Do you want to know why?

BECAUSE WE’RE MOVING TO CHARLOTTE!

And SOON.

We love Asheville a LOT, but the winds of change are blowing and they’re pointing us toward the Queen City. So we’re handing in our keys and saying goodbye to our little grey house on Dorchester Avenue. We’ll miss our city terribly and we hope to visit often, but for now…

Goodbye hippies, goodbye hills, goodbye mountain moonshine stills.
Goodbye, land of local brews. Goodbye, Asheville. See you soon!

Spotted on Lexington Ave. in downtown Asheville. Also not allowed in this antiques shop: candy, puppies, fun.

Today is the day that I “launch” my online portfolio. Would you be so kind as to click the image below, take a look around, and let me know what you think? I’m a little nervous and I would LOVE to hear your feedback.

Thanks a bunch!

And if you love him,
Oh, be proud of him…

‘Cause after all, he’s just a man

This is another song that’s been stuck in my head for the last couple of weeks. Best way to cure an earworm is Ukulele Wednesday, right? I hope you liked my version of “Stand By Your Man.” Chords came from Songbook 12 at wukulele.com. Have a great Wednesday!

I hope you like my Springtime Songs playlist! Click the image below to start listening.

Track Listing:

1. Everyday – Buddy Holly
2. We Believe In You – Bess Rogers
3. As I Lay Me Down – Sophie B. Hawkins
4. In the Sun – She & Him
5. Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard – Paul Simon
6. Pull Shapes – The Pipettes
7. King of the Road – Teddy Thompson
8. Dream Lover – Bobby Darin
9. Not About To Lose – Ron Sexsmith
10. Here You Come Again – Dolly Parton
11. Sunset Soon Forgotten – Iron and Wine

]]> http://corleymay.com/blog/springtime-songs/feed/ 0 http://corleymay.com/blog/ukulele-wednesday-peter-cottontail/ http://corleymay.com/blog/ukulele-wednesday-peter-cottontail/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 23:18:43 +0000 corley http://corleymay.com/blog/?p=1520

Here comes Peter Cottontail,
hoppin’ down the bunny trail!

Hoppy Easter from all of us here at Ukulele Wednesday!

First of all, full disclosure: I have loved Newsies for years and years. As a junior in high school, I campaigned for our school musical, choir concert, and even our marching band’s halftime show to be Newsies-themed. I wept over sweet little Crutchie, and I crushed on a dancing Newsie named Specs, and I got goosebumps every time I listened to the a capella reprise of “Seize the Day.” (Don’t know what I’m talking about? Click here to listen to the soundtrack and hear for yourself.)

All of this is to say that I would have been excited about the new Newsies musical even if I hadn’t been completely sucked in by their impressive marketing efforts.

However, judging by the buzz crackling across the Internet, I know that the PR team behind Newsies is revolutionizing the way Broadway shows are promoted in the world of Social Media. And the number one lesson I’ve learned from the Newsies team? Get your team excited, and then get them to share their excitement.

With sneak peeks backstage, cast blogs, and goosebump-inducing previews, we’ve seen the actors and production team getting pumped about opening their show – and that honest, unbridled giddy feeling we see from the cast is contagious. There is nothing artificial or forced about the pride and excitement we’re seeing from the Newsies team. I don’t feel skeptical, I don’t doubt their enthusiasm – in short, I don’t feel that I’m being pitched or sold to. Instead, I feel like I’m in on something thrilling! I celebrate with them when I read about standing ovations at intermission, and I share their victories with my own social network.

So what can businesses learn from this musical’s marketing team?

First of all, when your team is happy, they can be your greatest marketing asset. Get them excited and give them access to social media – if you have a truly great product and truly happy team members, your audience will be happy to hear (or read) what they have to say about you. Internal ambassadors are hugely important.

But let me be clear – this can’t be artificial enthusiasm. Consumers are smart, and they can smell fake from a mile away. Trust your team, give them something to celebrate, and allow them to share with their friends.

Secondly, be sure you’re still talking TO people. The Newsies twitter stream is a great mix of original tweets and links, RTs spreading the word about how fantastic their show is, and @ replies to the people talking to them. Retweeting your compliments adds truth to your promotion, but be sure that’s not all you’re doing.

The heartbeat of good social media is still conversation. Don’t get so caught up in tooting your own horn that you forget to talk to people. @Newsies is constantly thanking people for coming to the show, getting excited with their followers about their upcoming performances, and retweeting reviews and audience feedback.

Bottom line, if your product or service is worth getting excited about, then the people working for you will be excited. Use that excitement to your advantage. Give them a voice, and then share that voice as truthfully and authentically as you can.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to put Newsies tickets at the top of my birthday list (hint hint!).

Things have been quiet on the blog front lately. I owe my silence in part to writer’s block, in part to being busy like a bee, and in part to just not feeling like it. Being a staunch believer in doing what you love and loving what you do, I haven’t forced it – but I am feeling ready to climb back on the blogging horse.

Happy Monday, friends.

I love airplanes and airports.

I’m not crazy about flying. I get really nervous during takeoff, landing, and turbulence. But the nerves are worth it, because airplanes and airports are where you get to see people at their worst – and their best.

Airports are where I started writing short stories. Flying home to Indiana, I would sit in the terminal and eavesdrop on the people around me, trying to guess at their life stories and reasons for traveling.

I’m in Vegas now. On my first flight, a 35 minute hop to Atlanta, I sat next to the most important man in the world. His hurry was the biggest hurry, his job was the most important job, his layover was the shortest layover, and his connection was the toughest connection. Also, he was far too important to turn off his phone, and it really bothered him that the flight attendant kept harping on about it.

Then, when I was getting off the plane, the most important woman in the world was behind me! She nearly chopped off my toes with her important rolling suitcase as she rushed to her important connecting flight to her important final destination. I can’t believe I managed to find the most important man AND woman in the world on the same flight, but that’s travel for you. You never know who you’ll be sitting beside.

On my flight from Atlanta to Vegas, I sat between a sleepy older gentleman and an Australian man who was completely absorbed in a book on his iPad. We sat in contented silence for 3 ½ of the 4 hours in the air – and then I mentioned that I had never been to Vegas before.

Suddenly, these two fellas lit up. The sleepy man woke up, put on his glasses, and opened his window so that I could see the lights as we circled the strip. The Reader gave me gambling advice and told me that he stays out of trouble by leaving his money at home with his wife. Sleepy told me that the lights were much brighter in person, and Reader told me to have fun and be careful. Sleepy and I admired the sunset as we landed. Then Reader asked me where my bag was, held up the line to pull it down for me, and made sure I didn’t get stuck in my seat waiting to get off the plane. They both wished me luck before we parted ways.

People show you who they are when they’re flying. I’m always so surprised and happy to see the best of my fellow passengers – and I’m glad to see the important people hurry away from me and on to their next stop. I’ll take a quiet flight and a nice view beside a kind, unimportant person any day of the week.