We know you mean well. Really, we do. And we acknowledge that your well-meaning often translates into wonderful actions. You support America's first-time moms with your experienced advice, you volunteer to watch grandkids when they're too sick to attend daycare, and you have taken on the noble responsibility of raising grandchildren fulltime when their parents are sick or neglectful or imprisoned. What's more, you take on this job at a time when you should be enjoying the freedom of retirement. For these actions, we salute you. Really, we do.
However, it has come to our attention that at other times your well-meaning has turned into persistent nagging. In an effort to protect your grandchildren from the idiocy of their parents, you have gone overboard. Now before you dismiss our complaint as the ramblings of a bunch of disrespectful youngins, please allow us to describe a few concrete examples of the problem.
Let's start with diet. Could you please limit your complaints to once a month? We know full well that you believe Little Johnny is starving. But you know what? We don't share your concern. It's okay if you feel his ribs. In case you haven't noticed, there's a bit of a weight problem in America today. Surprised? You shouldn't be. After all, how many years did you pile on the food and tell us to clean our plates? Our pediatrician tells us it's healthy for toddlers to graze--as long as they get a healthy diet with all the food groups over the course of several days. Eating only when you're hungry and stopping when you're full is a good habit to foster. Feeling guilty about throwing out left-overs is not. Sure, there are starving kids in other parts of the world. You taught us that. What we didn't get was the connection between our table scrap and those starving kids. Were you going to box up the left-overs and send them to Africa? No. So please forgive us for skipping that lesson.
Next, let's talk feet. So what if they turn in or point out a little? We'll show our doctor and we'll let him do an examine. If he says they're fine, we're going with that, and we wish you would too. Look, we understand back in your day kids wore special shoes and braces to straighten out their feet. But lots of other kids didn't get those special shoes and braces. And you know what? Most of their feet straightened out just fine. Those that didn't straighten out completely had few long-term problems. Most could walk and run and jump and skip just fine. Our doctor will keep an eye on the feet, and if he's concerned he'll send us to an orthopedic specialist. You voiced your concern. We heard it. Now, please, drop it.
One more example: Ears. The infections aren't our fault. We don't smoke around Little Johnny, and he doesn't go to daycare anymore (since you agreed to watch him). Our pediatrician says those two things are the biggest ones we can control. The ear infections aren't from water or wind or change of weather. They're from mouth bacteria that get into the middle ear through the Eustachian tube, a natural connection between the throat and ear. Little Johnny has a floppy Eustachian tube. Bacteria go up the tube and get trapped when the tube flops closed. Add a little mucus from smoke or allergies or viral infections, and the situation gets worse. You can't get rid of the mouth bacteria--they're supposed to be there. Get rid of them and you'll invite thrush to grow, and we don't want that either. We'll keep doing the antibiotics as long as our doctor tells us to, and when he suggests surgery, we'll go with that. The antibiotics don't stain teeth or stunt growth. Sure, antibiotic resistance is a problem. We understand that. We appreciate your keeping up with the medical literature. Still, if our doc says it's best to stick with them, that's what we'll do.
As we draw this letter to a close, please understand our aim is not to offend. After all, you were an excellent parent. You raised us. You have lots of experienced advice to share. But let's face it, raising four kids is not the same as seeing 30-40 kids a day. Our pediatrician's advice wins over yours. You may not agree with him. That's fine. But please, let it go and stop nagging us.
Love always,
Your Children
We understand you've been wondering how to get more prospects, customers, and clients to your business.
You're definitely not alone.
However, because you're reading this, it's clear you're thinking beyond your next one-shot marketing effort to The Big Picture, where all of your marketing pieces work together to drive people to one central, informative, evangelizing hub:
Your website.
Smart thinking, friend. Very smart, indeed.
Ads in newspapers and magazines go bye-bye after they're published, and brochures get tossed in the circular file as soon as your prospect knows you're not looking. Your website, on the other hand, gets to brag about you, deliver information on your behalf, and encourage people to contact you to fulfill their needs, 24/7 ? forever, if necessary.
More importantly, folks don't usually just "happen" upon your website. They arrive because they're looking for a certain product or service, and they've discovered you based on their specific online searches.
And odds are you're getting a lot of inquiries ? and business! ? from online sources these days. (If you're not, then your Internet-savvy competition is.) That's why we recommend marketing tools that are more content-driven.
>>>Press releases, articles, lists of valuable tips and advice, and a blog, to name a few.
Here's why:
1. Using targeted content to reach your ideal audience allows you to leverage the content over and over, to make it COST EFFECTIVE.
2. Content-driven marketing makes search engines very happy, and this makes it EASIER for people to find you online.
3. Instead of being assaulted by "generic" or "in-your-face" marketing efforts, your audience receives information they're searching for, that's valuable to them, and that offers a friendly, helpful voice and style. THIS BUILDS TRUST AND GOOD FEELINGS, which invites a relationship, which in turn becomes that coveted "warm ?n fuzzy" emotion, driving prospects to your front door.
(Knock knock! It's your next opportunity!)
Now, some people have questions about what it means to leverage content successfully.
Let's use one targeted article as an example, "5 Tips to Finding the Perfect Widget." This one article could be used:
- To send to publications looking for content to fill space around their ads ? which positions your business not as an advertiser, but as an expert with thoughtful information to share.
- To send to article directories online, creating links to your website that raise the site's profile in the search engines.
- To send through a press release service, creating links to your website on online news services and providing additional print publication opportunities.
- To post on your website (and/or blog) as keyword-rich content, to get search engines to come back to your website more frequently and give the site greater credibility and traffic.
- To excerpt and use on a postcard or direct mail campaign, which would direct people to your website to read the rest of it.
Smart, cost-effective, guerrilla-like, and wildly strategic, right?
Both Mike Patrick Jr, Md & Lani And Allen Voivod are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mike Patrick Jr, Md has sinced written about articles on various topics from Kids and Teens, Babies and Family. Mike is an American pediatrician. Read more at . Mike Patrick Jr, Md's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.
Lani And Allen Voivod has sinced written about articles on various topics from Sell Home, Internet Marketing and Legal Matters. Lani & Allen Voivod, aka 'The Content Lovers,' help lifestyle entrepreneurs and bold small businesses 'A-Ha Themselves!' in fun, innovative, and profitable ways. For immediate access to insider knowledge on more than 12 of the easiest, most effective, and. Lani And Allen Voivod's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.