Ryan Dash Patrick Dot Com

I’m taking my talents to South Beach The Daily Blur.

Beginning today, I will no longer be posting new content at Ryan-Patrick.com. In the coming weeks, this site will be shuttered and sent to blog heaven.

But I’m not going away…

I will now be posting exclusive content at The Daily Blur.

Click over and take a look. Better yet, subscribe and get a daily dose of inspiration delivered directly to your inbox every day.

Thanks for visiting Ryan-Patrick.com. It’s been a blast. But the fun is just beginning.

See ya at The Daily Blur.

-Ryan

Election Day is almost here. Candidates everywhere are scrambling to put ANYTHING on the air.

As a public service, I present The Handy-Dandy Do-It-Yourself Campaign Ad.

Just fill in the blanks, print a copy, and contact your media rep, post haste.

Happy Campaigning!

*************

Hello, this is (your name).  I’m your candidate for (elected office).

I grew up here in (town / region / religious cult). And I would be honored to represent you in (city hall / county seat / state capitol / the White House / federal prison).

I stand for (choose three:  opportunity / growth / education / economic development / jobs / gay marriage / off-shore drilling / Big Bird / the expansion of instant replay in Major League Baseball / other:______ )

My opponent, (d-bag’s name), would have you believe that (he/she) supports these causes. But, my fellow Americans, nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, (d-bag) voted AGAINST (the building of schools / funding for the local children’s hospital / little league baseball / Betty White / puppies and kittens / your grandmother /  other:_______ ).

Furthermore, (d-bag) SUPPORTED (flag burning / book burning / cake burning / the NFL using replacement refs / Nikki Minaj joining American Idol / other:_______ ).

Is this the kind of representation you (want / deserve / paid for)?

On Election Day, vote (integrity / honesty / sober).  Vote (your name) for (elected office).

Remember, (d-bag) doesn’t like you.  But I do.  A lot.

ANNOUNCER:  Paid for by the (committee to elect / friends of / sons and daughters of / brainless puppets of ) (your name). 

I’m (your name) and I (approve / can’t believe I’m using) this message.

*************

photo credit: The Rocketeer via photopin cc

“A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again. But a wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid the mistake altogether.” –  from the Monday Morning Memo by Roy H. Williams, May 30, 2011.

My Wizard of Ads partners and I are writing a book.

With you.

About you.

This book, 20,000 Years of Advertising: Lessons Learned. Fortunes Made will feature 1,000 business owners  from every corner of the country talking about their advertising; what worked, what didn’t, and what to stay the heck away from.

If you or someone you know runs an owner-operated company with less than 100 employees, you can be featured in this book.

Interested?

I’m looking for 50 business owners who are willing to participate in the Wizard of Ads American Small Business Survey. 

It’s easy. Just answer two questions:

1) Of all the advertising you have ever done, has there ever been anything that you thought really worked? Do you still do it now? Why did you stop?

2) Have you ever done anything in advertising that made perfect sense and you were really excited about it but it failed miserably?

If you would like to participate, please contact me today. We will conduct the interview via email.  The deadline to submit your answers is Tuesday, January 29, 2013.

No obligation. No sales pitch. I’m not going to sell you anything. Period.

Then, I will give you a free advance hardback copy of the book once it’s published next year.

The information you share will benefit other small business owners just like you. You’ll enjoy 20,000 combined years of real-world marketing experience.

Wizard of Ads founding partner, Roy H. Williams writes:

Research tells you what ought to work.

We’re going to ask these businesses what actually worked.

Actual experience is the highest form of research.

Contact me today to get the ball rolling.

If you know someone who may also be interested in being a part of this project, feel free to share this information with them.

We’re writing a book.

You can be in it.

How cool is that? 

****

photo credit: el patojo via photopin cc

My friend, Tim Miles, has written a book. At long last, Good Company: Making It, Keeping It, & Being It goes on sale today. I’ve known this book ever since it was a gleam in his daddy’s eye.

And, ooooh, it’s good. Here’s Tim to tell you more.

This book is beyond awesome. It’s not a slick, gimmicky, get-rich-quick kind of a book. It’s solid, tested, proven advice from someone who has been doing it the right way for 20 years.

And I’m not just saying that because I’m mentioned on pages 16, 71, 111, 112, and 176.

It really is a great book. Buy it. Read it. Gift it.

I’m so confident that you’ll love this book, I’ll back it up with my own personal guarantee:

If you’re not 100 percent in love with this book, I’ll buy you a taco.

Not just any taco. A taco SUPREME.

See? You have absolutely nothing to lose. And a tasty taco to gain.

Buy the book.

You’ll be sooooo glad you did.

Maybe it's because we've known each other for almost 20 years.

Maybe it's because, together, he and I have written over 10-thousand ads for clients both here and abroad.

Or maybe it's because I posess the only-known negatives to his oddly-provocative “I-was-young-and-needed-the-money” photo shoot.

For whatever reason, the lovely and talented Tim Miles asked me to write a guest post on his popular blog, The Daily Blur.

Check out 3 Tips To Make Your Ads Sound More Authentic.

And, no, the negatives aren't for sale. Yet.

Posted with Blogsy

Last week, I joined seven of my Wizard of Ads Partners for a half-day marketing seminar in St. Louis. It was my first professional speaking gig. I had put it off for way too long until a friend gave me a nudge in the right direction.

Yes, I was nervous, although I’m not sure why. As a local community theatre actor, I’ve been in front of a hundreds of audiences.

But this was different. I wasn’t playing a role. I was playing me. And there were no stage lights to mask the audience. Everyone was in plain view.

*gulp*

Well, I’m proud to say that I didn’t a) fall down, b) throw up, c) cry, or d) all of the above.

It turned out to be a great day. My presentation went off without a hitch. And I learned about “The Three Be’s”.

1. Be Brief – At the request of Ray Seggern, my partner and event organizer, we kept our presentations to 20 minutes or less. Wow, what a difference! It’s not only a more pleasant experience for the average audience member, but it also forces you to streamline your presentation. When you have 20 minutes for a 40 minute presentation, you have to start trimming, hacking and whacking the stuff that doesn’t need to be there. My partner, Roy H. Williams, preaches, “know how to end, where to begin, and what to leave out.“ Sure, you might have to lose that clever story or the PowerPoint slide that took you 30 minutes to create, but if you can cut it without sacrificing the tone, theme or flow of your speech, toss it off the lifeboat.

2. Be Flexible – As I listened to my partners’ presentations, I discovered that a few of them were using examples and illustrations that I had planned to use in mine. The solution: I made a few changes on the fly. As I sat at the back of the room, I was re-editing slides on my laptop while modifying the script in my brain. In the same way, I was able to throw in a few additions to my speech. When Tom Wanek introduced his brilliant Carlin Ad-Speak Calculator, I quickly tested a radio script from my presentation and included the results. It was a nice way to tie the two presentations together. The audience loved it. And it took only 60 seconds.

3. Be Prepared – I’m not talking about backing up your presentation to a flash drive or keeping fresh batteries on-hand for your clicker (although you should!). You need to be prepared to give your speech without notes. Thanks to my theatre background, I’ve learned that rehearsal is invaluable. The reason I felt comfortable enough to get up in front of the crowd in St. Louis is because I had already done it in front of an imaginary crowd 20 times in my office at home. Whether your speech is five minutes or fifty minutes or whether you’re speaking to three people or three hundred, you owe it to yourself and your audience to give them a good show. Practice, practice, practice. At home, in the car, in the shower, wherever. The more you say it OUT LOUD at home, the more comfortable you’ll be saying it on stage.

By the way, this is just the tip of the iceberg. For a great list of public speaking pointers, check out a great blog post from my friend, Tim Miles.

P.S. – The Wizard of Ads Partners are planning a return engagement to St. Louis in the fall. Stay tuned for more details.

Come see me in St. Louis!

I will be a featured speaker at “Boom Your Business” – a fast-paced, jam-packed, mind-blowing, half-day marketing seminar presented by The Wizard of Ads Group on Wednesday, May 16th from at the Crowne Plaza in downtown St. Louis, MO.

Fellow Wizard of Ads Partners Tim Miles, Paul Boomer, Ray Seggern, Steve Rae, Tom Wanek, Jeff Sexton, Mike Slover and I will be sharing proven marketing strategies that can help you grow your business.

Best of all – no sales pitch! We’re not trying to sell you anything. But you will leave with some free stuff and LOTS of ideas.

Space is limited and will fill up quickly. Reserve your seat today.

It’s going to be a fast, fun, and informative day. Come join us in St. Louis on May 16th!

I thrive on deadlines. As long as they’re not my own.

See, I tend to procrastinate.

Okay, that’s an understatement. In the world of procrastinators, I’m the Grand Poo-bah. If there was an Olympic Procrastinating Team, I’d win the bronze, silver, AND gold. I’m forming a procrastinator’s club…tomorrow.

And when I set my own deadlines, I tend to, well, re-set them.

Example: My friend and business partner, Tim Miles, and I were returning from meeting a new client in Tennessee when our discussion turned to speaking engagements. Tim is a world-class speaker. He’s spoken to thousands of people domestically and abroad. He’s witty. He’s captivating. He’s pretty dang good.

I’m not. Yet. But I’d like to be.

The truth is I’ve been interested in public speaking for a while. I just haven’t done the work to develop an audience-worthy presentation.

I want to. I’ve been meaning to. Really. It’s been on my to-do list. For, uh, over a year.

So, today, Tim encouraged me to set a deadline.

Then he picked up his phone.

And called a friend in Missouri.

To book a speaking gig.

For me.

*gulp*

I penciled in the deadline. Tim chiseled it in stone.

(For the record, Tim used to be known for his distaste, defiance and downright disrespect of deadlines. Tall tales are still being told of his diabolic deadline-dodging abilities. Now he’s putting the squeeze on me. That, Alanis, is ironic.)

Yep. Tim forced my hand, called my bluff and put some walk in my talk. Dang it.

Truth be told, it’s just what I need.

Do you constantly miss, postpone or ignore the deadline you’ve set for yourself?

Let someone else set it for you.

Or call Tim.

He’s pretty dang good.