The Clean and Green Club

 

In this Issue…

• This Month’s Tip: Five More Reasons to Do Social Media
• Another Recommended Book: The New Rules of Green Marketing
• Hear & Meet
• Friends Who Want to Help

Don’t Forget!

Social Media for Terrified Authors: How to Turn Scary Into Success: Wednesday, March 30 (good for non-authors, too). Two social media experts (I’m one of them) will give some great training, just $19.95. Details and link in the Hear And Meet section.

PS–Remember that I pay commissions if you find me new corporate/organizational (non-media) markets for my columns, a full-price speaking gig, or a marketing or publishing consulting client. Write for details: (click here to contact Shel via email)

This Month’s Tip: Five More Reasons to Do Social Media

I’ve talked in this space before about some of the more typical reasons to do social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the many smaller networks)—things like zero cost, links from high-traffic and well-regarded sites, and the ability to reach people of great influence.

Today, let’s go a little deeper:

Stay on Top of the Conversation
Do you know what people are saying about you? In today’s world, messages can spiral out of control very quickly. And a lot of companies haven’t figured out that their reputations are at risk if they’re not paying attention.

I was impressed a couple of weeks ago when I posted something negative about FedEx, and within an hour, got Tweeted back by @FedExLina, with some helpful suggestions. Here is a company that is paying attention. Too often, a negative message goes out into cyberspace, gets retweeted, shared on Facebook, maybe even blogged about, and the company continues to ignore it. Not a smart strategy. But the time the mainstream media get hold of it, a lot of damage may be done.

Keep Informed…And Informing
Where did I first hear about last week’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan? On Facebook. Where did I first learn about the peril those events caused at several nuclear power generation reactors on Japan’s northern coast? On Twitter. Following people who regularly share news events gives you a quick capsule summary, which you can click through to learn more. Nuclear safety has been a concern of mine for a long time. I actually wrote two articles about earthquake risks to nuclear plants in 1979.

Grab Short-Lived Opportunities
Things move fast in Cyberspace. Opportunities flit by, and if you’re paying attention, you can benefit. I’ve gotten tons of media exposure, speaking gigs (including my first-ever international speech), conference exhibit opportunities, and more by following social media and reacting quickly.

Amplify Your Reach
In social media, one post can reach many audiences. You can easily set up your WordPress and your Facebook Fan Page blog to post headlines and links to your status updates on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Plaxo, and the entire post to Facebook Notes. You can use a number of tools including MarketMeSuite, HootSuite, TweetDeck, Tobri, or Ping to post a status update to multiple networks. I often get more comments on the Facebook version of my blog than my actual blog page. Caution: Make sure you DON’T set up an endless loop where, for instance, Twitter posts to Facebook which then posts to Twitter. That would make you very unpopular, very quickly.

This may sound overwhelming, but it’s really not. Judy Cullins and I will demystify it for you on March 30.

I’m also available for individual consulting and training on social media, or even to do your social media for you.
 

Another Recommended Book: The New Rules of Green Marketing

Another Recommended Book: The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools, and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding, by Jacquelyn A. Ottman (Berrett-Koehler, 2011)

With its many big-corporation examples, extensive use of research-based statistics, and numerous charts, graphs, bullet points, and checklists, this is a green marketing book that could be widely adopted by green MBA programs. And true to its title, there are lots of rules—as well as big strategic questions starting right from the beginning (the first group is on page 21). But even if you’re not an MBA student, and your business is much smaller-scale, there’s a lot of wisdom here.

It’s also one of the most holistic green marketing books I’ve seen, considering whole-lifecycle processes such as energy and water used in manufacture and transportation, and questions of end-of-life disposal in determining whether a particular path is actually green. This depth of insight plays out especially well in her section on holistic product design, and in her examination of various tradeoffs in greenness. But always, she rightly insists, green products have to deliver the same quality and value; the market won’t put up anymore with the shoddy design of some ’70s and ’80s-era green products, and they don’t have to, because today’s green products are as good as their “brown” competitors, if not better.

As a consultant to many large companies, Ottman has learned a thing or two about the complexities of moving society down a greener path, one business initiative at a time. And she points out that brands themselves have to position themselves as green, because if there are no certification labels, a brand’s reputation determines whether it finds favor with green consumers. She concludes the book with profiles of two such brands, Starbucks (not the greenest coffee company by a long shot, but the one that buys the most organic and fair-trade coffee) and Timberland.

Those green consumers, she points out, are segmented in many different ways: from shade of green to age group (each of which responds best to its own particular marketing hot buttons). Oddly, she examines boomers, and Gens X, Y, and Z—but not elders. In my experience, elders (born before or during World War II) include a strong cohort of environmentally concerned and actively involved citizens, drawn to green buying because of both health and environmental concerns, and bringing a long-term perspective—they remember life before our instant/plastic/packaged current reality, and in many cases, they have quite a bit of disposable income. She also fails to differentiate urban, suburban and rural audiences, and—having lived in both megacities and small villages—I can tell you there are huge differences in the way you want to market to these different demographics.

But these are a minor quibbles. It’s a book well worth reading (and taking notes from), and an excellent companion to my own Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green.

 

Hear & Meet

March

• Social Media for Terrified Authors: How to Turn Scary Into Success: Wednesday, March 30, 2 pm ET/11 a.m. PT, with Shel Horowitz and book coach/social media maven Judy Cullins.
  * Have an impact on the three major social media networks in just minutes a day: control social media and keep it from controlling you
  * Understand how to spread your content around the Internet with just a couple of clicks: more ROI for less work
  * Turn social media connections into website traffic, book sales, and client gigs without spending any money to do it.
  *Increase your credibility as a savvy expert.
  *Define and find your book’s target audience on the big 3 social media marketing sites–and market directly to the exact people who can benefit from your book.
  * Get your website or blog pages highly ranked on Google and other search engines.
  Just $19.95, and includes several valuable bonuses. Click https://www.bookcoaching.com/shel-judy-teleseminar.php to get all the details (this is not an affiliate link, but I do benefit financially from your registration).

• April 8-10 I plan to attend the National Conference on Media Reform, in Boston. I’ve attended two previous conferences and am always blown away. If you’re interested in the impact of corporate media on our culture, progressive politics, or exploring the diversified world of D-I-Y (do-it-yourself) independent media—everything from setting up a blog to running your own TV station), this is a must. And if you happen to be in the Amherst/Northampton, MA area, let’s talk about carpooling. I’m thrilled to attend one that won’t require getting on a plane!
• Saturday, April 23rd, 2011 10 AM-4 PM, my wife D. Dina Friedman and I will exhibit again at Amherst Sustainability Festival in downtown Amherst, MA
• Wednesday, April 27, noon ET/9 a.m. PT: Sales guru Mike Krause interviews me on green marketing: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/salessense/2011/04/27/sales-sense-reality-talk-show-hosted-by-mike-krause-with-guest-shel-horowitz
• Thursday, April 28, 1 pm ET/10 a.m. PT: Becky Cortino interviews me on Green Marketing for Biz Buzz: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/bizbuzz Becky is a master networker who has reached out consistently over time, and I’ll bet she does a terrific interview.

• May 18, from 1-3 pm ET (10-noon PT), master copywriter Ray Edwards and I will take turns interviewing each other. This winter, I made a huge purge of many of the e-newsletters I’d been reading–and Ray’s was one I kept, because I find enormous value in it. I’ll be interviewing him about ethics in Internet marketing, and he’ll be asking me about the green side of marketing. I don’t know yet if we’ll be broadcasting live or (more likely, I suspect) breaking it up into two calls to be shared later. But you may want to keep that date clear, in case we are live.
• Once again, I’ll be attending Book Expo America, May 24-26 in New York City, and probably IBPA University May 22- 23

June

• TENTATIVE, LIVE IN WESTERN MASS: I think I’m hosting a training with Bob “The Teacher” Jenkins, a very smart guy who I’ve shared a stage with in Florida and enjoyed hanging out with on a couple of conferences. We’re thinking about Thursday, June 16. More details next month.

 

Friends Who Want to Help

No-Cost Webinar with Lev Natan: Access the Mythic Power of Your Business

Lev just did a very thoughtful interview with me for another project. As someone who is discovering and enhancing the mythic power of my own business, I found out about this webinar he’s doing, and wanted to share it with you:

Our times are calling us to live in the mythic dimension and become the heroes that we so often seek outside ourselves. To do this, we must weave together our desire for meaning and purpose with our practical work in the world.  In this webinar, learn about the direct connection between your stress levels and your sense of purpose; how your mythic sense makes you distinct in your market place; the power to recharge and sustain your energy; and how to create goals that are truly in alignment with your heart’s purpose. During the webinar, he’s going to bring you through a transformational process where you will take the first step towards integrating your mythic Self into you business. Visit www.thesocialentrepreneursquest.com to sign up.

Living the Life of My Dreams: Essays & Interviews with 30 Ordinary People Living EXTRAordinary Lives will become a bestseller, according to Caryn FitzGerald, who put the project together. I’m amazed at how many friends and colleagues of mine have chapters in this book, among them Lillian and Dave Brummet, Stacey Kannenberg, Angela Lussier, and Sally Shileds. 35 cool bonuses, but you may not see them, as the official bonus period is over. However, Caryn assures me that any purchaser will have access for a few more days (they include such things as The New Rules of Success, networking 101, Oceanic Mind Deep Meditation, even a Personal Sleep Quiz: Living the Life of Your Dreams

Bouncing Back From Loss: How to Learn From Your Past, Build The Present, and Transform Your Future Donna Marie Thompson will give you a blueprint to learn from life’s lessons. She herself lost her mother, her man, her money and then her health. Some people would give up… but Donna chose a path that will inspire you.

Huge bonus package: 217 gifts including one from me. But Warren Whitlock, who is organizing the campaign, says, “The greater value will come in the lessons you learn and blueprint Donna shares.” https://BestSellerAuthors.com/bounce

Big Wave Surfing: Extreme Technology Development, Management, Marketing & Investing by Kenneth J. Thurber Ph.D. explains why so many of our greatest companies got started *in a recession.* Big Wave Surfing presents the issues of our innovation-based, technology driven economy in an understandable form through the exciting analogy of big wave surfing. It’s written for entrepreneurs, investors, managers, or anybody who wants to glide into the flow of abundance just like riding a big wave.

Learn More: https://www.bigwavesurfingbook.com/promo/

As usual, some of the links in this newsletter will earn me a small commission if you choose to purchase. And once again, they are not listed here because of the money they could make me, but as a way of providing value to you by sharing things that I think will benefit you.