Know-How News by MarketingProfs.com

Issue 8 | February 23, 2007

Dear Small Business Marketers,

Mack Collier starts us off this week with a Premium article about podcasting. If you've been thinking about trying this social medium, don't miss his implementation advice.

From our next two articles learn: 1) what makes a good email newsletter and 2) tips for working with your customer advocates.

Then check out a few small business highlights from MarketingProfs' discussion forum. Browse this week's 10 most popular conversations. Read advice about how to create and use your unique selling proposition. And play back a seminar about direct marketing.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter!

Best wishes,

:: Valerie Frazee
:: Know-How News Editor
:: MarketingProfs.com
:: An online community of 245,000 marketers

P.S. Ads allow us to deliver Know-How News to you at no charge. So if you are interested in lead generation, please do check out the ad in the right column.

Ten Steps to Creating Your Own Podcast

Four Ways That the Best Newsletters Are Like Blogs

Five Ways to Develop a Dialogue With Key Influencers

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Ten Steps to Creating Your Own Podcast

By Mack Collier

Podcasting is a powerful yet misunderstood form of social media. While listening to podcasts has become very popular in the last few years, the creation process still has some high hurdles.

This article will outline 10 steps that will help make this sometimes difficult process as painless as possible.

Get the full story.

Note: This article is available to our Premium Members only.

Four Ways That the Best Newsletters Are Like Blogs

By Nick Usborne

It may seem strange to compare an e-newsletter with a blog. But it wasn't long ago that we turned to online newsletters -- not static Web sites -- to find interesting, engaging, timely and topical news and information. The best e-newsletters share many of the same qualities as good blogs. Here are four.

Get the full story.

Five Ways to Develop a Dialogue With Key Influencers

By Nilofer Merchant

Most companies don't know what to do to systematically guide this new breed of consumer marketing advocates. But you can build a program that will enable you to access and develop a dialogue with these key influencers.

Get the full story.

Here are this week's hottest topics. These have been the most active discussions in KHE over the last seven days.

These are this week’s superstars! The Most Stimulating started the hottest discussions. The Most Active contributed the most posts (questions + answers). And the Most Expert earned the most points.

Most Stimulating	Most Active	Most Expert
mark farfromnormal samia theblums cynthiaeichner erin.beckwith alison wagner20676 trmccrary ckurth	proeditor Phoenix ONE Jo Masterson MajorHal kathysmithcasting peanutpeanut W.M.M.A. annelies greg shghosh	proeditor Phoenix ONE skoobie99 brian W.M.M.A. MRowland BARQ shghosh telemoxie Jo Masterson

Long-time MarketingProfs member samia asked when and where we should use positioning statements and unique selling propositions. The discussion that followed not only explains what these two things are, but it also offers some tests to tell us whether we have good ones.

Discussion: USP and Positioning Statement

Have something to add? Feel free! You could win points.

Today's perk for KHN subscribers is our seminar: Direct Marketing Creative Savvy. Click to read the description. Then use the link below to replay the seminar before next Friday. (The time limit is just for non-Premium Plus members. Premium Plus members may replay the seminar any time.)

Here's what one attendee told us about this seminar: "Knowledgeable speaker with plenty of pertinent experience, who uses lots of real world examples to demonstrate his points." Don't miss the chance to replay it. (Normally $99.)

Resource: Direct Marketing Creative Savvy

Or browse 402 resources posted in our Resource Library.

Earlier this week MarketingProfs member cate asked a question with a funny title -- or at least it was funny if you weren't familiar with the term "fuzzy font end." And it turns out many of us weren't. (Sounds like a puppy's face?) Thank goodness stevea and skoobie99 rescued us with sensible explanations. Perhaps we should all start using the phrase now, just for the smiles?

Discussion: The Fuzzy Front End

Have something to add? The Asker will be alerted when you post.

Want to share the news? Invite your colleagues to participate in our online discussion forum, Know-How Exchange.

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