Delivered weekly, the Inflight Briefing is designed as a blueprint for the builder and inspiration for the curious. It's for the purposeful (that's you!) doing marketing for good. 

016: "Sweet! What about mine?"

Did you get a tattoo last Friday? Ever since Oliver Peck, a Dallas tattoo artist, threw his first Friday the 13th tattoo party in 1995, those interested in getting inked for a mere $13 and a $7 tip could snag a sick tat on that rare and most spooky of days.

Supposedly bad things pass by those who are already in the middle of a bad spell (I haven’t witnessed this in my own life), which is why sporting a tattoo with the number 13 may trick those evil spirits into thinking you’re already having a tough time. Maybe they’ll cut you a little slack.

I’ve yet to find the courage (is it courage?) to get tatted. However, I recently found inspiration from The Good Place that may help me turn the corner. 

What does all this have to do with purposeful marketing? Glad you asked! Creating a sense of exclusivity can create a lot of buzz. People want to join in on the fun, so craft a day where you invite new people into your community! 

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Snackable snippets 

How to express yourself clearly 📖

The objective of meaningful communication is to get the point across, which is why expressing yourself clearly is so essential to purposeful marketing. Limiting yourself to only three points will help simplify the core of your position. Anything more and you may be trying to bite off too much. We usually share five links. Is that too many?

Opening the floodgates with Inbound 2.0 💡

In the early days of inbound marketing, gated content was all the rage. Generating leads and contact information was the goal. Today, the most effective organizations are giving away the keys to the kingdom for free. They’re inspiring communities to organically form around their content and they’re removing any conception of a transactional offer as people begin to interact with their brand. 

Why charity: water’s CEO doesn’t think about the nonprofit sector 🎧

“People give to people.” Scott Harrison, the Founder and CEO of charity: water, believes that much of the organization’s success stems from their approach to the issue even more than the issue itself. Telling a personal story, creating a strong brand, and being transparent may be the next best steps for your organization to expand its impact.

What’s the right color for my website? 📖

A picture tells a thousand stories, which is why it’s so important to paint with the right colors. Colors have a strong influence on the way people perceive your organization, so picking the right color really does make a difference. And then things get only more complicated when you begin mixing colors. Above are a few tips for finding the perfect hue.

A lesson in viral marketing 🎥

Say what you want about Liquid Death, a new entrant in the already packed bottled water category. But watch where you say it. In this video, their genius marketing team tracks down some social media detractors and offers them a risky deal. They can either win $1,000 dollars if they're able to blind taste test their product or get tazed if they’re wrong. What do you think’s going to happen?

 Join us later today, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. EST as we unpack 9 Practical Predictions to Use in Your 2023 Strategy Planning

In the news

Just in time for Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, Boston unveiled a monument titled “Embrace,” which depicts the connection between Coretta and MLK. The King family spoke and MLK’s granddaughter said, “We are all challenged to carry forward their unfinished work.” It was an inspiring day remembering one of America’s greatest heroes.

Did you notice the uptick in retailers emailing you over the last few months? This isn’t just a feeling, it’s a fact. Marketing spam is on the rise and some companies are sending more than one marketing message per day. How are we going to navigate our inboxes if we keep having to filter through so much noise? 

For the inspiration folder

After hearing Scott Harrison talk with the We are for Good team, it felt natural to share the inspiring story about the work they’re doing getting water to those in need. Disclaimer: Don’t start watching if you aren’t ready to weep. 

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