Open up your mind and say, ahh...

There are millions of songs on iTunes that have sold zero copies. Millions of blog posts that get zero visitors each day.

The long tail is real… given the ability, people create more variety. Given the choice, people seek out what’s just right for them to consume. But, and there’s a big but, there’s no guarantee that the ends of the long tail start producing revenue or traffic. And a million times zero is still zero.

Sometimes, the best strategy isn’t to to head farther and farther out on the tail. No, you don’t have to make average stuff for average people. But it also doesn’t pay to brainwash yourself into believing that super-extreme is the same as profitable.

Marketing isn’t bad. Bad marketing is bad. Email marketing isn’t bad. BAD email marketing is bad. With me?

I’m not about to tell everyone to run out and quit their job if they are sick and tired of doing it, but you control how you spend your time in your seat. If you’re frustrated with this or that, try focusing on the parts you can improve from the seat you’re in. That’s one really great way to start it going. (Oh, and if you’re just sick and tired of where you are, check out Escape Velocity – it’s where we talk about how to get to what’s next.)

Stop Phoning it In

If you’re responsible for your company’s newsletter, stop looking at it as a burden. Ask yourself this question: “What would be MOST useful to the people getting this newsletter?” And then ask yourself this question: “What else besides my company’s pitch can I put into this newsletter?” Then ask yourself this question: “Would I share this with someone in my family or with my friends?” That’s one way to figure out how to fix newsletters.

If you’re looking for new buyers, don’t just lamely ask people. Figure out how to find them. Use social tools. Use old fashioned search tools. Create interesting content that would appeal to the kinds of people you need, and figure out ways to promote that. Look OFFLINE. It’s amazing how few people do that last one, by the way, if they’re getting deep into the online world.

If you’re responsible for improving coverage for your company as a public relations professional, put more time into building your relationships with your network before you have a new story. Connect with them about their own things. Ask them about their own passions. Get to know them outside of the article. Ask them how you can help them, or much better still, just figure out a way to be helpful and do it, gratis.

Stop phoning it in.

We All Get Tired

We all get tired. We all get shy. We all lose our way. We all have a lot of reasons why our efforts slump into something less than stellar. But does the recipient of your output care? Do you think they’ll give you a pass for very long? No. Be the top of the charts. Be remarkable. Be exceptional.

And if you can’t, hang up the phone.

What’s your take?

According to “a person who is in direct contact with Apple,” the gadget company is adapting the iPhone 4 handset to work with Verizon’s wireless network so Verizon customers can have access to the iPhone beginning early next year.

The source is cited by The New York Times, adding further credibility to a rumor that began (at least in its current form) with a Wall Street Journal report earlier this week.

Two months ago, TechCrunch contributor Steve Cheney wrote that the chipsets necessary for a Verizon-connected iPhone will arrive this December, just in time for a January launch. Even earlier this year, Bloomberg also reported on a January launch window.

Analysts predicted that a rumored five-year exclusivity deal between Apple and AT&T, and Verizon’s gradual shift to 4G technology would hold off a Verizon iPhone until 2012, but that iPhone sales could double when the handset becomes available on more networks.

Apple might be expediting its multi-carrier plans to respond to increasing threat from Google’s Android family of smartphones. According to market research data from comScore, Android phones gained 5% market share in the period from April to July 2010 while Apple lost 1.3%.