OnlineMarketerBlog.com by DJ Francis

07:07 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

Journalism's Evolution In An Era Of Social Media

Journalism is at a crossroads, with two distinct groups voicing their opinions.

On one side, many journalists don’t buy the trend toward social media and have their heads firmly entrenched in the sand. They believe in their readership’s loyalty and claim that social media is a passing fad.

One the other side, other journalists have fully embraced the social media tools at their disposal and go so far as to trumpet the death of journalism. They expect newspapers to close up shop; the death knell of print news is a symphony of tweets.

Aren’t they two views mutually exclusive? Which one is correct?

Personally, I believe they are both wrong. Some newspapers will outlast social media and some have already been taken down by it. The basic truth is that some people love getting their news from social media like Facebook, Twitter, and FriendFeed, while others will never replace their tangible newspaper-with-coffee routine.

This post will explain, however, that newspapers and journalists who use social media - in effect integrate these two seemingly opposing ideas - will likely be the long-term winners. There is no doubt that the old ways are changing. Journalists who refuse to accept that should begin cleaning up their resumes.

But major news networks need not shutter the windows quite yet. Embracing this change could be the key to stopping the newspaper industry’s slow (and recently not so slow) slide into irrelevance.

Continue reading Journalism's Evolution In An Era Of Social Media

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Social Voting Sites: StumbleUpon, Digg, Sphinn...

Let's talk blog promotion.

I was really glad when Chris Brogan posted this post last week regarding StumbleUpon because I've been meaning to write something similar. If you check out the image at the top of this post, you will see a list of top referring sites that have led back to my blog since I began. StumbleUpon is not only at the top of the list, but mentioned several times throughout the list.

(Background: StumbleUpon is a social voting/referral tool. After joining for free, you download the SU toolbar. As you go about your daily business, you have the option of giving a thumbs up or a thumbs down to any page. Likewise, you can connect with friends and "stumble" across sites they have liked.)

Like Chris, I have had lots of traffic thanks to StumbleUpon and highly recommend it. In this blog post, I will give you some helpful advice about using StumbleUpon and then list some other similar sites and why they didn't work as well for me.

Best Practices For StumbleUpon

You can find some great online resources with SU advice, but here are my personal recommendations:

• Don't just vote for your stuff. When I started, I was thumbing up my own work only. This must be a big no-no because I received almost no traffic with this method.
• Get involved in the community. Duh, I should have known this one. The more friends I made, the better recommended pages were for me and the more eyeballs who would see my posts.
• At high tide, all ships rise. Like all good web 2.0 tools, this is an "and" economy. Your posts don't suffer because you thumb up someone else's. Give thumbs up to authors you trust and SU seems to give you more props for knowing good content.
• Don't be a pimp. I don't stumble all of my posts. I wait until someone else does (which seems to give more stumble-juice) or I only thumb up my best material. This seems to give more "weight" to the ones I do choose.
• The more you give, you more you get. SU has given me another opportunity to connect with some of the brightest folks I've ever met. Don't try to game the system - you will receive as much or more than you invest into it.

Notice what's not on that list of referrals at the top? Most of the other social voting/referral sites. Here is my run-down on some of the more prominent ones in this space. (This is just what I have personally observed. If you've had success with these, more power to ya.)

Continue reading...

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What Is Twitter? A Beginners Guide

This is a brief users guide for those curious about how it works, wondering about its value, and wanting to get the most from the experience.

You may have heard of Twitter and be a little confused. Early adopters have been playing around with it for a couple of years, but Twitter finally seems to be making it into the mainstream.

What Is Twitter?

Twitter is commonly referred to as "micro-blogging." While this is an accurate description, I've found that it confuses some people (non-bloggers especially).

Imagine it is a post-it note. You don't have a lot of space (140 characters) so brevity is required. When you jot something down on your post-it note, it gets stuck to your refrigerator door, much like you might do at home. However, in this scenario, anyone can see the notes posted on your frig. And you can see anyone else's.

How Does It Work?
Like most web 2.0 applications, the best advice is to just try it out. (You can't do it wrong and you won't break it - just give it a whirl.)

You sign up with a name of your choice. After that, find people you know or are interested in following. Twitter can pull from your email contacts to see if your friends and family already have Twitter accounts.

Twitter accounts are identified with an "at" symbol in front. So when discussing your Twitter account, you would say @YourName. Events use a hash mark. For instance, you can search for all Olympic tweets using #080808.

You can view anyone's notes (or "tweets") and anyone can sign up to view yours. Don't worry - you will get an email letting you know every time someone follows you.

And of course, all of this is free.

Continue reading What Is Twitter? A Beginners Guide

06:36 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

No One Cares, You Are Doing It Wrong, And That Is Awesome

Marketers are confused these days. The things that have worked for decades aren’t working anymore. Can you imagine if you worked for 30 years in your given vocation and then, almost over night, all the rules changed?

In truth, marketing is only now becoming what it truly should have
been - a conversation. Less lies, less spin. Marketers have been
shoveling marshmallow fluff down the mouths of Americans and telling
them it’s broccoli. And suddenly, as quick as you can confuse
metaphors, we find that the emperor has no clothes.

I admit I’ve been frustrated with the old-school marketers. “What is
with these guys, and why can’t they get it together?” But that’s not
fair. Their whole world has shifted beneath them. I
came to a better understanding watching a recent Robert Scoble
interview with IBM engineer Mike Moran. (I highly encourage you to
check it out: Robert Scoble’s interview with Mike Moran. It’s only 12 minutes long and well worth your time.)

Moran gives a cogent explanation of why marketers are having such a
difficult time in the new web 2.0 environment. Here is a small sample:

“The change that’s really happening is you have to learn
how to attract people to your message rather than pushing it at them.
You have to figure out how you’re going to listen when they talk back.
And you also have to watch what they do. Those three things are really
critical because once you do them, you have to figure out how to
respond.

Those three things are really critical because once you do them, you
have to figure out how to respond. When I say ‘Do it wrong quickly,’
it’s not you trying to do it wrong, it’s that you kind of admit that
what you’re doing is probably wrong because it usually is. And then you
have to look back at the feedback from your target market to see how
far off it is so that you know what to do next. And that’s really a
tough change for a lot of marketers.

That seems really simple, but think of it: a whole industry has
changed in a matter of what, less than a decade? That is pretty
outstanding. It’s going from monologue to dialogue, from lecture to
conversation, from directing to caring, from crossed fingers to metrics.

Continue reading No One Cares, You Are Doing It Wrong, And That Is Awesome

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Handy Hints For Fixing Your Confusing Information Architecture

Information architecture isn’t sexy. In fact, good information architecture shouldn’t be something your website visitors even notice. Information architecture is basically how your site is designed. We’ve all seen site maps - those are basically outlines of your IA. It’s the organization of your website, how things are arranged, and it needs to make sense to your visitors.

Unfortunately, not enough businesses focus on their IA or they
assume their customers use their site in the same way they would. This
blog post explains why you must pay attention to your IA and includes
some handy hints to figure out if it’s working.

I Can See Clearly Now

The non-profit Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement (IDEA) recently released a study called Finding Information: Factors that improve online experiences.
One of the main findings was that visitors are looking for “simple,
accurate, fast, and easily navigable web sites.” Visitors to websites
reported feeling lost on websites or not knowing where their desired
information was in much higher percentages than the designers of the
websites.

Your designers may have the best of intentions and be highly
creative, but it’s up to you to ensure your customers can find the
information they need and know where they are on your site at all times.

Website navigation starts with your IA. Here are some handy hints to
help you determine whether your website is easily navigable and, if
not, how to start fixing it.

Continue reading Handy Hints For Fixing Your Confusing Information Architecture

06:42 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

Marketing Is Dead; Long Live Anthropology

I’ve had a little case of writer’s block this week, so I started with the basics: I read the definition of “marketing” in Wikipedia.

The impetus of this was a comment I wrote on a recent Brazen Careerist article
in which I boiled down marketing to selling stuff. Really? That’s the
business I’m in? I get up at 5am to write because I love making crap
fly off the shelves?

Listen to Wikipedia’s definition: “Essentially, marketing is the
process of creating or directing an organization to be successful in
selling a product or service that people not only desire, but are
willing to buy.”

Bleh! Sure, there’s creation and desire (positive), but there is
also directing and willingness to consume (negative). It’s almost like
it’s not enough for them to buy it; you gotta make them want to buy it. Make ‘em beg.

Frankly, this doesn’t sound like the business I’m in at all. I find
marketing these days to be customer based - where are they and what do
they want? - and less, well, skeezy.
Ideally, marketing these days isn’t invasive or worthless or annoying.
In fact, marketing these days sounds a lot more like anthropology than
marketing.

What do you think? Are web 2.0 marketers really anthropologists of the present time? Don’t we study why certain people behave a certain way (and how to influence that behavior)?

Continue reading Marketing Is Dead; Long Live Anthropology

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Sometimes Breasts Aren’t Enough, Julia Allison

I have been trying to figure out why WIRED’s cover story on Julia Allison incensed me so much.

You won’t find me bashing Paris Hilton or her ilk on this blog. As
someone who barely watches TV, her brand of reality-show insta-celebs
barely register on my consciousness. However, I do dwell in the PR
world, the internet world, the social media world…and when you screw
around in that world, I consider you fair game.

I don’t normally do hit pieces.
I am usually positive about how marketing/PR/advertising can make the
world a better place (no small task, believe me). But the Julia Allison
story deserves some response on this blog because it illustrates:

1. How not to do PR

2. How not to use web 2.0 social media tools

3. How not to run a magazine

Here’s a quick recap of the article:
WIRED portrays the piece as a “how-to,” giving advice on the art of
online self-promotion. It details how a woman in her mid-20s weaseled
into the digital pages of Gawker, Valleywag, and (now) WIRED.

On the splash page before the article, WIRED writes, “She can’t act.
She can’t sing. She’s not rich…[S]he’s an internet celebrity.” In case
you missed the underlying message, it’s that WIRED just gave a cover
story to someone devoid of talent. Here is why Julia Allison
is a terrible example of self-promotion, a warning of the missteps of
public relations, and why WIRED ought to be ashamed.

Continue reading Sometimes Breasts Aren’t Enough, Julia Allison

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5 Essential Tips To Jumpstart Your Marketing Career

My syndication through BrazenCareerist
has made me think a lot more about my career path. In part, my vocation
(online marketing) did not even exist when I was in college.

How did I get here? And how can I help others find success in their marketing careers?

I posed the following question to my friends in the WordPress
Marketing Bloggers Network (WMBN): “What was the most important lesson
that prepared you for your marketing career?” Their replies were
insightful, honest, and practical. Here are 5 essential tips to help
you on your way to a career in marketing.

I guess I would boil it down to two words: Don’t Stop.
Don’t stop writing, thinking, learning, meeting people, whatever. Once
you stop, you’re done. Try something new or different and if it doesn’t
quite work, don’t stop, just try it a different way. Marketing is about
constantly tweaking, even when it’s working.

-Rick Liebling, eyecube

As a creative guy (copywriter), it was sometimes
frustrating to see the client change something that I’d worked really
hard on. But then a creative director sat me down, explained that my
passion was admirable, but it was their money. It’s important to state the argument, but if they don’t agree, it’s their money.

Then, we went for a beer.

-Matt Hames, Share Marketing

Continue reading 5 Essential Tips To Jumpstart Your Marketing Career

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21 Considerations Before Your Business Starts A Social Network

Social networks are all the rage and many of my posts at OnlineMarketerBlog recommend social tools for businesses. However, there are potential pitfalls to consider before you facilitate interaction between customers and your business.

Here are 21 things your business should consider before starting a social network:

Internal (Your Business Capabilities)

1. Can you invest the necessary resources to run a social network
properly? Can you afford the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars
it takes to properly create and staff this resource?

2. What is the role of marketing, sales, IT, customer service,
advertising, HR, etc.? Social networks often delve into all of these
departments and more. Make sure all of your teams are engaged,
enthused, and prepared.

3. While the potential ROI of a social network is proven, is this
the best investment of your time? If you don’t have a unique product or
your customers aren’t enthused (or your product isn’t any good), don’t
look to a social network to solve your problems.

4. What are your expectations - number of members, amount of
content, etc - on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis? Create little
benchmarks to ensure you do not go far off course.

5. Will your employees have their own voice on the network? Will
they use their full names? This transparency can be daunting, but it
can also provide high emotional buy-in from employees.

6. Is the correct employee in charge of the social network? This is often not the highest paid or the most experienced.

7. Which came first: customer need, company strategy, or cool
technology? If it’s anything besides customer need, reconsider
everything.

Continue reading 21 Considerations Before Your Business Starts A Social Network

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5 Copywriter Lessons From AC/DC

For many of us, AC/DC evokes memories of homecoming dance
soundtracks and warm summer nights in a teenager’s Camaro. However, the
bad schoolboys of rock have some valuable lessons to impart to
copywriters as well.

1: “I’m just making my play. Don’t try to push your luck, just get out of my way…I’m back, back in black”

“A degree in English means you’ll be a high school teacher the rest
of your life.” “I guess you don’t ever want to earn enough money to
support your family.”

These very statements were told to me as I was contemplating a writing career. And they are bold-faced lies.

If your guidance counselor or girl/boyfriend or parents are trying
to dissuade you from the career in writing you want, it is your
responsibility to prove them wrong. Make your play in the world and
then go back and tell them all about it.

2: “She wanted no applause, just another course…the earth was quaking, my mind was aching…and you shook me all night long”

There are generally two types of writers portrayed on television. You either have the Ginsberg-esque beatnik or the Mad Men type of highball swilling hack.

Like so many other things, the real world is not like that. Being a copywriter is fun, but plan to be on the roller coaster.

Copywriting is not a 9 to 5 job. It takes a lot of effort. You might
actually sweat. It is mental activity that takes a physical toll. And
it is truly spectacular. But be prepared to work all night long if you
have to.

3: “I shoot from the hip. I was born with a stiff, a stiff upper lip”

You don’t want to go off half-cocked (groan), but as with any
creative endeavor, you are going to face criticism of your work.
Sometimes you will agree with the subjective assessment, and sometimes
you won’t.

The best copywriters absorb the critique, compartmentalize it into
the professional (not personal) part of their brains, and use it next
time if it has any value. (Hint: it usually does.)

However, do not let any evaluation to permanently scar your
confidence. Besides a good brain, a stiff upper lip is the most useful
part of a writer’s anatomy.

Continue reading 5 Copywriter Lessons From AC/DC