#basically rip and Beth from Yellowstone

[shieldofiron]

Need ranch hand Billy who just can’t keep his hands off the rich rancher’s son. And Steve who keeps coming back season after season, because Billy’s just the one.

@oopsiedaisiesbaby I feel like these are your vibes.

[i-heart-yellowstone]

Hello, love how you write the Yellowstone characters and saw that you’re taking requests so i couldn’t resist😅

I have a request for Rip where reader is a Dutton daughter and has always had a thing for Rip. They’ve always been super close but he just never saw her that way and only had eyes for Beth. And then one day when Beth is being extra toxic towards him reader tries to comfort him and he realizes that he has feelings for reader as well. Maybe with a little sibling rivalry/bad blood between reader and Beth as well.

Dutton Daughters Quarrel

My friends that have siblings tell me that it is the greatest thing in the world.  I disagree with them.  My twin sister Beth and I have never gotten along since our mother died after she got paralyzed by her own horse during a ride with my sister and our youngest brother Kayce.  I knew one reason we never got along is because I was basically a mini version of our father, fully embracing the ranch lifestyle even after her death. 

Riding through the main gate and up to the barn I followed behind my father and my mothers dead body that was laying on her horse.  Tugging on my reins I climbed down my horse heading inside the barn to see Rip cleaning one of the horse stalls until he saw me drop down onto the dirt.  “Y/n, is everything alright.  Why are you crying?” 

“No! She’s gone.  My moms dead.” I sniffed back tears wrapping my arms around myself, sobbing on my knees before him. 

Rip dropped his shovel and came over pulling me in for a hug that I truly needed.  He held onto me for a long time and I cried against his shirt until someone came inside the barn.  “It’s going to be okay, Y/n.  You will get through this.  I’ll always be here for you.” 

“She should have blamed you for her getting hurt, not me.” 

Rip and I turned our attention to the new voice that belonged to my sister Beth that was standing in the doorway death glaring at me.  “Beth, what are you talking about?” 

“She always was easier on you.  She never made you go through what I did and now she’s dead.” 

Wiping away tears from my face I walked past her when Rip walked over and pulled her in for a hug like he had done with me minutes ago.  “You can’t hate me for what happened to her.  Her horse got spooked because of you.” 

“You always have to show off at everything.  You’ve always been a better horse rider than me.  If you hadn’t been doing tricks I wouldn't have felt so nervous on my horse.” Beth snapped at me before I turned on my heels and ran out of the barn. 

Galloping across the field on horseback my eyes noticed Rip sitting up on the hillside that overlooked part of the ranch all by himself.  Riding over to him I dismounted my horse walking up to greet him.  “What are you doing up here all by yourself, Mr. Wheeler?” 

“I’m waiting for your sister to show up for our date tonight.” 

Sitting down beside him in the grass once my horse had laid down behind us I spared him a glance.  “She wants you to take her out on a real date.  Hmm, maybe there is more women in her than I thought.” 

Rip looked at me softly.  “She once told me she thinks you were born with a more manly personality than a female one. Honestly I don’t see how that’s a bad thing.” 

“She says it as a dig to me because our mother supposedly liked me more than her when she would be tougher on her than she was me.” Shaking my head I removed my tan cowgirl hat and ran a hand through my messy hair.  “I don’t really understand how she can hate me so much for an accident that we had no control over.  She - she thinks I’m a monster for still riding horses on our seven generations family ranch.” 

“I’m sorry she made your life a living hell after losing your mother.  She shouldn’t have taken her anger out on you.” Rip responds to me placing his hand over mine softly. 

Footsteps stomped up the hill where we turned our heads and I rolled my eyes seeing my sister coming straight over to us.  “I knew you’d run off to her out of pity soon enough.  You couldn’t help yourself but start pretending to care for my sister.” 

“Is that such a horrible thing, Beth.  You haven’t been too kind to her over the years that I have been working at your family's ranch.” Rip got up from the ground and I shortly followed behind him.  He simply walked over to her with his arms crossed over his broad chest. 

My twin sister snapped at the lead ranch hand.  “She got both of our parents' love and now apparently you’re stupid enough to fall in love with her too.  So in the end I am left utterly alone.” 

“Hey! Don’t talk to him that way.” Stomping up to the pair I got up in my sister’s face after pushing Rip behind me so I was in between them. 

My sister spits in my face.  “I can talk to him however I want.  It’s not like he is your boyfriend or anything. Although I doubt any man would choose you when they find out you are just like our father.  I mean you saw that Monica told Kayce to leave and he came back here.  She realized that he was turning into our father just like you have.” 

“Don’t talk about her that way ever again, Bethany!” Right before my eyes I screamed when he made a fist and punched her in the face where she stumbled down onto the ground.  “I never should have started falling for you.” 

Rip held his wrist that was now scuffed up with some bruises where I slowly walked towards him examining his hand. “We should get this cleaned up.” He nodded, allowing me to lead him over to my horse and he climbed on behind me where we rode to the large barn since there was some medical supplies inside of there. 

Finding the box he leaned against one of the horse stalls letting me grab his hand and apply some alcohol to it.  He winced slightly but didn’t mind it too much before I wiped some of the bruising and wrapped up his hand in some gauze just in case.  “You didn’t have to defend me like that, Rip.  My sister and I have been butting heads like that since we were kids.  Her words aren’t as harsh to me emotionally anymore.” 

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner that she’s not the one for me.” He grabs my other hand in his, taking my attention up to his deep brown eyes.  “For years I only ever saw you as my friend but after today I realized that I love that you may act like your father.  Except in my eyes that isn’t a bad thing cause I owe your father my life, plus he gave me you.” 

“Are you being serious because I have wanted to be more than your friend for a while now? I was just too scared that you’d never feel the same way I do about you.” 

Rip moved his hands up to cradle my face before he closed the gap and connected my lips with his own. Without thinking my hands flew to his hair and I was thankful he had removed his black hat while I deepened the kiss till we needed air to breath.  “We can’t ever go back to being friends, Y/n Dutton.” Grinning up at the lead cowboy I grabbed the front of his jacket bringing him in for another long kiss. 

Tag list - just send an ask to be added @tallrock35 @kmc1989 @pear-1206 @frost-queen n @chaoticneutral3

[bellarkeselection]

It’s About Time

Request from Wattpad mackleann Kayce or Lee ( you pick ) where the reader is a family friend who comes to help with the cattle branding. The pair confese their feelings and get teased by the bunkhouse gang

Driving my truck underneath the Yellowstone Dutton ranch sign I pulled the vehicle to a stop just beside the main house porch. I opened the door seeing that the area of the ranch was already set up for the branding the next morning. Getting out of the truck I shut the door seeing somebody riding up in the distance. “Well I didn’t expect to see you here this weekend.”

Whipping my head around a huge grin masked my face seeing Kayce coming up to me on his horse. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised.”

“Maybe because I thought you’d be busy. But I am awfully excited to see you.” He began dismounting his black horse comic over to me with wide open arms.

Rushing towards him I laughed, throwing my arms and legs around his waist. “You better be excited to see me, Dutton.”

“Hey I said that I was you crazy rascal.” He chuckled at me while I was hanging off his arms. Kayce was struggling to keep me from falling on the ground.

I had been a close friend of the family for years. I had been there for the family when Evelyn died and when Kayce had gone off to serve the Navy. I had somewhat of a relationship with each of the Dutton members, but Kayce and I were closer. He finally sits me down on my feet getting my boots dirty. “You better be nice to me. You know I can kick your ass.”

“Oh yeah. Which one of us has training?” He teased me, tipping his hat slightly to me.

Putting my hands on my hips. “It doesn't matter. I know how to throw a punch pretty good.”

Kayce stared down at me since he was slightly taller than me. Honestly most people would say we were always attached to the other hip. And it wasn’t a lie. I’d basically lived my entire life on this ranch.

Kayce went over to his horse leading him to the barn by the reins. “Does my dad know you’re coming here this weekend to help with the branding?”

“I’d expect so. Why did you have plans to skip?” I asked him to follow him to the barn.

He shook his head. “Nah. But your company will sure make it better.”

Together we left the barn and went straight for the main house. He held open the door for me, hanging his black hat on the wall while doing so. Walking through the living room there was a fire going and I could see someone sitting on the couch. “What made you stay out late? Daddy told Gater to wait.”

“Well it wasn’t because he wasn’t hungry. He just had someone keeping him occupied.” Leaning over the back of the couch hair in my face I whispered in his sister’s ear.

She sat her glass down, turning around to me. “Did you finally take her out there in the barn?”

“Beth!” I scolded her, feeling my face beginning to turn red.

Her younger brother cleared his throat. “We aren’t dating and you know that.”

“Rip and I may have beat around the bush when we were kids. But he knows he’s mine. Everybody on this ranch knows who is with who. You two ain’t any different.” She crossed her arms on the back of the couch.

Tapping my foot on the wooden floor I tried to remain calm about this. I didn’t need it to be painfully obvious that I had feelings for him. I didn’t want to ruin the relationship we have if he doesn’t feel the same way. But Beth had a different mind than everyone else. She knew what words could sink someone into the ground. “I’ll think you’re wrong. Now did you say Gator had dinner?”

“Walking away just means we will have this conversation later, Y/n.” She called as I walked into the dining room.

Pausing in my tracks I holler back to her. “No it doesn’t, Bethany!”

Kayce eyed his sister but had nothing to say to her. He dropped his hands down at his sides. The young Dutton knew he felt something for the girl who walked around his family home like she was always meant to be there. Maybe because he’d seen her around his whole life. She had always been a Dutton in his eyes.

“Kayce, I’m going to have dinner in the bunkhouse. See if I can beat those boys at poker if you want to come with me.” I called from the kitchen, grabbing my jacket and a to-go bag of food that Gator made for me.

He turned his head in my direction. “Yeah sure I’ll come.”

“Don’t have too much fun you two.” Beth chuckled at the two of us watching us leave going to the bunkhouse.

By the time we had got to the bunkhouse we could hear them yelling and half the alcohol was almost gone from the fridge. Sliding in on the empty seat next to Ryan he smiled in my direction throwing his desk of card’s down. “Look who decided to join the party. The future mr and Mrs. Kayce Dutton.”

“Oh not you guys too.” I rolled my eyes not expecting them to be on it with Beth.

Colby fixes the deck, dealing me and Kayce each a hand to play in their new game. “We can’t help it if you make it so obvious.”

“What’s obvious?” Jimmy asked from his bunk.

Teeter, who was fixing herself some dinner from Gator spoke up, removing the spoon from inside her mouth. “They clearly want each other just like I know my baby wants me.”

“I am not your baby.” Colby replied to her.

She smiled, turning back to her food. “Stop lying to yourself baby.”

“I didn’t think you had a thing for her, Kayce. I just thought you two were really close friends.” Jimmy entered the conversation.

I moved my gaze to the center of the wooden table not saying a word. Shifting the deck of cards in my hands I really wanted them to stop with the teasing. But Jimmy clearly couldn’t read the room correctly, bless his heart. “We are really close and that’s all.”

“But they are burning to be more.” Ryan made a kissing sound into my ear.

Kayce hit his fist on the table. “Will you stop talking about that!”

“Ohh he’s getting all embarrassed.” Jake, another ranch hand, joined in pointing his index finger at him.

Kayce hit the table again. “I swear the next person who teases us will see me fly over this table.”

Jake, Colby and Ryan about lost their shit at that statement all cheering like he had just admitted he had feelings for me when he really hadn’t. Raising my hands up I sighed finally saying something. “Can we just get back to the game?”

“She’s still avoiding the moment.” Jimmy spoke up.

Kayce raised himself up to his feet stomping over to Jimmy. He grabs him by his shirt getting in his face angrily. “That does it! What did I say a few seconds ago, Jimmy.”

“Woah, when did poker become violent?” Lloyd came out of the bathroom shortly after Walker did. Both confused at what was going on here.

Forcing myself up from my chair I stomped over to the fridge throwing it open. “Cause I apparently can’t get a beer around here with all these gossiping girls dressed as cowboys.” I mocked them for drinking almost half the bottle of beer I had taken from their stash.

“Well then let’s start this card game.” Walker sat down in my chair and thankfully there was no more conversation like that when Kayce let go of Jimmy. He left the bunkhouse leaving me with the boys and Teeter for the rest of the night which made me think maybe they had gotten underneath his skin over something.

The next morning was crazy for everyone even though we had everything set up. Coming out of one of the tents we had set up I halted in my tracks seeing the blonde that had hit a rock after an animal protest talking with him. Summer I remember her name to be. “I don’t think this place is right for you.”

“Oh don’t worry. Once I get out of here I will leave. Besides I can sense somebody doesn’t care much for me being in your company.” She turned her head slightly seeing that I was glaring at the pair.

Kayce turned his attention to her, quickly walking away from her side. “See you around, Summer…what’s got you so angry?”

“I’m not angry over anything.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

He tilted his head. “Really cause you won’t make eye contact when you’re angry. You also hug your arms to your chest when you’re angry. So what made you upset?”

“I think I should be asking you that more than you asking me after what happened last night. You bailed on me Kayce, why?” I questioned the young rancher trying to figure out why all day but nothing came to mind.

He blinked a few times with silent passing between us. “I didn’t like what they were saying about us.”

“It was just teasing right or do you have feelings for me?” I blurted it out letting my curiosity get the better of me when it came to what he thought.

Kayce stepped closer to me reaching up with his hands to cradle my face. “I didn’t like the teasing because I wanted to be the one to tell you myself. But now I say fuck it.”

“Kayce-“ He cut me off short, pressing his lips down onto mine and after that point everything suddenly stopped. Throwing my arms around his neck I brought him closer, deepening the kiss.

He moved one hand into my hair tugging on it a few times. I moaned into the kiss, finding this is better than I could have imagined. Like we were always supposed to be like this together. “I told you, boys.”

“Wait a second.” I broke the kiss recognizing Beth’s voice.

Kayce kept one hand on my wrist when I remained close to his chest seeing that Ryan and Colby were standing off to the side with her. “What the hell did you have them do?”

“We bet her ten bucks that the teasing last night wouldn’t work.” Ryan reached inside his jacket handing her some money.

She took it from his hand proudly walking past us to go find Rip. “They lost obviously. It’s about time you two finally saddled your horses together.” Kayce and I shared the same shocked look but shortly laughed with huge smiles on our faces at the well thought out plan she had achieved.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[imdonnalynn]

Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 14 "Life Is a Promise" and the culmination of an era

Yellowstone ended beautifully.

Everything that needed to be addressed, came full circle.

It was all about saying goodbye and what and where everyone was going to go, after the selling of the Yellowstone back to the Native people.

It was emotional to say the least. But the one scene that really got me was when the Native's came to dismantle the Ranch and make the land bare again. That really got to me because it's what they WERE entitled too. I'm happy everyone got their happy ending, mostly. Poor Teeter was the only one that didn't get a happy ending, Colby died and she's still reeling from that.

Beth, Rip and Carter got their happy ending with basically their own Yellowstone.

Kayce, Monica and Tate got their happy ending FINALLY no whining drama with them these last episodes. I technically believe they still live on the Yellowstone it's just land quartered off for them and their way of life.

Jamie was completely irredeemable, but at the same time Jamie was used his entire life in the Dutton family. John used him for what he wanted him for and that wasn't fair to Jamie, but he could have walked away anytime but he was desperate for validation and it cost him his life. The man could never think for himself, it was his downfall.

I wanted to see all the headstones in the graveyard, but we didn't get a scene showing them all like I thought we would.

Was it a perfect second half to the long-awaited season, hell no. Do I think they did the best they could with what they had to work with and the amount of time, yes.

[dedsocksfanficideas]

Yellowstone x (fem) Harry Potter

(Sorry in advanced for grammar and spelling)

Ok so Ive been watching/bingeing Yellowstone and i love crossovers so ive had this idea in my head of a Yellowstone x harry potter crossover where Harry Potter is a female now named Harlow (i fell in love with this name for a gender bent harry potter with the nickname Harley) insert middle name here (i was thinking Jamie for well James but then i was like idk) Potter-Black heiress of houses Potter, Black, and Peverell.

Except she was adopted and didnt learn this till she was freshly turned 17 and learned that dumbledore acted illegally as her representative (or whatever) and signed shit for laws she never would have agreed to ( I think this is from some fanfic ive read but idk) so to undo that shit she’s got to overturn it but she’s not 18 yet and these white old ass men dont want it changed so ya they are threatening to idk take her kid (she adopted Teddy after the war) cause news of his lycanthropy has come out, they state shes not fit to be a mother.

Basically the council is doing everything possible to stop her from having more power, and have announced that her biological father never gave up his rights so she cannot become a legal adult. And shes like he dead??? And they like no, with some research we have found you to be adopted or some shit so there goes Harley trying to find her biological mother cause the father was left blank on the birth certificate.

Beth gave birth to Harley prematurely so Jamie drives her to give birth, not abort, Jamie handles adoption shit and finds and nice overseas couple to raise his niece and he thinks ‘ok so if Beth wants contact later on boom’ or ‘i can check on the kid ’ (or something) little does he know they fall of the face of the planet almost immediately after they secure the baby, never to be heard from again.

Anyway, Harley goes to the states to begin research on potential fathers (remember rip doesn’t technically exist), discovers her bio moms a bitch, so decided to go to Montana to talk to her bio moms family because there aint no way in hell her family had no clue she was pregnant, right?? WRONG she pulls up they like huh??? And ya

Igot more for this but ya. Oh! Little facts to include would be:

Veela magical inheritance Harry Potter

Ron bashing

Hermione bashing

Dancer harry potter

Animagus harry potter

parseltongue (she has 3 pet snakes)

Lady Magic

Buck Beak aka Bucky companion that has been magic to look like a horse

A unicorn named Lucifer companion as magic to look like horse

Dead Hagrid so harry dognaps fang and fluffy cause fuck those old council men

Master/Mistress of death harry potter where deaths kind of flirty

Magically powerful harry potter ( im think rune master? Or a healer? Maybe also a potions master for sure cause shes got to make Teddy potions for the full moon)

sorry if this was too long ive thought about this way too much

[beldcm]

i'll be around to answer dms and work on replies tomorrow, but i thought i'd make another little REVERSE STARTER CALL to work on afterwards. so, like this post and i'll go through your open starters and pick one to reply to.

also, i'm using this post to shamelessly promote my own open starters, if anyone is interested. under the cut you can find links to them, as well as a brief summary!

roman ibarra ( fc : danny ramirez )

who for : f/nb, 25-35

basic plot : roman has just proposed to your muse, while your muse was planning on breaking up with him

aadi sahni ( fc : rahul kohli )

who for : f/nb, 35-40

basic plot : after breaking up in college, the two haven't seen each other since and have now been put on a blind date together

lydia thompson ( fc : greta onieogou )

who for : any gender, 25+

basic plot : both muses are best friends and lydia has been in love with your muse for ages. now, your muse has just told her that they've found someone

ethan hudson ( fc : sebastian stan )

who for : f/nb, 35+, his partner

basic plot : after both muses have retired from their old life as assassins, they're now struggling to live a normal life

aaron tyler ( fc : chris evans )

who for : f/nb, 21+, college student

basic plot : just before starting his new job at a new college, aaron finds himself having a hook up the night before. only, the next morning he discovers that they're one of his students in his new class

lucas perry ( fc : aaron pierre )

who for : f/nb, 21+, singer/musician

basic plot : lucas is the security guard hired to protect your muse during their current world tour. however, as lucas treats your muse like a human and not like a product, the two are quickly growing closer as lines are blurred

jack kane ( fc : jensen ackles )

who for : f/nb, late 30s/early 40s, his wife

basic plot : basically their dynamic is like beth and rip from yellowstone. but jack has just come home from a hard day of work, to find his wife has decided to throw themselves a party

freya krause ( fc : kathryn hahn )

who for : any gender, 40s/50s

basic plot : your muse has taken over their late great aunt's bookstore, where freya has been shopping her entire life. while freya has been helping with the reopening, the two have grown closer

tatum weisz ( fc : e.r. fightmaster )

who for : f/nb, 40+, tatum's boss

basic plot : with their visa running out, tatum's boss has managed to convince them to get married in order to stay in the country. but now they had to visit tatum's family and convince them the engagement is real

eve halliwell ( fc : jessica chastain )

who for : any gender, 40s, eve's secret ex

basic plot : both muses are famous and dated secretly back in the 90s. eve was forced into a pr relationship where she ended up falling in love with the guy and choosing him. now in the present day, your muse is finally confronting her about her choice

isaac bishop ( fc : jesse williams )

who for : f/nb, 35+, his best friend's fiance

basic plot : while both muses had always had a thing for another one, your muse was set to marry isaac's best friend. that is until they discovered him cheating and now isaac is trying to pick up the pieces

aubrey grey ( fc : cate blanchett )

who for : f/nb, 40+, aubrey's partner

basic plot : basically think mr and mrs smith but make it sapphic. the two had just discovered each other's secret life. now, they are both each other's target and must take one another out

[wildlife4life]

Temptation Tuesday

Once again have to mention how much I love this new tag game created by the lovely @honestlydarkprincess. Thanks to this tag game I actually was inspired to create one my temptations and its very exciting!

Rules: share something about an idea you have/something that's speaking to you/an au you'd like to see and are considering writing/ ect. Basically anything that is tempting you away from your current wips!

I was tagged by @ebdaydreamer so here are few ideas that have come to me recently

Yellowstone AU: The Diaz Ranch. Eddie and Buck are kind of like Rip and Beth, but not really. They met on the Diaz ranch when Buck was saved by Bobby after running away. Eddie and Buck fall in love, but then his sister discovers the relationship and tattles to their dad. Buck is sent away to work on another ranch, Eddie tries to adhere to what his family wants for him and starts dating Shannon. She becomes pregnant, Eddie enlist. Eddie comes back after the helicopter crash, Shannon doesn't run, but she does move back to town and has a very strained relationship with Eddie and Christopher who remains on the ranch. When Eddie returns, he discovers that Buck is back working for his dad's ranch along with his new friends Chimney and Hen. Buck's long lost sister Maddie is also there as the ranch's own personal vet. His dad only brought Buck back on because he is the best damn horse wrangler and swore up and down that nothing would happen between him and Eddie. Buck knows about Shannon and Christopher, believes that Eddie never truly loved him and is heartbroken. Eddie doesn't know that his dad sent Buck away, that Buck left on his own. Ramon wants Eddie to take over the ranch, making him work alongside the ranchers, including Buck. Ensue the drama and the two boys falling in love all over again.

The Voice different meeting Au: Buck and Eddie are Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton. Eddie is a country artist, Buck pop rock? Like Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and Adam Levine type music. Both are coming out of horribly ending long term relationships when they are tapped to judge the Voice. They fall in love and start making music about each other. Even make a song together. The world is freaking out over Buddie, paparazzi go nuts when ever their out together, new outlets have very inside 'dish' and so on.

A possible continuation of my soon to post (keep on the look out!) 6x16 coda future fic. This coda somehow went from like a quick 500 words to 2K. Doesn't sound like I alot, but I literally started it out like a little blurb like my previous codas lol.

Grimm Buddie AU: Eddie is a Grimm and Buck is wesen. (pronounced with a V).

A different Wolf! Eddie and Witch! Buck. Except this time Eddie is given a prophecy as a teenager by another witch about his future mate.

Alright hope that is tempting enough! I am off to finish my coda and I will be posting soon, and not just here. Its big enough that I'll be posting to AO3, so keep an eye out!

No tags from me! Everyone I would like to tag has been tagged! But I would love to see everyone's temptations! Happy Tuesday!

[that-fandom-writer]

random songs and characters/ ships  they remind me of lol

IF ANYONE MAKES THESE FAN VIDEOS PLEASE LET ME KNOW I WANNA SEE THEM LOL

yes i have the glee version the originals are fine as well im just going throuhg my spotify while im making this list lol

“just like you” three days grace - Tim Bradford towards his dad (The Rookie)

The chorus of “paper rings” by Taylor Swift Chenford (The Rookie)

“yeah boy” Kelsea Ballerini could be basically all ships lol

“sparks fly” Lucy/ Chris/ Tim (the rookie)

“the little things” Kelsea Ballerini Chenford (the rookie)

“miss me more” Kelsea Ballerini - any toxic couple after a break up lol 

“I hate Love Songs” Kelsea Ballerini - this seems like something either Meredith and Christina from Greys would like lol 

“we are young” Glee cast - Degrassi cast ( all of them lol)

“somewhere only we know” Glee cast - Beth and Rip (Yellowstone)

“i kissed a girl” glee Paige and Alex (Degrassi)

(just because i think this would be funny lol) Forget you CeeLo- Chris Tim and lucy 

Loser like me - glee cast - (degrassi rubber room kids)

If i die young- glee cast (The rookie Jackson West) (lexie grey- greys anatomy)

The kids arent alright - the offspring (degrassi cast)

“paper rings” taylor swift (degrassi Zaya)

“better than revenge” Taylor Swift - (degrassi, KC, Clare, and Jenna)

“riot girl” Good Charlotte (early season Jane Degrassi)

[sweetserendipity73]

Okay all my fellow Yellowstone fanatics and Beth & Rip shippers, what do you think?

I just rewatched Season 3, Episode 4 - Going Back to Cali. Beth tells Rip that she can't have children. He says all the right things - he doesn't want "a bunch of kids running around", she is all he needs, etc. But I noticed when I watched this second time around his face and behavior seem to tell a different story. He looks distant, he basically gives her a friend-like pat on the back before he leaves and he is pretty grumpy for the rest of the day.

What do you think that is about? Just Rip needing time to process or did it bother him more than he let on and was just saying what he thought she wanted to hear? Do you think he may decide to end his engagement with Beth over this at some point in the future? Particularly when he finds out about her abortion and the fact that he would have had a son or daughter already.

Would love to hear from people who overanalyze everything like I do :)

[devontroxell]

Marketing Isn’t Advertising

Some people think marketing is simply commercials or ads. They consider it to be some form of paid promotion and nothing else. In their minds, marketing and advertising are the same things, interchangeable words.

We all thought blogging and social media would change all that. These new platforms were going to swoop in and save us from all of these ads. Ahh, nope.

Now we have native advertising, paid blogs. We have promoted posts on all of the social media platforms. The fat cats with all the money keep ruining everything!

With each new technology and platform, we’re convinced that marketing will forever change. It some ways it does, but mostly it stays true to what it really is.

What is Marketing?

According to the American Marketing Association, marketing is…

The activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

Advertising will always be a part of marketing. But, is marketing advertising? The word “value” in that definition is what I want to talk about.

The other day I was watching Yellowstone with my wife. Rip is an awesome character but I liked that actor better as Benny in Dazed and Confused.

Anyway, there was this really touching scene with Rip and Beth on Rip’s new front porch. Beth walks away and Rip is just sitting there on the steps watching the sunset. Next to him is a perfectly placed Yeti cooler.

We can monetize anything. I’d get a swoosh on my forehead if Nike paid me enough. But, what value does that have for society at large?

None really, people will just say “look that idiot has a big swoosh on his forehead. Nike is shameless.”

So, sure, you can pay to play. You can pay for position, attention, traffic, etc. But advertising is always going to be money in, money out. Advertising has its place but it’s not sustainable without a steady stream of money.

Good Marketing Builds Trust

When is the last time you trusted a company more because of a commercial? I’m sure it’s happened but I’m certain it’s rare.

As I’ve stated in many a presentation, good marketing is about three things…

Being Known

Being a Resource

Being Trusted (there goes the little green smiley face from Yoast, oh well, a little inside baseball, sorry)

Let’s look at each of these.

Being Known

Mark Schaefer wrote a great book titled Known that talks about this very concept. We don’t market out of the goodness of our hearts, but we certainly need to think about how we’d like our organization to be known.

And we also simply need to be known. As I discuss a bit in my last post about influencer marketing, influencers want to work with brands that are known.

Well, customers want to buy from brands they know. If they don’t know you, they will ask their friends, colleagues, etc if any of them know you. And where do they ask?

On social media

In email and text

In-person (not so much these days)

On the phone (I think people still make actual calls)

On video calls (shall we Zoom?)

Make sure you have a solid presence on social media and that you engage with your followers. Be in their inbox with helpful information, news they need, and timely tips.

At a minimum, to be known, you’ll need to do the following…

Social media marketing

Content marketing (including blogs, white papers, case studies)

Email marketing (with marketing automation if possible)

SEO

Maintain a consistent, positive, and resourceful presence in the lives of your customers and in the lives of those in a position to recommend your services.

Of course, advertising can help you become known, but what are you known for? Commercials.

You want to be known for more than just your brand or your clever ads. Which brings us to point two…

Being a Resource

One of my favorite quotes that I use constantly is from my friend, Ann Handley. To know Ann is to love Ann.

Anyway, the quote goes like this…

“Be relentlessly customer-focused and not corporate-focused. Ask yourself, as a marketer…‘What marketing will my customer THANK me for?’” – Ann Handley, CCO at MarketingProfs, Author of Content Rules and Everybody Writes

Think about that for a minute, marketing your customer will thank you for. That doesn’t seem like something most marketers might consider. Mostly, their number one concern is the bottom line.

People remember when you help them. They feel a sense of loyalty to those who were there for them. This is true for marketing as well.

For example, your content marketing efforts shouldn’t only be about SEO (although that is part of it). Content marketing should focus on utility – content that your target audience can use and share.

Utility Content

I’ve been talking about utility content for years now. It’s still a very important element of content marketing. Utility content can be any or all of the following…

How-to videos

Interviews with experts containing actionable tips

Thought-provoking posts that help someone solve a problem

Tools, references, studies, eBooks, white papers

Newsjacking, using a current event to illustrate a point

There are more examples of utility content. Don’t get bogged down on what it is, instead focus on why it’s important. It’s important because you are using this utility content to be there in your customer’s time of need.

When you become their go-to resource, you build trust.

Being Trusted

Trust comes from empathy (Scott Monty and I discuss this at length in this Wellspring Digital Chat). Your customers want to know that you truly understand them, not just from a demographics standpoint, but that you truly understand who they are.

So, who is your client? You have two choices here. You can go the simple route and develop some client characters, a fictional depiction of a real client.

Or, you can actually profile a real customer. These are called Buyer Personas. I highly recommend heading over to Adele Revella’s group, the Buyer Persona Institute, for a deep dive into what these are and how they can help.

For the purposes of this post, I want to give you the basics. Ultimately, you are interviewing different clients to develop a user profile. If you know anything about UX, this should seem familiar to you.

A Very Quick Buyer Persona Activity

Set up a call with a real client. Let them know you’re looking to gain a better understanding of their needs. Keep it brief and focused. Then, center on a specific experience they’ve had with you and ask them the following…

Motivations – What drove them to take action and begin this journey?

Goals – What did they want to accomplish?

Expectations – How did they envision the journey? Did reality match expectations?

Behavior – How did they interact with your organization (in person, through an ad, on your website, on social)? What was their state of mind (busy, angry, happy, frantic, etc.)?

Listening to real clients tell you about their experience working with you will help you to change your mindset. You are now able to understand them and truly empathize with their situation.

Marketing Beyond Advertising

Now, you are able to create marketing that they will thank you for, marketing that builds trust instead of advertising that’s just noise. You’re building trust by developing marketing initiatives that actually help them in their time of need.

Everything you give them should…

Offer them value

Be easy to understand and actionable

Be shareable

Use language they understand

Have no strings attached

Be authentic, this post about Core Values might help

What you do with your marketing from this point forward will determine if you are known, a valued resource, and trusted. Remember, there is no trust without action…

Create good content that they can use.

Get it out to them through smart sharing.

Create a customer experience that delivers value.

Value builds trust!

Trust leads to shares, links, and a following!

This brings leads, customers, and builds your bottom line.

See? You can still build your bottom line, but you have to focus on the customer first and foremost. They will reward you with their trust, their referrals, and their repeat business.

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