By Lindsay Bell
Well, it’s been nearly a year since I started working here at Spin Sucks and Arment Dietrich. I’m not gonna lie, it’s making me a little verklempt.
And going over all of the incredible guest blogging content I’ve had the pleasure of having a hand in over that time is making me something else.
Proud as H – E – Double Hockeysticks!
You guys crazies are a never ending source of fun and frivolity, but also wisdom and worldliness, and a massive contribution to the success of this very blog.
And while I’m still a bit gobsmacked that it’s July (seriously – we didn’t really have spring this year in Toronto – and suddenly it’s summer! I’m lost), I am thrilled that I get to do the bi-annual roundup of the top 10 guest blog posts of the first half of the year.
So, without further ado, gather ’round for a special edition of Spin Sucks.
Drum roll please…..!!
The Top 10 Guest Blog Posts of 2013 (January – June)
#1 – Clappity clap clap – the number one spot goes to Erica Moss for her January 7th swoon’y post about glasses gurus Warby Parker. These guys seriously know social media – Erica even got a personal thank you video from them! So if you are looking for fun hipster-geek glasses, seriously good social media tips, and aren’t concerned about becoming a Warby’holic yourself, give it another read: What Warby Parker Teaches Us about Brand Loyalty.
#2 – Five Simple Steps to a Classic PR Disaster. Really, what more is there to say? Well how about number two goes to yours truly!? Yup, on January 16th, I shared with you the story of The City of Hamilton, Ontario, and its partner in PR apocalypse, Dialogue Partners. Hamiltonians call their town The Hammer – and for good reason – this is a heavily industrialized port city, populated by proud, feisty folk who don’t take kindly to smack talk about their little piece of Ontario. Trust me, The Hammer came down hard on Dialogue Partners for their screw-ups.
#3 – Number three…number three was…well…an interesting experience for all of us. Our own Yvette Pistorio penned Five Ways Introverts Make Great Community Managers on May 8th, and was promptly accused of plagiarism! Yikes! And also…it didn’t happen. That said, the post spawned quite the brou-ha-ha, and highlighted yet again the importance of having a strong, supportive community backing you up.
#4 – Guest blogger Laura Click nailed the number four spot with her March 26th piece on corporate websites, and why they’re vital to your marketing plan. And by vital, we mean get someone other than your intern to build and/or design them. And for heaven’s sake, inject a little pizzazz into them! Laura laid out four key things to think about when designing your site in her post – Your Corporate Website: Four Deadly Mistakes.
#5 – Unlimited paid time off!? Sign me up! Oh wait. We’re already signed up. Anyhow, let’s celebrate the half-way mark with an inspirational story about approaching PR a little differently. Would you consider sending a casual, two line email out if you had a story to promote? Rosemary O’Neill did, and her company’s initiative ended up being headline news. Today’s headline news? Rosemary grabs the number five spot with her May 28th post: How a Two Sentence Email Became a Top News Story.
#6 – Lee Frederiksen’s post, Online Marketing: Where Should Your Money Go?, sits comfortably in sixth place, and shares valuable advice for all you online marketers out there. Where in the heck should you spend your hard earned dollars? What should you focus on? Social? Email? SEO? I’m not telling. You’ll have to read the post to find out.
#7 – There’s no way you can title a blog post after a Smiths’ tune and NOT make it into the Top Ten, right? Right. You can thank me later, Ken Jacobs because you sir hold the number seven spot! Ken delivered a rich two parter on January 14th and 15th, and How Soon is Now? The Future of PR Firms, Part 1 made the cut. Stop thinking about what the PR firm of 2017 will look like – or better yet – think about it, and then start implementing those changes NOW! And check out both posts for more info.
#8 – Number eight belongs to MY favorite rock star, cowboy hat wearing social media strategist, and author – Mack Collier! Mack’s no wallflower, and his post punches home a blunt message – today’s musicians and artists are better marketers than you are. Using ‘surprise and delight’ tactics, artists recognize their power lays in the fans they already have. And if that sounds a bit backwards to you, you need to read his February 21st post: Why Amanda Palmer is a Better Marketer than Your Brand.
#9 – Tick tock, we’re already at number nine, and the confetti and congratulations goes to a new Spin Sucks clan member, one Miss Sarah Rude. Don’t let the name fool you, she’s not rude at all, in fact she’s quite lovely and very brave. Imagine reentering the current workforce, with all its technological bells and whistles; apps, devices, digital, mobile, social platforms, jargon and lingo – after six years away? Well, Sarah did just that, and tells her story fearlessly – never mind the fact she tied it back to Marty McFly! Public Relations: Lessons from Marty McFly published on April 11th.
#10 – Last but certainly not least, Kate Finley shared Make Your Network Go Viral: Eight Tips for Networking Success on March 7th, securing herself a place in Spin Sucks history. Kate is as cute as a button and smart as a whip, so if terms like growth, reach and influence turn your crank, or you want tips on networking or creating your own personal ‘viral network’, be sure to pop over and check out her winning post.
“Learn something new everyday” is my own personal mantra, and it boggles my mind just how much I’ve learned in this last year at Spin Sucks. And a lot of that growth and learning has come from you – our community.
On behalf of Gini Dietirch and the entire team, thank you. Times a million.
Now, take your bows everyone!
If you wish to contribute ideas for a guest post, drop me a line at LBell(at)armentdietrich(dot)com.
P.S. There will not be any blog posts tomorrow as America is celebrating its Independence Day.