:20 +0000

Group emails to potential clients scream bad marketing to me. Just because it's easy to send a group email to potential clients doesn't mean you should and the only time I want to receive a group marketing letter from a service provider is if I subscribed to the service.