STAY COMM

As the unemployment rate continues to rise (note: it's a lagging indicator and the perceived increase must be taken with a grain of salt), marketers are finding that their knowledge is best applied to making themselves stand out against the growing competition amongst creative professionals looking for work.  The tech-savvy have a significant advantage; Internet gurus who have been practicing interactive marketing know to use social media to position themselves as conversation starters and thought-leaders.  But even the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have become too mainstream to act as significant differentiators since they are practically a minimum requirement for a decent marketing effort.

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If you've been laid off and are finding it difficult to get motivated, one of the best things you can do with your spare time is to write about your area of expertise. There are many professional benefits to writing, including career advancement, and it's easy to get started

Build your knowledge and confidence with the following tips that will teach you how achieve career growth with the written word.

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With the right tools, an economic recession can translate to an entrepreneurial opportunity for out-of-work professionals.  Despite the down economy, interest in starting businesses has gone up 25% in the last year, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA).  If you're a go-getter who has been affected by these leaner times, now may be your chance to launch the business you've always wanted. Adopt alternatives to traditional software, switch to a digital workplace, embrace social marketing, and you'll be well on your way to a powerful, cost-effective success strategy.  Though modern technology can be intimidating, today's options offer complete, effective, and easy-to-use business solutions that won't break the bank. 

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Email marketing is still a relatively new avenue to lead generation, and many people are confused about the do's and dont's.  Anti-spam laws have evolved from the days of "FREE v1agra!!!", and it's important that companies reach out to their audience in a respectable, unobtrusive fashion.

Not only is sending unsolicited emails against federal law - punishible by up to 5 years in prison and heavy fines - but it also makes your organization untrustworthy and, frankly, cheesy.

One of the most important factors in online marketing is the ongoing, authentic "conversation" between a company and its clients.  From a business standpoint, your success rate on any given campaign will be higher if your audience is at-will. So don't annoy them.

No one wants to have conversations with sleazy spammers, however, even with good intentions it can be easy to slip into unethical email marketing territory.

Fortunately, the good people at MailChimp break down email marketing laws and ethical guideslines quite well.  MailChimp operates under the highest code of online marketing ethics, setting a fine example for others.  Their criteria for email lists approved for use on their own site provides an excellent guide for marketers grappling with the gray area.

In summary:

• Only email people who have opted-in/subscribed via a form on your website
• Purchased lists are unethical and should not be used
• Do not email contacts that are more than 6 months old without a "Remember Me?" email
• Every single email must contain an "unsubscribe" link
• If you're still using the term "Blast", you should punch yourself in the face because you are a rubbish marketer.  MailChimp asks you to go away.  We're with them.

Read MailChimp's easy guide, broken down into scenarios and advice.

Read this highly informative and useful Q&A with Nancy E. Dunphy, the Deputy Commissioner for Employment Security for the state’s Department of Labor via the NY Times online.

"Based on current state law, if you work more than three days or your gross pay is more than $405 per week, you would not be entitled to UI benefits that week. For each day or part of a day of work, your weekly rate would be reduced by one quarter. I would always recommend that someone becoming unemployed file for benefits and receive a formal determination from the Department of Labor regarding eligibility."

Consideration may be given at some point in the future to state law changes that would allow part-time work without reductions in weekly benefit amounts. We will monitor these possible changes and put out advisories on our Web site should such legislation ever be enacted.

Let's have a collective sigh of relief ...

Phew!

Six weeks unemployed, and it's really not that bad! Although this morning my professional virtual identity was nonexistent, today I have a clever site name (if I do say so myself), a URL, and a nifty new publishing platform on the cloud. I finally have content up on my very own site thanks to the Brooklyn Creative League, Squarespace.com, and the Web 2.0-savvy writer of www.hellandheartaches.com.

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