So here’s what you need to do to get in on some of this sweet action. Go to Offermatic and register your credit or debit card. Offermatic will automagically scan your purchase history and present you with offers and coupons based on your purchasing history*. As an example, I spent a certain amount on Entertainment over the past month. Offermatic went in, saw that and hooked me up with an offer for $12 worth of movie tickets from Fandango for $6. If I want the deal, I simply press “activate” and add it to my card. Once I make that purchase in the future, Offermatic will see that transaction on my card and rebate me back the $6. Offers are good for 30 or 60 days usually.

You also get points for completing reviews, referring your friends, etc which can add up to gift cards and freebies. If you sign up through one of the link on this page, I get one step close to a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

Go check it out.

*It only takes an email address, password and zip code to get an Offermatic account. Your bank login and credentials never reach Offermatic. Just go try it and you’ll see what I mean or check out their FAQ.

The future of coupons is filled with flying cars, golden unicorns and instant rebates is a post from Bob Hazlett, a digital marketer who writes at One Half Amazing!

Go back to that all-too-common phrase: “We apologise for any inconvenience this might have caused.” Would you say that to your daughter when you were late picking her up from football practice? To your neighbour when your dog trampled his flowerbed?

“Any inconvenience” is emotionally anaemic and lacks the specificity to make it meaningful. “We apologise” isn’t much better. It’s distancing almost to the point of dismissiveness. “When you say, ‘I’m sorry,’ you’re owning,” Fried explains. “When you say ‘I apologize,’ you’re renting.”

Professionalese is a renter’s language. It doesn’t expect to be around for very long and has no stake in the long-term prospects of the neighbourhood. It says, “mistakes were made” rather than “we messed up” and claims to “take responsibility” instead of acknowledging “it’s my fault”.

via New York Times

Speak Like A Human At Work is a post from Bob Hazlett, a digital marketer who writes at One Half Amazing!

Breaking: Starbucks To Offer Free Wifi Nationwide Starting July 1 is a post from Bob Hazlett, a digital marketer who writes at One Half Amazing!

via The Brads

How to Alienate a Fanbase is a post from Bob Hazlett, a digital marketer who writes at One Half Amazing!

Some examples of Pages that may find this useful are:

• Global brands who have tons of Fans across the world, may want to talk about a new product that is only available in a certain location.
• Musicians & Celebrities who may want to announce to fans in California that new tour dates have been added across the state.
• Retail shops that may want to let fans in a certain city know that a new shop is opening locally.

New: Publish to Facebook Fans Based on Location and Language is a post from Bob Hazlett, a digital marketer who writes at One Half Amazing!

Free PDF for Download. I’m also happy that they are now offering a printed version via Blurb

Razorfish 2009 FEED Report Now Available is a post from Bob Hazlett, a digital marketer who writes at One Half Amazing!

Personas are useful because they put a face on otherwise abstract data about your customers. By thinking about the needs of these fictional characters, you can better infer what a real person might need or want.

Additional Articles on Personas from The Cooper Journal

• The Original of Personas
• Putting Personas Under the Microscope

Creating and Understanding Personas is a post from Bob Hazlett, a digital marketer who writes at One Half Amazing!

The Future of Marketing and Advertising is a post from Bob Hazlett, a digital marketer who writes at One Half Amazing!

The world of communication and product delivery is changing as the Web evolves and new services are introduced, enabling us to gain faster access to information, download richer media more quickly, and rapidly voice our opinions and feedback near and far in a wide variety of methods, including text, voice, video and imagery. As customers become more savvy and in tune with these new tools, we are also expecting those offering products and services to adapt, and as such, I thought it made sense to put forth what I believe are key tenets of a new consumer manifesto for today’s real-time world.

Who do you feel are the best companies that are really in-tune with real-time consumer expectations? The worst? What will it take for more companies to tune in and take action?

Satisfying Consumer Expectations in Today’s Real-Time World is a post from Bob Hazlett, a digital marketer who writes at One Half Amazing!

Zappos Core Values

1. Deliver WOW through service
2. Embrace and drive change
3. Create fun and a little weirdness
4. Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded
5. Pursue growth and learning
6. Build open and honest relationships with communication
7. Build a positive team and family spirit
8. Do more with less
9. Be passionate and determined
10. Be humble

What core values are important to you in your work?  What values would you add if you could start a company tomorrow? Let me know in the comments below.

Starting A Company? Model It After Zappos.com is a post from Bob Hazlett, a digital marketer who writes at One Half Amazing!