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I entered the Walker North Country Marathon by accident and it was a mistake that changed running for me forever. I wanted to try something new, so I signed up for this race in Walker, Minnesota. Thinking this would be like most of the other marathons that I had done up to that point, I trained as usual on the straight, flat roads around my home in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin.
Let me preface this story with a little background. When it came to running back then, I wasn’t always good with the planning part. I think it’s because everything else in my life required my full attention to details that it was nice for my hobby to be something where I could relax, enjoy and not sweat those details. So when I showed up in Walker, I expected a 26.2 mile race much like ones that I had done previously but with different scenery. I certainly got the new view and so much more.
Digital marketing is king, right? Evidence is seen in the sea of heads bowed attentively to their phones, tablets and computer screens. Between all the social media, blogs and websites, people can seemingly do and find any product or service they need with one swipe or pinch of the fingers. But what about traditional marketing? Brochures, catalogs, newspapers and magazines are still around. I started thinking about their relevance in today’s marketing after the topic kept coming up during conversations with friends. Each said in their own way that print was alive and doing very well.
I met the owner of a small tech company in Madison, Wisconsin the other day. We were both getting coffee and got into a conversation about our work. Right after I told him that I was a freelance writer, his eyes lit up. He told me about a business associate who was looking for a freelance writer but wasn't sure where or how to find one. I immediately pulled out a business card and handed it to him and made contact.
That is just one example of a conversation that I have more often than you would think. When people find out that I'm a writer the stories start to roll out how they or someone they know has been looking for a writer for their business, but they don’t know how or where to find them. With the rise of social media and the need for quality content on websites to help raise search engine optimization (SEO), good writers are at a premium. So why are businesses having so much trouble connecting with writers?
Every October Race Director Don Kern stands at the finish line of the Grand Rapids Marathon and shakes hand with every runner coming across the finish line of his race. Don puts on the best race I have ever participated in and he makes it look easy. I credit him in part for me staying in the sport for more than a decade as a participant, volunteer and now quite possibly as a race director.
Food has been at the heart of Huma Siddiqui’s life ever since she was a child growing up in Pakistan. Meals were a time to enjoy good conversation, company and fresh foods with aromatic spices that tantalized sight, smell and taste. Huma carried that love of food and family with her as she raised her own family while living in four countries, eventually making Wisconsin home and starting her business White Jasmine.
I received my first box of StarrWriter business cards yesterday – YAY. I opened the package, pulled a card out, looked at it and felt a tinge of disappointment. First thoughts: the logo was flat and the font didn’t capture the personality of the business.