FAQ For The Vendor Community

A percentage of those who read this blog are members of the Vendor Community.  

Increasingly, the Vendor Community is looking to leverage this blog to obtain free access to those of you who work for B2C and B2B brands.

This post serves as a "Frequently Asked Questions" document that the Vendor Community may refer to in the future.


Question:  "Our CEO would like to write a guest post on The MineThatData Blog about an exciting new product we are offering that may be of interest to MineThatData readers.  Could you please offer us a date when we can publish our article?"

Answer:  I only post original content that I write, I will not accept guest posts unless I originate the discussion with the individual who is responsible for contributing content. 




Question:  "We would like to offer readers of The MineThatData Blog a 20% discount on our products and services.  Would you be willing to write an article about our products and services, offering your readers our generous discount?  We will pay you a commission for each qualified lead you provide us.  Thank you, we look forward to working with you."


Answer:  "I do not publish content that offers readers discounts on products and services offered by the Vendor Community.  The vast majority of content written here supports my consulting practice.  If I am speaking at a conference, and the conference wishes to offer readers a discount, I will consider offering the discount on a case-by-case basis."


Question:  "We are hoping that you could help our marketing campaign 'go viral' by sharing a link to an offer we have on Facebook.  Please notify your readers of our campaign at your earliest convenience.  Can we count on your support in this viral initiative?"

Answer:  "No, I will not use this blog to participate in your marketing endeavor.  Thank you for your interest, and good luck with your viral marketing initiative."




Question:  "We frequently disagree with your point of view, and would like an opportunity to have you publish a rebuttal on your blog, so that your readers can gain a balanced view of marketing and analytics.  Would you be willing to offer us this opportunity?"


Answer:  "If your argument is backed-up with actionable and realistic facts that are crafted after controlling for recency/frequency/monetary value, past channel activity, past merchandise preference, and other customer behavior factors, yes, I will consider publishing your rebuttal on a case-by-case basis."




Question:  "Would you be willing to mention our products and services in an upcoming episode of Gliebers Dresses?"


Answer:  "No, Gliebers Dresses is a fictional account of an online/catalog brand.  The stories are designed to highlight various marketing issues that all of us sometimes run across, via parable.  Product placement is not congruent with the message being promoted in the Gliebers Dresses storyline, though Roger Morgan would find the concept interesting."




Question:  "Would you be willing to mention a new research report we are about to publish tomorrow?  I'm sure your readers would be delighted in the research we've conducted, and we would be willing to offer your readers a special discount on the research report."


Answer:  "No, I do not publish solicited content on this blog."


Question:  "Would you be willing to sell our products and services to your client base, in exchange for promotion of your Multichannel Forensics framework with our client base?  I'm sure your clients would greatly benefit from our new products and services."

Answer:  "No, I do not engage in cooperative arrangements, as my clients would have a hard time telling whether I am being honest or if I am being given an incentive to sell services from a Vendor.  The work I do has to benefit a client, and has to be unbiased."


Question:  "Is there any kind of content (interviews, podcasts, videos, events, blog posts, Tweets, Facebook credits) that you would be willing to share with your audience?  We believe that there are synergies between your audience and our products and services.  It is really important that your readers learn more about what we have to offer."

Answer:  "No, I will not publish any content that is solicited to me by the Vendor Community."


The short answer is that I do not accept content from the Vendor Community.  The content on this blog is largely original or is content that I find interesting and therefore I decide to link to it.  The content is designed benefit industry CEOs, CMOs, Vice Presidents, Marketing Leaders, and Analytics Experts.  The content is largely designed to help sell my consulting products and services.  

I have spent nearly five years providing unique and original content that, to date, attracts an audience of nearly a quarter-million visitors, more than two-thousand followers on Twitter, and nearly two-thousand blog subscribers.  Interrupting a relationship that has been built one subscriber per day, every day, for five years with Vendor-Based Advertising is not in the best interest of anybody associated with this blog.


Thank you for understanding the purpose and goal of this blog.




Thanks,
Kevin