For over a hundred years the media industry was built on a fundamental principle that written articles were proprietary, unique and enormously valuable to growing their readership and creating credibility. Magazine and newspaper publishers strived to be first to press; and first to press meant you beat your competitors by a day  a week or even a month. The scoop was gold. The angle was what set you aside from the other publications and established your publication as having integrity and being worth the read. Read the rest of this entry »

The new one-day Cross Media West Conference is coming soon to the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California on Monday, February 22nd. With a morning program for Print Service Providers, an afternoon program for Marketing and Creative Professionals, an optional lunch program in between on Social Media Marketing Strategies, and an Afternoon Networking Mixer, Cross Media West is delivering up an amazing value that you won’t want to miss. Cross Media West is produced by Cal Events, which also produces the PrintFest Trade Show, both co-located this year at PMA 2010, the Ultimate Event for Everything Photo. Read the rest of this entry »

There are many aspects of social media marketing that we should borrow from traditional methods of direct marketing. Planning, testing and measuring campaigns are key. Integration with other channels so that marketing decisions aren’t made in a vacuum is equally as important.

There is an advantage that social media marketing has over other, more traditional methods, that make this channel such a rich media source.

1. As Nike would say, just do it. Because it’s relatively easy to put messages up and then take them down, it’s easier to test. If you miss the mark with a certain demographic…just take it down. If it looks like you hit-the-mark, exploit it within that channel.
2. Communication is two-way. Unlike traditional push marketing, where your messages are pushed out into the community, and you don’t have a clear way of understanding your customers reactions, social media is just the opposite. You are interacting with your customers, where they want to be. Put something out there, and see what they say. Share ideas up front. Learn from them (and every social platform may have a slightly differently customer profile). If your customers have established behaviors or styles, understand what they are, and adjust your strategy.
3. Enhance your content. You may have a great story to share, or a project to teach, but with social media marketing it isn’t always about you. You wouldn’t go to a cocktail party and talk without engaging those around you (at least I hope you wouldn’t). Your customers want to be engaged and they probably have a lot to share. Your best testimonial is going to be from others, let them share in the conversation - they want to be heard.
4. There isn’t a ‘right’ way. Accept that what works for one company, may not work for another. Why? Your customers may not be the same as theirs. Dell may be able to sell hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of product through Twitter, but that may not work for you. Do your research, ask a lot of questions and then follow step 1, just do it.

I guess the message that you should take away from all this; don’t be afraid to try something new. If it doesn’t work, adjust your strategy and try again. If you are using social media marketing correctly, you’ll let your customers help guide you and in time, you will find the right way - your right way.

If you’re a small business, trying to generate leads or interest on a small budget, consider article marketing as a method of free publicity. Article marketing is simple - its writing short articles (500-2500 words) about topics that relate to your product, service or industry and making those articles available for syndication no article marketing websites such as ezinearticles.com, articlecube.com, and hubpages.com.  Generally speaking, article marketing is about quantity more than it is about quality (though, of course top quality articles perform best), and the snowball effect of multiple, regular article posts is what makes article marketing effective over time.

There are three big benefits to article marketing that every small business owner can count on. Read the rest of this entry »

According to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, online sales rose 17.7 percent in December 09, an impressive growth over what was expected. They also suggests that the nearly 18% rise in spending was likely aided by bad weather in the week before Christmas, which led some shoppers to buy from home. Because of this nice end of the year growth, this category’s total 2009 growth was 12.2%. Read the rest of this entry »

Marketing is never short on new ideas, but today I was pleasantly surprised at a Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) article which outlined four old ways that social media is going to get new notice in 2010.  Here they are, for your 2010 reading pleasure. Read the rest of this entry »

10 Simple Tips for Writing for Search Engines

To write a great article optimized for search engines, it just takes a little pre-planning and some careful wordsmithing. Here are ten simple tips for writing for search engines (writing for SEO), without interrupting the user experience. Read the rest of this entry »

What a year, what a year.

No one would argue that 2009 was a tough year for our national economy. Small and large businesses have felt the pain and unemployment is at a striking high.  But how did that effect marketers and advertisers in 2009, and how will 2010 be? Lets take a look at some expert analysis and projections.

According to the Nielsen Company, overall U.S. advertising spending declined 11.5% in 2009, or $83.4 billion. (January through September 2009.) Here’s a summary of some of their findings. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know about you, but from tomorrow night, straight through to Christmas, I have something planned every single day. It doesn’t help that both mine and my sons birthdays fall within days of the big day.  Trust me, I’m the queen of a busy schedule, but I’m going to share with you how to not lose your marketing momentum or your mind during the holidays. Read the rest of this entry »

David Meerman Scott speaks to the South by Southwest Interactive FEstival to discuss his new book, Creating a World Wide Rave.   Scott is a personal favorite of Social Surrogates.

Enjoy his social media marketing video on YouTube, and if you’re just getting started in social media I’d suggest you spring for a book.