Janet Lee Johnson | The Art of Marketing

I’ve been totally spoiled by Microsoft. There. I’ve said it. And I didn’t realize how spoiled I’ve been until I got my Mac and iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret the move.

But I simply HATE the fact that every email I get on my iPhone (including every piece of SPAM I get on four email accounts) has to be manually deleted (that’s one by one) - even after synching my iPhone to my Mac.

Why haven’t people been yelling about this for months???

Apparently, I’ve uncovered a horrible secret: Comcast’s (my internet provider with whom I’m stuck) email system is antiquated - based on POP technology. And apparently MSFT’s Outlook took care of the synching problems with Comcast’s aging POP servers with workarounds; so that when I deleted an email on my Blackberry, it would be deleted on my Outlook and vice versa. And, by the way, SPAM rarely made it to my Blackberry.

And apparently, according to Apple and my web hosting provider (and excellent resource) Michael Krol at Phorium; IMAP email systems are built to move email from web to device to device more easily.

Apple’s advice, switch to a Gmail account - which is built on IMAP; or use .MAC.

Obviously, I can’t do that. I consider my email address an important business tool. So my hero at Phorium helped me with what I consider a life-saver. Run everything through my janetleejohnson.com account at Phorium, and ditch my [insert expletive here] Comcast dependency.

I’ve updated my main email account, and am testing it now. It’s early in the process, and I’ve run into a couple of snags with Apple Mail (which - under Leopard - fails on me a couple times a day in heavy use); but I have hope.

And IMAP. Which is apparently a lifesaver. Who knew?

I’ve never done this, but I think this is such a great article by Pete Blackshaw for ClickZ that I’m going to paste it into my blog verbatim. I’m pretty sure Pete would be okay with it. The following is all his/theirs:

Attention? I Don’t Want Your Freakin’ Attention!

For “quality” purposes, a consumer recently used his iPod mini to record and podcast a conversation he had with a brand’s consumer relations representative. Absolutely fascinating! Below is the transcript.

Joe Consumer: Knock knock.

Consumer Relations: Who’s there?

Joe Consumer: Joe Consumer. I have feedback!

Consumer Relations: Have you checked our FAQ?

Joe Consumer: You’re not listening. I have feedback.

Consumer Relations: OK. Go on.

Joe Consumer: I have an amazing idea for your brand.

Consumer Relations: We can’t accept ideas. You must have missed the fine print on our Web site.

Joe Consumer: Say what?

Consumer Relations: If you have a great idea, we could be liable for compensating you, which is just too much hassle. We already pay agencies and consultants for great ideas.

Joe Consumer: But I’m someone who actually uses your product! Who could possibly have greater credibility and authority to shape new ideas?

Consumer Relations: Listen, if we listen, we’re liable. That’s what the lawyers tell me. I just work here.

Joe Consumer: But your execs are quoted on the Web site and in “The Wall Street Journal” as saying you always want to hear what the consumer has to say.

Consumer Relations: That’s marketing spin. This is the consumer relations department. No one really wants us to listen to the consumer. Didn’t our online feedback forms give you a clue?

Joe Consumer: Whoa, horsy! Listening is marketing! Hear me out, and you won’t need to work as hard to make me smile or to convince me to share the love.

Consumer Relations: Tell that to the media buyer. He’s got all the cash. I have squat, and this conversation is already setting me back.

Joe Consumer: But your customer service mission statement says I’m in charge.

Consumer Relations: Theoretically speaking, yes.

Joe Consumer: Can I at least complain to you?

Consumer Relations: There’s nothing you can tell us we don’t know already.

Joe Consumer: Did you know I have a blog?

Consumer Relations: A blog?

Joe Consumer: And that I belong to an online group of hobbyists who religiously use your products? Or that my reviews on your product on Epinions and CNET index at the top of Google results?

Consumer Relations: Should I care? Some other group handles online.

Joe Consumer: You’re not listening. Everyone reads my blog, including friends, family, and even the media. You have the power to shape the consumer-generated media I create based on how well you manage this conversation!

Consumer Relations: Your blog could become a front page article in “The New York Times.” I still won’t get a star on my forehead. What’s your complaint?

Joe Consumer:: Well, for starters, you keep bombarding me with advertising.

Consumer Relations: That’s because we want your attention.

Joe Consumer: But you have my attention. Right now!

Consumer Relations: This doesn’t count.

Joe Consumer: Doesn’t count? I’m giving you my undivided attention on a silver platter! Go ahead — sell me something!

Consumer Relations: I get promoted faster by minimizing your attention.

Joe Consumer: Good God! Do you mind if I blog this conversation?

Consumer Relations: Blame the marketers, not me. Anything else?

Joe Consumer: I have one more piece of feedback.

Consumer Relations: Make it quick! Clock’s ticking.

Joe Consumer: I absolutely love one of your products.

Consumer Relations: Listen, if you’re angling for coupons or freebie merchandise, we aren’t obligated to give you any free stuff. Nor are we obligated to respond to compliments.

Joe Consumer: Don’t you care that I’m raving about one of your products?

Consumer Relations: That’s very sweet of you. Is there anything else?

Joe Consumer: One final idea.

Consumer Relations: Did you get the memo? We can’t take free advice.

Joe Consumer: Puh-leez. Take a chance and just hear me out.

Consumer Relations: You have 30 seconds before my supervisor tells me to end this call.

Joe Consumer: I’m the boss, and you’re treating me like an intern. Your company is schizophrenic! Your consumer relations group is a stepchild in your organization, with little reward managing word of mouth. Meanwhile, the media folks are hording all the cash on the premise paid media is the only way to build and promote the brand.

Consumer Relations: I’m listening…

Joe Consumer: You need walk up to your marketing and media folks, slap them a few times, and take a slice of their increasingly inefficient advertising budget. Be opportunistic! Rarely has media spending been so vulnerable and difficult to defend. Then put some real love, care, and respect toward conversations like this. And turn your online feedback form into something that looks like you give a hoot. Remember, I’m a far better and more trusted advertiser that you are.

Consumer Relations: Will management buy this?

Joe Consumer: Pretty soon, you’ll be able to tell the management team about how your department, the one they always considered a resource drain, has boosted sales, engaged in a hugely successful online marketing campaign, and provided highly important new-product data and suggestions to the product development team. You can also score immediate points by telling your CEO I’m the blogger Merrill Lynch keeps citing in analyst calls. You’ll get stars on your forehead all right!

Consumer Relations: I’m intrigued.

Joe Consumer: But are you game?

Consumer Relations: Hell, yes!

I’m essentially a little agency, helping businesses (mostly B2B, sometimes B2C) with their marketing efforts. I have been lucky to gather some cool tools over the past year that helps me with my work. In an effort to share methodology and resources, here we go (in no particular order):

Google Calendar: before I synched my life seamlessly with my iPhone and Mac; my schedule lived on Google Calendar. I was able to get alerts delivered to my Blackberry of appointments, and could be in touch with my calendar from any PC connected to the internet.

Benefits? Access and freedom.

Drawbacks? It was too hard for me to figure out how to add events to my calendar from my Blackberry, so for me it was not as seamless as my current system.

Attensa Feed Reader: With Attensa’s free RSS feed reader, I set up persistent searches for each of my clients in Attensa (who’s also a client). Attensa watched 18 different search and tagging engines, and every time any client was mentioned, I’d have the mention in my mailbox. I also have my favorite blogs’ new posts delivered to me, which meant I never have to go out and search for MOCC’s latest musings, they’re delivered right to me.

Benefits? Awareness and accessibility - I knew they were mentioned, and the context in which they were. Attensa also sent feeds to my Blackberry, and when I had read the feed there and deleted it, it would be deleted from my Outlook feed as well.

Drawbacks? None, really. It just worked.

SnagIt - the coolest screen capture tool for the PC that allows you to easily snag and edit your screen captures. I loved it so much, I paid money for this one (there’s a 30-day free trial that’ll capture your heart). I found it to be extremely helpful in illustrating information as I was collaborating with my clients/vendors and (especially) my tech support resources. They’ve enhanced it so much that it’d automatically send screen shots to Word, PowerPoint and Mail immediately.

Benefits: it made putting illustrations in Word a dream. And it helped me show, rather than tell.

Drawbacks: it’s not available for the Mac - as far as I can tell.

The SEO Book - another tool I spent $79 on. This is a great book with fantastic resources for search engine optimization. I’ve constantly used it as a resource for my clients.

Benefits: he keeps it updated with the newest information; and offers plenty of free tools on his site without requiring any expenditure.

Drawbacks: I wish I had time to read all 400+ pages of it.

I used to play the oboe.  My parents couldn’t afford to buy me a flute or clarinet when I was young, so I got an oboe from the school on loan.  When I was about 10.

No one in their right minds would let their 10-year-old practice the oboe when they start out in the music world; but my parents were either a little crazy or deaf.  Or both.

Anyway, as I am sitting here in my office at home, I’m playing the shuffle of 4700 songs on my iPod (as I prefer to do - there’s always a surprise around the corner) and was suddenly pulled into a wonderful state of grace by my music.  Apparently one of the most delicious oboe solos in the world is on my pod - the Concerto in D minor for Oboe by Bach - what joy!

I forget how classical music can grab the attention of the soul while calming the mind.

I’m certain my early oboe work did neither for my folks; but wow, many thanks Neville Mariner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields for the treat!

suddenly my blog looks like shit.

i am blogging along, and everything i write is in one paragraph. i’m enough of a geek troubleshooter that i hit the code tab and add my own paragraph ‘<p> and </p>’ codes (which don’t appear on their own as options in the menu bar any more). that doesn’t seem to work - as the paragraphs disappear each time i hit ’save’ and ‘preview’…

fortunately, one of my clients suggested i try using firefox instead of safari, and voila!

done.

with safari.

hello, firefox! thank you!