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Marketing Monday: Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts

Know of a company or individual marketing themselves well online? Let me know about it and they could be featured on Marketing Monday!

The human spirit is often most inspiring in the middle of terrible events. The earthquake in Haiti was certainly on everyone’s minds this past week. I was personally quite proud of the role that internet marketing and in particular social media played in not only raising awareness but fundraising around this tragedy. Here are a few ways that the internet moved efforts along:

Social media resulted in pressure to give.
I think we can all agree that sometimes, peer pressure can be good. In the case of the Haiti earthquake, on Friday afternoon, I felt like the only person on Twitter who hadn’t donated to the cause. And I felt guilty, which made me finally make my own donation.

In addition to regular media coverage, social media was able to bring up-to-date and user-generated information about the latest news in Haiti.

This Week In Business: The Mess Up Edition

Those on Facebook know that I went to a talk this week where one of the presenters implied that one person companies were less responsive and legit then larger businesses. I like to think I’m fairly responsive, but the death of my dog last week did slow my capacity greatly, so maybe he was a little right. My company limit is, at this point anyway, how hard I can work, but larger companies are also limited by how hard they can legally make their employees work. I think it all comes out in the wash; there are advantages to both large and small.
So it was back to full capacity at Breaking Even Communications this week, but I know I’ll spend the next few weeks catching up completely. Here’s what’s going on:

Too Cute Tuesday: Decoupage

Too Cute Tuesday (TCT) is a weekly event on the Breaking Even blog that involves friends, crafting, and a cocktail. Every week it’s a different, inexpensive craft to make and a different, fun cocktail to keep things social. If you have an idea for a craft or otherwise want to participate, contact Nicole.

The French have given many wonderful things to society: pain au chocolat, coq au vin, and more relevant to Too Cute Tuesday, the art of decoupage.

Did someone say 'decoupage'? Jessica came ready with scissors and Britney Spears media.

At Craft Central, we were joined by the fabulous Jessica, the other Nicole (ie not the author of this blog), and Nicole’s two kiddos Sophie and Bella.

Marketing Monday: Goop

Editor’s Note: Thank you all for your kind condolences about the death of my dog. I appreciate your compassion, and am happy to report that I am feeling much better this week. Many thanks.
Know an individual or business doing something cool to promote themselves online? Let me know about it and they might be featured as part of Marketing Monday!
Goop's front page. Flash driven and a little vague (bad) but graphic and simple (good).
I’d first of all like to keep this blog a positive one. There are so many people doing so many good things online, to promote their business or otherwise.
Today, I wanted to review Gwyneth Paltrow’s website called Goop. It’s mission is to ‘nurture the inner aspect’ and is supposed to be about things in Gwenyth Paltrow’s life.
Recently, her post about a New Year’s cleanse recieved some media attention at both Nerve and Huffington Post and just this past weekend, the site came up in conversation over lunch with two of my friends in the media.
The only reason this website seems to work is because it belongs to Gwenyth Paltrow. I haven’t found anyone who ‘gets it’.

Top 5 Things To Never Say To Someone Who Is Grieving

Yes, I know the BE blog is on break, but I was reading this old post that I wrote on my old personal blog after my father died two years ago. I thought it might be appropriate to rework it and post now.
I put my dog down last night, and for those of you who struggle to find words to comfort someone who is grieving, here is a little advice that may be helpful. Thank you to those who have wrote or commented; your kindness is appreciated.
I’ve learned a lot these past two years about losing someone important, first suddenly with my father two years ago, then rather slowly with my dog with her finally passing yesterday. More than anything during these times, I’ve noticed how many important people touch your life and reach out when you need them.
People have said some pretty comforting things to me but also a few odd things. I thought I’d pen a blog sharing these ideas because I find people often don’t know what to say.

Breaking Even Blog Break This Week

Sadie on Sand Beach this summer.

The Breaking Even blog is taking a brief hiatus this week.

My dog has recently become very ill and after taking her into the emergency vet yesterday, it was found she has two tumors on or near her heart. This is both a risky and costly surgery, and one that’s almost impossible for my 15 year old dog.

This Week In Business: Hometown Holidays Edition

Happy Holidays! This is always a fun time of year where books are closing, final bills are going out, and businesses (and individuals come to think of it) are otherwise getting ready to begin again with a clean slate.
Here’s what’s been going on the last two weeks:
I am starting to draw a salary on January 1.
Since the official full time start of my business in May up until this moment, I have been living entirely on savings and income from my part time jobs (the inn this summer and very sporadic French tutoring in the present). I’ve been putting all business money into a business account (DBA) and using this account only on occasion to buy things for my business like web hosting or a new printer.

Too Cute Tuesday: Wine Glass Charms

Too Cute Tuesday (TCT) is a weekly event on the Breaking Even blog that involves friends, crafting, and cocktailing. Every week it’s a different, inexpensive craft to make and a different, fun cocktail to keep things social. If you have an idea for a craft or otherwise want to participate,contact Nicole.Is that a Wordpress wine charm sitting on a recycled computer motherboard coaster? Nicole's house is now just a little geekier.

This Tuesday was a quiet one here at Craft Central. With everyone out with family, or on dates, or just staying inside and safe from subzero temperatures and strong winds here in Maine, I (Nicole) crafted alone this evening.

Realizing earlier in the week that we had an abundance of glass beads in our stash, I tried unsuccessfully to think of a creative way to use them. Stuck, I took the predicament to the Facebook page for ideas. Jodi of Living The Road Less Traveled recommended I make bookmarks, sun catchers, or decorative glass tags (for parties). Kelly at Almost Frugal seconded the notion of wine glass tags, suggesting I use hook earring bases as the part that loops onto the rim of the glass. TCTers are so smart!

 

Marketing Monday: Mardens

Know an individual or business doing something cool to promote themselves online? Let me know about it and they might be featured as part of Marketing Monday.

Part of the Marden's charm is embracing their own campiness. The rest is good marketing of it.

This week’s inspiration actually came to me as I was driving in the middle of a snow/ice storm back home from Christmas festivities.
A radio ad in the middle of the Maine woods had the familiar Marden’s jingle but urged me to join Marden’s on Facebook and Twitter. I especially perked up when they mentioned to visit the Marden’s website to see the weekly flyer before it got into the newspapers.
For those of you less familiar, Marden’s is a Maine institution, known in part for its cheesy catchy jingle “I should have bought it, when I saw it, at Mardens!” and for its great deals on everything. (If you don’t have to feed it, Marden’s sells it.) It’s a salvage store with locations across the state, meaning its inventory is not only location dependent but also constantly changing.
Marden’s would no doubt be a success in Maine regardless of publicity (Mainers are in general a practical people who love a deal) but all it’s promotional efforts have made Mardens the success it is today.
Here’s what Mardens is doing right:

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