Month: July 2015

Happy National Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day!

July 29th is National Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day (NCSPD). I can’t find the origin of the holiday, but it’s widely speculated that it began with “sacrificing” cheese for use in mousetraps. It is now widely celebrated by food bloggers as an excuse to enjoy cheese.

To celebrate NCSPD in 2015, you can splurge for a more expensive cheese or a select a kind of cheese you’ve been reluctant to purchase. You can also sacrifice your cheese by sharing it with your friends.

How to blog about National Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day:

  • Nutritionist: Describe healthy, dairy-free alternatives to cheese.
  • Food Blogger: Share your three favorite types of cheese and how to use them.
  • Pest Control: Describe how to catch mice without using a mousetrap.
  • Party Planner: Explain how to plan a cheese-tasting party.
  • Wine Expert: Describe the best wines to serve with cheese.

Reviewed: Youtility by Jay Baer

Youtility by Jay Baer introduces us to a new way of marketing, based on the fact that organizations need to inform, not promote.

The author’s philosophy is the companies can be amazing or be useful. Being amazing is hard! Being useful is easier – and it helps you stay close to your customers. The goal of Youtility is provide something that is reliable and valuable, in order to build customer loyalty.

The book’s Forward, written by Marcus Sheridan, is a wonderful case study of Youtility. Sheridan was a pool installer whose business fell dramatically with the stock market crash of 2008. He listed all the questions people asked about pool installation and answered them on his website. He quickly learned that his customers were more informed before their initial appointment, the length of the sales appointment was reduced, and the likelihood of them buying increased. Sheridan became the most trafficked pool site in the world. At this writing, sales remained level from pre-recession ($4 million), but spending on advertising dropped from $250,000 to $20,000.

One of the most interesting parts of the book was about useful apps that companies developed. These include Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s app about how to fit your child in a car seat; Charman toilet paper’s “Sit or Squat” app that rates restrooms; and Clorox’s Dr. Laundry app that explains how to  get stains out of clothes.

Not only is this book a fascinating read, it’s also inspirational. If you’re like me, you will make several pages of notes on ideas to implement in your business.

What is “Turn the Tables”?

Given my husband’s recent experience with Lyme disease, I was curious about the phrase “turning the tables.” This phrase means to reverse roles and usually refers to the person in the weaker position becoming dominant. The phrase was first used in print in 1634 and is based on “tables games” such as  backgammon. In these games, the board is actually moved so that players play from their opponent’s previous position. (Source)

Happy Thread the Needle Day!

hank of the thread passed throughout a needleJuly 25 is Thread the Needle Day. Although I can’t find the origin of this day, it’s an awesome holiday for those of us who sew. (Source)

How to Blog About Thread the Needle Day:

  • Anyone: Pull out a needle and thread. Sew on a missing button or mend an article of clothing that you’ve been meaning to fix. Blog about the experience.
  • Craft bloggers: Teach a newbie how to hand sew.
  • Needle and thread manufacturers: Blog about the different kinds of needles and threads. (As a quilter, I know that there are a lot more of these than most people realize!)
  • Historian: Talk about the role that garment making played in the women’s movement.
  • Sewists and Quilters: Blog about one of your creations.