Sara Jantsch's Blog

New Blog

sjantsch — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:18:26 +0000

Thank you for visiting my blog - I appreciate it. I have switched over to a wordpress.org profile so now you can find my blog at www.sarajantsch.com.

Have a great day and I look forward to hearing from you

Blogs I Love to Read

sjantsch — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:03:24 +0000

I have been doing a lot of research for work and a major part of that research has consisted of reading great blogs by people who have an amazing ability to write blog posts that are worth reading – every single time. Below is a list of blogs that I have found in my research. Also, some of the following blogs were passed on to me from my boss and from my dad. Great people to go to for advice.

Advertisement Blogs:

AdFreak

Discussing the World of Advertising

http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/

Beyond Madison Avenue

Covering the Changing World of Advertising

http://www.beyondmadisonavenue.com/

Creative Cooler

Want the latest buzz? Meet us at the cooler.

http://creativecooler.blogspot.com/

Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid

A behind-the-scenes sneak peek into the creative minds at Bailey Gardiner

http://www.dontdrinkthekoolaidblog.com/

Imagery Blogs:

Daily Dose of Imagery

A daily photoblog by Same Javanrouh

http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/

Cocktail Hour

A daily photoblog by Missy Bergen (I work with Missy at Swiftpage – trust me, she is awesome at what she does)

http://cocktailhour.wordpress.com/

Business and Marketing Blogs:

Brand Autopsy

Throught-provoking discussion on all things marketing-related

http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/brandautopsy/

Church of the Customer Blog

Ben McConnel and Jackie Huba

http://www.churchofthecustomer.com/

Deliverability.com

News, rumors and commentary from the email deliverability community

http://blog.deliverability.com/

Duct Tape Marketing Blog

Simple, Effective and Affordable Small Business Marketing (Who needs to go to school for marketing when you grow up with this guy showing you the way)

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/

Escape From Cubicle Nation

From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur by Pamela Slim

http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/get_a_life_blog/

How to Change the World

A practical blog for impractical people by Guy Kawasaki (I would be crazy to leave this blog off the list)

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/

Seth Godin’s Blog

Another one I would be insane not to add!

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/

The Better Response Blog

On Personalized URLs, Email Marketing, Direct Mail and more.

http://www.betterresponseblog.com/

Social Media:

Brains on Fire

http://brainsonfire.com/blog/#

Mashable

The Social Media Guide (It would be a dream to work for this company)

http://mashable.com/

ProBlogger

Blog Tips to Help You Make Money

http://www.problogger.net/

Smart Brief on Social Media

http://www.smartbrief.com/news/socialmedia?sb_code=rss

The Social Media Marketing Blog

Social Media Insignts in the increasingly Complex World of New Marketing

http://www.scottmonty.com/

Technical blogs:

Betanews

Technology News and IT Business Intelligence

http://www.betanews.com/

These are just a few of my favorites. Any other suggestions?

What I Learned from the Burrito Man about Marketing

sjantsch — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:04:02 +0000

On my lunch break I went to the local burrito shop to grab a quick bite to eat. One of the guys behind the counter did not say a word to me besides the usual questions of black or pinto beans, cheese and sour cream, and what salsa would you like? However, once he heard my burrito bowl was to go, he grabbed a sharpie and wrote his number on the top of the bowl followed by the enticing invite “call me”.

Although this was one of the more unique ways I have ever been given a number – it is not something that I will follow up on. I bet you wonder why I am telling you about my lunch experience…I guess it is because I tend to relate everything that happens to me back to marketing now. Here is how picking up a girl by writing on a burrito with sharpie relates directly to marketing:

Burrito Man’s mistake #1:

He did not try to engage me in conversation.

When marketing yourself, please do not try to sell something right off the bat. Please do not send me a DM about how I can expand my own business – without even taking the time to look at my page and see that I am obviously not a small business owner. Yes, twitter can be an excellent way to grow your business. However, you are not going to gain from using twitter for business unless you engage your readers by producing content rich and quality tweets. Prove to me that I should pay attention to you, and then maybe I will give in a buy your product.

Burrito Man’s mistake #2:

He wrote on my burrito with sharpie. Now this is how I remember him:

Do you want to be remembered like this? Choose your image and brand wisely. Have a standard picture that you use for all your social media outlets. That way, people will recognize the picture as you on your linkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, etc. Choose a picture that represents you. Don’t try to seem like a high powered business executive that demands respect – just be yourself. People like to be able to relate to the tiny picture they see; they want to feel as equal.

Burrito Man’s mistake #3:

After I noticed his number, he would not look in my direction.

After you gain the initial contact, do not forget to follow up with your potential customer. Stay in close contact. Offer answers and resources. Making your customers feel like they are appreciated will turn one time customers into long time loyal customers. An awesome example of this, which I am sure you all already know, is Zappos.

”Thank you! I appreciate that service. We have lost customer service in the last decade and it is very pleasing to know you are extending this to me at no cost! Customer service is something we need to strive for and Zappos may be setting the standard! Thanks again!” Nancy T ~ Nancy T, May 18 2009

People love Zappos because of their customer service. If someone does not like their order, Zappos takes care of it – no questions asked and no extra charges. If someone does not like your product – take care of it, no questions asked. It may cost you at first but people will notice. They will tell their friends about their amazing experience with you and you will be on your way to creating a great name for your company.

Automatic DMs on Twitter

sjantsch — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:52:00 +0000

I think it is safe to say that there are a lot of people out there who agree with me – Automatic DMs can get annoying at times. When you check your inbox and it is full of automatic responses, it makes it difficult to take everyone seriously. I think it is possible that automatic DMs were beneficial at one point but now they just seem like a waste of time. Here is an example of my inbox:

1. Thx 4 the follow try this out: …& build a huge following

2. Thanks for following! Please check out …

3. Thanks for following! I have followed you too! Pls add me on facebook.

4. Thanks for following @xyz! I’m following you back too.

5. Roses are red & violets are blue…Very nice to meet you! This is what I do & where I’m going: …

6. Thanks for the follow. Are you on facebook? Add me as a friend:

7. Thanks for finding me! I will be following you as well.

8. Thanks for the following! Are you looking to build your Twitter following? Check this out

9. Hey cool, thanks! I’M FOLLOWING YOU RIGHT BACK!

10. You found me! Thats really cool~ Heres my secret to making over $4,000 on Twitter

I don’t want to learn how to gain 1,000 followers who don’t care what I have to say. I don’t want to know that you are FOLLOWING ME BACK (I can figure it out on my own). I don’t want to follow you on every social media outlet possible until you prove to me it is worth my time. I don’t want you to sell anything to me. I know you don’t think I am great yet – you do not know me at all.

So please, I beg you, take the time to be personal. Be honest. Be genuine. Below are some examples of people who actually took the time to send me a DM that was directed towards me. These people gained my attention with a great first impression and these are the people that I will be reading tweets from in the future. They took the time to notice me – I will continue to take the time to notice them.

Kortia Hi! Nice twitter profile, I like it I like it. Looking forward to getting all of your tweets.about

jwilliamson2Great stumble links. “Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.” I’ll have to give that a shot. about

powerhoistI love twitter! it is absolutely amazing, thanks for the follow nice profile!

business901Thanks for the follow, the best Twitter page I have seen! I like your idea of fun!

JoshSchwinglerThanks for the follow! I hope my tweets are of value to you. I look forward to yours. Enjoy life!

nametagscottDude, your dad is my hero. Lucky dog!

I Just Stumbled

sjantsch — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:49:23 +0000

StumbleUpon is probably one of the most entertaining things I have found in awhile. I understand the purpose of the tool when using it for work. You can find the most up to date websites on topics of interest. You can comment on the website and add it as your favorite in order to bring attention to a certain site. However, I think I enjoy stumbling the most when used for fun.

Some sites I have really enjoyed:

29 of the healthiest foods:

I could always use a list on how to eat healthier.

http://www.bellybytes.com/articles/29foods.shtml

How to tick people off:

I usually don’t like these but this one had me laughing out loud. I could totally see myself doing a couple of these.

http://artlung.com/smorgasborg/how_to_tick_people_off.shtml

100 ways to save the environment:

Gotta love being green!

http://www.seql.org/100ways.cfm

Photo Essay the Most Alien Landscapes on Earth:

Some amazing pictures:

http://matadortrips.com/photo-essay-the-most-alien-landscapes-on-earth/

One Word:

This website gives you are word and you have 60 seconds to write anything that comes to your mind. After the 60 seconds are up, you can read what other people wrote. Not only is this website entertaining, it also helps with writing creativity.

http://www.oneword.com/

StumbleUpon allows you to check categories that are of interest to you and it pulls up websites that you might like. You then have the option to continue stumbling, save it as a favorite, or click “don’t like” so you do not get another site similar to the one stumbleupon found.

Grandma and Grandpa – When I told my mom about StumbleUpon, she said you would enjoy it. Go have fun!

Image Credit: Leo Dickinson/ SWNS.COM

Baby Laughing – sooo funny

sjantsch — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:58:08 +0000

If you need a laugh, please watch this video. I started laughing out loud at work when I first watched it. I wish I could laugh this hard when someone made a Bing noise. Wasn’t life simple??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6UU6m3cqk

I just brought my cell phone to the ladies room

sjantsch — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:22:16 +0000

I just got up from my desk and walked down the hall to use the ladies room. I first stood up and noticed I did not have my phone with me so I turned around to grab it. I wanted to have my phone with me not because I was expecting a call or a text but because I wanted to continue working all the way to the ladies room and back.

I wanted to check my email even though it is constantly pulled up on my computer screen. I wanted to make sure there were no interesting alerts sent to me. I wanted to check Twitter for the latest postings. I even wanted to check Youtube to see if there were any interesting videos worth mentioning to anyone.

I don’t know if this should be considered a negative or a positive thing. I guess to my boss it could be a positive thing – I don’t even stop working to walk to the bathroom. But to me, it is probably a negative thing – I can’t possibly work 10 hour days without even enjoying a quiet walk down the hallway every once in awhile.

All I know is next time I make that trip to the ladies room, my cell phone is staying on my desk. Right where it should be. And I am going to think about absolutely nothing while I am walking down the hallway.

Thank you for chewing up my favorite shoes :)

sjantsch — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:20:50 +0000

He will always be a little Ram fan

I will never forget the day I decided to take on the huge responsibility of owning my own dog. As a 22 year old college student, it sounded like a great idea. Why not get a puppy to play with all the time? To follow me around? To act excited every single time he sees me? It has been an amazing learning experience, my now ten month old puppy has brought me incredible times and frustrating times over the last few months – but times that I will never forget. I now realize that owning a puppy is not as simple as it sounds. I am gaining a lot and I am giving up a lot. However, along the way I have found many uses for my lab puppy, Koby. He is not just a puppy anymore, he is a best friend.

For one, Koby is a great security alarm. He not only lets me know when someone is walking up to my front door, but he also makes sure no unwanted cats attempt to cross into the front yard.

He makes an excellent alarm clock. I cannot count how many times in the last couple of months that I have woken up to a nice warm lick on the face followed by a wagging tale and an adventurous attitude that it is time to start the day!

Koby makes great alterations on my favorite clothes. Who needs to buy an expensive pair of jeans with holes when you have a puppy around the house? Also, he has provided the perfect amount of wear and tear on my shoes. The missing leather on the back of my favorite pair of boots adds character, no one else owns the exact same pair anymore.

He makes an amazing pillow at the park. We run to the park as often as possible and then relax in the sun together. It’s great having something to lean on as long as I can get his hyper puppy ways to stay put and take a breather for a minute.

Koby makes a great dishwasher. You know when you scrub and scrub a dirty dish and can’t get the last bit off before you put it in the dishwasher? Have no fear – Koby will take care of it. This is one of his favorite jobs. He is also a pretty good garbage disposal. There have been plenty of times when Koby wanted to do us the favor of sorting through our trash a bit in order to avoid any unwanted smells. I sometimes forget to thank him for this chore.

Finally Koby is a great motivator. We run together almost every day and for the first mile he has the leash in mouth, pulling me to go faster. I usually end up having to encourage him on the last leg of the run but hey that’s what teammates are for! We balance each other out; we take turns pulling on each other’s rope. He pushes my buttons and I am sure I push his buttons. It has been a time to learn patience and to enjoy the unconditional love of a four legged friend.

I hate coffee. I love coffee.

sjantsch — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:22:50 +0000

I recently started my first real world job at an email marketing company called Swiftpage. It has been a huge change coming directly from the college days working in a restaurant and all the sudden being thrown into sitting at a computer in the corner of an office for ten hours a day. My first Friday I sent a text to a good friend of mine saying, “I have worked almost fifty hours at a desk this week – lets go to happy hour.”

Being a psychology major stepping into a marketing intern position has been a challenge every day. Every day I am thrown a task that is new and different to me. It takes me twice as long to finish an assignment than I am sure it would take anyone else in the office. However, I love challenges. I love learning new things. In the week that I have been at the company, I have explored Photo Shop Elements more than I ever did in College. I have learned how to create screen shots and have worked with other co-workers in developing tours for our product. I have researched social media as much as possible in hopes to get a shot at the blogging world for our company. It has been a journey but it has been a good one so far.

I never thought I would drink coffee. I hate coffee. Every time I take a drink I wonder why. I joked the other day to my friend that I drink my coffee at work and chase it with by additcted habit called Diet Coke. Now, I drink three cups a day. Now I understand why people drink coffee. Oh no, I am turning into my older sister and my parents. I love coffee.

I also have always been known as a night owl. In college I don’t know if I ever went to bed before midnight. Now, I am in bed by 9:30 on week nights. I wake up at six and take my time getting to work by eight. I play with my puppy and I pack my lunch. I sit down and eat breakfast and I watch the news. I check my email before I go to work, all day during work, and before I go to bed at night. I have completely changed into a morning person in the course of a week and a half. This is what it is like to be an adult.

Things have changed, thats for sure. I no longer live like I am in college. I grew up in a matter of a couple weeks. It has been hard at times moving to a new city and moving into an apartment all by myself. However, through this all I have finally learned how to be independent. I have relied on myself (and the nightly call to my parents when in college I had trouble calling them once a week) to do everything, on my own.

It has been an overwhelming sense of accomplishment matched with taking the same screen shot seven times until it is right, adventure matched with plenty of getting lost in a new neighborhood, independence matched with the loneliness of being in Denver by myself, and confidence followed by “I am going to need you to do this again”.

Who knows where I will be in six months from now. I am going to live in the moment and I am going to enjoy the ride.

Hello world!

sjantsch — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:37:57 +0000

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!