Article “I Don’t Know” by Christopher Butler on September 23, 2013 One of the greatest gifts of maturity is learning how to say I Don't Know. Contrary to our expectations, the frequency with which we find ourselves saying these words increases as we age. But as we age we learn more things! you say. Yes. Sort of. But one of the "things" we learn is just how little we know about other things. We discover the tips of many icebergs, but time forces us to only plumb the depths of some. And that's another truth that keeps us saying I Don't Know — specialization. The time we spend developing deep knowledge in one area is time we don't spend developing deep knowledge in another. So as we age, we exchange saying I Don't Know less about one subject for saying it a whole lot more about everything else. The more you know, the less you know... Read Now About
Article The Family Business by Justin Kerr on September 16, 2013 I arrived home yesterday from our company's annual fall retreat. Every year, the two offices (Providence and Carrboro) meet near Asheville, NC at a beautiful mountain retreat center to relax, eat, drink and get to know each other a little better. Oh, and we talk a little business, too. Read Now About
Article Content Strategy We Don’t Build Websites Anymore by Christopher Butler on September 10, 2013 It's time we reframed our entire concept of web development, and this month, Mark and Chris have teamed up to do just that. First, in terms of widening the scope of what websites do today — which Mark believes is best expressed by locating them within a broader lead development ecosystem — and second, in terms of understanding what web development as a discipline is becoming — which Chris explains by drawing a distinction between platforms and programs. Sophisticated web development is no longer about creating discreet applications, but doing what he calls information logistics... Read Now About
Article Email Marketing Avoid Marketing Automation Struggles – Plan Ahead published on August 29, 2013 Marketing automation is exciting, but don't let the hype blind you from the potential hurdles. We have identified a couple of common struggles that can be easily avoided if the proper time and consideration is given to them during the early planning stages of your new website. Read Now About
Article Prospect Experience Design Time/Timing by Christopher Butler on August 26, 2013 Timing is something I've been thinking about since I read Doug Rushkoff's book, Present Shock, which is about — among other things — the disorienting power of technology, particularly on our perception of time and timing. Doug has been all over the airwaves talking about this latest book, but a particular interview he did for an episode of To The Best of Our Knowledge really caught my attention... Read Now About
Article Book Review: “Who’s Your Gladys?” by Justin Kerr on August 23, 2013 I recently finished "Who's Your Gladys? How to Turn Even the Most Difficult Customer into Your Biggest Fan" by Marilyn Suttle and Lori Jo Vest. At the heart of the book is empathy; the ability to put yourself in the shoes of a client who has contacted you to complain, and treat them not as a "problem" but as a person. Here's my full review… Read Now About
Webinar Contacts and Content Series, Part 2: Advanced Content Strategy Tips and Techniques Hosted by Mark O’Brien The topic of a website’s content strategy has been well covered over the years, but there are a number of... Access Now About
Event Win Without Pitching Webinar published on August 15, 2013 Chris Butler presented a webinar on the future of content marketing... Read Now About
Article Content Strategy After Content Marketing by Christopher Butler on August 15, 2013 Today I joined Blair Enns as a guest for a Win Without Pitching webcast on the future of content marketing. I spoke for a little over half an hour, which I've transcribed below and made nice for reading. (Long reading, I should say. This beast is almost 6,000 words, which should take you about 25 minutes to read. Pour some coffee. Find a nice chair.) Afterward, Blair and I chatted and took questions for a bit, which is not included below. I did include some thoughts on that portion at the end of the transcription... Read Now About
Article Your Own Personal Canon by Christopher Butler on August 8, 2013 "We are, each of us, largely responsible for what gets put into our brains." It's an interesting notion, isn't it? It's certainly easy to say, especially if we're being prescriptive. But maybe being prescriptive is too easy. It leads us down unnecessarily judgmental paths, assigning "good" and "bad" in ways that might be suitable for us, right now, but not for everyone at all times. Take the internet, for example. Access to it can lead to decadence or edification. Ultimately, it's a neutral doorway. But the experience beyond it — and its qualitative measure — is entirely up to us. Another way of looking at it is this: We get to choose the voices in our heads... Read Now About