My friend has crossed the line. She has gone beyond the border that distinguishes a reasonable cat person (wait, is there such a thing?) to become a person who dresses her you know who in clothes.

While the cat tolerates the apparel with ambivalent good will, let’s face facts. They have fur – way better than fabric. But then, the dressing of cats has nothing to do with felines, and everything to do with being human.

Macy the cat, in her turtleneck sweater.

In Search of Meaning

We seek meaningful connections even when that which we seek is lost in inter-species communication. Cats in clothes are cute, but our desire to dress them in the garb of humanity underlies our need for reciprocal, recognizable relationships.

Web Copy for Spiders

Continuing the trend of cats in clothes, we now write web content for spiders. I’m talking about the animated critters that crawl the Internet, consuming content and coughing it back up at data farms in undisclosed locations.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for search engine optimization. I want the web sites we create for clients to be found. It’s just that we now write the way people search. Consequently we have people who read like spiders. They scan; look at headlines, sub-heads and bullet points.

Content that Connects with People

If, as Jakob Nielson says, 79% of people scan web pages, what is it that would prompt them to occasionally read? I have a 3-point theory based on observation and absolutely not one speck of scientific research. Nonetheless, I believe that people who read like spiders are more inclined to read like humans of we do these three things.

Offer Something of Value.

That can be useful information (salt really does get out wine stains); insight on the complicated business of being a person (see Mark Epstein’s book Going on Being); or an original and thoughtful point of view (see Nathan Myhrvold -whether you agree with him or not he makes your brain cells grow).

Write with a Human Voice.

People see words on the page. They also hear the words in their head. Some information is dense but unless it’s a government form it doesn’t have to be dull. (Maybe there’s a law that mandates government documents must be obscure.) Anyway, Bill Bryson, author of A Short History of Nearly Everything, shows that a personal voice can make you make you enjoy reading about complicated stuff. From lichen to quantum mechanics, his writing sings. It has rhythm and cadence. It’s funny, lively, irreverent and always personable. He transcends information and serves up something we all need more of - understanding.

Be Like a Cat.

Okay, I mean be a person who copies cats in this one thing. Authenticity. Cats are relentlessly themselves and they communicate their cat-ness with incredible consistency. What if your intention, your messaging, your self-ness as person or product were undiluted, without conflict or distraction. Imagine the power you would project, the allure you would have, the market share you could win.

If we’re human enough to dress cats in clothes, surely we can bring the same humanity to the content we create for people. Then maybe all of us would read a little bit less like spiders.

Write what you know. And what I know right now is pain. The oh, ouch, owee-kazowee hurty-feeling of rollerblading gone bad. I was a victim of the whee-factor, skating way too fast. That’s when gravity stopped being my friend. And when skin encounters asphalt, you can quote me on this, asphalt always wins.

Then I started thinking (guess the fall shook loose some extra neurons) that rollerblading is a lot like building a business. I know it’s an illusive analogy, but just like the Federation folks on Star Trek, I’m on a mission to seek out and discover strange new connections between unlikely events. So before the giddy relief of surviving small time trauma fades, here are my injury induced insights on the ups and downs of business and rollerblading.

Risk is a sure thing. “D’oh!” That’s why you wear protective gear, unless like me you have sweaty knees and elbows and eschew the pads. Of course that’s where I got the boo-boos. (Note to safety engineers: I do wear a helmet and wrist guards. And yes, I’m smart enough to know when I’ve been stupid.)

Being in business is risky too. But some degree of risk is far less dangerous than complete risk avoidance. Decisions have to be made based on the information you have; not deferred until you have ALL of the information. In my observation, indecision and 11^th-hour enactment syndrome are far more costly than a thoughtful acknowledgement that risk is present but that the opportunity is worth it.

Mid-course correction. Henry Pollack, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Michigan, served up mid-course correction when I interviewed him for our podcast.  (Sorry, the interview is still in post-production.)  Mid-course correction is such a solid and scientific way of saying if something doesn’t work out change things up. Of course change can give rise to uncomfortable feelings too. But which would you rather be, stuck in something that’s not working or simply make an adjustment and carry on?

To mash-up and misquote Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, “Nothing last forever, neither good times nor bad.” In other words, now is not forever. If something in life or business isn’t working out it doesn’t have to keep on keeping on. I mean, eventually my rollerblading boo-boos will scab over and heal. I just have to deal with it for now. And you can deal with the risk of poor results by making a mid-correction correction. It’s the smart thing to do and it makes you sound smart too.

Dynamic balance, obviously I didn’t have it. But life, business and certainly rollerblading all demand it. It’s all those tiny little adjustments,; flexed knees, head over body and the absence of chasm-like cracks in the pavement that keep you on your feet. Dynamic balance in wingtips and pumps requires a nimble accommodation of a changing environment too: requests and questions, diplomacy and candor, clear-heading thinking and crazy ideas.

Here’s the deal.  Failing is painful. So is falling down. But as long as we’re able, we get up, we get smarter and we grab hold of the chance to continue with both hands.  It also helps to have at least one foot on the ground.

Eggs as art.

Easter has come and gone. But a well-decorated egg lasts forever, at least in pixilated form. So what’s the dipping, the designing and the unpredictable process of creating colorful eggs have to do with choosing a marketing firm? More than you might think.

Pricing: There’s no denying that cost is a consideration when choosing a partner to promote your business. Just be aware that you will get egg-zactly what you pay for. Store-bought eggs are uniform in color, they’re mass-produced in un-chick-friendly environments, and they’re devoid of the very characteristics that makes them genuinely eggy: an orange sun yolk, a resilient white, and a yummy, buttery taste. If you’re the real deal and you want others to know it, you might want to invest just a little bit more to work with people who know how to market (and even create) colorful characters.

I Changed It So It’s Mine: Okay, I borrowed this from Lawrence Clore, an ardent foodie who knows how to cook up a storm. His particular gift is to start with someone else’s recipe and then reinvent the formula so that the finished dish is entirely his own. He’s married to my work partner so we often joke that he should write a cookbook with the title I Changed It So It’s Mine. But the ability to change things up is what the right agency can do for you. This goes beyond business book stuff like ‘your unique selling proposition’. What’s uniquely human about what you do, make, or sell? Why would someone tell a friend about what you offer? You see, anybody can make egg salad. But only Larry Clore can make HIS egg salad – which, by the ways is delish. And only you can provide the thing that is uniquely yours – even if you start with eggs like everyone else.

The Invaluable Immeasurable: Everybody’s talking about metrics. How do we track page views, click-throughs, time spent, impressions, word of mouth and more? How do we validate results? I’m all for the thoughtful consideration and assessment of marketing activities. But I do worry that we are so obsessed with the means of measurement that we forget some things of genuine value are immeasurable. Yes, we can break people into parts, analyze their online behavior and adjust campaigns accordingly. But the risk is reactive marketing, like leading by a poll. I’d rather help people discover something they didn’t know they wanted, couldn’t have imagined they needed, and wouldn’t have said they would purchase. Measurement can inform your decisions, but it cannot remove risk. If you want someone to take your pulse, go with a metrics-driven group. If you want someone to breathe new life into your business, take a look at the invaluable factor of creative thinking.

You can’t give people egg-zactly what they want because they often don’t know what that is. Instead, why not delight people? Be a good (and colorful) egg. Be resourceful and serve up your brand of egg salad. And when you choose an agency, see if they measure up in all the imprecise ways that will make them egg-zactly right for you.

Jan's Swag

My friend Susan is cool. She makes cools stuff. Best of all, she gives cool stuff to me. This is worthy of celebration and, obviously, comment since I’m motivated to write about it.

Being the fortunate recipient of unique designer gifts has made me consider the importance of giving cool stuff to people. Sadly, I lack the ability to create one-of-a-kind handbags, lavish beaded bracelets, or stylin’ cowls that make a fashion statement while eradicating the winter chill from necks bereft of a turtleneck sweater.

But my friend’s largesse raises the question of what are the rest of us doing? Are we giving cool stuff? What does that really mean? And how is it relevant as we encounter the necessity to earn a living? Rarely at a loss for words (ask anyone who knows me), I believe that my good fortune in having a gifted (and generous) friend reveals something important that the rest of us can use in the quest to be remarkable.

The sharing of the cool thing is just as important as the cool thing . You can be the creator of cool stuff (yeah, I know, I’m overusing the word). Or, you can be the conduit for sharing this useful, genuine, worthy-of-comment thing, idea, insight or information. It’s the selfless sharing of something that is meaningful to people. Even an intensely personal declaration like “I love my kitty”, can create a connection. Especially if it’s attached to a bigger idea (rescue kitties) or a diverting video clip of stupid cat stuff that makes people smile. But beware of sharing that forgets about the recipient. In some circles that’s called ‘blurting’, and it’s almost always boring.

Personal relevance equals remarkable. People talk (if you’re really good) they rave about you, your product, your service or your cause. Why? Because it’s relevant to their experience. And if you’ve done something remarkable, like salvage a customer service problem gone horribly wrong, that’s cool. And people will share their experience because, well, it’s remarkable. The opposite also applies, so serve up some cool and save yourself a lot of grief.

Appreciation is a pay back that pays off. When someone gives you something cool (a referral, an insight, or the name of a good facialist) appreciation is the way you pay it back. Then your sincere appreciation (this has to be communicated not just thought inside your head) inspires you to engage in a cycle of sharing and exchanging. And, one step at a time, this is how relationships are built. Let’s not forget, you can also pay it forward and be proactive about sharing your appreciation. Reciprocity isn’t a given, and you sure won’t get it if that’s why you’re doing it.

I appreciate my friend and creative co-conspirator Susan Bachman. Yeah, she makes cool stuff and better yet, she gives cool stuff to me. Best of all, she gets me and I get her. And, on occasion, I get her handbags at Banana Republic. They’re not handmade, but they are cool, and they’re given with sincere appreciation.

What about you? Are you or your company creating, sharing and showing appreciation for cool stuff? I’m talking about the world of ideas and information too, not just swag or lumpy objects large and small. If you are, I’ll say it one more time. That’s cool. And it’s worth talking about.