Monthly Archives: October 2009

RECLAIM YOUR INBOX.

10.29.09

hermione-inboxThis is not the week to cross my inbox. I declared this week UNSUBSCRIBE WEEK, bought myself a pound of Starbucks coffee to celebrate, and have been burning the midnight oil on projects while pausing to unsubscribe to everything imaginable.

You bought my e-mail address from a major photographic industry convention? Unsubscribe.

You promised there wouldn’t be followup e-mails for that free trial, but there are? Unsubscribe.

You’ve been e-mailing me for 2 years after I purchased a small item from you? Unsubscribe.

Your catalog is eyecandy, but your e-mails are lame? Unsubscribe.

Unless I know you, love you, or actually do business with you, it’s UNSUBSCRIBE for you! Likewise, if you annoy me on Twitter — UNFOLLOW! Spam me with Facebook invites? BLOCK!

Since I spend much of each day online, and I have lots to do, I simply don’t have time for these affronts to my inbox.

Won’t you join me in reclaiming your inbox as your own?  Unsubscribe, unfollow, and block with abandon!

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11 comments

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Ryan - November 3, 2009 - 5:14 pm

Love this! I have just recently started to unsubscribe to almost everything. Glad to see I am not alone. :)

Michelle - November 3, 2009 - 4:20 pm

I've been doing this too. However somehow I ended up getting emails from Xanga. I've marked them as Junk in my imac email program but they still come through. I've tried unsubing but they make it impossible. How can I block them from ever coming through again? Help!! :)

Jenny J - November 2, 2009 - 7:41 pm

UNBUSRIDE! (what my old co-workers used to call it).

I just happened to detach myself from two newsletters this morning. Going to see what else I can free up…

Travis - November 1, 2009 - 8:28 am

Sorry for the typos- should have proof read it in my phone.

Travis - November 1, 2009 - 8:27 am

I had a really serious issue with emails bei g filtered in my gmail account- losing all client inquiries and such- I didn’t realize it bu I had created about 15 folders and messages were skipping my inbox and being marked read and everything crazy. I then thought to myself- why did I ever set up such a system? Why not unsubscribe and if I ever needed information. Then just go to their website and look for it. So now I deleted all my filters and any email list mail I get, I actually look at it and if I don’t like it them zap- unsubscribe.
NOTE: don’t unsubscribe to messages in your spam box- to them that only confirms that you exist- and they will send you more mail.

muyiwa - October 31, 2009 - 1:10 pm

I actually maintain a separate email address for signups and things that are likely to be nonsensical. I rarely check that box – really only then I am sent a password for logging in, and that's about it. That's also the same email address I give to friends who seem to have nothing better to do than forward silly emails.

Lydia - October 31, 2009 - 4:17 am

I've been doing this a lot lately. I just don't have time to deal with the unnecessary! I've gotten so bad that I've been going through my spam list and clicking all their "unsubscribe" links just to try to cut down on seeing the number on my spam folder go up so high every day… :P

Rebecca - October 30, 2009 - 12:20 am

Love this!

erika - October 29, 2009 - 3:36 pm

I've been doing that as well! So many companies email EVERY day and it drives me crazy!

caroline - October 29, 2009 - 1:55 pm

A friend and I just signed up for a Photoshop seminar a few weeks ago. I have gotten advertisements from them at least once a week since, and once I even got two ads on one day! And completely untargeted to boot (I'm taking the advanced seminar, and you're trying to sell me on learning Microsoft Office? Really?)

How do they not realize that they're never going to get any more money out of me, ever ever again? The only reason I haven't unsubscribed yet, is that it's the same email they use to send me info about the thing I actually signed up for. As soon as that seminar's over though, it's goodbye spam.

Tweets that mention RECLAIM YOUR INBOX. -- Topsy.com - October 30, 2009 - 1:11 pm

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mollie Tobias and Totally Rad Actions, Kelly Tarleton. Kelly Tarleton said: kellytarleton Planning on unsubscribing with reckless abandon this weekend: http://tinyurl.com/yj2wvmp, courtesy @brandcampblog [...]

WIN AN ADVANCE COPY OF BRANDAID

10.28.09

First, read this.  Just go.  Read.  And then we can continue.

Okay, so other than having developed a crush on Johnny B. Truant, you’ll appreciate the fact that I may not be doing this right.  There are a million things I should be writing about on this blog, and I’m choosing to say this…

In consulting, I keep seeing the same mistakes, answering the same questions, and suggesting the same tweaks to my clients. So, I’m working on a product that will lead to commonly-needed tweaks for your creative brand.  It may not be perfect upon launch, and it may not be the most stylishly-styled, designerly-designed thing you’ve ever seen, but it will kick ass.  It will help you.  It will help your brand.  And I can’t be more specific than that, because what I’m working on feverishly this week will most definitely be tweaked by the time it’s finished.

somethingawesome
If you’d like to be the first to know when this hits, sign up below.  I’ll be choosing a few peeps to get advance copies free of charge to sweeten the deal, too.




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erika - October 29, 2009 - 3:38 pm

Very true. Right now I'm sitting on a blog design issue, but I guess I could just put it up and change it like everyone else (including this blog) has managed to do. Gracefully is a good way of looking at it. I guess that's the happy medium!

BrandCampBlog - October 29, 2009 - 3:28 pm

Thanks for the beta testing offers, peeps! I'll let you know when there's actually something to beta-test! ;)

BrandCampBlog - October 29, 2009 - 3:28 pm

Perfection will be the death of us! Be brave, move boldly, and say what you want to say! If it fails, say it in a different way!

And yes, the gate is constantly changing…the interwebs has changed us, for certain!

BrandCampBlog - October 29, 2009 - 3:27 pm

I think, Erika, get it out into the world with grace, whatever IT is…but don't sit on it for six months, tweaking that 'tan' to be more 'taupe' and rewriting your copy seven times, only to change three words. Declare it 'good enough' because the faster it gets out there, the faster you learn what needs to be tweaked to get yourself more clients! ;)

erika - October 29, 2009 - 4:10 am

See, it's a catch 22 again!! That article is inspiring, but the advice is always conflicting. On one side, people are saying to make things the best they can be, put your best foot forward, first impressions are everything….and then others say just get started and learn as you go. It's so hard to find a balance!! Especially as a perfectionist, it's hard to put everything you've got out there if you know it's not 100% what you want it to be.

Then again, perfection can be immobilizing. Sigh.

Morgan Crane - October 28, 2009 - 7:32 pm

I'd be all about beta testing!! Your blog is awesome and I think I could learn so much!

BrandCampBlog - October 28, 2009 - 6:11 pm

Best. Comment. Ever. ;)

Chelsey - October 28, 2009 - 5:51 pm

Love to hear more about what you're working on over there! But seriously, the first to comment?! Can't believe that (and darn b/c the random generator thingy never picks #1! geesh :p) … totally trying to learn what Johnny has learned himself, accepting that 6 months will be different from now and may be obsolete. IRL we know that, but somehow don't most of us think that online should be 'perfect from the starting gate' – those are tough shoes to fill – especially when the starting gate changes! Ready for the awesome bomb.

Alice - October 28, 2009 - 5:42 pm

This sound so exciting! Would love to be a beta tester. ;)

brooke - October 28, 2009 - 1:03 pm

I'd love to know! Thanks for your blog!

Tweets that mention BRAND CAMP BLOG TO LAUNCH NEW PRODUCT -- Topsy.com - October 28, 2009 - 10:31 am

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kristen Kalp, Alicia Caine. Alicia Caine said: RT @essentialimage: Wanna claim dibs on the latest @brandcampblog thingie? http://bit.ly/1VdTeC [...]

INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY WITH ONE SIMPLE CHANGE

10.27.09

I hate grocery shopping.  I loooooove to eat, but grocery shopping?  14 choices of toaster pastries laden with calories, while I force myself to reach for something healthy?  Ick.  Sometimes I convince my husband to go by himself, then jump up and down at my ingenuity.

Yesterday’s grocery excursion wasn’t that bad, though, and here’s why: I rearranged my to-do list.

Generally, I just choose to do the tasks on my to-do list in any order, but yesterday I rearranged them from LEAST to MOST desirable.  It’s not rocket science, but it made all the difference in my mood.  Instead of having enjoyed an hour shoe shopping and then trolling for carrots and sale-priced spinach, I rolled my cart through the aisles at a record pace to get to trying on scores of lovely leather boots.

I challenge you to do the same!

Order your to-do list from icky to awesome, then start with icky.  Your days will only get better, and those tasks you always put off doing will actually get done.

increase-productivity-by-shoe-shopping.jpg(The shoes in question…)

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katie zaboy - October 28, 2009 - 5:06 pm

this TOTALLY worked for me yesterday! I got three mini projects, wait no FOUR mini projects off my plate with the juicy incentive of getting to my looming, big, fun project as soon as i finished those!! AND even though it was still work, it made my big project all that more appealing! You're advice always ROCKS! thank you :)

erika - October 28, 2009 - 1:00 am

Today I increased productivity by calling Comcast while naked. Maybe I should back the story up….I was starting to get ready for work and decided to give them a call to try and set up an appointment. The guy said he was in the area and could be over in 15 mins. I never got dressed and cleaned my living room so quickly in my life! I got a ton done in just those 15 mins! =)

PJ Lee - October 27, 2009 - 5:28 pm

The boots are fabulous –so is the new look of your site. Smart & easy tips for making one's professional life shine. Thanks.

Tweets that mention INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY WITH ONE SIMPLE CHANGE -- Topsy.com - October 27, 2009 - 10:13 am

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Alicia Caine, Brand Camp. Brand Camp said: 1 simple change to your day can make a world of difference: http://bit.ly/4zUAP0 [...]

CONSISTENCY IS CRUCIAL TO YOUR BUSINESS.

10.22.09

Below, you’ll find a video of Jim and Pam’s wedding. Allow me to explain.

There’s a lot of pressure on writers and producers and gurus and execs when it comes to events like Jim and Pam’s wedding. YEARS of sexual tension, flirting, playful comments, dating, a pregnancy – and it all comes down to this. I’m happy to report that NBC hit it out of the park.

How?

Consistency.

Everyone acted the way we expected them to act.  No part of the event went as planned.  Jim and Pam had to elope from their own wedding to have a magic moment.  Kevin wore kleenex boxes instead of shoes.  Dwight kicked the woman he’d just slept with in the face during the ceremony.  (Accidentally, of course.)

The Office features characters so convincing that we believe they are real — and we believe they are real because they are consistent.

Are YOU being consistent with your writing voice in your web copy, your blog, and your marketing materials?

Words are a HUGE part of your brand, and are capable of conveying just how formal, posh, quirky, funny, casual, or feisty you are in your business.  If your e-mails are laden with ‘OMG’s and ‘lol’s but your website copy is stiff and rigid, potential clients won’t know which one is the ‘real’ you.

Likewise, if your marketing materials are soft, sweet, and sappy, but you’re actually sarcastic and given to profanity, I guarantee you’re not attracting the right clients with those postcards.

Your identity needs to be CONSISTENTLY conveyed in your words.  All your words, from web copy to your latest brochure to a quickie blog post to Twitter.

What’s that you say?  You’re awful at writing?

Not so, my friend.  Not so.  If you have mastered the grammar skills taught in the fourth grade, you can write.  You have a voice.  The hallmark of ‘good’ writing is generally determined by the distinctive voice of the writer.  Find that voice, and use it.

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Tweets that mention Consistent writing for your business -- Topsy.com - October 22, 2009 - 1:01 pm

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by john waire and Alicia Caine, Brand Camp. Brand Camp said: JIm and Pam can help your business: http://bit.ly/3hmHv0 [...]

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