Capulet Communications

From Darren's blog over at www.darrenbarefoot.com:

Over the past month or so, we’ve been preparing a social media marketing campaign for ThoughtFarmer. ThoughtFarmer makes a simple-to-use wikified intranet solution.

We needed a good angle to promote their solution, and came up with a wacky idea:

After some brainstorming and false starts, we devised Tubetastic, a fake company with a fake logo, a fake org chart and, you guessed it, a fake intranet…

…We invented a fake tube manufacturing company called Tubetastic Inc. We created fake employee profiles for each influencer. Each profile is a sort of entry interview, with the answers coming from excerpts from their blogs and articles. We left one question unanswered, in the hopes that some folks might offer up their opinion.

That’s from a lengthy blog post (also cross-posted to OneDegree) I wrote up on the ThoughtFarmer blog. It goes into considerable detail about the intranet site we built and the snail mail packages we sent out. It also discusses our logic behind the campaign, and the risks we foresee. We even wrote a few Onionesque articles as recent Tubetastic news.

If you’d like to check out the Tubetastic intranet site, you just need to request access (trust me, there’s no spam risk–you’ll only get one email from ThoughtFarmer) and we’ll hook you up. I encourage you to check it out.

You may remember that we published a 100-page ebook called "Getting to First Base: A Social Media Marketing Playbook" at the end of 2007. Thanks to all of you who bought the book and to those who reviewed it on your blogs.

Now, our little ebook is growing up. We're working on a hard copy version for San Francisco publishing company, No Starch Press. They have American distribution through O’Reilly Media, one of the giants of tech publishing.

The title will change and we'll be adding another hundred pages over the next five months, but the premise will stay the same: an intro to social media marketing.

We'll be documenting the writing process and new ideas for the book on our ebook blog. 

I know, I know there are thousands of posts out there about how to put together a good email newsletter. So, why are there so many poor ones? In my opinion, if you can keep these top five pointers in mind, your newsletter will improve and your readers will thank you.

1. Be short and sweet. Unless your newsletter consists of one, extensive research article, articles should be a maximum of four paragraphs. No one wants to read more than that about your new CEO, upcoming events, spring sales, or the like. Also, readers have a short attention span, so five articles should be your max. When it comes to newsletter articles, short is sweet.
2. Sound human. Your readers are real people who will be more engaged if they think you're a real person too. Leave the jargon and acronyms behind and write in your true voice. Sometimes reading your stories out loud is the best way to judge the human factor.
3. Add value. We get so many marketing emails in our inboxes that we're getting less inclined to read company material. An excellent way to keep subscribers engaged is to add value with a relevant, compelling industry article, links to other articles on the web, or a thoughtful opinion piece.
4. Include a call to action. When you send a company communique, you want the readers to respond, right? So, give them something to do. Give them a link to click, a contest to enter, a special discount to take advantage of. You've got there attention, don't waste it.
5. Use an opt-in list. Don't buy lists, that crazy phase is over. Purchased lists are terrible, not targeted and, ultimately, unsuccessful. Take the time and make the effort to build a quality list. It will pay off in the long run.

If you want to read some examples of well-written newsletters, subscribe to:

• Underwire: Full Support for Non-Techies
• MarketingProfs Newsletter
• JentleHands Monthly Newsletter (it's also beautifully designed)

Oh yes, one last thing. Make sure you've got a prominent newsletter sign-up box on your website.

Since graduating with a writing degree more than 10 years ago, I've had the occasional inquiry as to whether I am the Julie Szabo who writes for the New York Times magazine, New York Post and Country Living magazine. Sadly, no. That's Julia Szabo, and although we almost share the same name, she most certainly has the more glamorous writing portfolio.

I did get the chance to work with Julia briefly when she was writing a pet column for the New York Post. Capulet client, Echo Memoirs, was making personalized pet books at the time and Julia wrote about the books in her column.

I think this case of mistaken identity is coming to an end though. Julia's real passion is dogs and she's writing more and more about them... so it's unlikely this pet-paranoid Julie Szabo will continue to be confused with doggie-loving Julia Szabo.

Julia and her colleagues (including Glen Close, yes another differentiator) have launched an online doggie community called Fetch Dog. The site is a resource for well-designed doggie gifts. It's got a Breeder selector application and an Adoption center. There's even a Cinematic Dog blog for movie hounds (sorry, I couldn't help myself).

Just for fun, I did try the slick Breeder selector. My ideal dog: the good mannered Labrador Retriever. Still, I think I'm more of a cat person.

We've just published our first book here at Capulet Communications! Getting to First Base: A Social Media Marketing Playbook is a 100-page ebook filled with tricks, tips and case studies that show you how to:

• Bring more visitors to your website
• Increase your company’s visibility online
• Approach bloggers and other online influencers
• Create compelling viral campaigns
• Get your website social media ready
• Craft a potent social media pitch
• Market effectively inside Facebook
• Avoid campaign killers and online faux pas

Buy the ebook today for $29.

If you're a blogger and would like to review the book, let us know and we'll send you a copy.

Want to try before you buy? Read some sample chapters or view our 70 second introductory video. You might also consider becoming a fan of the book on Facebook.

Another thing... we’re giving $1 from the sale of every book to our favourite charity, the David Suzuki Foundation.