What Cindy taught me about Pinterest
Cindy Wincek Lake’s Pinterest profile page
Pinterest may be my new favorite thing for 2012. It’s forcing me to think visually and look at crowdsourced material with fresh eyes.
Cindy Wincek Lake, marketing director at Donohoo Auto in Pelham, is a Pinterest pro. She has more than 400 followers and close to 2,000 pins on 35 boards. In asking pinners what makes their boards special, she wrote:
“My deepest darkest Pinterest secret is hardly a secret. My favorite board is one that I created called ‘Don’t Hate the Players,’ and it features some of my favorite international soccer stars in all their glory. It’s a bit ridiculous and not a board that most people would want to follow, but over 400 people who I don’t know enjoy the heck out of it.”
Here’s what else I learned from Cindy …
Don’t Hate the Players, Cindy’s Pinterest board of “fútbol’s finest”
1. Be true to your passions. I don’t know a lot of soccer fans around here, but the ones I do know are crazy about the sport, their teams and players. So it’s only natural Cindy would have a board dedicated just to players. Or should I say, to the hottest players?
A little man-candy never hurt anyone, but it’s not surprising that her fandom has attracted hundreds of followers and two other contributing pinners.
Cindy may be in the middle of football country, but her fútbol obsession helps her find her tribe.
My passion is my hometown of Birmingham, so the very first board I created features everything happening in Birmingham. It now has more than 200 followers and two contributing pinners.
2. Be clever in creating your boards. I have seen a million boards on “Weddings” and “Food” and “Decorating Ideas.” Only on Cindy’s page have I found …
- SHHH — The Queen is Sleeping!
- I’d totes wear that!
- Paint Your Face and Fix Your Hair,
- Yummerz,
- Presh!
- Crafty I wish I was,
- Bubbas,
- My Motherland — Deutschland Über Alles,
- Organization is NOT my specialty,
- Baubles, Tik Tok and such,
- STOP SOPA and PIPA,
- I mean, REALLY. REALLY?
Don’t the names alone make you want to click and see what these boards are about? A few words paint a better picture than all the tiny Pinterest thumbnails.
3. Let your friends in on the best pins right away. As you pin or re-pin items, you can tag your Pinterest friends in the comments. It may be something they should look at and pin to their own boards.
Just type “@name” and Pinterest will start to narrow down with each character entered.
You can see how Cindy used it to notify her friend Jaimee about a new product.
It is a social network after all.
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You, too, can be a Pinterest pro. Like other social channels, if you show off your passions, stand out with your cleverness and include your friends, you’ll have a more rewarding experience in very short order.
- Need a Pinterest invite? Let me know.
- Video: I need your pins for the Birmingham Pinterest board.
- Your True Pinterest Confessions
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Still more from WordCamp Birmingham 2012: tweets and slides
Photo: Nathan Young
Just wanted to share two more things from WordCamp Birmingham 2012: my favorite tweets during my session and slides from all the presenters.
(Looking for my presentation? Slides and video)
Tweets
On to track 2 and how to win awards and influence readers with @WadeOnTweets #WPYall http://t.co/jKJBzFyf—
Nathan Young (@nvyoung) January 14, 2012
CHOCOLATE #yall — @wadeontweets you are already my favorite speaker. #wpyall—
Tianna Buckwalter (@coloringblue) January 14, 2012
BEST speaker ever. Already. RT @coloringblue: CHOCOLATE #yall — @wadeontweets you are already my favorite speaker. #wpyall—
Meredith Allison (@meremo) January 14, 2012
Sharing bag of chocolates to boost caffeine levels: @WadeOnTweets has already rocked his session @wordcampbham #wpyall—
Sheree Martin (@ree_tweets) January 14, 2012
Yes! @WadeOnTweets announces his Twitter handle at the beginning of his talk. Like a boss. #wpyall—
Cathy Reisenwitz (@CathyReisenwitz) January 14, 2012
3 Bs of high-traffic website: Blog, Baby, Blog. #wpyall #Content – @wadeontweets—
beth g sanders (@bethgsanders) January 14, 2012
@wadeontweets wins the listen to me, I know what I'm talking about voice of the day. #wpyall—
Joe Birdwell (@JoeBirdwell) January 14, 2012
Diversity gives you more chances to succeed. @WadeOnTweets #wpyall—
Cathy Reisenwitz (@CathyReisenwitz) January 14, 2012
Knowing your audience helps you find magic topics & long-tail… @WadeOnTweets @wordcampbham #WPyall—
Stephanie True Moss (@truemc) January 14, 2012
Comments are love, even it they say something bad, at least they cared enough to comment. @WadeOnTweets #wpyall—
Tandi Smith (@TandiSmith) January 14, 2012
@WadeOnTweets Three rules for a blog. 1. Don’t have a plan; 2. Cover everything; 3. Measure, measure, measure #WPYall—
Nathan Young (@nvyoung) January 14, 2012
@WadeOnTweets Great presentation. Thanks for sharing. Blog, baby, blog! #wpyall—
Mitzi Eaker (@Mitzi_Eaker) January 14, 2012
@wadeontweets great presentation — super informative and helpful. Thanks! – the Alaskan yankee.—
Tianna Buckwalter (@coloringblue) January 14, 2012
"how to win awards and influence readers" was definitely the most inspirational session of the day! @WadeOnTweets #wpyall #wordcamp #bham—
Karla Khodanian (@karlakhodanian) January 14, 2012
@wadeontweets awesome session, even for this beginner. Thank you!—
Tandi Smith (@TandiSmith) January 14, 2012
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Slides
WordPress for Beginners, by Brian Krogsgard
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Oh My! So many themes to choose from, by Judi Knight
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Empowering Non-Profits with WordPress, by Cliff Seal
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Wrestling with E-Commerce for WordPress, by John Housholder
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Using Theme Frameworks for rapid development and sustainability, by Joel Norris
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CSI: WordPress — Getting Into the Guts, by Dougal Campbell
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Enqueues, Includes and Defines! Oh my! by Tammy Hart
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Beyond the Browser – Creating a RESTful Web Service with WordPress, by Christopher Reding
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Relate all the things!, by Michael Yoshitaka Erlewine
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WordPress Security, by Scott Fisk
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WordPress in a Time of Crisis, by Michelle Amaral
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There’s a Plugin for That, by Marna Friedman
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Stop creating content for the sake of creating content, by George Ortiz
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WorryProof WordPress – Backup Strategies for Your Web Site, by Nathan Ingram
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Running Your Freelance Business, by Kelly Housholder
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Make great tutorial and product videos, by Steve Burge
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Responsive Web Design and WordPress, by Dan Gavin
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100 (or so) Plugins You Need in Your Life, by Ryan Imel
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Fun with Integration, by Samuel “Otto” Wood
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Scan It! Incorporating QR Codes into WordPress, by Stephanie True Moss
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If I missed your slides, leave a comment with a link to the deck so I can include it.
Video: Wade Kwon on “How to Win Awards and Influence Readers
in 439 Days and 668 Posts”
You’ve seen the slides, now own the movie.
Check out the 30-minute video from my WordCamp Birmingham 2012 presentation, “How to Win Awards and Influence Readers in 439 Days and 668 Posts.”
I had a great time sharing my plan for long-term content marketing and management. It’s an advanced-level strategy, suitable for corporate bloggers who have had sites up for at least a year or two. And it works, even if your site isn’t built on WordPress, though WordPress and the free All in One SEO Pack plugin make it very easy to grow traffic with consistent posting and tagging.
- Slides from my presentation (which you can follow along in another window, download or print)
• • •
Want to learn more about blogging, social media and communication?
See my full lineup of webinars throughout 2012.
If you came to my session at WordCamp Birmingham 2012, “How to Win Awards and Influence Readers in 439 Days and 668 Posts,” thank you. If you’re just interested in advanced content marketing for business, you’re in the right place.
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 “View on SlideShare,” then “Download.”
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2. I’ll have video posted soon. Hooray, you can watch the 30-minute presentation video.
3. If you want to stay in touch …
- You can contact me through this simple form. Please feel free to ask questions, make suggestions or request help.
- You can follow me on Twitter at @WadeOnTweets.
- You can subscribe to the free e-mail newsletter with tips, info, specials and more.
- And you can subscribe to my Birmingham Blogging Academy posts by RSS feed or by e-mail by looking for the box in the right sidebar.
Thanks for checking out “How to Win Awards and Influence Readers in 439 Days and 668 Posts.”
• • •
If you need help in 2012 with communication,
now is the time to book me for a FREE consultation.
On pins and needles: What are you pushing on Pinterest?
I was lucky to receive a Pinterest invite in 2011, but didn’t put it to use until this month. I’m having fun pinning interesting items for specific categories (Birmingham, pop culture), while browsing through everyone else’s boards.
But I’d love to learn how you’re using Pinterest, how you’re finding great things to pin and more.
- What are you pinning?
- Who do you follow?
- What’s your secret guilty pleasure on Pinterest?
Drop a comment with a link to your Pinterest page and even the board your most proud of creating and maintaining. And of course, let me know your answers to those questions above.
Be clever, be wordy and be linky. I’ll write a post about the Pinterest pal who writes the best comment within the next week. (And if you need an invite, feel free to contact me.)
And my True Pinterest Confession? I have to eat something every time I start browsing, because I’m following people who have an eye for beautiful entrees, snacks and sweets. I’m going to end up gaining a pound during each session!
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- Pin this post!
- Wade Kwon’s Pinterest page
- Pinterest: 13 Tips and Tricks for Cutting Edge Users
- Three Ways to Use Pinterest for Business
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Webinar – Your LinkedIn Profile: Your Ticket to a Better Job
• Hate your job?
• Need to network but don’t know how?
• Stuck in a dead-end career?
• Not sure how to approach prospective employers and recruiters?
Let your LinkedIn profile do the work for you.
In this 1-hour webinar, learn how to make your profile stand out from the millions of job seekers in the marketplace and the 135 million other LinkedIn users.
LinkedIn expert Wade Kwon will show you …
- How to avoid common profile mistakes,
- The one change you can make right now to grab attention,
- How to never have to update your resume ever again.
With thousands of recruiters searching through LinkedIn several times a day, your new career depends on the strength of your profile. Make it easier for them to find and hire you today.
Plus, he’ll have a special offer for those who attend live at the end of the session. And 10 percent of proceeds will be donated to his new nonprofit group, the Alabama Social Media Association, which educates people for free in social media.
Join me at noon CST Thursday for the first in a series of BBA webinars to help you communicate more effectively.
Tickets are $30, but if you hurry,
you can get in for a reduced rate.
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Note: Fee is non-refundable if attendee cancels for any reason. However, we do offer a double-your-money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with your training. See our FAQ for details.
WordCamp Birmingham 2012: a preview
Sara Cannon gives a presentation at WordCamp Birmingham 2010. She’s the organizer
behind the 2012 event.
Some quick thoughts on WordCamp Birmingham 2012 …
• Why you should go: For anyone interested in networking in the blogging, development or design areas, WordCamps remain a great investment for meeting the right people who can help you with your digital business. Quite a few speakers are coming from Atlanta, so expect a sizable group of attendees from there as well.
It’s a good learning experience, though I personally skip most of the highly technical workshops. I’m pushing to see more content-side offerings beyond the beginner level, which is why I specifically developed an intermediate/advanced session. (More on that below.)
You don’t have to be a WordPress user to get value out of this conference. For those even thinking about switching to the platform, this event is a terrific opportunity to ask questions and even transition over at the WordPress Help Desk.
• My session: It’s going to go quick. For me, 40 minutes is a really short time to present anything, simple or complex. You really have about 30 minutes tops if you allow for any questions at all.
That being said, you can hear me talk about “How to Win Awards and Influence Readers in 439 Days and 668 Posts,” a long-winded way of saying “Advanced Content Management and Marketing.”
The official description:
Birmingham’s Best Blogger Wade Kwon reveals the secrets to developing a content strategy. It’s a plan that took an unknown site from just another URL to the Best Website of 2011, according to readers of the Birmingham News.
This session is for intermediate and advanced users, business owners and publishers who want to not only blog more often, but more effectively and with a defined return on investment.
Content marketing isn’t the future. It’s now. And the sooner you develop a plan, the sooner you can slowly win over a dynamic, interactive, engaged audience.
• Why I’m going: I want to meet you. I want to hear what you’re working on with your business, and where you’re struggling. If I can help, I will, or I’ll point you to someone who can.
Also, I have a strong sense of curiosity. I do like to hear what’s going on in the development community, and this gets me plugged in quickly. Plus, I enjoy supporting tech conferences in my hometown, and I’m proud that the Alabama Social Media Association is an official friend of the conference.
• Nuts and bolts: The conference is all day Jan. 14 at the BJCC East Meeting Rooms and a half day on Jan. 15 at Samford University. Tickets for both days are $35, but enter code ALSOCME to get them for $29. (And oh my is it a pain to use the code — see the instructions buried in the registration page comments.)
• Et cetera: WordCamp Birmingham speakers | schedule | sessions in detail
If you’re interested in doing a “lightning talk” (under 10 minutes), you can apply for a spot. Heck, if you want me to answer a quick question, leave a comment below and let me know what topic to (cough) strike.
It’s been 16 months since the last WordCamp Birmingham, but a surprisingly extra long 25 months since the last WordCamp Atlanta. Here’s a look at the speakers and sessions lined up for Feb. 3-4 at the SCAD campus. Tickets are $40.
Photo: Christopher Reding
Content marketing: Reputation trumps begging
I have railed against the excess begging in social media before: It does much more harm than good to brands and to nonprofit organizations.
I simply shall not ever promote causes via “slacktivism.”
But fret not, for a better option is out there.
Most awards and recommendations I’ve ever received are cataloged on my LinkedIn profile. I didn’t request a single one. The recommendations on my work have flowed in over the years for two reason: I know good people, and they know my good work.
Perhaps the best example of rewarding such excellence came last week. Friday, the Birmingham News announced the results of the Birmingham’s Best 2011 readers’ poll. Back in 2009, my site Wade on Birmingham was a runner-up for Best Website.
I always thought the winning site, AL.com, should recuse itself from the process since it is both host of the online survey and sister company to the promoter of the poll. Plus, I thought that no way in hell could any site trump Alabama’s No. 1 online destination.
Was I wrong.
Because my site, Magic City Post, launched in October 2010, won Best Website!
I was shocked. We never mentioned the poll to our readers, or linked to the ballot. We never begged or cajoled or whimpered for votes.
What we did was continue to promote positive things in Birmingham, add posts daily from our team of terrific writers, and interact with people.
It is an unintended but wonderful result of advanced content marketing and development. And it took only 439 days and 668 posts.
But really, we owe everything to our readers who voted for us, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. How else to explain this underdog victory for a site that has a tiny, tiny fraction of AL.com’s traffic and audience.
Something to consider the next time you’re asked to click click click for the cause.
Blog better every day: My daily blog tips from December 2011
Throughout 2011, I share a daily blog tip via my Twitter account, @WadeOnTweets, at 7 a.m. CST.
You can …
- Ask follow-up questions in the comments.
- Tweet out your favorites.
- Follow #DailyBlogTip on Twitter.
- And follow me on Twitter at @WadeOnTweets.
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The tips for December …
- Your most popular posts will often show you clear relationship between straightforward headlines and SEO.
- Draw out the 80 percent of your community that holds back. Ask questions and create safe environment.
- More content means more to market. If you’re skimping on content, marketing will be limited from the start.
- Goals for your blog: traffic, readers, leads, strong SEO, sales, ideas, branding, promotion, interaction.
- Idea for mobile: database of local retail and dining formatted for on the go. Ex.: m.spokesman.com/deals.
- Learning the “Rule of Thirds” helped me make better choices in editing photos for publication.
- Load time should be an important factor in determining whether to use a plugin.
- The FTC Act requires bloggers to disclose any compensation for any product or service reviews.
- Reward your best commenters with a special thank you email.
- You can tell which blog communities are having fun and which ones hate each other in a glance.
- What are the most important pages, posts and products in your blog? Market those first.
- The best strategy starts with asking the right questions: goals, resources, challenges, timeline.
- Test mobile themes for functionality: sharing posts, leaving comments, searching the site, playing videos.
- Hosting photos offsite (e.g. Flickr) may speed up load time but increases risk of display error.
- Keep pages and posts distinct. Pages are static, timeless. Posts are date-stamped updates.
- Be aware that some plugins and themes include coding that tracks admin and user behavior.
- Start SEO with good site and architecture. Build on it with content, headlines, tags. Measure over time.
- Even established communities have “churn.” Important to replenish with new readers as others fall away.
- Marketing can be complicated with infinite choices for tactics. Pick two or three, run them and measure.
- Being stuck for topics repeatedly might indicate narrow focus, or even burnout. Get more input quick.
- Checkup: Make sure your goal still rings true. Perpetual motion won’t help in the long run.
- Checkup: Separate your wish list items from reader and business needs. Address the needs first.
- Checkup: Understanding your audience, current and potential, is crucial to content and marketing strategy.
- Checkup: Greatness comes from having a unique and passionate voice. All else merely blends in.
- Keep the spirit of blogging in your heart all year long. It’s always better to blog than to receive.
- Checkup: Learn your metrics, how to measure and increase each one, and calculate return on investment.
- Checkup: Be wary of fear, boredom and poor time management. They are the ultimate blog killers.
- Checkup: Does your blog “pop” visually? Take the time to make sure each post has an eye-catching image.
- Checkup: Mobile isn’t the future. It’s now. Beat your competitors by making your site mobile friendly.
- Checkup: The little things can help you stand out: editing, spellcheck, embedded video, reader focus.
- Checkup: Blogs come and go, but if you keep people at the heart of each one, you’ll succeed every time.
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2012? Own it! Here’s how …
It’s not too early to look ahead to 2012. How will you stand out as a brand, a business, a thought leader? By standing out, you make it easier to reach clients and customers, and for them to find you.
1. Share a tip a day. I did it this year with #DailyBlogTip on Twitter. I wrote out a month’s worth, then used the free SocialOomph site to schedule them in advance. What expertise are you hoarding that would make for easy-to-digest tips via Facebook or Twitter?
2. Own a space. Find some corner of the Internet and dominate it. Ideally, it’s your website or blog. But it could be a Facebook page. Or a Google+ page. Funny how people won’t use Google+ because they aren’t sure it’ll pan out. It may not, but for a small investment of time, you can be a brand leader on this growing channel.
3. Go big. Really, really big. I look back on all the things we accomplished through the Alabama Social Media Association in just 1 year, and I’m overwhelmed. I have a problem with focusing on the tiny mistakes and missing the really important achievements: 900-plus attendees, raising money and supplies for charity, networking with people around the world. Think big about what you want to do in 2012, plan it and go for it!
4. Be a better listener. I work on my public speaking. I work on my writing. I work on my interpersonal communication. But what I work on all the time is to become a better listener. That means shutting out distractions. That means listening to the words in the moment, without letting my thoughts wander (classic introvert). You can really stand out by engaging people one on one with a good question and then shutting up. And listening.
5. Zag, baby, zag. Sometimes, you stand out simply by distinguishing yourself in some small way. All your competitors are doing flashy campaigns, so why should you? I stand out because I like to incorporate humor in everything I do. And I stand out because I’m remarkably consistent. By the end of this year, I’ll have sent out 52 weekly newsletters, a first for me. Many companies just stop. By merely writing this newsletter, and the next one, and so on, I stand out.
How are you planning to win in 2012? Share your ideas in the comments.
• • •
If you need help in 2012 with communication,
now is the time to book me for a FREE consultation.
Blog better every day: My daily blog tips from November 2011
Throughout 2011, I share a daily blog tip via my Twitter account, @WadeOnTweets, at 7 a.m. CST.
You can …
- Ask follow-up questions in the comments.
- Tweet out your favorites.
- Follow #DailyBlogTip on Twitter.
- And follow me on Twitter at @WadeOnTweets.
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The tips for November …
- Take strategy out of your head and put it on paper/computer. Review it periodically to refresh and adjust.
- Test your mobile theme regularly. And borrow others’ phones to see display, interface, navigation.
- Frequency of posts: Start out with quantity, improve with practice, then hold out for high quality.
- Beware the plugin that looks fine in your browser but unexpectedly wrecks the site in other browsers.
- Basic security includes strong password, up-to-date software, check for plugins/themes with malicious code.
- Bound by no-comment policy? Get feedback through email, form, survey, social media and analytics.
- Your blog community isn’t the same as the communities around related social media channels or email.
- Marketing has to be a factor in your blog content, but it doesn’t have to be a hard sell approach.
- Spice up your blog carnival: all guest posts; take opposite position; all photos or videos; under 50 words.
- What is the one problem your blog could solve for users outside the home? Make that a goal for mobile.
- Post images not only provide visual element, but help with thumbnails, visual reference, search, navigation.
- Sometimes, HTML or simple coding can take the place of a sidebar plugin or widget.
- Most users don’t pay attention to copyright and licensing. It’s up to you to write and enforce policy.
- Too many seek out help for “better SEO” without knowing what it is, its value or its cost. Study up first.
- 80-20 rule for blog communities: 20 percent of members do 80 percent of commenting or bringing traffic.
- Solving customer problems is a great approach in marketing your blog. Focus externally, not internally.
- For your next series, include teaser or hook to next part at end of each post. Build that anticipation.
- Idea for mobile: audio tour of retail space, display, property or neighborhood. Show off your world.
- Keep short intro/outro videos on YouTube. Upload new videos, mash together in editor for branded content.
- Consider platforms carefully, but realize that most readers won’t know or care.
- Create a low-level user profile for guests to post, but not allow access to other areas of the site.
- Use custom permalinks not only to extend SEO value but also to keep headlines shorter.
- Give tools to your community: comment rating/flags and threads, profiles, reminders, customization.
- One thing that can make your blog stand out? Gratitude. Be thankful for your readers and customers.
- Marketing plans require discipline, consistency. Flitting among tactics wastes time, accomplishes little.
- The power of guest posts is reaching an audience you don’t normally see on your site. Do your homework.
- Allow users to toggle between mobile and desktop version of your site theme on phones.
- Little touches make for professional videos: tripod for steady shots, music for mood, mics for good audio.
- A small investment in learning how to use your platform pays off again and again in the long run.
- Free speech is an important right. Use your blog to the fullest to exercise it regularly.
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5 things your company should stop doing in digital marketing right now
While digital marketing is likely just part of your overall marketing strategy, doing it right can mean great results in a short period of time.
We’ve reviewed five steps your company can take, but did we go over what it should stop doing immediately?
Let’s examine five digital marketing no-no’s, also known as Wade’s pet peeves.
• Stop adding people without their consent to your email newsletter list. It’s not just a good idea — it’s the law, better known as the CAN-SPAM Act.
It’s odd to hear business owners worry about spamming their audience with too many junk emails, but then dump every business card and LinkedIn connection into the subscriber list without hesitation. Spam is spam.
By not abiding by the law, you risk losing your entire mailing list, plus up to $16,000 in fines. Plus, everyone hates spammers.
The best policy is to use a third-party service for emails, require opt-in by the user and make it a simple one-click effort to unsubscribe.
You may not have as many subscribers at first, but they’re going to stick around longer because they chose to join the list.
• Stop autoposting to Twitter. As a night owl, I see quite a few automated tweets from American companies between midnight and 2 a.m. This is just silly. Why not just rent a billboard truck to drive around deserted streets after midnight?
I also see quite a few daytime tweets from marketers updating their Facebook page, which then sends an overly long version to Twitter. The result? Truncated tweets with links back to Facebook.
A couple of real examples:
Happy Monday from a well rested [company name]. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and… [link to original Facebook update I will never click]
It’s a wet, chilly Cyber Monday, perfect for staying in and giving your loved ones the gift of partnership in the… [another link back to Facebook]
Those weren’t edited: The tweets actually ended mid-sentence.
It’s a good bet that these active Facebook users long ago forgot that the two accounts were connected — they might not even know they have a Twitter account. Some “expert” told them they had to be on Twitter, and that it would be a snap to set up.
I also see a lot of automated tweets going out once a newsletter is sent or a blog post is published. What you save in time (mere seconds) compares unfavorably to crafting your marketing message deliberately for your different audiences.
• Stop making everything about Facebook. This will be a fatal mistake for many companies over-invested in their Facebook presence.
As Facebook has shown time and again, it is more than willing to foist changes to the site and the interface with little warning or regard to how it affects users, companies, advertisers and app developers. For example, Ike Pigott shares an example of how his company’s mentions across Facebook simply vanished.
Imagine you are one of the billions of people who (gasp!) doesn’t use Facebook. That means each update, photo album, event, poll question and more from your company isn’t readily available to those users.
Give Facebook credit for this: It’s far easier to upload photos into albums and share quick bulletins there than your own website. Facebook is counting on your laziness to keep you feeding the beast day and night.
Instead, use your alternatives: your site and blog, email, Eventbrite and social media channels (Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and LinkedIn, for starters). The more your practice, the easier you’ll find publishing your stuff without the Facebook crutch.
• Stop letting your blog posts wither after publication. Each blog post needs to be marketed, several times and in different creative ways.
A few options off the top of my head: Tweet it; mention it in an email to a valued customer; include it in the email newsletter; link to it in future related posts; turn it into a presentation or a live chat topic; promote it among trusted bloggers; update with additional information.
(And if you’re interested in how to market your blog overall, I have 31 tips just for that.)
• Stop handing over money to marketers without metrics. Isn’t this the common lament of every consultant?
When we have our initial consultation, one of the standard questions I ask is about your numbers. How many subscribers, page views, visitors and clicks do you have? How many customers, sales leads and conversions are you after in the next 6 months? And so on.
Often, the ad agency or Web developer who came before me provided nothing in the way of metrics. No statistics, no training on how to measure them, nothing. They threw their client into the middle of the ocean with a life vest and no compass or radio.
I will show you how to measure the numbers. I will show you what each one means. I will help you set goals and achieve them through digital marketing with proper training and thoughtful strategy.
• What are your pet peeves in digital marketing? Sound off in the comments, please.
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If you need help with your company’s digital marketing,
let’s talk today.
5 things your company could do in digital marketing right now
Your company likely has the tools in place online, but isn’t using them to their fullest potential, if at all.
Let’s look at five ways to improve your digital marketing right now. You don’t have to do all of them, just one or two of them consistently.
• Let subscribers know the latest news or give them helpful advice in your newsletter. For some reason, you may have fears about your readers. Spamming them, bothering them. Try instead in trusting them and investing in them. If you can’t remember when you emailed them about what’s going on at your company, it’s time you reconnect with them.
Example: A Birmingham restaurant, Urban Standard, does a good job with its weekly updates. In the latest edition, the company shows off its newest hires (click the image at right to see full size). Simple, but shows the heart of the operation. (Too bad the revamped restaurant website has no place for you to subscribe to the newsletter. Oops.)
• Share something of interest several times a day on your company Facebook page. Two aspects are important in succeeding. First, vary your posts to include photos, shared updates from other companies’ Facebook pages, videos, questions and more.
Example: I love what my business partner Emily has shared on the ShopBirmingham.com Facebook wall, a great assortment of items of interest to local shoppers.
Second, post updates manually. For the time being, Facebook is giving higher weight to links and posts shared via the “Write something …” box on the wall. (As opposed to using third-party apps such as Hootsuite.) That emphasis on “live” posts means more visibility and engagement from your fans.
• Stop trying to “beautify” your blog — just use it. It worries me when business owners tell me they’re spending thousands of dollars to upgrade their site, but have no real purpose behind it other than “It’s due for a makeover.” What good is a spiffy new site if you intend to continue your neglectful ways? Post something to your blog, and then 7 days later, do it again. And again.
Example: One of my clients, fi-Plan Partners, has done a great job on its blog of developing an editorial calendar, hitting timely topics and showing off the depth of expertise from all of its in-house experts. You’ll find three posts a week on all things related to finances and the economy.
• Dive into Google+. Make a plan, create your company page, promote it, make an easy-to-remember gplus.to short URL, share some interesting items in your company stream and hold a video Hangout with up to 10 people. Your page can’t “follow” anyone (except other pages) until that person follows your page first. (Somewhat similar to Facebook company pages passively waiting for fans to Like it, but can still connect with other pages.)
Special tips: First, tour personal profile can Circle as many people as you like, which makes for a richer experience. For local businesses, it might be helpful to know who’s actually using Google+ in your city and what they’re saying. You can view the Nearby stream, even on your desktop. Then add them to a new Circle; you can see the one I created for Birmingham.
Second, use the “Search Google+” box at the top to see what people are talking about, based on keywords and hashtags. A good way to keep up to date with trends and feedback. For example, you can see the latest on Google+ about Penn State, including “Best of” and “Most recent.”
Note: Google+ has not made metrics available yet, so you have just a few to go by: number of followers, number of +1s and shares and comments, traffic to site, etc.
• Start brainstorming your digital marketing plan for the first half of 2012. What do you want to accomplish? How will you measure it? What are your expected costs in money and time?
Make a plan, execute it, adjust as needed, measure along the way.
Don’t wait till the new year to get started. These five suggestions are relatively painless, but can help your company stand out from the ones standing still in their online marketing.
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The LinkedIn networking challenge: results
In 589 days of one-on-one networking on LinkedIn, I can tell you that it’s one of the most valuable tools I’ve ever used.
And it didn’t cost me a dime.
Round 1 of the LinkedIn networking challenge is complete, and it has been both beneficial to my consulting business and eye-opening in how effective it has been.
All I did was contact people daily in my contact list, going in alphabetical order. I’d ask them about their work, their lives, anything that struck me as interesting. It helps to have a genuine curiosity about the people to whom you’re connected.
I admit, I let it falter for months on end. Only within the last few months did I jump back in full steam, contacting three people a day.
Early on, I reported a 61 percent response rate. At the end of contacting 500-plus people, I’m happy to announce the response rate was 64.7 percent.
That is huge. Despite having had whopping returns on email mailing lists, in the 40 and 50 percent range at times, this was phenomenal.
It led to a few of my most important projects in 2010 and 2011. It cemented that “top-of-mind presence” that helps speed along referrals to me. It helped others understand, when they asked me, what I do for a living and how I can help.
My network has grown by 55 percent, giving me more valuable connections in my network. As a rule, only people I’ve met are allowed in. No blind networking for me.
That large network makes it easier for me to make good referrals to people. If you ask me about people to know in Charlotte, or those who are skilled in PHP or accounting, I can look up great professionals in my LinkedIn network to send to you. (Of course, if you’re in my network, you can look them up, too.)
I have more people to contact in round 2, skipping over any who didn’t respond in round 1. Some 60 percent will be new contacts, which means starting the conversation as before, with basic questions. For the other 40 percent, a continuation from wherever we left off a year ago.
The value in a social network comes from the effort you put into it. I’m going to put more time than ever — but still only a few minutes a day — into LinkedIn.
I urge you to try it to develop your business and your network.
- Take a look at my awesome LinkedIn profile.
- Learn how to do your own LinkedIn networking challenge.
Photo: Shelia Scarborough (CC)
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If you need help with getting the most out of LinkedIn
for yourself or your company, let’s talk.
Blog better every day: My daily blog tips from October 2011
Throughout 2011, I share a daily blog tip via my Twitter account, @WadeOnTweets, at 7 a.m. CST.
You can …
- Ask follow-up questions in the comments.
- Tweet out your favorites.
- Follow #DailyBlogTip on Twitter.
- And follow me on Twitter at @WadeOnTweets.
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The tips for October, all on marketing your blog …
- Marketing: What is the message you share through your blog? Define it, hone it. It is the core.
- Marketing: Your company’s target audience determines how and where to market your blog.
- Marketing: Most plans require time and money. Set aside both in the budget to ensure proper execution.
- Marketing: Make a plan on how to market the site overall, individual posts, giveaways, other channels.
- Marketing: Easier to reach those who’ve already shown an interest, so make RSS/email subscriptions easy.
- Marketing: Easiest places to link to blog: Email signature, LinkedIn profile, Facebook and Twitter pages.
- Marketing: Easiest items to brand: Business cards, stickers, buttons, T-shirts, other promotional items.
- Marketing: Easiest ways to go viral: Work with your confederates, promoters and fire starters.
- Marketing: Easiest metrics to track: Unique visitors, page views, social media shares, comments.
- Marketing: Make sure your blog is easy to find on your company site with prominent link, latest headlines.
- Marketing: Having your blog show up the way you want on Google involves proper metadata “under the hood.”
- Marketing: Process becomes easier as your site adds content. Opportunities abound with solid foundation.
- Marketing: Leaving good, relevant comments on blogs is a great and organic way to lead back to your site.
- Marketing: Bring in readers by finding them on other sites through guest posts. Difficult, but valuable.
- Marketing: Harder but important metrics: calls, emails, foot traffic, sales, you know … real conversion.
- Marketing: Always start with good content, products and services. Why bother otherwise?
- Marketing: Don’t use yourself as the test subject for tactics. Your target audience perceives differently.
- Marketing: Your audience is bombarded by messages all day. Your challenge is to cut through the clutter.
- Marketing: Know your compliance, from CAN-SPAM to FTC regulations to Facebook contest rules.
- Marketing: Flexibility is important. As your blog evolves, as your readers evolve, so must your plan.
- Marketing: Don’t think about just your audience, but groups within that audience. Segment accordingly.
- Marketing: Experiment, measure, adjust. It applies to all things Internet, and so it applies here, too.
- Marketing: Email remains a best bet for consistent, measurable results. Make signup easy, and use regularly.
- Marketing: Your secret weapon is your personnel. They must read, write and understand the blog.
- Marketing: Bringing attention to your blog should show off your specialty: expertise, service, sharing.
- Marketing: It isn’t about what the competition is doing. It’s your brand, your site, your audience.
- Marketing: Calls to action: Contact us, comment, take a survey, download e-book, share post, subscribe.
- Marketing: Make an irresistible offer through compelling call to action, limited time, high value.
- Marketing: Easy: Getting people to your blog. Difficult: Getting people to *return* to your blog.
- Marketing: Your blog’s personality goes a long way in helping it stand out, attract readers and customers.
- Marketing: If your blog is invisible, fix it with high-quality marketing. Show the passion for your site.
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More than a dozen ways to learn from me, all free
I give away something every day of the year. Absolutely free.
You may know about a few of these outposts, but if you’re looking to learn something new, or just have an insatiable curiosity about communication, let me guide you to all my freebies.
• Twitter @WadeOnTweets: It’s all happening in real time: links to interesting and entertaining things across the Web. Plus conversation, questions, sass and surprises. It’s getting close to 4,000 followers. And you don’t need to have a Twitter account to follow along.
If you prefer just seeing the tweets in a simple weekly digest, I keep all 27,000-plus on file in my collection of Twitter logs.
- You can also see them mirrored on my personal Facebook profile. We might not be Facebook friends, but you can subscribe to my updates and still leave comments and questions or lurk to your heart’s content.
- You can also see a select few mirrored on my LinkedIn profile, but I’m picky about who’s in my network there.
• Blog posts: You’re reading one right now. I have thousands more. I’m doing regular posts here, plus some at the new Alabama Social Media Association site, once in a while at Media of Birmingham and some at Magic City Post (though more editing and site management). Not only can you see how I write, but different approaches, techniques, calls to action and other ways to jazz up your own blogging.
(And if you prefer using RSS, each one of those sites has an RSS feed, naturally.)
• Guest blog posts: I was lucky enough to pop up on quite a few blogs this year. Typically, I’ll let you know on Twitter or in the newsletter. Soon, I’ll likely have a roundup post on this site to guide you to the hidden gems out in Internet land.
• Birmingham Blogging Academy newsletter: It’s awesome. This award-winning weekly email guides you to my best stuff, shows where I’ll be speaking next and points out great events, trends and more. Subscribing is easy and free.
• Speaking engagements: Whether it’s a college classroom via Skype or the monthly Birmingham Ad Fed luncheon, giving talks on communication, social media, blogging and more is where I really shine. Contact me about booking me for your next corporate event, conference or meeting.
• Google+: A work in progress. More than 600 people have added me to their circles in just a few months, so I must be doing something right. Look for me to push harder on blogging, with conversations, Hangouts, networking and sharing in the near future.
• Alabama Social Media Association: We work very hard to share as much as possible for free. That includes free monthly social events and five free educational luncheons a year. We’ve had nearly 1,000 attendees total at our events since launching in March, so please join us and meet the ever-growing social media community in town. Sign up for the ALsocme free mailing list.
• Free consultations: If your company needs help with communication strategy, training, social media, blogging, media releases, public speaking and more, I can help. I’d be happy to sit down with you to help evaluate your goals and your needs. Contact me today.
We might never work together, but if you find some of my advice helpful, I’ve served my purpose.
Photo: See-ming Lee (CC)
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I want you to shine. Contact me, and let’s work
together to help you and your company succeed.
Blog better every day: My daily blog tips from September 2011
Throughout 2011, I share a daily blog tip via my Twitter account, @WadeOnTweets, at 7 a.m. CDT.
You can …
- Ask follow-up questions in the comments.
- Tweet out your favorites.
- Follow #DailyBlogTip on Twitter.
- And follow me on Twitter at @WadeOnTweets.
•
The tips for September …
- Blogging for fun? Do it. A great hobby, a great way to connect to others. Plus, no monetary pressure.
- Designing for mobile means simple navigation, easily digestible content, reformatted graphics, clean look.
- Many bloggers post narrated photo essays, adding visual interest while enhancing storytelling.
- Watermarks won’t keep images from being stolen, but can at least identify their original website.
- Make sure your blog platform is integrated into your main website for SEO, metrics and seamless look.
- Spend the $10 to have a custom domain name, even if you’re on a free site like WordPress.com.
- Headlines are the shortest, most important writing you do. Don’t make them an afterthought.
- You can have great blog and no community, or lousy blog and great community. Shoot for the best of both.
- Use a blog carnival to write one post about one topic but cross-link to other blogs on the same topic.
- Your biggest untapped audience? Mobile users. Solve their problems on the go to win them over.
- Content that stands the test of time can not only help SEO, but also provide lasting value for your site.
- Make sure your developer communicates regularly about plugin integration. Don’t let one wreck your site.
- Site security isn’t a one-time fix. As threats evolve, so must your methods to protect your blog.
- Anonymous comments. Pros: Allows people to share freely, candidly. Cons: Can lead to attacks, disruption.
- Paying attention to online and real world communities can help niche blogs sharpen focus, gain readers.
- Starting with a strategy is the difference between business and hobby, success and failure.
- Don’t just think “mobile,” think “iOS.” Incorporate pinch, drag and other gestures into mobile interface.
- Topics that draw readers can’t always be predicted. Variety in content allows for the next winning post.
- Platforms sometimes need fixes to run properly. Have an expert standing by for answers and repairs.
- With site policies, good examples can mean better results than a list of forbidden actions.
- Good SEO comes as site develops. Great SEO begins before site architecture has begun.
- A strong community not only has dissenters, but embraces them and learns from them.
- A series gives your site multiple opportunities to be found in search, more ways to show expertise.
- Many blogging platforms have smartphone apps, making it easier to blog and manage sites on the go.
- Video bloggers can now record directly to YouTube, saving time without having to upload.
- Make connecting easy: Prominently display big social media buttons near the top.
- Privacy options: password-protected posts or site; not listed on search engines; registered users only.
- Comments enrich a blog with dialogue and increased SEO value, plus serve as another metric for growth.
- Good karma builds blog communities. Support other bloggers through comments, ideas, purchases.
- Social bookmarking sites can be a terrific place to share posts, find ideas, connect with new community.
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“Talk of Alabama”: Alabama Social Media Association helps the community
Video: Wade Kwon and Ed Bowser discuss social media and the
Alabama Social Media Association on ABC 33/40′s “Talk of Alabama.”
This week, I had the opportunity to talk about my favorite cause, the Alabama Social Media Association. (It was a last-minute thing: I was filling in for a sick colleague.)
We had a nice segment on ABC 33/40′s “Talk of Alabama” with Maggie Poteau, who had great questions about how small businesses can use social media to succeed. Fortunately, I had my pal Edward T. Bowser of Luckie and Company to tackle the really tough questions, and do so clearly and with sound expertise.
My thanks to ABC 33/40 and Ed for this appearance.
Please take 3 minutes and 45 seconds out of your day to watch the video, and let me know if you have additional questions. Enjoy!
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Want to find out more about how social media can help
your business? Contact me and let’s work together today.
The real Best Tweeter in Birmingham
I am flattered. I am humbled. I am agog.
Thank you, Birmingham Magazine readers, for selecting me a second consecutive year as Best Tweeter in the Best of B’ham 2011 online poll.
It means a lot to me to be singled out for something I do for fun and for my job, for something that is at times rather silly and at other times a valuable and urgent way to share vital information.
Here’s what writer Jena Hippensteel said …
Best Tweeter:
WadeontweetsIn the year since he became the first winner of our Best Tweeter award, Wade Kwon has gained more than 1,000 followers. Kwon is a former Birmingham Post-Herald and Southern Living writer and editor who now makes his way as a full-on “citizen journalist” through Birmingham Blogging Academy and Magic City Post. He gives followers a mix of local news, comical personal statements and analysis. twitter.com/wadeontweets
FINALISTS : James Spann, meteorologist, twitter.com/spann, Taylor Hicks, entertainer and restaurant owner, twitter.com/TaylorRHicks
Pretty good stuff, right? Don’t worry, I’m not going to get a big head over this. Y’all are good at keeping me honest and humble.
One perk of all this fuss is that it will give me a chance to shine the light on other tweeters worth your time. I had occasionally shared these Twitter luminaries with the simple request, “Recommend you follow …”
I plan to resume that feature, as early as next month, with daily tweet recommendations of who I believe warrants attention and why.
It is an awards acceptance speech cliche to point to a more deserving nominee while snatching the trophy. But as I look back on 2011, I know in my heart that James Spann is the real Best Tweeter in Birmingham.
He should be up here accepting the virtual trophy, not me.
Birmingham’s TV meteorologist extraordinaire @spann has earned it. In 2011, I have written about his Twitter expertise not only on this site but also in a local newspaper.
The reasoning is simple. Yes, Spann has nine times my Twitter audience. Yes, he is a machine when it comes to tweeting. And yes, he is considered not only a top forecaster (having won the category in the same poll in 2010 and 2011) but also a top communicator.
But one inescapable fact puts him far above the rest of us on Twitter.
Spann saves lives.
The April 27 tornadoes killed 239 people across Alabama. Had it not been for Spann sharing real-time weather data and warnings through Twitter, going beyond his broadcast duties, the death toll would have been much higher.
In the aftermath, he continued to use his Twitter channel to reach tens of thousands of people in an ongoing effort to aid rescue personnel, direct food and supplies and give comfort in a difficult time. What I share is sometimes useful — what Spann shares is often life-saving.
Fortunately, we can all be a @spann in social media. We can spend the time to grow our audience, to be generous in sharing what others tweet, to listen carefully and to respond quickly and helpfully.
All it requires is a love of and a commitment to your community.
Also:
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I want you to shine in social media. Contact me, and let’s work
together to help you and your company succeed.
Blog better every day: My daily blog tips from August 2011
Throughout 2011, I share a daily blog tip via my Twitter account, @WadeOnTweets, at 7 a.m. CDT.
You can …
- Ask follow-up questions in the comments.
- Tweet out your favorites.
- Follow #DailyBlogTip on Twitter.
- And follow me on Twitter at @WadeOnTweets.
•
The tips for August, all on getting started …
- Getting started: What do you and your business want to accomplish? Is blogging the best tool for the job?
- Getting started: For blog name, using a topic is less personal, but has better resale value.
- Getting started: For blog name, using your name has high branding value, but almost no chance of resale.
- Getting started: A graphic artist and photographer can help your site launch with polished, distinct look.
- Getting started: What is the one way you shine? Helping others, making them laugh? That’s your blog focus.
- Getting started: Personality goes a long way in making your posts sparkle. Don’t shy away; embrace it.
- Getting started: The most important page? Your “About” page. Explain the site, introduce yourself.
- Getting started: Decide your licensing: copyright, Creative Commons, public domain, copyleft.
- Getting started: No site is perfect on launch. Make your fixes as you go.
- Getting started: Brainstorm a topic list, headlines and images. Lead with your best stuff.
- Getting started: Drop the notion that people will read your blog because it exists. Plan to market it.
- Getting started: Most important feature to include is email capture system, for a newsletter or an ebook.
- Getting started: Stockpile completed posts, to get your blog off to a smooth start.
- Getting started: It’s not the platform, the computer, the desk, the look. It’s you that makes it go.
- Getting started: Build time into your schedule for blogging, lest it become a non-priority.
- Getting started: Vow to make each post informative, inspiring or entertaining. Hopefully, all three.
- Getting started: Investing money in a site makes it real, ups your commitment to make the blog work.
- Getting started: Plan your editorial calendar with assigned writers, deadlines and art.
- Getting started: What will your site look like to a mobile user? A tablet user? Design for them, too.
- Getting started: Determine the goal of your site. Will it be customer service, sales or ideas?
- Getting started: Spend extra time on usability. Make navigation and leaving a comment dead simple.
- Getting started: Ask colleagues and friends to test the site, and act on their best feedback.
- Getting started: Make contact info prominent: email, phone number, contact form or Twitter handle.
- Getting started: Sprinkle images and videos throughout the site to add flair, color and energy.
- Getting started: What is the promise your site is making with the reader? Never forget it.
- Getting started: Think speedy and simple. Faster load time means more traffic, better ranking.
- Getting started: Use keywords for URLs, not numbers and coding, for strong SEO out of the gate.
- Getting started: Have someone else proofread your copy, down to the smallest item.
- Getting started: What’s better than a site map? A site tour page that introduces features, policies.
- Getting started: If you don’t know how to do something, ask ask ask. Questions make you smarter.
- Getting started: Perfection is your enemy. The more you tinker, the more you delay. Get blogging.
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