Business is Child's Play

I’m Rubber and You’re Glue; What Does Your Reflection Look Like?

Marilyn Cox — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:52:50 +0000

My kids love to play "make believe". Sometimes they're Superheroes. Sometimes they're ninjas. Sometimes they pretend they're well behaved. Lately they've taken to "playing house". They want to be the Mom and Dad. What's more entertaining is when I get to be the "kid". It's a cute game but also ...

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Lost In Translation: Are You Speaking The Same Language As Sales?

Marilyn Cox — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:51:19 +0000

Understanding children is a challenge. As infants their only communication method is to cry. As toddlers they can begin to communicate with words, but often when communication efforts fail they revert to crying. As teens the communication gap only grows. With the evolution of slang and technology, communicating with the younger generations is still challenging [...]

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Content I Enjoyed Today. Tactics I’ll Implement Tomorrow.

Marilyn Cox — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:22:26 +0000

Today I heard a gentleman say, “If you want happy confident children, ask them these 2 questions every night. What did you enjoy today? What are you looking forward to tomorrow?”. Very good advice. Reflection upon the positive and preparation for the future is imperative. Anytime I attend an event I ask myself those very [...]

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Tickle the Feet of Your Disengaged Prospects

Marilyn Cox — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:22:01 +0000

Fact: I don’t like to sleep with my feet under the covers. I’ll pile on the blankets, but my feet always stick out at the end of the bed. Fact: I have 2 small children that wake up early on the weekend to watch cartoons. Fact: They’ve developed a certain finesse in how they wake [...]

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You’ve Come Along Way Baby? 5 Steps For Measuring Success

Marilyn Cox — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:13:15 +0000

My son was in the midst of his nightly “get out of bed and bug the bejesus out of me” game. His bedtime routine borders on an hour. First he needs a drink of water. Then he needs another hug and kiss (insert guilt because how can you turn down affection?). Next his band-aid falls [...]

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Because I Said So, Or Because I Know So? What Kind of Influence Makes an Impact?

Marilyn Cox — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 15:31:10 +0000

“Because I said so.” What parent hasn’t uttered those words. I think all of us try to rationalize with our children, but eventually the discussions end in “Because I said so”. In the early stages of raising children I’ve found that you parent with authority. It’s very much an “I’m the Mom so do what [...]

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Ditch the Training Wheels – Lean into the Content Curve

Devin Meister — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:24:00 +0000

Training wheels do not teach you how to ride a two-wheel bike. In fact, I believe that they prevent you from actually learning.

There I said it. I know that it goes against what most people believe today. And how millions of people think they learned how to stay upright. But they didn’t learn how to ride because of training wheels.

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Just A Little Too Little? Not For Content Marketing!

Marilyn Cox — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 18:00:07 +0000

This week I had the privilege of participating in a webinar with BtoB Magazine and Eloqua on “Modern Marketing”. As part of a 4 person panel I shared how marketing analytics can contribute to effective marketing content development. One webinar attendee posed a question I hear often. How can small organizations with few resources keep [...]

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Join Me at the Content Marketing Strategies Conference

steve — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:26:34 +0000

Marketing and PR professionals from companies of all sizes will gather at the 3rd annual Content Marketing Strategies Conference, hosted by dlvr.it, to gain practical ‘how to’ advice on content marketing SEO, content distribution optimization, content ROI, and learn from case studies by brands including Red Hat, New Belgium Brewing, FOX’s hit show Glee and [...]

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A Content Marketing Experiment Results In A Content Marketing Frankenstein

Marilyn Cox — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 20:33:00 +0000

There’s much debate over which type of content is more effective and more persuasive. I decided to conduct my own focus group. I gathered together several colleagues and ran a few scenarios by each. I then conducted a similar experiment with my kids. I wanted to know, what content is preferred. When meeting with my [...]

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I’m Gonna Pop Some Tags: Develop a Content Thrift Store

Marilyn Cox — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:18:03 +0000

I’m the oldest of three siblings. There are challenges as the oldest, like paving the way for your siblings. My Parents were ready for fender benders and broken cerfews by the time my Brother and Sister reached high school. There are some pluses too. For example, I never had to worry about hand-me down clothing. [...]

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Why Ask Why? Why Not?!

Marilyn Cox — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 21:12:47 +0000

This week I got to live out my rock star fantasy. It didn’t involve musicians, movie stars or heads of state. I had total access to some of the top marketing minds around. They are innovators and thought leaders. They are funny, brilliant, forward thinking people and I got to hang with them! They came [...]

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True Confessions of a Control Freak; In Business and In Life

Marilyn Cox — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 01:37:18 +0000

Last November my son came home with a Thanksgiving card for me. He made it. The outside of the card said “I know I don’t say it enough but I am very thankful for you Mommy because …”. The inside of the card read “you help me wipe on the potty”. After a fit of [...]

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Five Content Marketing Lessons I Learned From My Five Year-Old

Marilyn Cox — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 01:27:00 +0000

Part of my nightly routine is to sort through my Daughter’s backpack. I quickly toss aside the smelly lunchbox. I find toys she’s smuggled to and from school. I rediscover hair barrettes I was certain were lost forever. But my favorite part of the backpack triage is reading through her school work. At age five, [...]

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Size Doesn’t Matter, It’s How You Use It

Marilyn Cox — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:43:45 +0000

My kids believe love and friendship can only be measured through the quantity of stuff. Specifically, comparing who has more. The more you have, the better you are. If you have more than your sibling, you win. I don’t know what you win, but you win. When the kids fight over toys I always tell [...]

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If All Your Friends Wrote About Jumping Off A Cliff Would You?; Content Marketing Peer Pressure

Marilyn Cox — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 22:32:26 +0000

Skylanders are a big thing in our house. I’m not really sure what they are. When my Daughter first spoke of them I thought they were action figures. When Santa delivered one to our house I thought they were little trinkets. I’ve come to discover they’re part of a video game. Go figure. All that [...]

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Why Elf On The Shelf Made Me A Better Content Marketer

Marilyn Cox — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:55:59 +0000

The Elf on the Shelf is a children’s picture book and the package contains this creepy little elf that reports back to Santa every night and then reappears the next morning in a different area of the house. The Elf is supposed to reinforce good behavior amongst your children. That part remains to be seen, however, I have learned some wonderful content marketing lessons from this tiny demon.

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Don’t Judge Me: Evaluation Or Judgement In the Workplace?

Marilyn Cox — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 20:22:50 +0000

I sat at the kitchen table as my 5-year old Daughter struggled through her handwriting exercises. I encouraged her to slow down and take her time. I reminded her to start her letters at the top, focus on straight lines, use good posture, and hold the pencil closer to the tip. I could tell the [...]

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Let’s Make A Deal: Incentive or Bribe?

Marilyn Cox — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:26:01 +0000

“Do you want pancakes? Then you know what you have to do if you want pancakes.” I chuckled as I listened to the parents next to me coax their child through swim lessons with the promise of pancakes. I can’t blame the kid, food always works for me. I also can’t fault the parents. I’ve used [...]

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The Reward Is the Experience, Not the Trophy

Marilyn Cox — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 17:55:56 +0000

This week the company I work for was announced as a finalist for an Eloqua Markie award celebrating sales and marketing alignment. My goal last year was to be nominated. When they announced the winner I quickly understood what “It’s an honor to be nominated” really means. It was incredibly disappointing. When I returned home [...]

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