In the beginning…

Before I start blogging about marketing, I’d like to acknowledge our granddaughter, Jessica McKendry, who convinced me that I needed to do this.

At the tender age of 15, Jessica is a prolific writer and blogger.  She suggested back in August 2011 that, in order to promote my book, I needed to start blogging and building a fan base BEFORE the book becomes available for sale.  She didn’t just make the advice; she even set up a website for me during our short visit with her and her family.  This was the very beginning of my marketing effort in this new age of weblogs.  Then what did I do with the first website?  Well, I did nothing.  It did not mean, however, that I ignored her advice – far from it.  What she said and did for me made me think a lot. 

I have been using computers, the internet, and e-mails for my business – longer than she has been with us here on Earth.  Blogging, on the other hand, is a completely new territory for me.  When Jessica first suggested it, I was not sure how I could possibly carve out the time for yet another project.  After all, my goal in life is not to be a blogger but to build a solid financial future as a private investor.  Almost all of my waking moments are devoted to achieving this hefty goal.  By the same token, given Jessica’s passion for writing, coupled with her knowledge on the topic – having attended a three-week seminar at the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University when she was 13 years old – I knew her advice needed to be taken seriously.

I wondered what I might blog about, who my target audience might be and, above all, why it would make sense for anyone to follow my blog at all.  The only way anyone would bother to carve out the time in their busy lives, just to read my blog, would be if the blog content offers something of value to the readers – particularly when they have similar interests as I do.

I’m a firm believer in the alignment of how I spend my time with what’s important to me.  In order to make a commitment to keep a log of my activities on the internet, where anyone in the world can have access to it, it needs to be something about which I’m passionate, something I would do for myself any way.  It would have to be in line with my stated life missions, one of which is to be of service to others.  I have surmised that the best candidate may be a log of either knowledge gained (so you can learn a thing or two by following my blog) and/or mistakes I’ve made (so you can avoid making them yourself).

My welcome note to you in the home page reflects some of these in-depth thoughts that were triggered by Jessica’s suggestions. 

I thank you, Jessica, for pulling me into the wide world of weblogs in the twenty-first century.  Your conviction and sheer force of will are infectious.  My autobiography may have been destined to be left in the dust had it not been for your help.  Now, I think it’s up to me to get on with the rest of the marketing efforts needed for my book.  I can’t wait to share with you – and the rest of the world – what I will have learned as I embark on this journey.

I love you to infinity!

Grandma Reiko