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How to run promotional campaigns and build your list using WordPress

June 17, 2013

Slides: “How to run promotional campaigns and build your list using WordPress”

Tonight, I’m giving this presentation on “How to run promotional campaigns and build your list using WordPress” for the WordPress Birmingham Meetup. (You still have time to RSVP for this free meeting, taking place at 7 p.m. at Pale Eddie’s Pour House.)

It’s based on my recent book launch for “The Social Media Stars of Birmingham.” (Download a copy of the book for free.)

In my talk, I’ll explain how I grew site traffic by a factor of eight for Y’all Connect and grew a new mailing list so fast that I saved years in the process.

1. You can see the slides from the presentation. Please feel free to download them or embed them on your site. To download a PDF, click the button marked “slideshare,” then “Save.”

2. I’ll post audio to sync with the slides.

3. If you want to stay in touch …

Thanks for checking out “How to run promotional campaigns and build your list using WordPress.”

• • •

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book me for a FREE consultation.

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About these ads

I wrote a book about our social media community, and it’s free

June 11, 2013

The Social Media Stars of Birmingham coverOne aspect I love about social media is how each person, each company, goes about using it. Some use it for entertainment, others for interaction or marketing.

I’ve written a book that shows who’s doing it well. And it’s free.

“The Social Media Stars of Birmingham” includes not only my picks but also their picks as well. You’ll meet 37 people and brands making Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, blogs and other digital hangouts into interesting and lively places.

I hope you enjoy the book. Download a copy, and let me know what you think.

Get your copy of “The Social Media Stars of Birmingham”
from Y’all Connect …

Get the ebook

The squeaky wheels of Facebook

June 3, 2013

future of customer service

A reporter called me last week to talk about Facebook. Specifically, how a company can stand out by responding to customers online.

The Montgomery Advertiser ran the story Sunday with the headline, “Reshaping service: Local businesses, customers look to online comments, reviews on Facebook.”

We talked at length about how companies fare on Facebook, depending on their products and services but also on how they fulfill customers’ needs.

Allow me to go into detail, beyond what was covered in the article.

No matter the size of your company, Facebook fans and customers will perceive its “humanness” based on how it operates its page. It can be done with great care and love, or it can be done mechanically. Or in many cases, it has already been abandoned.

Customer complaints are nothing new, but companies that ignore them tend to be viewed negatively. The attempt to address those problems is important. No company can solve every single issue raised by customers, but the ones who make a good faith effort to respond to the most common or most important concerns can stand out.

One basic need we have is to be heard. Some companies ignore critical feedback, or even worse, delete it outright. What a missed opportunity to at least acknowledge a customer has taken time to write out a complaint.

Those businesses that take the next step, acting on feedback, are rare indeed. It is not easy to change or to fix problems within an organization. It could take an unknown amount of time and resources.

However, the companies that solve their customers’ problems are likely to win them for life. Facebook provides a conduit into how people really see your products and services, faults and all.

Facebook also provides a way for companies to demonstrate how they’re listening to and acting upon consumer complaints.

As someone who has built, modified and run Facebook pages for brands, I know that the value in having this channel is to invite all feedback and use it wisely.

Photo: Dell (CC)

• • •

Need help with your company’s Facebook page?
Contact me today for training and strategy.

Contact me

Do everything wrong and backwards

May 28, 2013

spiderweb

I missed sending out an email newsletter last week.

I wrote a blog post that was 2,500 words long.

I rarely plan out my blog posts in advance (save for the one above).

I waste time on social media though I know I can’t spare it.

Is this any way to run all things digital?

Maybe. It’s the way I run things on occasion.

I tell people how to blog and how to use their social media channels. They listen, and often, they follow through. I am not a perfect coach, and they are not perfect operatives.

But we all muddle through. Even though it’s not all planned out, or that everything matches up to steps in the plan. Even though critics and fans will tell you you’re doing it wrong.

I am a big fan of results-driven work. Sure, I like efficient and practical methods. But I love great results. So my way isn’t always the best way for every single brand and company and campaign.

I do like to recommend alternate options. It’s part of building a strategy.

And I do like making progress, as uneven as it can be at times.

You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t even have to be great.

Know how your digital marketing efforts fit into your larger marketing picture. Measure what you’re doing in terms of reach and effectiveness. Adjust your tactics accordingly.

And know that however perfectly you’re doing it, you’re doing it wrong in someone’s eyes. Do it anyway.

Photo: Mark Ou (CC)

• • •

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What I do for a living

May 14, 2013

Wade Kwon

When I say each of my sites is a work in progress, I’m not kidding.

This site has been up for more than 4 years, but one critical piece was missing.

My list of services.

I have corrected that oversight, and now visitors can actually find out what I do for a living.

See my list of services.

Photo: Judi Knight (CC)

More from WordCamp Atlanta 2013: Video on advanced content management

May 6, 2013

Video: Wade Kwon on “How to Win Awards and Influence Readers
in 439 Days and 668 Posts”

I am a lucky presenter.

In March at WordCamp Atlanta, I received more than few shout outs on Twitter for my talk, ”How to Win Awards and Influence Readers in 439 Days and 668 Posts.”

I never expected to receive a great tweet the same day my presentation video hit the Web.

David Scott Lynn, a yoga instructor in Phoenix, found my 45-minute video on WordPress.tv before I did and watched it. I am grateful when anyone will sit longer than 60 seconds to watch a video, much less mine.

While I’ll be reviewing the video to improve my delivery, you should watch it to discover the secrets of successful content marketing and management for the long haul. Let me know what you think, whether by telling me on Twitter at @WadeOnTweets or in a comment below.

• • •

I help companies from accounting to zoos.
Let me help with your digital content.

Contact me

The go-to guy for media

April 29, 2013

TV reporter

I’ve been on both sides of journalism: the reporter and the subject. My ties with media outlets have helped me, my company and my clients talk with audiences they might not normally reach.

It makes me the go-to guy.

You want to be the media’s go-to guy for specific topics. Mine are social media, blogging, technology, trends and communication. My friend (and client) Jen Barnett, co-founder of Freshfully, is the go-to girl for farming, food, agriculture, produce, technology and entrepreurism.

You become the go-to guy when you provide quotes and soundbites on a regular basis to media outlets, helping reporters tell a story to their audiences. You answer their calls and texts and show up on time and ready to answer questions. You provide them with other sources and make them look good with their editors and directors and viewers and readers.

You send them media releases on a regular basis and feed them a steady diet of ideas, tips and the occasional bit of gossip.

You practice your interview skills ahead of time and help them understand complex topics quickly.

You build good relationships over time so they can depend on you on tight deadlines.

Being the go-to guy means waiting patiently. You may pitch ideas and interviews for weeks and months with zero nibbles. And then, you get a surprise call to go on camera, as happened to me last week. (See my interview on Fox 6.)

The go-to guy is flexible and energetic, knowledgeable and humble, with just a hint of swagger.

And in building media relations, the go-to guy isn’t known only to the media but to the community as well.

Photo: Chris (CC)

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