theLAB

I failed to mention in our last meeting that in two weeks our update letters are to be ready and out the door by May 8. That means that this week you will want to gather your ideas as to what to share with your team partners to help them experience the journey of our mission. So be on your toes.

Also we have talked about spending a day with the Lord. A few have done this already and I am pleased. It is a great encouragement to me, and I am looking to follow them. Perhaps you are like me and your schedule is quite full for April. Due to previously scheduled commitments, and little time to adjust I won’t be able to take a whole day in April, but I will almost get two half days. If you are like me, do it, and if you can still get a day in do that. I believe God would be so pleased that you would show up for a day with Him. Also, plan your day in May while there is time to clear a whole day.

Remember the Worldwide Day of Prayer tomorrow.

I look forward to serving with you this week. Peace.

via ClickBooth’s Affiliate Marketing Blog » Don’t Forget About the Youth Market.

I saw this from a person who markets to Gen Y for sales purposes. He mentions in his article these four things to keep in mind in selling to Gen Y. They seem valuable for us to heed as well:

1. You don’t need to talk like them if in real life you don’t. Gen-Y was brought up with slang being a common part of their pop culture, where text messages many contain little to no words that Webster tells us is proper for the English language. However, if you are selling something professional, keep it professional. You can loosen up, but beware that the young generation can spot out phony advertising; fake campaigns and read through your non-authenticity. Gen-Y will respect your honestly vs. your attempt to be cool.
2. Use video. YouTube continues phenomenal growth, with billions of views every month. 12 Seconds is one of the fastest growing start-ups in the valley. What these sites do, is plays off of Gen-Y’s short attention span. 3 minute shorts and 12 second clips are dominating our society. Put a face to your offer, talk about it genuinely and have it thrown into the mix of messages that Gen-Y checks out in between segments of Family Guy and Guitar Hero.
3. Gen-Y loves them some video games. Find a cheap flash programmer and make a video to attract attention. Have them sign up to receive your offers as well as bonus levels and free updates. It’s a great way to get them talking about your company, interacting with your product and passing it along with hands off marketing.
4. Offer products in deeply segmented groups. With your Gen-Y prospects, it is extremely important to segment your lists into deep, drilled down lists. The more targeted you get the better. They are so accustomed to seeing thousands, upon thousands of ads, product offers, etc that if you are not in the right place at the right time, you can bet they have their blinders on full blast. Word.

This is alternative way to do something like what we saw Common Craft did with their instructional videos.

I was surprised by this. It is very well done and it comes from our friends upstairs. It is about a subject of interest to you and me as well. Please take a look.

This is another way I would love to serve our mission in presenting information and reporting.

CardStore Website

I have used a service for years to send out cards and specifically thank you notes to friends. That service shifted their business and discontinued the services that I used. They referred users like me to a new company called cardstore.com. A flat 7×5 card is $1.29. Their customer support told me that they will be coming out with a 4×5 card shortly that will take the postcard postage and be slightly cheaper. What I like about the service is that I am able to send a high quality card to my friends, but not spend any time on production. You might give it a look.

Cardstore.com