by Kirby Hasseman
I love going to events that educate and inspire me. For me, it’s a great way to get out of the whirlwind, and learn and create ideas. One event I had the chance to attend this year was Skucamp. I talked about 5 of the takeaways from the event here. I was also honored to speak at the event with my good friend Bill Petrie. Bill and I took on the topic of Content Marketing in pretty raw form. We were honest about how we got started, and our struggles in doing so. And hopefully we were a little funny too! Here is a link to the presentation. This presentation is for: *Anyone that wants to do Content Marketing…but is not sure how to start. *Anyone that is not sure Content Marketing actually works. *Anyone that has tried Content Marketing in the past and failed. Bill and I also dig into our overall philosophies about Content Marketing. Feel free to check it out and let us know what you think! Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for the VIP Newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
There is a difference between “Mentors” and “Heroes.” A mentor is someone who is actively working with you to help you grow in a specific endeavor. Our industry has a great organization that is actively working to connect mentors and mentees, called PromoKitchen. A hero is someone you admire from afar. You might study them and try and emulate them. But they might not necessarily know you. They can have an impact, but it’s usually not face to face. Today though, on Delivering Marketing Joy, I get to interview one of my Heroes, Seth Godin. You can find that interview here. He has a new book out called “This is Marketing.” What was interesting about this interview was in my preparation. You see, unlike most all of my guests on Delivering Marketing Joy, Seth did NOT want the questions in advance. In addition, I knew he had a book coming out…but I did not know what it was about. So while I had a few questions cued up, most of this interview was off the cuff. This would be somewhat nerve-wracking anyway. But since it was with one of my heroes, it was especially scary. The great news for me, is Seth was incredibly kind and gracious. Afterward, he even complimented me on the questions since I did not know what we were going to be talking about. It was the equivalent of me patting my puppy on the head for going outside. “Good boy!” And I was thrilled with the encouragement. So please check out the interview here and let me know what you think! Make sure you never miss an update! It’s time to sign up for the VIP newsletter now. Each week we collect the content we create, and put it in one easy to read email. It’s easy...and you can sign up here.
by Kirby Hasseman
If you are reading this, you know we do a lot of content. I have made a commitment to post a blog to this website every day. Why? Well beyond the “he is insane” answer (which is what my wife thinks), the goal is to provide value. I have found that when I show up this much, I am able to reach people when they are ready to be reached. And as I have said here before, I never know what is going to resonate. Sometimes I think something is awesome, and no one seems to care. But other times, I take a shot and it lands. That’s a great feeling, but it’s hard to predict. So I create. But if you are regular reader of this blog, you might not know we have lots of other content out there that is not hosted here. There are videos and podcasts too, so I thought I would share so you could check them out! unScripted Podcast: One of the pieces of content that I am most proud of, and have the most fun making, is the unScripted Podcast with Bill Petrie. We certainly focus on industry topics, but we tackle other stuff as well. And since I don’t know what he is bringing up and he doesn’t know what I am going to talk about, you get a fun and raw insight into our real opinions. It drops every Friday…and you can find it here. Day in the Life: I love video and this one provides some fun for me…and some insight into our behind the scenes. We shoot videos of interesting projects and events…and share them in this video series. We have it on Youtube (find my channel here) but we get a ton of play on Facebook (linked up here). Delivering Marketing Joy: This is probably the flag ship of content here. I love this one (here is today’s episode). I get the chance to interview wonderful, smart, insightful marketers, authors and entrepreneurs. We are over 200 episodes into it…and it comes out every Wednesday! You can see the first 150 at my Youtube here…and now they can be found at PromoCorner here. P.S. You might think of books as the “old school content,” right? You can also find the book Delivering Marketing Joy (about doing Promo right) here and my book Fan of Happy (about personal development) here. So just in case you are not getting enough here…there are a few more places to grab content each week! But make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter in the form below!
by Kirby Hasseman
Yesterday morning, we got a call that there was a leak at a building we have been working on in Coshocton. Technically, my lovely bride, Amy has been working on it. You can see some of the progress on this video. When we bought the building, it needed a lot of work. It’s hard, expensive and slow work. It’s important, but the progress can seem frustratingly slow. And on mornings like this, when we get a call about a problem, it’s really hard not to be annoyed. You look around and all you see is challenges. All you see is how far you have to go. If you have ever chased a big and challenging goal, my hunch is, this moment feels familiar to you. Whether your goal is get in shape, grow your sales, train for event, build a business, we all get to that point in the road where all we can see is potholes. In that moment, it might be time to look back. You heard me right. Yes, it’s important to “keep your eyes on the prize” or “gaze at the end goal,” or any other cliche’. But sometimes it’s important to remind yourself how far you have come. In our case, we can look back at the first video we shot when getting the building. It was a mess. It was unsafe. It was scary. Yes, we do have a long way to go. But wow! We have come a long way. As we look around at the painting that has been done, the renovations, and the improvement in culture and safety, it’s enough inspiration to get us back on track. So if you are at that moment in your journey, take heart. Though you still have a long way to go, you have probably made quite a few strides in the right direction. Take a few moments to celebrate those. Then you might have the motivation to get back to work. Make sure you never miss an update! There are plenty of places to connect. You can find us on Facebook here, subscribe to Youtube here, or you can sign up for our VIP newsletter below!
by Kirby Hasseman
My friend Bill Petrie and I talk a lot about authenticity. We talk about it on our weekly podcast unScripted (it drops every Friday here), and in talks we give about Content Marketing. The concept is simple. Be you. Create your own voice. But as is the case with many things in life, simple is not the same as easy. When it comes to authenticity (in content and in life) I have good news and bad news. The Good NewsThe good news about creating content around your authentic voice, opinions and personality is…it will be easier. You won’t have to create an opinion about your work or your life. You have them. In many ways, when you can truly embrace this, you shed a weight. Many of us go through life wearing a mask. When you make the realization that you are not for everyone, and accept that, it can be freeing. The Bad NewsOn the other hand, it can be scary. If you are like most of us, you have some concern that if you are really you, people won’t like it. I totally get it. And here’s the rub. If you are authentic, there are going to be people that don’t like it (or you). There will be people that bristle if you share a true opinion or point of view. They will avoid you or not do business with you. And that’s okay. The fact is, when you share your authentic voice, you will turn some people off. But you will attract people as well. And for the most part, the people you attract are much more likely to “get” you and what you are all about. The people you attract are going to be the organizations that identify with what Simon Sinek calls “your why.” They will even (most likely) be people or organizations you enjoy serving more. You will have real relationship that is authentic. As I said to Bill recently, this does not just mean being authentic about opinions. For us, it’s being authentic about joy. Our mission is to “Deliver Marketing Joy.” Recently we did t-shirts (they are so sweet and you can check them out here) that say “Be Kind. Spread Joy. Embrace the hustle.” Though I absolutely love them, there are going to be some that are turned off by the message. That, my friends, is totally cool with me. If our message does not resonate with them, there are plenty of other options out there. But if that message gets you fired up and brings you joy…welcome to the tribe. Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter below!
