On February 3, Facebook will launch Paper, a new platform that looks like it could sink Flipboard’s ship. Though the platform is really a fusion of both Flipboard and Facebook, aesthetically and functionally it surpasses both platforms. Facebook’s recently launched preview suggest that Paper will revolutionize mobile storytelling. Dieter Bohn of the Verge notes that “Facebook has hired a team of content curators to pick stories for you in one of a dozen or so categories ranging from basic news to cute animals.” Additionally, you can post your own stories, pictures, and videos within a composition screen. Bohn is clear that he believes this platform is not designed to replace Facebook at any level, but serve as an aesthetic content curation app – a rich, visual form of mobile storytelling. Watch the video and let me know what you think? What do you like most about the interface, experience, functionality, or curation?

Introducing Paper from Facebook on Vimeo.

Gary V Great Marketing Quote

I’m wrapping up my HubSpot Academy Inbound Marketing Certification today. I’ve tried to post quotes and articles that I’ve found useful along the way through my Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn accounts. One summary I found useful (and worth posting) was a summary of 12 best practices for email marketing during Alan Perlman’s class:

  1. Identify a specific goal.
  2. Segment your list
  3. Personalize when possible
  4. Create consistency between “from name” & “from email” address
  5. Use actionable language
  6. Create Clear & Compelling subject lines and email copy
  7. Write mostly in the second person
  8. Focus on benefits (not features)
  9. Be brief
  10. Have a concise signature and footer
  11. Test your email
  12. Analyze your email

The certification is well-worth your time. Be sure to check Perlman’s “Sending the Right Email to the Right Lead” class out.