CHICAGO, IL - Here's what's going on in the world of internet marketing:
- What's the Hindi Word for Dot-Com? - Good news for anyone in need of a marketing job just about anywhere: Soon Web surfers will be able to test Internet addresses in 11 languages that don't use the Roman alphabet, which means that a domain-name suffix -- such as "com" or "org" -- could now be in a language like Japanese or Hindi. Turns out that there are a billion people on the Internet, which means there are five billion not on it. The new names are not for the current users, but for the next billion ...
- Astounding email newsletters - Damn, I wish I'd thought of this, too. See also "The ACLU, CRM, and CRAP."
- Should your recruiting videos take inspiration from infomercials? IBM's Mike Moran seems to think so.
- Ten Questions with Mark Batterson - Great advice on leadership, not just for ecommerce companies -- but for all companies: "Love people when they least expect it and least deserve it."
One of the most striking things I read in the aftermath of 9/11 was that the war on terror cannot be fought and won like a traditional war because "you cannot kill an idea with a gun." I don't even remember who said it. I think it was actress Carrie Fisher, who said in the same article "It's amazing how a few guys with box cutters can change the world." Her point was that with a big enough why, the hows will take care of themselves. Tony Robbins has said this for years.
If you read "Built to Last" by Jim Collins, then you understand the critical importance of having a core ideology for your business [pg. 70]. Visionary companies are always "about" something greater than themselves. And the thing they are "about" is the emotional fuel that makes them run. I blogged about this on an individual level last week -- but it's even truer on a corporate level.
If you are a fan of leadership and what it takes to infuse your company with meaning, please subscribe to Kent Shaffer's Church Relevance blog. My advice isn't some thinly veiled attempt to convert you. Mr. Shaffer's blog is very handy for learning what it takes to spread high ideals through any organization. Like yours.
"Customers return the place where they have been proactively made to feel special." - Marshall Field
You can't hire people who are "values confluent" with your organization's ideals until you know what your ideals are. And your employees cannot infuse their jobs with those ideals until you spread those ideals throughout the organization.
Ideals spawn meaning. Meaning spawns passion. And passion is what allows your employees and customers to discover what is life-affirming about your business.
__________________________________________
Get my latest searches. (Opt out anytime.)
