Apophenic

Finding the right "media fit" is just as important as the content we produce and share. Miss the mark, and it's one-and-done – an opportunity squandered. Let's do a quick audit. Show Notes / Links from the Episode My new project: Consider the Source (an Overview) My podcast: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast My Substack:  https://mboezi.substack.com An example of creating a series:  Content Ma...

Jessica Valenti changed my mind about cancel culture.  Links from the episode: The People ‘Cancel Culture’ Forgot by Jessica Valenti in her Substack newsletter, All in Her Head An overview of my new project: Consider the Source , where I get into more topics like this one (in audio, video, and music too)... join me here at any level.

It feels like a chance to reset. How will that affect our media environment? How can we make changes to what we consume, what we share, and what we produce?

Creating positive change is a marketing problem as much as anything. We need to be able to express our ideals with clarity and empathy, so that they are understood at an elemental level. In my lifetime, the left has been terrible at this – and political battles are often lost before they even begin. That's why it's worth examining the phrase, Black Lives Matter . Not only to appreciate its precisi...

Turnout was supposed to be the solution, but it revealed that 70M people approve of the past 4 years… and wanted more  of it. Let's not dwell on why  that might be, but instead: How can we find a way to talk to one another with empathy ? How can we use media to speak with clarity about our ideals? Links from the Episode The ad imperative is bad for the culture,  in social  and  in general Why I to...

After 4 exhausting years, we get our turn at the podium. Collectively, we'll speak. Hopefully, loud enough to be heard above the cheating. Tomorrow may not end with the final word, but we'll begin to find out some answers about who we are as a people. I'm rooting for us – all of us. My hat's off to all of you who shoved aside intentional roadblocks to make your voice heard. Whatever happens tomorr...

In reality, no one convinces anyone of anything. We come to decisions on our own. Show Notes / Links from the Episode My Patreon community: patreon.com/mboezi Reach out to me on Twitter , LinkedIn , or in the comments below

Your set of experiences makes you who you are. Here's a reductive exercise as a self-check. Don't be nervous, I'll go first. Show Notes / Links from the Episode My Patreon community: patreon.com/mboezi Reach out to me on Twitter , LinkedIn , or in the comments below

Some of the biggest problems we face today could be solved with better marketing. I ask you to put aside what you think of as "marketing" for a moment, because we are losing ground . And if we're not using our voice to speak up for those who need us, I'm not sure what we're doing here.  What's the point of having an audience if we're just here to exploit it for our own benefit only? Having an audi...

In the spirit of making changes to both my podcast and Patreon, let's try something new today. Here is a rough demo I recorded into my iPhone back in July called "One Sunday in Autumn" but it's appropriate today since it's 9/29. You'll understand it if you give this tune a listen.  It's about The Cost of Inaction . Like I said in my last post, we get to create the culture. We do this in the things...

After a long hiatus this summer, I relaunched my long-running podcast this morning. I've amended the format and focus a little to steer into the things that I like about it – and more importantly, the things I think that you like about it too.  If you want a more detailed explanation of why I took a break, it's here in this episode: Closing Up Shop (Episode 175). But in short, it just felt like it...

Time is running out! Perceived urgency can be a strong motivator to make a purchase. Here's how we can carefully use urgency as a strategy, and why this is an advantage for small businesses over larger competitors.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/urgency/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple Podcasts http://bit.ly/mwm-itunes Spot...

When a customer is ready to make a purchase, there are only two strategies you can use to gently influence them to complete the sale: Scarcity and urgency. Here's a rundown of all the ways to use SCARCITY to up your conversion rates. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/scarcity/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple Podcasts http://bit...

Your online store is the last and most important point in the customer's journey. In the first episode of this 3-part mini-series, I cover how to set up your store site, optimize product pages, and gather the data you need to make smart strategic adjustments.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/making-the-sale/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available wherever you listen to p...

Domain scammers have upped their game. I encountered a new variant of the Domain Name Expiration Scam recently. Here's how to spot this new strategy and what to do if you are targeted.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/domain-renewal-scams/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple Podcasts http://bit.ly/mwm-itunes Spotify  http://bit.l...

There are only two cases where it really makes sense to run a Facebook Ad. But it cannot be a standalone strategy. Let's look at all the things that need to be set up before you start running ads or boosting posts, so that you don't spend your money on useless eyeballs.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/when-to-use-facebook-ads/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available wher...

Let's question the concept of getting a large social media following. Large numbers of "eyeballs" often don't do us much good compared to the tight connections of smaller groups. A counterintuitive approach involves using a Facebook Group, LinkedIn Group, or the group chat features of messaging apps to cultivate an ardent community of supporters.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast...

By treating our marketing efforts like an experiment, we can set metrics, collect data, analyze the results, and then make the necessary adjustments. Here's how to put a simple plan in action to help you get better results from your social campaigns. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/measurement-social-media/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available wherever you listen to po...

The algorithms are working against us now. How do we adapt to the new, more restrictive world of social media marketing? Let's do an end-run around the algorithms, and lean into what is still the best part of social. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/rethinking-our-social-media-interactions/ Marketing Without the Marketing is available wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple Podcas...

The glory days of social are over. Free organic reach is a thing of the past. What used to work is no longer effective. So how do we respond? Are there still ways for us to use social media to build relationships with an audience without having to pay-to-play? Of course there are. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/social-is-not-what-it-used-to-be/ — Marketing Without the Marketing...

Email marketing is one of the most important tools for any small business. Can we come up with something other than "email newsletter" to call it, though? This has been bugging me for a while, and I haven't come up with a solution - so I thought I'd ask for your help. Send me a reply once you've had a listen! Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/rename-email-newsletter/ — Marketing W...

Your business is at risk if you don't have ownership of one of your most important assets: Your audience. While a Facebook Page is convenient for connecting with customers, what happens when your account gets hacked, deactivated, or deleted? Would your business survive if you lost access to your customers? This happened to a client of mine. Here is her story.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedi...

You can't do good email marketing without maintaining a clean email list. Good list hygiene not only helps you save money, but it also helps you increase your open rate and click rate. Let's look at some strategies for proper email list maintenance, including running periodic re-engagement campaigns.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/list-hygiene-and-maintenance — Marketing Witho...

Automation is key to today's email marketing. In the last episode, I covered some basic automation strategies to get you started. Let's take a look some more advanced techniques for when you are ready to go beyond a basic email newsletter strategy: RSS-based sequences and nurture sequences. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/intermediate-automation-email-marketing — Marketing Witho...

Adding a little bit of automation to your email marketing strategy can help nurture "cold" leads without a lot of extra hands-on effort. Building on the last episode about list segmentation, let's look at the two types of automations that I recommend to clients when they are just getting started: Welcome sequences and follow-up sequences. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/basic-au...