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Articles by Mike Madden
What the federal stimulus package means for Wyoming
The COVID-19 CARES Act is so involved, complex and voluminous that — just as the speaker of the U.S. House famously said of another bill a few years ago — Congress may have had to pass it to see what all was in it. The relief package is broadly structured because the impacts of the virus are spread throughout the entire public and private sectors. In short, there is something in the act for nearly everybody.
Exposure: Wyoming’s economy in this recession
A lot of smart people have been working hard of late to identify which economic sectors and communities will be hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and concurrent oil-industry disturbance. I’ve found one particular Brookings Institute analysis to be especially useful in considering how Wyoming might fare. It’s clear that, while nowhere will be entirely spared, the recessionary impacts will not hit every community with the same degree of intensity.
Madden: A black swan lands on Wyoming
There is an economic phenomenon that fascinates academics and sows dread among business leaders, politicians and financiers: the black swan event. And one has just touched down in our lives. Black swan events have three distinct characteristics. First, they are extremely rare. The term comes from the likelihood of seeing a black swan in the wild — it’s possible but highly improbable. Second, they are enormously disruptive and have widespread ramifications.
Madden: Tax ideas that stumble now may return after recalibration
If there was anyone left in Wyoming who hadn’t yet gotten the memo, lawmaker activity during current legislative session has made it abundantly clear: The state needs to find some funding solutions. Toward that end, lawmakers have considered bills that would change the sales tax rate, alter the flows of severance and mineral royalty revenues and reduce dependence on the state’s general fund — which was the major motivation behind the lodging tax passage. kAm%96 w@FD6 pAAC@AC:2E:@?D r@>>:EE66 6G6?
Madden's Measure: Should Wyoming gamble on gambling?
Some pieces of legislation receive far less attention than they deserve. House Bill 171 – Wyoming gaming commission, sponsored by the travel committee, looks to be one such under-the-radar measure this session. Early legislative comments focused on the idea that it regulates gambling. It’s more accurate, however, to describe the measure as legalizing instant-gratification gambling on a new level for the state.
Madden: No easy answers: Wyo wrestles with a tangle of fiscal worries
Earlier this month, at the annual Governor’s Business Forum organized by the Wyoming Business Alliance, I had the honor of moderating a panel focusing on many of the state’s thornier fiscal quandaries. Sen. Dan Dockstader (R- Afton), Rep. Jared Olson (R-Cheyenne), UW economics professor Dr. Robert Godby, Renny MacKay from the Governor’s policy team and Jared Walczak of the State Tax Policy Foundation in Washington, D.C. wrestled with a broad array of critical topics.
Madden: Time for lawmakers to roll up the sleeves, the interim’s here
The legislative session gets all of the attention, but the Wyoming Legislature relies on the interim period — the 48 or 50 weeks each year between sessions — to do a lot of its work. In fact, because our constitution limits the number of days the Legislature can meet, Wyoming lawmakers use the interim more than their counterparts elsewhere to get the job done. And as the complexities of state government have expanded over the years the need for interim work has only grown.
Tips to Increase Email Marketing Engagement I Marketo
Email marketing is like an old friend. It’s been around for years. It doesn’t surprise you much anymore. You may even find it a little boring sometimes. But at the end of the day, you know you can depend on it. Even with the emergence of more exciting engagement tactics, email marketing has remained a key method for reaching your audience. In fact, nearly 70% of people between the ages of 18 and 34 prefer companies communicate with them through email, according to MarketingSherpa research.
Madden's Measure: Should Wyoming consider a new budgeting process?
If you’ve been wondering why there’s been so much talk of budget negotiations in the Legislature this year — a supposedly non-budget year — you’re not alone. During my 12 years of service in the House, I sensed that the most difficult aspect of state government for the general public to get a good grasp on was the state budget. The same was true for many legislators. Typical citizens perhaps know the Legislature meets annually.
Madden: Wyoming’s century long boondoggle: Public Purpose Investments
Should Wyoming use its permanent fund dollars to “invest in Main Street instead of Wall Street?” It’s a topic of continuing discussion in the Legislature and a catchy concept that’s popular both with perpetually cash strapped local governments and the economic development crowd.
Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y "2009" Review
Audience Rating How do you rate this album/mixtape? User Rating: Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y haven't lost a step. In 2009, Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y were among rap’s exciting prospects. Wiz had one studio album, a handful of mixtapes, and an eventually gold-certified single in the previous year’s “Say Yeah.” New Orleans native Curren$y had already cycled through periods with No Limit and Cash Money, embarking on a mixtape-oriented run that landed him a spot on the 2009 XXL Freshman list.
Madden: Buckle-up session watchers, it’s crossover week
This week is bound to be the busiest of the 2019 legislative session and the most frustrating for lawmakers — it’s crossover week. Every bill, file and resolution that’s going to survive must meet the crossover deadline: each must be approved by its chamber of origin and passed to the other by Feb. 6. Measures that don’t make it through the necessary hoops in time are dead for the year.
Madden: The long winding road to a Wyoming corporate income tax
Lawmakers and the public often invoke the specter of unintended consequences during legislative debate and testimony. Opponents of one measure considered in the 1973 legislative session, however, undoubtedly did not raise that particular alarm. Resolution 12 was sponsored in the Wyoming House by then Rep. Nels J. Smith, a Republican from Newcastle who is now 80 years old.
Happy Birthday Dear COBOL: Part Three
COBOL celebrates its 60th birthday in 2019. This is the last in a three part blog looking at the cultural and technological changes that it has endured within its lifetime. Approaching the new millennium the spectre of Y2K loomed large… 1999 was much anticipated. The end of the century, the beginning of the Euro, and the television debut of Spongebob Squarepants.
Madden: Smart sales tax update is long overdue
The big story of Wyoming’s excise taxes — the taxes we pay when buying and selling things — is one of economic behavior evolving faster than the tax structure. It’s time for the state to catch up. Household spending on tangible goods has fallen massively in recent decades while spending on services has gone up. In fact, some research finds that 60 percent of the average household’s expenditures went toward goods 40 years ago. Today that number is down to 40 percent.
Happy Birthday Dear COBOL: Part Two
COBOL celebrates its 60th birthday in 2019. This is the second in a three part blog looking at the cultural and technological changes that it has endured within its lifetime. We pick up the story in the mid 1970s. COBOL had survived its early growing pains and was in a period of stability… Elsewhere, things were happening. In 1975 Sony introduced the ill-fated Betamax video tapes, Microsoft was founded, and the Altair 8800 Microcomputer was released.
Madden: Legislative reflections from a veteran lawmaker
On the top shelf of my in-home office here in Buffalo sits a desk ornament that reads, “GOOD MORNING, LET THE STRESS BEGIN.” Its rectangular shape and bold font bolster its earnest appearance. It doesn’t have the same meaning, though, now that I have retired from the Wyoming Legislature. It originally sat on my office desk in the State Capitol building and after that in the Jonah Building while the Capitol was being renovated.
Happy Birthday Dear COBOL: Part One
COBOL celebrates its 60th birthday in 2019. This is the first in a three part blog looking at the cultural and technological changes that it has endured within its lifetime. Happy birthday dear COBOL, happy birthday to you! Those of you who follow such events, and those of you who may have seen snippets on the end of technology-related news broadcasts, will be aware that 2019 sees the 60th birthday of COBOL.
Herman Cain to Speak at Fordham Law School
Former Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain will visit Fordham’s Law School next week to speak about his “Solutions Revolution.” Topics will include his presidential campaign and his proposed “9-9-9” tax deal, which would impose a nine percent tax on corporate income, personal income and sales tax. The event is sponsored by the Law School’s chapter of The Federalist Society and Fordham Law Republicans.
Herman Cain Draws Large Audience for 'Solutions Revolution' Talk at Fordham Law • Fordham Observer
By MIKE MADDEN Arts and Culture Co-Editor and Multimedia Producer Published: April 10, 2012 Former Republican Presidential candidate Herman Cain spoke to more than a hundred Fordham Law students at McNally Amphitheater on Tuesday as part of his nationwide ‘Solutions Revolution’ tour which was sponsored by the Law School’s chapter of The Federalist Society and Fordham Law Republicans.
VIDEO: So a Journalist and a Brewer Walk Into a Bar…
It’s not every day a brewer can say he’s shaken hands with a dictator or been taken prisoner. But for Steve Hindy, co-founder of the once home-brewed, now internationally renowned beer powerhouse, Brooklyn Brewery, it wasn’t always barley, hops and yeast.
5 Email Marketing Strategies to Try in 2018
There have never been more avenues available for marketing than there are these days—TV, radio, billboards, website ads, social media, and so on. But even with all these channels to choose from, agree email marketing remains one of the most effective strategies. With marketing automation in place, it’s tempting to “set it and forget it” when it comes to email marketing. But, just like life, what you get from email marketing depends on what you put into it.
Baltimore City Councils Unanimously Urges State Lawmakers to Adopt Criteria for State Center Development
March 1, 2018, Baltimore, MD— After a year of dimming prospects for State Center redevelopment, a step forward took place this week. The Baltimore City Council unanimously adopted City Council Resolution 18-0069R supporting the redevelopment of the State Center complex by urging state lawmakers to adopt the criteria that the surrounding communities have advocated for over 12 years. Introduced by Councilman Eric T. Costello and co-sponsored by Council President Bernard C.
What Email Subject Line Length Works Best?
Alright fellow marketers, let’s get to the bottom of this. Subject lines can be one of the most frustrating components of email marketing. How can something possibly be short, fun, eye-catching, enticing, and compelling all at the same time? I know. It doesn’t make any sense. As a result, marketers are plagued by a few common questions: Are shorter subject lines better? What is the optimal character count? Does subject line length even matter? Often, the answers to your questions live in the data.
6 Email Marketing Tips for the B2B Marketer
Content and social media marketing are excellent means of nurturing leads through the sales funnel, but they have their limitations. Getting site content in front of leads requires high search rankings for relevant keywords, and social media posts have a short lifespan and heavy competition. There is no guarantee that leads will discover content published on these channels. There is a way to increase the likelihood that content created for leads will be consumed: email marketing.
Crafting Cart Abandonment Emails that Work
Nearly 3 out of 4 online shopping carts are abandoned. There are a myriad of reasons why customers abandon their carts, from sticker shock about shipping rates to lack of trust in your data privacy policies. Whatever the reasons are behind this astronomical number, the fact remains that marketers need to address this unavoidable issue. Cart abandonment emails are one of the leading cart recovery methods you can employ.
4 Ways Digital Marketers Can Make Data Work for Them
There’s no doubt that data is a marketer’s very best friend these days. According to Forbes, best-in-class marketers are 56% more likely to use data and analytics platforms and 64% of marketing executives see data-driven marketing as crucial to success in a globalized economy. But, as the importance of data in marketing has greatly increased, the line between art and science has blurred. Is marketing more of an art, or is it becoming a hard science?
5 Ways to Make Your Lead Nurturing Emails Stand Out
Buyers aren’t what they once were. Remember the days of buying a car before the internet? You would go to the dealership, gather information from the sales person in the form of a brochure, go home to study the brochure to understand the different models and features, and then return to the dealership a week later ready to purchase the vehicle.
HTML or Text Emails: Which is Better?
It may not seem like it, but email marketers have a nerve-wracking job. How’d you like to pour your heart and soul into email copy, send it to 500,000 people and then see that nobody opened or clicked it? Believe me, when I say this, it (pause for emphasis) hurts. You’ll lose sleep, you will find yourself knee deep in ice cream to cope, and you might feel like you won’t be able to write an email ever again.
4 Ways to Look Like a Writer When You're Really Not
It’s been a while since English class, and you might be a little out of practice when it comes to your writing skills. And yet, here you are, a business professional who relies on your communication skills to better market yourself and reach a wider audience. Whether you need to craft an email to a client, write a blog post, or simply atone for those past sins, here are four tips to refresh your writing skills. Imitation is flattery, but it’s also useful to you.
5 Common Mistakes that Destroy a Drip Campaign
Buyers today expect engaging and personal brand experiences throughout their relationship with a company. They are used to connecting on social media, getting replies to tweets, having immediate access to customer service chats, and more—all in an instant. Your outbound marketing campaigns have to keep up. Consistently engaging leads and customers to stay relevant and build interest is critical, but having one-on-one conversations with every member of your audience is very difficult to scale.
Why Buying Stages Are Really Investment Stages
Let’s take a quick poll. When was the last time your boss asked you to do something and you didn’t question why you needed to do it a specific way? You see, sometimes we just assume that the old way of doing things is the right way. But every so often, we forget to test what’s right under our noses. It all started with one simple question: What types of content resonate with what types of leads? In other words, does the early stage content you have work for early stage leads?
How to Tap into the Power of Influencers
Influencer marketing has become a bit of a buzzword in the marketing industry as of late. Merriam-Webster defines influence as “the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect ways.” From my perspective, influence, as it relates to marketing, is someone who resonates with an audience, makes an impact and provides value. A recent study conducted by Content Marketing Institute found marketing campaigns that include influencers show a 10x increase in conversion rates.
How to Convince Your Leaders to Invest in 10X Content (and Why You Should)
First, a confession. I click-baited you a little (really, just a teeny bit). I haven’t had to actually convince my leaders to let me and my team invest in 10X content. From the moment I was invited through the Typeform doors to launch a blog, it was clear that spitting out a dozen 500-word articles about forms and surveys each week—just so Google would be nice enough to send us a few visitors—wasn’t to be the “Typeform way.” You see, I got lucky.
1 Awesome Way To Create Great Content
Whether you’re fresh on the job— getting the lay of the land, or you’re a veteran at your organization, as a content marketer you probably face the constant challenge of delivering interesting, valuable, and relevant content at the pace that your organization demands. And while part of that problem can be solved with a bit of internal education around delivering value over volume, some of the need for fresh content will still exist.
3 Steps to Profit Center Marketing
We generated 5,467 MQLs last month, which is our highest MQL number in company history! Did you see how many folks retweeted our post?
How to Optimize Every Email Marketing Message - Marketo
I’ll admit it. Email marketing is scary. You pour your heart and soul into an email–crafting creative copy, compelling imagery, and the perfect subject line just to hit send and get judged by thousands of subscribers (or at least it feels that way sometimes). Unfortunately, the reality is that not every email you send will be a winner.
5 Email Reactivation Campaigns That Win Subscribers Back
“She loves me….she loves me not….she loves me! SHE REALLY LOVES MEEEEEEEEEE!!!” We’ve all been there. As children, we left it up to flower petals to determine if our crush liked us back. Simpler times, am I right? But as marketers, we know that our subscribers’ emotions aren’t so black and white. We’re challenged with engaging thousands, hundreds of thousands, and sometimes even millions of subscribers in a way that makes them love us and want to buy our products or services.
3 Ways Marketing Automation Changed My Life - Marketo
Many of us can look back to a single moment in our careers and say, “That’s when it all changed.” Maybe it’s when you got that big promotion or when the right mentor came in and developed you into the marketer you are today. For me, my career changed the moment I was introduced to marketing automation. I know, real original. A guy at Marketo is about to drink tons of Purple Kool-Aid and tell us how marketing automation changed his life.
5 Ways to Find Marketing Inspiration in Your Daily Life - Marketo
You’ve been putting it off for long enough. That email won’t right itself. Nor will that landing page or banner ad. But someone just brought leftover birthday cake into the kitchen! Gosh, that cake looks good. Chocolate is your favorite. Decisions, decisions… We’ve all been there before. It’s easier to avoid creating new marketing messages than it is to avoid the cake (insert any other distraction you might commonly use). Some call it writer’s block, others might call it having an ‘off’ day.
Cross St Market Revitalization Not Moving Forward
I am very disappointed with the conclusion that Cross St Market will not be revitalized. For a variety of reasons, Caves Valley Partners (CVP) has made the difficult decision to not move forward with the project. Dating back to my time as a community president, this was one of the top issues our neighborhood fought for. After being sworn in to office, it became a top priority of mine and I have worked tirelessly ever since to help get this project across the finish line.
The Email Marketing Superhero: ALT Tag - Marketo
“Don’t you just love when all of your images get blocked by ISPs?”–said no email marketer ever (unless it was sarcastic). Luckily, we have ALT tags, which are alternative text tags for images. An ALT tag is coded text that is visible to the user when an image cannot be displayed. Think of ALT tags as your backup plan. When images don’t download automatically by an email client or the recipient chooses not to open your email, the alternative text will be displayed instead.
3 Ways to Increase Landing Page Conversions - Marketo
Picture this: You’re at a car dealership. A salesman approaches you and says “Hi there. Can I please get your first name, last name, email address, home phone number, and home address?” Taken back, you eyeball the guy up and down, looking at his clothes, shoes, posture, hairstyle, and facial expression, all while trying to figure out why this person asked you for this information when he doesn’t even know who you are or what car you’re interested in yet.
4 Marketing Lessons I Learned from Being a Mascot - Marketo
Mascots. You’ve seen them at football games shuffling lifelessly through a crowd, desperately trying to avoid pictures with awestruck children. You’ve seen their uninspiring, lackadaisical dance moves to some of hottest jams. But, for the most part, those are very mediocre mascots. Being a mascot means more than just sweating in a costume and throwing down slick dance moves. As a mascot, you’re a visible representation of your brand.
3 Email Marketing Mistakes that are Hurting You - Marketo
Unfortunately, we’ve all been there. Each and every one of us have made cringeworthy mistakes in our lives—some of which haunt us to this very day. I still remember the day I asked my crush to prom without checking beforehand if she had a boyfriend. As you can imagine, it didn’t go well (but at least I got to keep the flowers). But whether you split your pants or forget your pants altogether, the mistakes that we make in our personal lives often aren’t as public as email marketing mistakes.
5 Things Your Email Subject Lines Are Missing
Ah, the elusive subject line. Just when you thought you wrote something brilliant, you find that your open rates are less than impressive. How could writing 5-7 words be so hard? You used to write 2,000-word papers in college. You can form a sentence in your sleep. No really, you’re a sleep talker. The truth is that subject lines are the doorway into your email campaigns. If that doorway isn’t enticing, no one will go on to click your emails, let alone buy your products.
Demystifying Social ROI in B2B Marketing
As a digital marketer, you might be asking yourself this question: “Where’s my (social) ROI?” Your boss is asking you for it. You see ads following you on the web trying to help you calculate it. Your peers tell you it’s impossible: “You want to attribute revenue dollars to social? Good luck with that.” So what’s a data-driven marketer to do?
4 Steps to an Effective Reactiviation Email Campaign
You know that one friend that can sleep anywhere? On a cramped airplane, in the car, on a stool, on the floor, or even standing up? Once they knock out, it seems almost impossible to wake them up. If I had to bet, it’s likely that there are some email subscribers in your database that are out cold just like your sleepy friend. And that’s a problem, because you spent time and money getting people to subscribe.
A/B Testing IRL: From Online Dating to Email
Test everything. Does an orange button work better than a blue button in my email? Test it. What should I order at In-N-Out: two double doubles or one 4×4? Test it. Is this Tinder profile picture with my family better than me surfing an epic wave in Tahiti? Test it. Being an email marketer has taught me one critical thing: you never really know what works best until you test it and prove a rightful winner.
3 Strategies for Maximizing Email Deliverability
Let’s get one thing straight: deliverability is sexy. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s the only way your emails get seen, opened, and clicked on. And if you can increase your deliverability by even just 1%, it can have a significant impact on your ROI. But achieving high deliverability rates that could make even a mailman jealous doesn’t come easy. Think of it this way: as an email marketer, you’re like the friendly neighborhood mailman.
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