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June 2023
Tree Hugger HERALD
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The Rock of Our Family
Remembering My Dad — Our Hero
Father’s Day has become a day to remember my dad and all of the lessons, passions, skills, humor, motivation, and support that he shared with me and my family throughout his life. Just a few short years ago, we said goodbye to my dad, the rock of our family, but his memory lives on in the ways that we remember him and he stays alive within us all. It’s often said that no matter how tall you grow, you’ll always look up to your dad, and for me, it's definitely true. For the entire family, my dad was a great role model — he taught us all the value of going to work every day — in rain, sleet, snow, or shine, he had his boots on the ground and was ready to go. He never (or hardly) complained and seemed to really enjoy his job. His determination to better himself for the sake of his family was remarkable and motivating. Growing up, I wanted to adopt these same qualities.
As a plumbing contractor, he went on to eventually own his own business with my mom as his partner in the late 1980s and early ’90s, and this was an awesome thing to have the opportunity to witness firsthand! Seeing his example every day instilled a lot of the necessary values in me to go on to start my own business. Because of my dad, I knew that I never wanted to go to work for someone else. After all, I already had an entrepreneurial state of mind. As a kid, I had a little gig cutting grass for about five or six neighbors — it was a great way to make extra money, learn how to interact with others from a business perspective, and get a taste of the responsibilities that go into having a career and owning your own business. One thing that I’ll never forget is those initial years I watched my parents ride the waves of starting up their business. Of course, as with anything, there were some ups and downs, but the way my dad celebrated the wins and handled the losses with such grace and maturity set me up for success when I went on to open up my own real estate investing business with my mom, and later on, the digital marketing agency I’ve built from the ground up! To this day, I can still hear my dad’s infectious laughter — he was a funny guy and loved to tell jokes, goof off, and play pranks — and his voice telling me to never give up and to continue pressing on. He was extremely proud and motivational and always offered me so much support. Today, when I look in the mirror and examine where I am, I see a lot of my dad in myself. Determination, grit, prowess, imagination, heart, passion, and loyalty — I owe it all to him. They say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree; I guess they were right!
–Wesley Smith
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Improve the Impact of Your Email Marketing SUBJECT LINES MATTER
You spend valuable time and money on your email marketing, but your efforts will go to waste if your customers don’t open your messages. Your open rate is one of the most critical email metrics, and the single best way to improve yours is by writing compelling subject lines that make your customers want to click. So, how do you spark curiosity and stay out of the spam folder? A 2019 study by market research group Radicati found that the average person receives 96 emails daily, and your business is hardly the only one trying to convince them to buy something. Your customers will likely spend only seconds deciding whether to open your email, delete it, or report it as spam. You must capture their attention quickly and give them a reason to click. Writing the perfect subject line isn’t easy. What works for one industry or demographic may not work for another. But you should always try to follow three simple rules. No. 1: Keep it short. Email platforms will only display so many characters of your subject line before cutting it off. Therefore, a long subject line is inadvertently ensuring your message gets lost. Further, your customers quickly decide what they will open and discard. They’re more likely to delete your message if it seems confusing or complicated, so make it bite-size and easy to digest. Experts recommend you keep your subject lines to 60 characters or less. No. 2: Spark urgency. Customers are most likely to open an email within 24 hours of receiving it. After that, they will likely assume it’s irrelevant or forget about it. So, you want to use language that inspires them to read it immediately. At the same time, be careful of
overusing all-caps and exclamation points; these are hallmark signs of spam, and your customers could mistake it as such. Further, if every email announces itself as your customer’s “last chance,” you’ll lose trust, and people will tune out. No. 3: Be specific. Research indicates that people are more likely to open personalized subject lines. So, when possible, address your customers directly with their name or the word “you.” Further, teasing information is risky and can leave people unmotivated to open the email and learn more. Provide details like the specific product or service on sale or how many hours or days an offer will last. For example, more people will find “Only 48 hours left in our sale” compelling than “Our sale ends soon.”
Learning to craft effective headlines won’t happen overnight, so give yourself time and room to make mistakes. One of your best resources is A/B testing: You develop two subject lines, send them to different customers, and then compare their performance. You’ll find what drives your customers to click by monitoring your metrics and adapting your approach.
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FROM ‘SHARK TANK’ REJECT TO STAR CEO HOW MELISSA BUTLER OVERCAME FAILURE
Melissa Butler, CEO of skincare and cosmetics company The Lip Bar, had her first brush with fame when she appeared on a 2015 episode of “Shark Tank.” But it was almost her last. The “sharks” not only didn’t like her idea — they mercilessly skewered it. Butler’s journey began in 2012 when she decided the beauty industry needed more diversity and natural ingredients. So, she started mixing her own lipstick shades in her kitchen. But when she presented her bold and beautiful creations on “Shark Tank,” the experts called them “clown makeup.” Kevin O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful,” was particularly harsh. He told her the cosmetics market was oversaturated and that she should quit while she could. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Butler did no such thing. She knew
Black women and other women of color wanted cosmetic options that better suited their skin tones and continued making her vegan, cruelty-free, and affordable lip products. Butler did not find success overnight, and it might have seemed the sharks had a point. But she began to make headway into retail outlets, and in 2022, The Lip Bar closed $6.7 million in seed funding. The company now has a flagship store in Detroit and sits on shelves in over 500 Walmart and 750 Target stores. Butler announced in early 2023 that The Lip Bar is now the largest Black-owned makeup brand on Target shelves. Former first lady Michelle Obama and actress Taraji P. Henson have both worn the company’s shades. As her company continues to expand and roll out new products, Butler doesn’t
shy away from her less-successful past — she actively celebrates it. The Lip Bar CEO regularly tells her story and even placed a billboard in her hometown of Detroit, noting how she beat the odds. It read: “‘Shark Tank’ told me to quit. 10 years and 2 million units sold. Thanks, Mr. Wonderful.” These days, even Mr. Wonderful is on board. In a 2022 interview, O’Leary admitted that he got it wrong. “They were facing an almost impossible task,” he said. “They pulled it off, so you gotta applaud them.” Impressed by how she beat the odds, MarthaStewart.com asked Butler last year what advice she had for other entrepreneurs. “Keep working towards your goals,” she responded. “Because your idea will never become reality if you don’t do it.”
Laugh
THE ORIGINAL RAP BATTLES How Disses Became Poetry
HAVE A
Long before diss tracks, rap battles, and “yo mama” jokes, there was medieval “flyting.” Defined as quick exchanges of witty insults, these poetic slights were popular in England and Scotland from the 5th to 16th century. Flyting became entertainment for royals and was dubbed “court flyting.” While these jests are not well-documented, one flyting event made history. The iconic exchange occurred in the early 16th century between William Dunbar and Walter Kennedie. If you’re wondering what exactly these two “gentlemen” were saying, it would be difficult to quote without including expletives. However, one tame section can be shared here. Dunbar insulted Kennedie by saying: Maggoty mutton, gorged glutton, scurrilous certain heir to Hillhouse, Rank beggar, oyster-dredger, dismal debtor on the lawn, Lily-livered, soul-shivered, cheap as slivers in the millhouse, Bard baiter, thief of nature, false traitor, devil’s spawn.
Now that’s one sick burn!
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1185 Hightower Trail #501673 Atlanta, GA 30350 770-637-3707 TreeServiceDigital.com Inside This Edition
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Fun Dad, Wise Dad, Proud Dad
Why Your Email Marketing Subject Lines Matter
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The ‘Shark Tank’ Contestant Who Didn’t Give Up The Colorful History of Medieval Smack Talk Short-Form Video: More Than Just a Fad
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Short-Form Video Marketing Is Taking Over LIGHTS! CAMERA! SALES!
Any business incorporating the best marketing practices has been using videos to connect with its customers for years. But with the advent of TikTok and Instagram Reels, people want bite-sized clips to deliver information without fluff. Businesses looking to keep audiences engaged must begin incorporating short-form content into their marketing strategy.
Many people new to short-form video don’t know where to start, so it’s crucial to note that it’s about more than making briefer versions of your existing content. Encourage user-generated content from people using your product, show behind- the-scenes clips that might interest your audience, or quickly answer a frequently asked question. If you want to stay relevant, your marketing team should remain on top of the latest trends. We don’t recommend jumping on the bandwagon for every “challenge” that appears on your feed, but you should watch for trends that fit your brand and will resonate with your audience. Finally, remember that authenticity is the point. Short-form videos should be playful and spontaneous and talk directly to your audience. Users won’t connect and share if it looks like a TV commercial; they’ll see it as just another ad and keep scrolling.
Most experts define short-form video as lasting 60 seconds or less, and Influencer Marketing Hub reports that 73% of internet users prefer them to longer videos. Social media has conditioned people to enjoy brief content that quickly gets to the point, and TikTok purposely shows users video after video. The format is also taking over other platforms, and users find loosely scripted, on-the-fly content more relatable than meticulously produced videos. Fortunately, research indicates that short-form videos attract more engagement than static images. These are low-budget videos, so many marketers believe they have a higher return on investment (ROI) than traditional videos and are more likely to result in a viral hit. Best of all, the shorter the video, the more likely someone will watch until the end and absorb your entire message. But if your video doesn’t quickly grab a viewer’s attention, they know another potentially more interesting one will immediately follow. So, your videos should incorporate an instant hook to get users engaged. You might try a provocative question in the text over the video, an attention-grabbing song, or striking initial imagery.
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