Guilty Pleasure: Reality TV

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on January 7, 2010

I hate the thought of watching sad or graphic tv shows with my downtime. Life can be pretty depressing, so why watch it for entertainment?

Some of my favorite shows are ones where they change someones life (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Deserving Design, The Biggest Loser, etc.) and business-related shows (The Celebrity Apprentice)… I think this just merged those two interests together.

https://www.cbs.com/primetime/undercover_boss/
Premieres after the Super Bowl

I’m pretty excited to DVR this. I watched the extended preview online and of course, got a little teary-eyed (but that’s what they wanted, of course).

It looks like one of the top leaders at Waste Management will be the first profiled on the show. What I think will be most interesting to see is if this is just a good marketing program aimed at building goodwill, or if it will actually lead to better top-down leadership at companies that employee lots of people.

PS – True confession, Nick and I watch Jersey Shore, too. Not changing any lives there, but it sure is good for some laughs!

{Image: CBS.com official Undercover Boss site.}

Thank You: Ian

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on January 5, 2010

{Thank You: A simple “Thank You!” can go a long way. I’m sure that I forget to say them along the way, just like anyone else. I hope this blog mini-series helps me remember to say it to some of the amazing people I’m so blessed to know!}

Thank You: Ian

The handsome guy in this picture is my friend from college, Ian.

In case you can’t tell from that mountain side pose… he is awesome.

How awesome?

Here’s a clip from the email I received from him on Christmas on my Blackberry (yes, I know, but I promise I was only checking email and texts from friends and family with Merry wishes!).

I told Santa about all your interesting projects and blogs online…. you may be getting a new client soon!
I’ve always known that I’ve been surrounded by some of the best people in the world and this just highlights a bit of that.

Ian is teaching in Istanbul, Turkey these days but Nick, my sister, and I had the chance to share a few stories and drink with him at The Pit when he was in town last fall. I can’t wait to catch him stateside again or maybe meet up with him on one of his world travels!

Thank you for the support and friendship, Ian! Stay safe on all your adventures and enjoy Turkey… I hope you find a great sorority soccer team to coach there 😉

Might Be on to Something Here…

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on January 3, 2010

Evan, owner of SearchSage – a Raleigh-NC based search marketing consultancy, and I launched a joint project at the end of December (2009) just in time for the New Year’s holiday.

Here’s the skinny:

In a casual conversation one day about the vast array of options that Raleigh has to offer for New Year’s Eve (actually, for any day of the year), we quickly realized there was not a “one-stop shop” for that information… or at least one where you could pick and choose your destination based on your preferences. So we set out to create RaleighNYE.com – the place for all of your Raleigh New Year’s Eve details!
I wanted to write this post really quickly, mostly to say “Thank you!“:
… to everyone who helped make the site a success by submitting events and feedback,
… to those of you who visited and checked out all that Raleigh, and the surrounding areas, have to offer,
… to those of you who shared it with friends, co-workers, etc…

Thank you times a million!

We launched the project on December 29th and in just a few short days, recorded 1,189 visitors, 1,480 visits, 10,855 page views, an average of 7.33 pages/visit, and an average time on site of 4:20.

While we are TOTALLY humbled by the amount of traffic that we received, we are most importantly insanely happy to infer from the results that the site has been valuable to so many (good time on site and average number of pages per visit).

To the restaurant and bar owners in the area: We sincerely hope that your businesses benefited from our site!

To the restaurant and bar patrons: We hope that you were able to find the perfect NYE party for you and your guests!

Happy New Year, everyone!

FYI for Bloggers and Brands

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on December 11, 2009

Unless you’ve been hiding from media headlines since October, there’s a good chance to heard something about how the FTC (Federal Trade Commission – whose job is to “(work) for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them”) is changing how bloggers and brands can represent each other online.

To read the full news release from the FTC, visit https://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm.

The changes actually affect all testimonial advertising, bloggers, AND celebrity endorsements. But let’s just assume you’re not a celebrity, or hiring a celebrity, for a moment 😉

So how does this affect you?

The short and sweet is that when a review is given with non-typical results, typical results must be clearly outlined. The other point is that the connection between the consumer and brand must be disclosed. ie: The posting blogger must disclose that he/she was contacted by the brand and what the terms were, if it’s a brand they’re personally representing, doing it for a family member, etc., etc.

And for Heaven’s sake, never create misleading content. It’s a big no-no in advertising and blogging crosses into that territory.

Of course, this blog post in no means constitute any sort of legal advice and you should always, ALWAYS read the rules for yourself and consult your own legal counsel if you have any questions about how to interpret any guidelines.

Visit https://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm and look under “related items” to download the latest guidelines for endorsements. (These are always subject to updating and revisions, so I’m not posting a link to the current document – instead, I’m telling you where you can find the most recent version.)

Client Event Spotlight: Brittany’s Battle, Inc. – Annual Angel Gala

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on November 13, 2009

Brittany’s Battle
2nd Annual Angel Gala

Date: Sunday, Nov. 22nd
Time: 5pm to 8pm
Venue: 1705 Prime
1705 E. Millbrook Road – Raleigh NC

Get Your Tickets Now!
Tickets can be purchased through eTix.com. The cost is $30.00 for individual tickets prior to Nov 15, 2009. The cost will be $35.00 after Sunday, November the 15th, so be sure to buy your tickets online this weekend!

Gala Features
With every ticket purchase, you will be automatically entered to win fabulous door prizes – including a TV with a built in DVD player compliments of Alco Electronics!

There will be appetizers, light buffet dinner, dancing, desserts, a silent auction, an online auction, cash bar, door prizes, and more chances to win wonderful prizes.

Some aution items include a trip to the NASCAR All-Star race in May, a weeks stay in an ocean front suite in Wrightsville Beach, an autographed hockey stick signed by the Carolina Hurricanes, tickets to UNC & NCSU events, gifts baskets for all ages and tastes, and much more!

The online auction – hosted by ebay and featuring exciting autographed items from country music’s finest – will go live a few days before the Gala and will end a few days after the Gala.


Be sure to visit BrittanysBattle.org for more information! Hope to see some of you there 🙂

But Target, I Didn’t Buy Anything… I Swear!

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on October 28, 2009

I thought it was fairly interesting that I received an email from Target.com this morning with the subject line, “Thoughts on what you bought? Write a review.”

I thought to myself, “When did you buy something online?” (Because I haven’t.)

And then I thought to myself, “Are they now emailing me after I buy in store?” (And then I realized they don’t have any sort of loyalty tracking cards (like Best Buy’s Reward Zone), and I don’t have a Target credit card, so that couldn’t be it, either.

Inside the email there was a graphic encouraging me to write a review and a list below of some of my “latest buys”. Unfortunately, it was blank… because I said before, I haven’t made any online purchases.

While I think this is a GREAT email campaign to send a few weeks after an online purchase (giving the customer time to receive and use their purchased items), it really isn’t effective when there is no purchase made to back it up.

I, as a review-reading consumer, definitely don’t want customers writing review for products that they haven’t given any thoughtful use to personally – and I can’t imagine Target does either if they value the quality of their peer review system.

Quick and Dirty Tip: Email Marketing "Reply-To" Email Address

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on October 23, 2009

If your email marketing provider (Constant Contact, Fishbowl, Emma, or – our Raleighwood Media Group exclusive email marketing provider – iContact.com) does not provide an opportunity to specify your “Reply-To” email address, you should be dumping them immediately for one who does.

I personally can attest that iContact.com does let you customize this very important part of your marketing emails. Never, never, never does a client email go out that does not have a “Reply-To” email address set up as part of their campaign.

Why is this so important, you may ask?

Habit – Because the “reply” function has become the ingrained way in all of us to respond to an email. I mean… it just kind of makes sense, right?

I, for one, am highly likely to hit “reply” in a heart beat, but I may not be paying the closest attention as to where that email message is going. Unfortunately, messages I send in response to commercial email often “bounce back” since the message got sent to an email address that didn’t actually exist. And if I’m doing it, I know others are, too.

Ease of Use – If you are encouraging your customers to contact you by email at any point in your marketing, chances are the “reply” function is going to be the easiest way for them to do so. As email users, we have become accustomed to the ability to hit reply and correspond in return to our original emailer. If your email marketing service does not allow you to set your own email address as the “Reply to” address, they are taking away your ability to communicate as we’ve all become accustomed to.

Keep It Simple, Simon! – As one of my favorite clients (Mandy, owner of Swagger Gifts) will tell you, you must make participation and communication between customer and business EASY and CLEAR AS DAY, or people will screw it up. GUARANTEED.

Communication is Key – It could tarnish your reputation, really! If the reply aimed at you happens to end up in the black hole of emails (ie: some automated email address that your email marketing company uses) instead of getting directly to you, you run the serious risk of looking to your audience as the type of business or individual that ignores, or doesn’t return, email inquiries. No self-respecting business or emailer wants to be “that guy”, right?

Questions? Feel free to ask!

Raleighwood Soundtrack: "It Ain’t Hocus Pocus"

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on August 30, 2009

Raleighwood Soundtrack: The official background noise of Raleighwood Media Group + Raleighwood Event Group

“It ain’t Hocus Pocus,
you’ve gotta stay focused,
if you want a good delivery.”Cross Canadian Ragweed – “Kick in the Head”

I stumbled upon this group years ago with their singles “Alabama (new version | original version)” and “Sick and Tired” (both from their 2004 Soul Gravy album, but the original “Alabama” was from the Cross Canadian Ragweed (Purple) album.) and I love it when Pandora delivers other songs from them off their albums that I’ve never heard before. “Kick in the Head” is actually a free download I received as a “thank you” for opting-in to their new email list. i think it’s a GENIUS idea and lots of other musicians could take a note from that campaign.

They make my very first Raleighwood Soundtrack post, because I’m in serious need of some focus at the moment, so the lyrics obviously hit home in a big way!