Tag Archives: Dallas Texas
Social Media Optimization Summits
Dear Colleagues,
This is just a brief note to help you prepare for next week’s Optimization Summit event in Dallas!
- The event is being held at the Sheraton, Dallas; physical address 400 North Olive Street, Dallas, TX 75201. Should you need to contact the hotel directly, please call toll free: 1-866-716-8134. Hotel, airport, and ground transportation information is available at http://optimizationsummits.com/?page_id=50.
- The event begins with a Meet & Greet Tweet Up, sponsored by For Rent Media Solutions, at the Sheraton’s Draft Media Sports Bar on the lobby level of the hotel from 6:00-8:00 pm on Monday, March 22. Stop at the Multifamilypro staff table on your way in to receive your nametag and agenda booklet. If you miss the Meet & Greet, we’ll continue check-in at 7:00 am on Tuesday morning in the Houston Preconvene area located outside of Houston Ballrooms B & C on the 3rd floor of the Sheraton Conference Center.
- The complete event agenda is available at http://optimizationsummits.com/?page_id=553.
- The Workshops on Tuesday and Wednesday are hands-on, so bring your laptop! Electrical outlets will be available, but make sure your battery is fully charged just in case you’re accidentally unplugged. Wireless internet access will be available in all Workshop rooms free of charge.
- General attendee prerequisites are listed at http://optimizationsummits.com/?page_id=996.
- If you plan to attend Erica Campbell’s workshop on Video & Photo Sharing for Optimal Growth & Brand Exposure on Wednesday, visit http://optimizationsummits.com/?page_id=281 now to review course prerequisites.
- If you’re attending Wednesday’s Beyond Facebook: Marketing On Other Social Networks workshops led by Mark Juleen, Charity Hisle, and Brent Williams, please take a moment to review the course prerequisites at http://optimizationsummits.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Prerequisites-for-Beyond-Facebook.pdf.
- Building An Awesome Brand! Here’s a little prep work: Designing Brand Identity
- Please be careful to keep all your gadgets with you throughout the event or label them so we can easily reunite you with anything that gets lost, left behind, or might be easily confused with somebody else’s (especially laptop power cords).
Before Next Week:
- Take a moment to visit your registration file for the event at http://www..regonline.com/checkin.asp?eventid=804031# (click on “Already Registered” to access your file) and make certain all of your contact information is correct. This info will be used to create the event Networking Directory that all attendees will receive so that you can maintain the valuable connections you’ll make next week!
- You should already be following us on Twitter @Time2Optimize, but you can now also add our attendee-only twitter channel which we’ll begin using at the event, @optsumattendees The event hashtag is #optsum. You can find us on Facebook at Optimization Summits, too!
- If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to reply here or call us at 727-784-9469!
We’ll see you there!
Tami & Team Multifamilypro
- As part of your Optimization Summits registration, you’re going to receive a Poken! Visit http://www.poken.com/web/guest/go
before the event to open your free Poken account and enter your contact info so you’ll be ready to link your Poken to the account as soon as you receive it, and start sharing contact info with other attendees!
See It. Hear It. Do It. with Duncan Alney
Best Practices: Content, Conversation, and Community: Building the Social Media Mullet ,Workshop Leader Duncan Alney, President, Firebelly Marketing
This is an intermediate to advanced session about building sticky content that engages or mobilizes people, starting conversations and achieving conversation momentum, and building community with the goal of developing relationships and deep trust. You’ll see real case studies from big and small companies, as well some valuable best practices. The marketing landscape is changing dramatically, and new social platforms are changing the way customers and businesses interact, communicate, and influence each other. Create a meaningful connection with your online audience by not only building a solid, valuable fact base, but also understanding the emotional, intellectual, and behavioral insights and motivations behind your audiences’ buying decisions. You’ll walk away with the know-how to use text, images, video, contests, and more to meet and exceed the informational expectations, demands, and desires of your online audience; employ a growth strategy that will increase your audience over time; engage friends, fans, and followers in an ongoing conversation; and keep them coming back for more!
Duncan Alney, President, Firebelly Marketing
Duncan Alney is focused on configuring and integrating social media marketing strategies to help companies build emotional relationships and build value for both brands and their audiences. His clients include QDoba Mexican Grill, United Way, American Cancer Society, YATS, and J.C. Hart – and he works with his team to develop and measure conversations, content and community.
Duncan has worked in the brand communications field for 17 years, and holds degrees from Hanover College, USA and St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta, India. He’s an award winning short film maker and a voracious writer, blogging for Digitalia, a social media marketing blog, and publishing Passionati, an online magazine on music, film, travel, food, and life. Duncan is also an avid traveler, chaser of food experiences, photographer and film maker. He’s completed 5 marathons and several triathalons.
See It. Hear It. Do It. with Mack Collier
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. You launched a new blog or maybe you created a Facebook Fan Page, thinking that you’d tap into these amazing social media tools as a way to connect with your customers and create raving fans and passionate evangelists for your business. Now it’s 4 months later and you have 12 fans on your Facebook page, and virtual tumbleweeds taunt you as your blog struggles to reach 10 visitors a day.
What happened?
Many companies find themselves in this exact situation, and this workshop will show you how to think like a rockstar. Rockstars don’t have customers, they have fans. And this doesn’t happen by accident, rockstars have a very special connection with their customers that makes them become raving fans for them and their products. Some companies are finding that they can use social media in many of these same ways to build vibrant online communities that are passionate about them.
In the “Think Like a Rockstar; How to Build Fans and Community Around Your Social Media Efforts” workshop, you will learn:
· The four key things that Rockstars do to create fans for their work and how you can do the same with your social media efforts
· The keys to building a vibrant community around your social media efforts
· The importance of ‘fishing where the fish are’ when you’re trying to build awareness
· How to create content that taps into the ‘Bigger Idea’ that’s more relevant and exciting to your customers
Mack Collier is a social media consultant, trainer and speaker that specializes in helping companies use social media to better connect with their customers. He has been actively immersed in social media since 2005, and in that time, has helped businesses of all shapes and sizes better connect with their customers via these amazing tools and sites. While being passionate about the social media space, what truly excites Mack is the human connections that can result from the proper use of these social tools. His motto is “Don’t focus on the tools, focus on the connections that the tools help facilitate.” His goal is to help his clients create those connections with their customers, and nurture them into relationships that help grow their bottom line.
His social media ‘homebase’ is The Viral Garden, which in 3 years time Mack has grown into an influential marketing/social media blog with a monthly readership of over 200,000. He is also a frequent contributor to the website Marketing Profs, as well as the marketing blog Daily Fix, and small business blog Search Engine Guide. His thoughts and writings have been referenced in several mainstream publications and websites, including The Washington Post, MSNBC.com, Ad Age, CNET, and The Boston Globe.
Mack is also a requested speaker and has presented at some of the top social media conferences and events, including South By Southwest Interactive, Marketing Profs Digital Marketing Mixer, and Small Business Marketing Unleashed. He is also passionate about teaching companies how to use social media sites and tools more effectively, and offers training and seminars privately to companies, in addition to his public speaking schedule.
Mack wrote this bio. The third-person thingie is just for fun. If you need to reach him/me, please email me.
See It. Hear It. Do It. With John P
Websites-Tuesday -One Two Hour Workshop
This session is designed to reveal the latest capabilities in website design and functionality. We’ll examine the components a website needs to fully serve today’s customer demands and desires, and discuss specific elements that will make your site stand out from the rest. You’ll walk away with the knowledge of what’s possible on the web today and how to optimize your site’s ability to satisfy your customers and attract more new business, starting now!
John Pozadzides is the CEO of iFusion Labs (the parent company of Woopra), host of the popular Wealth Nation podcast, former Chief Marketing Officer for Layered Tech, founder of HTMLHelp.com, and former Vice President for SAVVIS Communications. John is also co-organizer of WordCamp Dallas 2008, WordCamp Dallas 2009, and likely the most prolific WordCamp videographer on the planet.
His site HTMLHelp.com was one of the first 3,000 domains on the Internet and was founded to teach people how to do Web development in the very early days, when John was also contributing to the development of the HTML language and the original CSS specifications. He was later named to the W3C’s Hall of Fame on the 10th anniversary of CSS (see Web Design Group).
You can also learn more if you simply Google “John P”. He is #1 out of about 188 million results! As a prolific author, he has published over 1,600 articles on his blog, which according to Alexa is about the 30,000th most visited site on the Internet (out of 500 million registered domains).
John routinely lectures on blogging, social media and web development and has been published and quoted as an industry expert in magazines, books and other periodicals around the world. In addition to being the CEO of his own start-up, he also acts as an angel investor and adviser to other start-ups.
John’s favorite quote:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects.
—Robert A. Heinlein from The Notebook of Lazarus Long
At the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits, you’ll experience learning by doing. You’ll build your own two-day curriculum out of flexible full-day, half-day, and two-hour component workshops on topics ranging from Social Media to Revenue Management, all of which are carefully planned to build upon each other progressively, and expand your understanding and skill set exponentially. The knowledge you receive will be continually reinforced by hands-on interaction to make certain you have not just the knowledge, but the know-how!
REAL-TIME RESULTS
Whether it’s designing a real Facebook page that’s optimized to develop stronger relationships with your customers, or using WordPress to design a powerfully communicative website or blog that represents your newly optimized brand, or actually raising your existing website to top search engine ranking; you won’t just listen … you’ll see, hear, and do. Even before you leave the event, you will design and develop your own New Media solutions, and begin to experience real-time results that will continue to grow as you apply the solid strategies and integration plans you’ll also receive.
“Business as usual” is no longer an option, and that’s why the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits should be a key element of your transformation plan. There will simply be no better opportunity or environment to develop the skills and knowledge you need to meet the challenges of today’s New Media world. Joining us means that you’ve chosen for your business to survive. But we’ll go you one better … be there and we’ll teach you how to THRIVE.
We’ll see you there!
“2009 was about learning social media. 2010 will be about figuring out how to use it well.” Jason Falls
See It. Hear It. Do It. with V.Scott Ellis
At the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits, you’ll experience learning by doing. You’ll build your own two-day curriculum out of flexible full-day, half-day, and two-hour component workshops on topics ranging from Social Media to Revenue Management, all of which are carefully planned to build upon each other progressively, and expand your understanding and skill set exponentially. The knowledge you receive will be continually reinforced by hands-on interaction to make certain you have not just the knowledge, but the know-how!
REAL-TIME RESULTS
Whether it’s designing a real Facebook page that’s optimized to develop stronger relationships with your customers, or using WordPress to design a powerfully communicative website or blog that represents your newly optimized brand, or actually raising your existing website to top search engine ranking; you won’t just listen … you’ll see, hear, and do. Even before you leave the event, you will design and develop your own New Media solutions, and begin to experience real-time results that will continue to grow as you apply the solid strategies and integration plans you’ll also receive.
“Business as usual” is no longer an option, and that’s why the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits should be a key element of your transformation plan. There will simply be no better opportunity or environment to develop the skills and knowledge you need to meet the challenges of today’s New Media world. Joining us means that you’ve chosen for your business to survive. But we’ll go you one better … be there and we’ll teach you how to THRIVE.
We’ll see you there!
“2009 was about learning social media. 2010 will be about figuring out how to use it well.” Jason Falls
WordPress 101
WordPress is one of the most popular, flexible, and easy-to-use open source applications available for building dynamic websites and blogs. This interactive, hands-on session will teach you to use WordPress to optimize your web presence by actually creating a website or blog from setting up your domain; choosing a host; selecting a format template; customizing your design; working with “widgets”; maximum search engine optimization (SEO); and more.
WordPress Intro
Table of Contents
WordPress Intro 1
1 WP101 2
1.1 Module 1 (2hrs) 2
1.1.1 Intro To WordPress as a CMS 2
1.2 Module 2 2
1.2.1 Organizing Your Content 2
1.3 Module 3 2
1.3.1 Function, Form and Putting The Pieces Together 2
1.4 Module 4 3
1.4.1 Extending the Reach of Your WordPress Site (moderate) 3
1 WP101
1.1 Module 1 (2hrs)
1.1.1 Intro To WordPress as a CMS
What WordPress is and What It Does (15min)
Why WordPress? (5min)
Installing & Managing WordPress (30-45min)
Requirements (LAMP)
FTP Basics
Install
File Permissions
Adding Themes & Plugins
Keeping it Secure (15min) (moderate – advanced techniques)
Organizing the WordPress Admin Interface (5min)
Tools for Making Working In WordPress Easier (15min)
Q&A (20-30min)
1.2 Module 2
1.2.1 Organizing Your Content
Posts vs. Pages in WP (5min)
Building Your Content Map (45min) (moderate level)
Diving Into Content Types (30min) (advanced)
Using Media (Audio & Video)
Email & Auto Responders
Writing For the Web (20min)
Q&A (20min)
1.3 Module 3
1.3.1 Function, Form and Putting The Pieces Together
Basic WP Settings (15min)
Advanced WP Settings (15min)
Importing Existing Content (5min)
Walking Through The Admin Interface (30min)
Example of Adding a Post
How Media And Images Work In WP (advanced, we’ll cover a lot of territory here)
Plugins (30min)
The Good and The Bad of Plugins
Standard/Best Practice
Finding More Plugins
Themes (30min)
Premium vs Free
Original Design
Q&A (10min)
1.4 Module 4
1.4.1 Extending the Reach of Your WordPress Site (moderate)
SEO Mechanics (30min) (basic to moderate SEO)
Integrating Social Media (30min)
Twitter
Facebook
Sharing from your blog/site
Setting Up Your RSS Feed (15min)
Other Tools (5min)
Ping.Fm
Su.pr
Pretty Link Pro
Q&A (40min)
Ping.Fm
Su.pr
Pretty Link Pro
Q&A (40min)
V. Scott Ellis
Scott Ellis has been on the cutting edge of web technology since 1997 building websites, e-commerce engines and on-line marketing strategies for corporations and clients such as CSC, Vignette, IMB, Verizon and others. After a 2 1/2 year stint in Management Consulting with Risk Management Firm Protiviti, Scott co-founded BlackBox Technologies with partners Martin Wind and Victoria Wind who had been colleagues for the past 10 years. With a focus on Web 2.0 technologies and websites, BlackBox was established to provide technology guidance to all sizes of companies from start-up’s to large corporations interested in taking advantage of leading edge web technology.
With a background in web content management and design, Scott’s expertise has enabled him to build a practice around a philosophy of helping clients build technology into their business while keeping their business goals and ROI at the forefront rather than putting the technology first.
Scott holds a Bachelors in Psychology from Purdue University and currently resides in Dallas, TX.
Internet marketing conference, Social Media Measurement, optimization summits, social media, social media ROI, social-media-marketing, social-media-strategy
See It. Hear It. Do It. Integration Luncheon
Optional: New Media Integration Luncheon
The 2010 Optimization Summits are designed to deliver a vast wealth of new skills, knowledge, resources, and hands-on experiences. You’ll have the tools that it takes; but to reach the pinnacle of success, you’ll need to combine all of those elements into a strategy that’s worth far more than the sum of its parts! The Integration Luncheon will deliver step-by-step instruction on exactly how to weave all of what you’ve learned into your overall marketing strategy!
At the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits, you’ll experience learning by doing. You’ll build your own two-day curriculum out of flexible full-day, half-day, and two-hour component workshops on topics ranging from Social Media to Revenue Management, all of which are carefully planned to build upon each other progressively, and expand your understanding and skill set exponentially. The knowledge you receive will be continually reinforced by hands-on interaction to make certain you have not just the knowledge, but the know-how!
REAL-TIME RESULTS
Whether it’s designing a real Facebook page that’s optimized to develop stronger relationships with your customers, or using WordPress to design a powerfully communicative website or blog that represents your newly optimized brand, or actually raising your existing website to top search engine ranking; you won’t just listen … you’ll see, hear, and do. Even before you leave the event, you will design and develop your own New Media solutions, and begin to experience real-time results that will continue to grow as you apply the solid strategies and integration plans you’ll also receive.
“Business as usual” is no longer an option, and that’s why the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits should be a key element of your transformation plan. There will simply be no better opportunity or environment to develop the skills and knowledge you need to meet the challenges of today’s New Media world. Joining us means that you’ve chosen for your business to survive. But we’ll go you one better … be there and we’ll teach you how to THRIVE.
We’ll see you there!
“2009 was about learning social media. 2010 will be about figuring out how to use it well.” Jason Falls
Internet marketing conference, Social Media Measurement, optimization summits, social media, social media ROI, social-media-marketing, social-media-strategy
See It. Hear It. Do It. With Brains On Fire
At the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits, you’ll experience learning by doing. You’ll build your own two-day curriculum out of flexible full-day, half-day, and two-hour component workshops on topics ranging from Social Media to Revenue Management, all of which are carefully planned to build upon each other progressively, and expand your understanding and skill set exponentially. The knowledge you receive will be continually reinforced by hands-on interaction to make certain you have not just the knowledge, but the know-how!
REAL-TIME RESULTS
Whether it’s designing a real Facebook page that’s optimized to develop stronger relationships with your customers, or using WordPress to design a powerfully communicative website or blog that represents your newly optimized brand, or actually raising your existing website to top search engine ranking; you won’t just listen … you’ll see, hear, and do. Even before you leave the event, you will design and develop your own New Media solutions, and begin to experience real-time results that will continue to grow as you apply the solid strategies and integration plans you’ll also receive.
“Business as usual” is no longer an option, and that’s why the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits should be a key element of your transformation plan. There will simply be no better opportunity or environment to develop the skills and knowledge you need to meet the challenges of today’s New Media world. Joining us means that you’ve chosen for your business to survive. But we’ll go you one better … be there and we’ll teach you how to THRIVE.
We’ll see you there!
“2009 was about learning social media. 2010 will be about figuring out how to use it well.” Jason Falls
See It. Hear It. Do It. With Duct Tape Marketing
At the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits, you’ll experience learning by doing. You’ll build your own two-day curriculum out of flexible full-day, half-day, and two-hour component workshops on topics ranging from Social Media to Revenue Management, all of which are carefully planned to build upon each other progressively, and expand your understanding and skill set exponentially. The knowledge you receive will be continually reinforced by hands-on interaction to make certain you have not just the knowledge, but the know-how!
REAL-TIME RESULTS
Whether it’s designing a real Facebook page that’s optimized to develop stronger relationships with your customers, or using WordPress to design a powerfully communicative website or blog that represents your newly optimized brand, or actually raising your existing website to top search engine ranking; you won’t just listen … you’ll see, hear, and do. Even before you leave the event, you will design and develop your own New Media solutions, and begin to experience real-time results that will continue to grow as you apply the solid strategies and integration plans you’ll also receive.
“Business as usual” is no longer an option, and that’s why the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits should be a key element of your transformation plan. There will simply be no better opportunity or environment to develop the skills and knowledge you need to meet the challenges of today’s New Media world. Joining us means that you’ve chosen for your business to survive. But we’ll go you one better … be there and we’ll teach you how to THRIVE.
We’ll see you there!
“2009 was about learning social media. 2010 will be about figuring out how to use it well.” Jason Falls
WorkShop Leader John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide
Duct Tape Marketing Using Social Media to Generate Referrals – Wednesday- Two, Two Hour Sessions
My Social Media System
At a recent social media workshop a participant asked me to reveal my social media routine – how I track, converse, communicate and otherwise curate all my various social media activities. I paused to think about it for a while because I never really considered what I do a routine, but it occurred to me that, in fact, I do have a systematic approach to social media. (No surprise really, I’m a systems thinker and I just do it habitually – ask my wife, I have a system for making the bed and loading the dishwasher.)
I do think that participating fully in social media as a business and marketing strategy requires discipline, automation routines and a daily commitment. Now, you’ve got to balance that with the fact that much of your activity is about building long-term momentum and deeper networks and that doesn’t always make the cash register ring today. So, some of what I do won’t be right for all, but I thought I would share my systematic approach in the hopes this may reveal some tips that make your experience more fruitful. (I won’t take the space in this post to explain what all of the tools are that I mention, I’ve probably written about most, so try my search box above.)
Twice-daily
* Check twitter via Tweetdeck – preset searches for @ducttape, john jantsch, and duct tape marketing – respond as I see fit, follow some @replies that seem appropriate.
* Scan mybloglog – I obsess over traffic, but this reveals trending links and stumble surges in real time so I can react if appropriate.
* Respond to comments on my blog
Daily
* Write a blog post – RSS subs get it, twitter tools sends to twitter, Facebook gets it, FriendFeed updates
* Scan twitter followers for relevant conversations to join
* Scan Google Reader subscriptions to read and stimulate ideas
* Share Google Reader favs – these publish to Facebook and you can subscribe
* FleckTweet any blog pages from my subscriptions that I love – this goes to twitter
* Bookmark any blog pages from my subscriptions that I love – delicious using Firefox plugin for right click posting – this goes to FriendFeed
* Stumble any blog pages from my subscriptions that I love – this goes to Facebook and FriendFeed
* Scan Google Alerts for my name, brand and products – in Google Reader as RSS feed – respond as appropriate
* Add comments to blogs as appropriate – mostly response types – Google Reader and BackType
Weekly (end)
* Scan LinkedIn Questions from my network and respond when appropriate
* Scan delicious, digg and mixx popular and select bookmarks for content ideas and trending topics
* Consciously add comments to conversations I want to join – hot topic focused
* Join one twitter hot trend conversation if appropriate – search.twitter.com shows these in real time
Monthly
* Check MrTweet for new twitter follow recommendations
* Scan Amazon’s upcoming and new releases for authors to interview on podcast (the big names seem more accessible with a book release coming!)
* Post a press release with social media links to PitchEngine or PRWeb (this changes depending on what’s going on, but at least monthly.)
* Strategize on ways to repurpose and repackage any and all of this in ways that make it more accessible to another audience.
For some this just seems crazy – others will notice some obvious glaring holes in this system – the point though is the system approach. Set your system up and work it, day in and day out, whatever that means for you, and then you will start to understand the vital role that social media can come to play in your overall marketing strategy.
This is my way and one way only – please share your tips for managing the beast!
At a recent social media workshop a participant asked me to reveal my social media routine – how I track, converse, communicate and otherwise curate all my various social media activities. I paused to think about it for a while because I never really considered what I do a routine, but it occurred to me that, in fact, I do have a systematic approach to social media. (No surprise really, I’m a systems thinker and I just do it habitually – ask my wife, I have a system for making the bed and loading the dishwasher.)
I do think that participating fully in social media as a business and marketing strategy requires discipline, automation routines and a daily commitment. Now, you’ve got to balance that with the fact that much of your activity is about building long-term momentum and deeper networks and that doesn’t always make the cash register ring today. So, some of what I do won’t be right for all, but I thought I would share my systematic approach in the hopes this may reveal some tips that make your experience more fruitful. (I won’t take the space in this post to explain what all of the tools are that I mention, I’ve probably written about most, so try my search box above.)
Twice-daily
* Check twitter via Tweetdeck – preset searches for @ducttape, john jantsch, and duct tape marketing – respond as I see fit, follow some @replies that seem appropriate.
* Scan mybloglog – I obsess over traffic, but this reveals trending links and stumble surges in real time so I can react if appropriate.
* Respond to comments on my blog
Daily
* Write a blog post – RSS subs get it, twitter tools sends to twitter, Facebook gets it, FriendFeed updates
* Scan twitter followers for relevant conversations to join
* Scan Google Reader subscriptions to read and stimulate ideas
* Share Google Reader favs – these publish to Facebook and you can subscribe
* FleckTweet any blog pages from my subscriptions that I love – this goes to twitter
* Bookmark any blog pages from my subscriptions that I love – delicious using Firefox plugin for right click posting – this goes to FriendFeed
* Stumble any blog pages from my subscriptions that I love – this goes to Facebook and FriendFeed
* Scan Google Alerts for my name, brand and products – in Google Reader as RSS feed – respond as appropriate
* Add comments to blogs as appropriate – mostly response types – Google Reader and BackType
Weekly (end)
* Scan LinkedIn Questions from my network and respond when appropriate
* Scan delicious, digg and mixx popular and select bookmarks for content ideas and trending topics
* Consciously add comments to conversations I want to join – hot topic focused
* Join one twitter hot trend conversation if appropriate – search.twitter.com shows these in real time
Monthly
* Check MrTweet for new twitter follow recommendations
* Scan Amazon’s upcoming and new releases for authors to interview on podcast (the big names seem more accessible with a book release coming!)
* Post a press release with social media links to PitchEngine or PRWeb (this changes depending on what’s going on, but at least monthly.)
* Strategize on ways to repurpose and repackage any and all of this in ways that make it more accessible to another audience.
For some this just seems crazy – others will notice some obvious glaring holes in this system – the point though is the system approach. Set your system up and work it, day in and day out, whatever that means for you, and then you will start to understand the vital role that social media can come to play in your overall marketing strategy.
This is my way and one way only – please share your tips for managing the beast!
Duct Tape Marketing Using Social Media to Generate Referrals – Wednesday- Two, Two Hour Sessions
Everyone’s buzzing about the awesome online global power of social media tools, but few people focus on touting practical ways to use social media to generate leads and referrals for the local business. In this session, John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing, will reveal practical strategies and tactics that any small business can use to leverage online social media tools to create deeper customer relationships, valuable strategic partnerships, local leads and ultimately more sales and profits.
John Jantsch is a marketing and digital technology coach, award winning social media publisher and author of “Duct Tape Marketing – The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide” published by Thomas Nelson, with foreword by Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth and afterword by Guy Kawasaki.
After working with small business owners for over 15 years and growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of a systematic approach to small business marketing, including online and social media, Jantsch decided he could make his mark on the small business world by creating the perfect small business marketing system.
He has made it his mission to bring the simple, effective and affordable Duct Tape Marketing approach to the millions of struggling small business owners all over the world through workshops, the Duct Tape Marketing small business marketing system and the Duct Tape Marketing Authorized Coach network. His Duct Tape Marketing Blog was chosen as a Forbes favorite for small business and marketing and is a Harvard Business School featured marketing site. His blog was also chosen as “Best Small Business Marketing Blog” in 2004, 2005 and 2006 by the readers of Marketing Sherpa.
What Others Are Saying About Duct Tape Marketing Speaking Appearances
“John Jantsch was a fantastic keynote speaker for our eMarketing For Entrepreneurs Conference. Working with John was a pleasure, as he not only served as keynote speaker, but also as a breakout session facilitator. His vast knowledge and experience in the area of marketing — and specifically eMarketing — showed throughout the day. There is no doubt that John contributed to the conference’s incredible approval rating, with 97% of polled participants stating they would recommend the conference to others.”
-Brad Kleimann, Corporate College Cleveland, OH
“John Jantsch is one of the best resources available today for small business owners looking for real-world marketing ideas that actually work. Duct Tape Marketing proves that there are REAL business benefits to a disciplined approach to marketing!”
-Anne Plese, Marketing Alliance Manager, Sage Software
“Your presentation at our annual conference was informative, right on point and clearly targeted to our audience of independent information professionals. You provided practical insight on the topic of small business marketing that should be shared with all small business owners. You presented in a manner that was thoroughly captivating with just the right balance of humor. Our members left wanting more and anxious to put into practice the tips you provided. Thanks for the inspiration! “
-Jodi Gregory – President Association of Independent Information Professionals
“I thought I’d let you know that we thought the PRSA workshop yesterday was fantastic. We got a lot of great ideas from it. We have already set up our own blogs to practice our blogging skills.”
-Plattform Advertising
Internet marketing conference, Social Media Measurement, optimization summits, social media, social media ROI, social-media-marketing, social-media-strategy
The Future of Consumerism and A Killer Plan Of Attack
Do you understand today’s hottest business trends well enough to have a point of view? Could you give an answer if asked—let’s say for example’s sake—about the future of consumerism in this increasingly dynamic world? Maybe you’re wondering why you need to understand or have a point of view in the first place.
The answer is that understanding and having a point of view are part of a critical chain reaction that’s happening in today’s world, whether you choose to be a part of it or not—and failing to take part will cost you the success of your business. Understanding leads to an informed point of view, which leads to fresh inspiration, which leads to true innovation—all of which are necessary in today’s increasingly transparent, information-driven, and consumer-informed world in order to continue creating profitable services for us and satisfying experiences for our customers.
Are you ready to lay out a kick-butt plan of attack to optimize your business, based on a solid understanding of today’s consumer, using the hottest and here-to-stay tools, applications and platforms available today? (… without a brain transplant from Steve Jobs, Barry Diller or that brilliant entrepreneur you read about last week in Fast Company?)
Today’s consumers are lusting after detailed information on anything and anyone; which is why millions of websites, blogs, sharing services, social networking sites like Facebook, devices and apps that facilitate instant checking, tracking, alerting, visualizing, analyzing, mapping and reviewing are hotter than ever. In the online world—and increasingly in the offline world—this quest for information represents the single greatest new marketing opportunity since the invention of the sign, and it’s being met by a mix of new technologies collectively called New Media.
Note: New media is a term meant to encompass the emergence of digital, computerized, or networked information and communication technologies.
As more of our society comes to live in the online and on-demand world, their expectations become dramatically altered. Want music? Download it. Need to know something? Google it. Want to tell Susie what Bobby said? Text it. Want to stay in touch with friends and family? Facebook it! Want to share your knowledge? Blog it! Have an opinion to share? Do any or all of the above! The result? An entire new dimension to our everyday world—not confined to the physical constraints of real-world time and distance—enabling real-time publishing, real-time search, real-time reviews and price-comparison for products and services, real-time news, real-time conversations, and more.
The instant information and communication gratification is obvious; and the need to tap into this trend is paramount. To remain relevant, we must move at the speed of the culture, initiating, engaging in, and (when it comes to our brands) controlling the conversations in this new realm where what’s said is visible immediately and to everyone. And we have to it intelligently, with strategies that include but aren’t limited to time-based offers, real-time customer service, and a level of engagement that makes the difference between an interactive and alive brand and a static DEAD one.
I’m certain you already recognize that our customers’ needs and demands have been redefined to the extent that we are now heading in an entirely new direction. The expectation, technologies, transparency, focus on responsibility, need for connection, sense of community, quest for information … those are just a few of the elements creating a transformation from business practices that used to be revered as reliable to a whole new frontier, driven by New Media, where the old rules and old school communication skills no longer apply. But merely acknowledging that it’s time for new rules is not enough.
It’s not just the rules that have changed. It’s the entire game.
A new game calls for new skills and knowledge, and that’s why the 2010 Optimization Summits should be a key element of your transformation plan. There will simply be no better opportunity or environment to develop the skills and knowledge you need to meet the challenges of today’s New Media world. Joining us means that you’ve chosen for your business to survive. But we’ll go you one better … be there and we’ll teach you how to THRIVE.
I’ll see you in Dallas!
P.S. – And my final thought: Regardless of the recession (and regardless of any argument about whether it is or isn’t officially over), going back to ‘business as usual’ is never going to be an option for us again. That’s either a sobering or exciting thought. Naturally, I opt for exciting (as you knew I would).
Internet marketing conference, Social Media Measurement, optimization summits, social media, social media ROI, social-media-marketing, social-media-strategy
