Despite the cultural phenomenon that Facebook and MySpace have become in the past few years, 55% of top-brand CMOs said they’re not too interested (22%), or not interested at all (33%), in incorporating these and similar social-networking sites into their marketing strategies, according to a...
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Learn for the best names in presentations : Rohit, Duarte, Reynolds
I recently release two things that I have never before put online and wanted to share them with all of you who read my blog on this Friday post. The first is a presentation on Slideshare that takes you inside the story of how I sold and wrote my book in a visual presentation inspired by some of the work by folks like Garr Reynolds and Nancy Duarte. The second is an exclusive link to download the entire Chapter 6 from Personality Not Included, which also has never before been available online. Hopefully Chapter 6 gives you some nice train reading for your commute home this Friday evening in case you haven't already picked up a copy of PNI, and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts/feedback on the presentation below.
*Based on a comment I already have, I'm planning to release another version of this presentation solely focused on what the book is about instead of the "making of" and will likely share that on Sunday before getting back to my regular blogging schedule (which is thankfully unrelated to pushing the book) on Monday.
This is from Influential Marketing Blog, and written by Rohit.
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
I received word from a company called Wallblank, that is doing a pretty cool thing. It’s a form of fine art crowdsourcing. Wallblank curates limited prints from selected artists and then offers them each day until they are sold out. I love this model for all involved and find many of the prints very suitable for office settings.
EachFriday they have a no profit day (another very cool strategy) and offer all proceeds for the day to an organization in need. This week’s no profit print offers advice in the form of a saying I’ve long struggled to live in my entrepreneurial aspirations.
Thisweek’s print says - Starting is Easy, Finishing is Hard and all the profits go to one of favorite organizations - Kiva.org
Idecided to add some of my favorite sayings and apply them to the core elements of a business. I’m seeing a nifty line of business slogans to live by t-shirts here!
- Leadership - Strategy before tactics
- Marketing - Marketing is a habit, not an event
- Management - Fix the problem not the blame
- Operations - Starting is easy, finishing is hard
- Finance - Compete on value, not on price
So, got any you want to share?
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From the editor …
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Read the entire post from Six Pixels of Separation - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
If you had to choose your #1 rule for what it takes to create a successful Blog, what would it be? Mine is: create real interactions between human beings.
Finding your passion is one thing. Uncovering a unique niche is another. Attempting to turn a six-figure income from your Blog might be what drives you, but what will really keep the momentum going and your readers engaged is if you create a platform to not only share your own insights and personal thoughts, but use it as a place to really connect with those readers and enable that to turn the entire Blog into a thriving community.
It's something that will take a lot of internal and personal struggle (especially if it's a business Blog).
If everything you do Blog about has an end-game of making you slightly more famous, how does that help, grow and nurture your online community?
The conversations are everywhere.
What is your #1 rule for creating a successful Blog?
Tags: blog blog marketing blogger blogging book oven business blog business magazine conversation friendfeed hugh mcguire human being internet culture librivox media newspaper online community publishing twitter
Dozens of volunteers, working together, put together this ebook:
[last one didn't work... try the link above. Sorry.]
Yours to share or print or email, but please don't sell it or change it.
Not only is there a juicy insight on every page, but I'm comfortable saying it's the best designed PDF I've ever seen, worth making into a template for your next project.
Enjoy it.
"I want to make a bet with you today. By January 2014 I will wager that in the US almost all forms of tangible media will either be in sharp decline or completely extinct. I am not just talking about print, but all tangible forms of media - newspapers, magazines, books, DVDs, boxed software and video games." posted by Mitch Joel of Twisted Image
That is how Steve Rubel started the post, The End of Tangible Media is Clearly in Sight, on his Micro Persuasion Blog yesterday (BTW, if you're not reading Rubel, you really should).
Media will shift and it will evolve.
There's also little doubt that as technology gets faster and more readily available, more and more content will also be available through the existing (and soon-to-be-coming) digital devices. As Blogged about a couple of days ago here: Digital Is The Great Disrupter, every industry that has seen their physical products shift to digital have gone through tremendous turmoil. Won't it be interesting to see which types of "physical" devices we'll need for all of this digital media?
Lastly, how "green" will this really be? The last time I checked, there are no organic battery farms anywhere and electricity and electronics are a huge part of our ongoing challenge to truly be a little greener. For us to consume all of this mass media is going to create a new kind of waste, which is going to have an environmental impact on all of us.
I am a big fan of Virtual meetings and use webinars as a big part of my communication tools. Enjoy the excerpt and if you want to read more from Rohit click on the link below.
- Recession economy and budgets. Yes, I said the "R" word. If you were lucky enough to work for a company that actually had a conference budget, chances are you are seeing that budget reduced or disappear. This is the most obvious reason for the rise of virtual events ... they are cheaper.
- Filling the void. I do not, however, believe that this budgetary pressure will lead people to not attend events. They will just get more selective about the ones that they do attend. So for arguments sake, let's say there is a marketer who usually attends 3 conferences a year. Next year this same marketer may only be able to attend one, but can virtually attend another 3-4 throughout the year. More and more we will see virtual events filling the void and making training, learning and networking possible on more occasions than currently possible.
- Bring together a fantasy team. When done right, virtual events also allow you to bring together a group of speakers that would be very hard to bring together at the same time for a physical event. As a result, the caliber of speakers across the virtual event can often be higher because it is easier to get a commitment from experienced speakers with very busy travel schedules.
- Allow for multitasking. Sometimes the toughest thing about an in person conference or event is not getting the budget to go, but finding the time to be out of the office for an extended amount of time. With virtual events, you can go on mute on a conference call and multitask from your desk. Getting work done while attending a virtual event is a pretty powerful benefit.
- Small business friendly. At many large events that I attend, it sometimes seems that small businesses are the ones that are left out because it is only the bigger companies that can afford to send people to conferences. I strongly believe the smartest small business people are the ones who ARE investing to go to the right in person events, but virtual events can often work better for small businesses simply because of the tradeoff in time and budget commitment, as well as the fact that they can be less intimidating.
- Built in archive. As an entire event is hosted online, all the content and conversations the event generates are also online. When the time comes to create an online achive of the event, it is usually a very simple prospect because the bulk of the content and conversations are already online and it is simply a matter of aggregating it together.
This isfrom Influential Marketing Blog, and written by Rohit.
I have used Skype sparingly in the past and it seems like this may work better for me. What do you think:
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
Is This a Skype Killer?
Freeonline phone, chat and now video chat is a tremendous business and personal tool.
Skype pioneered the platform, but Google just launched it’s own version of voice and video chat that connects directly into Gmail. You can download the Gmail voice plug-in here.
Idon’t know about you, but I’ve never really worked Skype into my routine, even though many swear by it. I’ve already got so many Google services integrated into my day to day activities, that I’m guessing this will be a natural add-on.
Onceyou download the plug-in and log into Gmail you will be asked to verify your audio and video settings. Obviously you need a camera attached to your computer and those you want to chat with will need to set-up Video chat as well.
If you already use Google Talkr, you may have a head start on access to your connection.
Here’s a screenshot from Google Blog
From "ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom dedicated to Marketing, Advertising and the Creative Process" -
Too many business owners design things from their own perspective. What if you turned that around and let your customers do the designing?
The Marketing MinuteBuild A ... might mean Build A Sale
The buyers of today are used to being able to modify a standard offering and make it their own.
While I think it's easier to create this "Build A" feature into production of a tangible thing...I also believe that those of us in the services industry need to be mindful of this trend as well.
What could you allow your clients to customize?
It seems to me that the trend is here to stay. As the buyer gets younger, the demand for customization will be greater. What could you offer today (or soon) to jump on this trend?
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By Sue Kirchhoff and Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — A rash of dismal data Monday underscored economists' fears that the nation is falling into a deep recession, with manufacturing plummeting, banks pulling back on consumer and business loans and construction spending dropping.
Of particular concern is a sharp decline in export orders for U.S. goods, which had been a bright spot in the economy. Global demand is slowing as foreign economies falter and the U.S. dollar rises against other currencies.
"The plunge in new export orders to a new all-time low raises concerns that the only remaining area of strength for the U.S. economy might also collapse," said Harm Bandholz, economist at UniCredit Markets.
U.S. manufacturing activity sank to the lowest level in more than 26 years in October as orders, production, employment and exports all declined, the Institute for Supply Management said Monday.
The ISM index of factory activity was 38.9 in October, down from 43.5 in September and the lowest since September 1982, when the economy was in one of the longest recessions in the post-war period. A reading below 50 points to contraction. "October was the month in which the manufacturing sector came off of its pedestal," says Norbert Ore, head of the ISM survey.
You have optimized your website for winning keywords, are mid-way with your link building campaign, and have been going absolutely crazy creating fresh SEO friendly content that pleases the users and search engines.
You are obviously very serious about your online business, and yet you cannot seem to cross the Rank # 12, Page 2 barrier of Google search listing for your primary keywords.
A series of questions arise from the imaginary situation above:
1. Why is my ranking for the particular keyword not going up?
2. Am I missing out on any SEO strategies?
3. Maybe I am not building enough links? How much will be enough?
4. Do I have to improve my content quality?
5. The search engine has changed their algorithm (�again)
6. Others are using illegal SEO techniques
Now while one could go over the questions in your head, read up on latest search engine algorithms, contact a SEO expert, or blindly start buying links out of desperation, there is an easier way to find your answers.
Simply ask why are the other 10 websites ranking before your website?
Now that does not mean that the above questions 1 to 6 are not relevant, but simply put, one of the easiest ways to boost your search rankings is to study the top 5 to ten websites for your keyword and then apply what working for them into your own strategies.
This is an excerpt form the entireweb newsletter where I get great tips on managing my website.
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
Get Your Google Alerts via RSS
John is a big fan of Google Alerts because it allows you to easily monitor all kinds of names and phrases online, now you can get it and send it to your Google Reader account. If you like what you read so you hit the Share feature in Google Reader and the alert content shows up on the your Facebook profile via the Feedheads application or post your RSS to Twitter via Twitterfeed.
