My inbox this week looks like a pile of sympathy letters from internet marketers. If I had a dollar for every subject line that includes the words “these troubled times”, “uncertain times”, or “financial crisis”, then maybe I wouldn’t be so bummed about my stock portfolio.

Do marketers really want us all to join in a group hug, or is there something else going on here?

Well of course something else is going on: they’re finding a hot news item to anchor us emotionally into making a purchase.

Piggybacking on a current news story is indeed a great publicity strategy (and sales strategy it appears), but I’m curious about the effect this is having on people’s buying decisions.

Are you turned off by references to the financial crisis in sales promotions?

Do you think it’s a good strategy?

Do you fear coming across as a tacky opportunist or do you see this as a way to build intimacy with your prospects and clients?

I’d love people’s opinions on this. Click the comment link and tell me what you think. Hold the sympathy, though…

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Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s the world around me, but I’m feeling more and more like the Mother Superior of Social Networking, catching my “novices” in acts of sinfulness. Here’s why:

A few months ago, an acquaintance “Lauren” (not her real name) emailed me with a question. “OK”, she wrote, “I’m on all these social networking sites… now what?”

I suggested she begin breaking the ice with people by saying hello or commenting on their walls. I made a big mistake in this suggestion: I assumed she knew how to break the ice with others.

I trailed her on Facebook and found myself aghast at her actions.

On people’s wall comments, she was making offers for free complimentary coaching sessions. Zero subtlety, just “Hi, nice to meet you. Wanna free coaching session?”

Eeek, my skin crawled. That’s really tacky, I thought to myself. What ever happened to getting to know each other first?

Continue reading Social Networking Sins Revealed!