Marketing – Jenn Chen

08.24.22

I’m a lurker, you’re a lurker, we’re all lurkers

It is said that 90% of any online social readership are lurkers. Lurkers are those who consume the content but don’t respond to it. Nine percent are contributors and only one percent create content, forming the 90-9-1 rule. This is not a new marketing rule and it seems to apply only in spaces for online communities, such as Twitter, Reddit, interest-based forums, Twitch, etc.

view of video equipment in center, desert in background

08.10.22

I hate video, a rant

Video killed the radio star, but who’s going to kill video?

In many ways, I am a terrible digital-savvy millennial. I hate video as a media format.

07.13.22

Cultural competence & pop culture

Do you need to have a working knowledge of pop culture to be effective at marketing?

This is the question that I’ve been mulling over for a bit. The cultural competence part came in when I read a piece about therapists and building up a cultural competence of those who are “extremely online.” In marketing, it doesn’t seem like we call it cultural competence. Instead, we create buyer personas and market research. We do focus groups and ask if someone’s interested in such and such product, dutifully noting down their demographics.

centered are a group of five red leaves surrounded by green leaves

06.15.22

Why I’m a marketing specialist and not a generalist

A few times a month, I receive work inquiries about consulting with a company that is not in the coffee industry. They’ve sometimes found me through my writing on Sprout Social or through a google search. Some have even read my note about taking on only specialty coffee coaching clients, referencing the note in their form, and yet still email thinking that I am the solution to their problems.

02.23.22

Why you should still have a website

An argument could be made that because of the existence of Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google merchants, etc., there’s no longer a need for a standalone company website. It’s just another thing to take care of in a very long list of things. Plus, if you’re new to navigating the backend of a website, it can be very daunting to take on.

02.09.22

Hyperbole & superlatives in marketing

My writing/journalism hat and marketing hat are sometimes at odds with each other and this is one of those times. In writing, especially academic, I was taught that superlatives and hyperbole should be kept to a minimum unless they are backed up by a credible source. In marketing, hyperbole is used more often while superlatives without sources run the risk of false advertising.

01.26.22

Influencer disclosure basics

It’s been three years since I wrote about influencer tips so I thought it’d be a nice revisit on the basics. I’ve seen quite a few social media posts now where either the influencers or brands or both weren’t disclosing their relationships.

01.19.22

The nearly immeasurable brand metric of word-of-mouth marketing

Call it brand sentiment or trust barometer or dark social (for example, you screenshot a tweet and text it to a friend) — it’s all the same. Despite all the efforts and all the software created, you won’t be able to capture all of your word-of-mouth acquisition data.

01.12.22

Nostalgia in marketing

In relation to a recent Sprudge piece, I thought I would reflect a little more on the use of nostalgia in marketing. Creating that feeling of nostalgia through advertising is not new. It’s part of emotional marketing and consumer psychology. Being able to create strong feelings inside the consumer (whether it’s anger or sadness or nostalgia) is one indicator of a successful nostalgia-focused marketing campaign.

podcast microphone in middle with hands on both side

12.01.21

How to prepare for a press interview

How exciting! You got contacted for an interview, now what? Having been on both sides of this for various formats (magazine, online pub, blog, podcast, etc.) and as someone who likes to be prepared, I have some thoughts on the best ways to get ready for a press interview. This is written for the interviewee and to be more specific, the small business. Not the one who already has a PR agency.

These steps are mainly for live interviews, such as for a podcast or on a phone. If you’re doing a written interview, you can skip everything in the “during” part.

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about

Jenn is a San Francisco-based writer & photographer. On the side, she munches on fun flavored chips & hangs out with her dog Zoey. You can reach her via the contact page or on social media @thejennchen.

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All photos were taken by Jenn Chen, unless otherwise noted, & under full copyright. Photos of me in red & orange were taken by Jessica Caisse. Do not use copy or photos without prior permission. Logos designed by Hannah Ellen.