January 2011

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. — Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Sponsored Link:

A whole new year, and three weeks are already gone!

The beginning of the year is a prime time for setting new goals. If "selling more" is on your list, sales strategist Jim Meisenheimer offers six ideas detailing just how to make that goal a reality. Click here to read his list.

In addition to adding some good habits to your arsenal, consider what needs to be removed. As Marc and Angel, at the blog Marc and Angel Hack Life, put it, "When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you." Click here to read their list of 30 things to stop doing to yourself.

Now, once you get your goals lined up, think about what makes one of your business promotions a success. How did your holiday season go? Did your marketing campaign work? Steve Benidt, at Marketing Profs blog outlines promotional marketing pitfalls to avoice, and how to you're your next campaign better than the last. Click here to read his Eight Common Mistakes of Promotional Marketing.

You already know Isthmus reaches a crowd:
Isthmus readers can fill Camp Randall more than twice over!

For any and all advertising information, call me, Colin Murray, at 608.251.5627 ext. 186, or email me at cmurray@isthmus.com.

Connect with the crowd through an Isthmus sponsorship
Isthmus hosts a slew of community events throughout the year. We promote them across all Isthmus channels to reach the broadest possible audience. Event and prize sponsorships are available at many different levels. To take advantage of sponsorships, the man to talk to is Isthmus Marketing & Events Coordinator Chris Majchrzak (pronounced "my-shock"), cmajchrzak@isthmus.com; 608.251.5627 ext. 122

Show off your green stuff!
Isthmus Green Day is set for Saturday, Apr. 21
Madison's eco-friendly expo celebrates the latest trends, products and issues
relevant to the environment and how we live.
We bring the audience, you bring your message. Display your goods and services for thousands of visitors, who come for the shopping, informative speakers and interactive demonstrations. For information, email Chris, or call him at 608-251-5627, ext. 122.

Upcoming Isthmus Special Sections
Isthmus prints a slew of specialty publications, including the original guide to the city, the Isthmus Annual Manual, featuring results of Madison’s Favorites: Isthmus Readers Poll; Isthmus Dining Magazine; Isthmus Summertimes, with events and activities throughout Wisconsin; and Isthmus Abode, highlighting ideas for nesting in home and garden. Here are the sections planned for the next few months.

Kids & Parents: Publishes February 3. Reserve space by January 27.
Isthmus Book of Love: Publishes February 10. Reserve space by February 3.
Kids & Parents: Publishes March 2. Reserve space by February 24.
Wisconsin Film Festival Guide: Publishes March 23. Reserve space by March 9.
Isthmus Dining Magazine: Publishes March 30. Reserve space by February 22.
Isthmus Abode: Publishes April 6. Reserve space by March 21.
Kids & Parents: Publishes April 6. Reserve space by March 30.
Isthmus Green Day Guide: Publishes April 20. Reserve space by April 4.
Kids & Parents: Publishes May 4. Reserve space by April 27.
Isthmus Summertimes: Publishes May 25. Reserve space by May 9.
In addition, the Candidates' Answers Voter Guide, prepared by the League of Women Voters of Dane County, prints in the Feb. 3 edition of Isthmus. The primary election takes place Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Every year Isthmus readers get inspired,
especially around Valentine's Day...
The Isthmus Book of Love is the original crowd-sourced opus:
Sweet words and pretty pictures! The Isthmus audience writes it by emailing in sweet sayings. The Isthmus audience decorates it by uploading pretty pictures. The Isthmus audience reads it, too, and enjoys the slide-show. Passionately!
The Isthmus Book of Love hits the streets Thursday, Feb. 9, timed perfectly for Valentine shopping. Here's your chance to put your advertising message in one of the most popular annual features we publish. Plan now: The special section deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 1.
To get into the Isthmus Book of Love, call me, Colin Murray, at 608.251.5627 ext. 186, or email me at cmurray@isthmus.com.

Isthmus: "Great rates and good layout"
Isthmus Testimonials
"My first open house ad in Isthmus drew such a positive response that I will be placing all of my future open house listings in Isthmus. Thanks for the great rates and good layout." — Steve Wajda, The Condo Shoppe

Jacqui Sakowski: Talking Sales — Start again! Walking along the lane after reading several holiday letters, I reflected on what a hard year 2011 turned out to be for many of the people in my life. Family and business challenges seemed to sap their energy, forcing their heads to drop. Everyone was looking forward to 2012. I thought of this sentiment, from from the great film actress Mary Pickford, "You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down." Every day we get a chance to change our circumstances and to shift our paradigm. Hopefully, your 2012 business plan is prepared and you implementing a strategy that will bring prosperity to you, your firm and your clients. I encourage you to review how your plan is working every day, and if it's bringing the results you expect. Remind yourself that your real goal is not to implement the plan, but to achieve your purpose. As you review your activities and results, and remember, whether you are on target, ahead of or behind expectations - "You may have a fresh start any moment you choose"! Jacqui Sakowski is a Madison-based sales trainer, president of Sakowski Consulting, and founder of Selling ExtraNet, peer-to-peer coaching groups for professionals. She brings more than 25 years of international sales and sales management guidance to companies across the United States. She welcomes your questions. Email her at Jacqui@sakowskiconsulting.com, or call 608.218.9003.

Isthmus Advertising contact information

Did you notice the ad at the top of this newsletter?
You can get your message to more than 7,000 businesses monthly, just like that. Drop us a note and we will make it happen. Email me, Colin Murray, or call 608.251.5627 ext. 186, for more details.

Save a tree: Sign up for paperless billing
When you advertise in any Isthmus product, we can bill you electronically.
Simply email Administrative Assistant Carla Dawkins or Office Manager Julie Butler, and let them know you'd like to switch. Your invoices will come by email instead of on paper. Ask Carla or Julie for more information.

Thanks for reading!
This newsletter is devoted to Isthmus advertisers and supporters. To forward this newsletter, or to unsubscribe, or otherwise change your subscription, follow the links below this email. Your comments are encouraged. Contact me directly by phone at 608.251.5627 ext. 186, or by email at cmurray@isthmus.com.