The NHL finally gets it right, new marketing campaign

I am a sports fan.  I watch TV.  I work at a bar with over a dozen televisions.  I'm constantly plugged in to the internet on my laptop or phone.  I am an 18-35 year old male with disposable income.

This is why I find it puzzling that I never know what's going on with the NHL.  I never know when the season starts or when the All Star game is.  I live in Hockeytown and follow the Red Wings, but somehow the league doesn't reach me with promotions.

So when I was flipping through HBO and saw this promo, I was pleasantly surprised.

The NHL is preceding their annual Winter Classic with a series on HBO.  24/7 Penguins Capitals will give fans a behind the scenes look of what the teams go through leading up to one of the coolest games of the year.  Sorry, bad pun.

This is the first good marketing idea the NHL has had since, well since the Winter Classic.  It builds anticipation and gains exposure for the game.  Good to see that the NHL finally got my attention.

Google Docs now editable on iOS and Android. (Yes!)

How to absorb an insanely large amount of content, and still be productive.

I was a huge fan of Google Buzz when it came out.  The discussions between people drew me in.  I found myself wanting to also find interesting and meaningful content to share with people.  After putting dozens of new RSS feeds and blogs in my Google Reader, I linked it with my Buzz and Twitter accounts.

I woke up a few days later realizing that I was spending entirely too much time searching for content to share.  My productivity level was not where it should be.  To follow Mitchell Kapor's analogy, I stuck my face right in front of the fire hydrant and said, "ah."

Organization and discipline is the best way to avoid this.  First, get your method for reading content in order.

Get an RSS reader.  If you're on a desktop or laptop, I highly recommend Google Reader.  It's a powerful tool though not the easiest on the eyes.  Many RSS readers can sync with your Google Reader account.

If you have the means, get an iPad.  There's nothing yet comparable.  You don't realize how uncomfortable reading a lot of content on your laptop is until you sit down in your favorite chair with a cup of coffee and your iPad.  My favorite RSS app is Reeder for the iPad.  I also have the iPhone version.  Reeder is pretty, easy on the eyes, powerful, and makes it easier to sit longer and read more content.

Once you have your fav reader, organize it.  I suggest folders based on topics.  Then list them in order you most enjoy reading them.  That way you can start at the top.  If you only have five minutes, just check a few categories.

Follow interesting people on Twitter.  Twitter is a great way to find content that isn't in your normal stream of blogs and feeds.  I've used this to find many new sites that are now incorporated into my daily routine (like arstechnica.com).  So far the official Twitter app is my favorite for iPad.  Also give Flipboard a try.  It creates a sort of digital magazine out of your Twitter stream.  It's free, looks amazing, and really shows off what an iPad app can do.  Makes it easier than just following a Twitter feed.

Finally, stay disciplined.  Schedule a couple times a day to check your Twitter and Feeds.  Share only what is very interesting.  Some days it may be three things.  Others, none.  It's better to share high quality content.  People will actually read your shares.  Don't cry wolf with your content.

I like to sit twice a day for thirty minutes.  It helps me find meaningful things and keeps up to date on what's going on.  I then put down the iPad and tell myself, "It's OK if you miss some things."

I was able to minimize the stream from the hydrant.  Only take little sips from a concentrated flow of content.  Good luck doing the same.

How I broke into the tech and marketing scene

flickr.com/photos/noyesa/

My company, Wire Nectar, has been a great success so far.  Myself and my four business partners started back in June of 2010.  We have a great roster of clients including University of Michigan.  Each week we are offered more opportunities.  Following up on these, and making the most of them, has taught me some valuable lessons and helped to give our "little company" a great outlook for the future.

Here's how I did it.

Find someone to point you in the right direction.  Like visiting a new city, you need a few pointers on where to start.  The best place for lunch.  A great park to see.  In this case, a few networking events to go to.  Or a few people to talk to.  It helps if this person has established business relationships with people in town.  That way you can "name-drop" them.  Not in order to sound arrogant, but to let the person know how you ended up emailing them or meeting them at an event.  It makes you less of stranger and gives you a small ice-breaker.

"More often than not you get the farthest from where you least expect."

Have some questions to ask.  When going to an event or meeting someone, do your research.  See if they have a company, website, or Twitter.  You can often find out where they went to school, how long they've been in town, what they enjoy doing outside of work.  From this information ask some questions.

"I heard your company has a great story.  What is it?"

"Saw you ran a marathon last week from your Twitter account.  What was your time?"

People like talking about themselves but not general questions like "what do you do?"  Engage them.

Have something to say.  This is the most difficult part.  It helps if you have a story or something you're working on.  Before our company was ready to be shared with the public, I often talked about pursing my Marketing and Accounting degrees or studying for Google certifications.  If you have free lance jobs you're working on, mention those.

Take a socratic method when speaking with someone.  You can learn something from everyone, especially if they are in a similar industry.  Most people will give you some advice or ask for a card.  Give them one.  Show them your site/blog.

Follow up on everything.  I asked a friend of mine if he had any insight into starting a company.  He began to tell me about when he lived off of $2,500 a year and was a starving poet.  "You have to wake up in the morning and want to hear 'no.'"

Now I didn't take his advice literally.  I did find it a way to get over a lot of fears.  Get over the fact that you're not going to get every client or a response email from every CEO.  But that's life, that's sales, that's what you have to expect when you get up in the morning.  More often than not you get the farthest from where you least expect.

So shake some hands, send some emails, up your the people you follow, keep blogging, buy someone a coffee/beer.  Oh, it doesn't hurt to live in a great town like Ann Arbor, Michigan.