After seeing a lot of tweets from after the ALA conference (American Library Association) about how libraries are closing down, I started feeling like we don't do enough to support our libraries. Two towns in the Western Washington area voted to not pay the taxes associated with libraries. Their library priveledges were taken away, and they griped about it.
The best thing we can do is to frequent our libraries. We need to show both the townspeople and the governing bodies that these are very important establishments!
*off of soapbox*
After dyeing 6 new items this morning, I started to feel like my motivation had gone out the window. So I turned to my Kindle to entertain me. I downloaded two samples of books that struck my fancy:
These are books whose samples were engaging and look like they should be incredibly helpful.
But before you go and buy them off of Amazon (using my link of course....can't pay my internet bills without an income...), Search your local library and see if these books are available. They are relatively new, but most libraries have a great procurement department. Read through them. Then, if you decide that they are worth the trouble, do two things:
1)Purchase the books through my link of linky goodness
2)Remember to vote yes on the levies to support your library.
Everyone wins. You stay entertained, and get a little motivation to try something different. And your libraries get to stay open. Perhaps a little more support will prevent the library systems from continuing to have mandatory days they must be closed in order to stay within budget.
#savethelibraries
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Monday, January 17, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
When Writing Product Descriptions, or top 5 Marketing Books
I just finished the rough drafts (yes I said ROUGH DRAFTS, we have gone back to grade school) for my yarn and fiber descriptions. I've read a lot about these things, and it seems that you need to write something that grabs a reader's attention, and also explains inspiration in a fun way.
I've never taken a Marketing class (but I did try to get into one last year as part of my tuition program at the University). I've just read books. And I thought a list would be helpful for those of you who are in the same boat.
1) Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion
This is a book on rhetoric, and before you say that it has nothing to do with marketing, please remember, marketing is about convincing people that your product meets their need, and rhetoric is about communicating effectively to convince people of things. They go hand in hand. I read this book as part of an awesome business communications course, and it was well worth the money. 
Lesson number one: Tell a story. Your customers want to buy from you, but first they want to connect with you. Tell them a story about how your product helps them with what they want.
2) Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (New Rules Social Media Series)
This is a book that you'll need to read more than once. What is the most important aspect of marketing? Making it interesting. Content Rules helps you hash out what you need to do to make your writing interesting to your customers and their friends. 
It also has cool things like links and examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly in marketing terms.
3) Brilliant Marketing: What the best marketers know, do and say
This is a book that I picked up a few days ago. I read the intro, and it really is a how-to manual. It teaches you what has worked and what hasn't, so you don't make the same mistakes. Real life examples, such as Nike and Heineken are included in the first few chapters! It's a great reference tool.
4)
Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs (New Rules Social Media Series)
This is a book that we can all relate to. We all know that Social Media rules the day when it comes to reaching new customers. This book explains how to do it, and what works best. I had my blog before I started reading this, but it certainly has reinforced my better habits, such as posting regularly, and making sure my Twitter and Facebook accounts are active and interesting.
5) UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.
Any book who has the seven deadly social media sins earns a gold star in my book. This book is all about how to be engaging, and how to actually connect with your audience and have a conversation. You don't sell to your friends. You simply have friends who buy from you. I like this book because it is a good course in marketing that is in language non-business majors can relate to.
I hope this helps you. And a disclaimer. I linked to these books because I think they have a lot of good information and helpful tips. If you buy them through my links, I will get 1% back through Amazon. Rest assured, I wouldn't link to them if I didn't think they were good, and Amazon has no control over what I link to. Remember, all cards on the table.
I've never taken a Marketing class (but I did try to get into one last year as part of my tuition program at the University). I've just read books. And I thought a list would be helpful for those of you who are in the same boat.
1) Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion This is a book on rhetoric, and before you say that it has nothing to do with marketing, please remember, marketing is about convincing people that your product meets their need, and rhetoric is about communicating effectively to convince people of things. They go hand in hand. I read this book as part of an awesome business communications course, and it was well worth the money. Lesson number one: Tell a story. Your customers want to buy from you, but first they want to connect with you. Tell them a story about how your product helps them with what they want.2) Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (New Rules Social Media Series)
This is a book that you'll need to read more than once. What is the most important aspect of marketing? Making it interesting. Content Rules helps you hash out what you need to do to make your writing interesting to your customers and their friends. It also has cool things like links and examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly in marketing terms.3) Brilliant Marketing: What the best marketers know, do and say This is a book that I picked up a few days ago. I read the intro, and it really is a how-to manual. It teaches you what has worked and what hasn't, so you don't make the same mistakes. Real life examples, such as Nike and Heineken are included in the first few chapters! It's a great reference tool.4)
Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs (New Rules Social Media Series) This is a book that we can all relate to. We all know that Social Media rules the day when it comes to reaching new customers. This book explains how to do it, and what works best. I had my blog before I started reading this, but it certainly has reinforced my better habits, such as posting regularly, and making sure my Twitter and Facebook accounts are active and interesting.5) UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.
Any book who has the seven deadly social media sins earns a gold star in my book. This book is all about how to be engaging, and how to actually connect with your audience and have a conversation. You don't sell to your friends. You simply have friends who buy from you. I like this book because it is a good course in I hope this helps you. And a disclaimer. I linked to these books because I think they have a lot of good information and helpful tips. If you buy them through my links, I will get 1% back through Amazon. Rest assured, I wouldn't link to them if I didn't think they were good, and Amazon has no control over what I link to. Remember, all cards on the table.
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