Hi ,

 

Every morning I wake up and do ten minutes of yoga. A little stretching to warm my body up while the coffee brews. Then I sit on the couch, laptop on a pillow on my lap, and I write. It was a year ago yesterday, October 18, 2019, that I finally ran out of excuses and decided to try my hand at novel-writing. While the jury is still out on its ultimate success, I can tell you this: a year later, it was one of the best things I've ever done. I put it off for years, thinking that I didn't have what it takes to start, let alone finish a novel successfully. Since then, I've written a second novel with the same character, gone back and did two or three major re-writes of the first novel, went back to do a second lighter re-write of the second novel, and dug into a third novel. I have another couple of weeks on that one, and the first draft will be done. Tons more work to do, but I'll do it. Writing fiction is challenging, exhilarating and humbling. It's great creative work. Can't wait to get back in front of the keyboard tomorrow morning.

 

This week on the blog, a look at the potential return of tradeshows and conferences; a short video on getting stuck in a design checklist when it comes to exhibit design; and a great interview with Anders Boulanger of Engagify.

 

Soundtrack for this week's newsletter. David Byrne's Rei Momo (Spotify link). Released 31 years ago this month, Rei Momo is Byrne's second solo album he recorded apart from Talking Heads, the group he formed in NYC in 1975. It's a melange of Latin rhythms including sounds of Columbia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil and more. It's a moving album...hard to sit down when it's on!

From Shep Hyken:

 

"Ritualizing the [customer] experience starts by understanding the process around your customer’s experience. This is no different from creating a process or workflow for anything you want to achieve in business. You most likely have a process for paying an invoice. If you have a new vendor, you probably have a process to set them up in your system. There’s a process for just about everything you do in business, and that includes the customer experience.

 

"Even if you haven’t formalized it yet—and after reading this, I hope you will—your process for customer experience is simply the way (or many ways) your customers do business with you. The first time they do business with you may be different than subsequent times. The way they get support is a journey unto itself. Most people would start with a journey mapping exercise to get an understanding of the different ways your customers interact with you. Many of you have done this, but let’s go a step further."

 

<<<
 

From the US Chamber of Commerce's newsletter:

 

Be goal-oriented: Social media marketing is a constantly evolving landscape that should be approached strategically. Don’t just promote your brand on every available platform and call it a day. Instead, think about what you’re trying to accomplish by marketing on social platforms. Are you trying to generate sales? Get more traffic to your website? Figure out your end goal; then build a marketing strategy that supports that goal and measure your success against it. — Hailley Griffis, Head of Public Relations, Buffer

 

The Three Most Important Reasons to Exhibit at a Tradeshow. Can you name them? Or are they different for your company?

 

How to Develop a Tradeshow Marketing Mindset. It's all in your mind!