📚 Tell me you learned something

Hi ,

Do you want to know what turns me on?

When somebody says to me, “Thanks, I learned something,” or “I appreciate what you taught me,” I consider it the highest praise.

I’ve had an actual teaching job once in my life. I taught journalism for two semesters at Butler County Community College.

But education has been a thread through all of my career. Even as a newspaper reporter, I considered myself a teacher describing and explaining the daily goings-on in my community.

As an editor working with reporters, my job was to teach them, encourage them, and push them to improve their writing and their reporting.

In the last 20 years, I’ve seen a giant need for digital marketing fluency among small businesses. It’s the main reason I do what I do now. It’s the reason for this newsletter.

I was interviewed for a local radio public service show recently. It was fun, but my favorite part came during a conversation with the radio station owner after the show. (He ran the board).

I learned a lot about modern radio, but he also told me that he learned something by listening to the show and that it gave him some things to think about with his own digital marketing.

Made my day.

What turns you on about your business?

This Week’s Jargon: Earned Media

Earned media is one-third of the so-called digital media mix. Unlike “paid media” (advertising) and “owned media,” earned media is content about your business that is produced by others.

Examples of earned media are news articles about you; reviews that appear in places like Yelp, Google or Facebook; mentions in social media posts written by others; and shares of posts written by you or others.

Earned media is seen as the most difficult to get and also the most valuable. The opinions of others are considered more trustworthy than advertising or the owned media you may use, such as a website or an email newsletter.

(When you come across a digital marketing phrase you’re not sure about, visit the digital marketing glossary on my website.)

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Until Next Time

The next newsletter arrives Oct. 24. Don’t wait until the last minute to stock up on Halloween candy, and make sure you set some aside for yourself. 🙂

The baseball post-season (formerly known as playoffs) is underway. Does anybody have a favorite to win the World Series? I don’t make predictions anymore. I just hope for some surprises.

Autumn chill has arrived in western Pennsylvania, and my tiny space heater is cranking away under my desk as I write this. I expect to see lots of yellow, orange and red blanketing the local trees over the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, be grateful. Be generous. Be patient. Love.

If you enjoy this email, please share it with anyone who might also enjoy it. If you’re reading this because somebody shared it with you, get your own subscription.

Thanks for spending some of your time with me,. I appreciate you.

Mark

(Some links in this email might be affiliate links, which could generate small commissions for me at no extra cost to you.)